I did a test with a Phantom P1 in ATTI mode. to see how well it would hold its heading. This P1 has no compass or GPS installed. It really puts up a fight when you try to rotate it by hand. When you yaw it manually, it returns to the previous position. It will drift in the wind but holds the heading very well in spite of external forces.I got a response from DJI on the question about compass and attitude mode. They did not explain the in flight recalibration I asked about and for some reason, they answered me in German (probably thinking Dutch and Deutsch is the same?), so let me quote it and translate. German is only my 4th language, if anyone spots any mistakes, feel free to correct me. Original is below
In pure attitude mode, the quadcopter doesnt need compass data. It doesnt stabilize its position and doesnt require absolute orientation.
If the compass is signal is disturbed, then the quad automatically goes in to attitude mode. This is reported by many pilots as "lost control". In many flight records we see that novice pilots panic and give full stick deflection in one direction, then the other. The problem with that: the quad follows the commands 1:1 and the impression is made, that its completely out of control.
In this case, the pilot must compensate the drift. It makes no difference if the quadcopter was switched in to attitude mode automatically (due to compass error) or manually via the remote control. It requires some feeling to fly in this way; you can train this with no problem if you have enough free space.
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