Tip for Newbies about Avoiding Crashes

[Paul Schulze]

It seems to me that many crashes have probably occurred in situations where the aircraft nose was pointing toward the pilot, as in RTH. Left/right stick movements are reversed and one small correction in the wrong direction can catch a tree, bush, wall, etc.

I always cancel RTH (if using) and rotate the nose away from me on decent or when coming in and well above trees and other objects. This way, the controls are in the same directions as the drone movements. This also removes a conscious thought process which could consume precious seconds. Some pros can accommodate immediately, but I have never mastered an automatic readjustment.

 

[Cometstorm]

As a newbie myself, I can relate to that.

Thanks!

 

[TrevorTron]

I must admit I too normally 'reverse' in, but only if I can see the bird. If it's out of sight you run the risk of reversing into something!
But of course there is no substitute for experience and I often do the nose-in approach.
The simulator (while not perfect) is a handy tool for getting the hang of it without risking damage.

 

[Paul Schulze]

I too like to fly nose inward, especially for shooting. It is when I get close to the home point and begin to descend or when returning to HP from a close-by low altitude point, that I rotate the craft to nose outward.

 

[BCBasher]

A bit of practice and it's second nature, I learned years ago on a toy plane called the Airhoggs Aero Ace before I moved to hobby RC planes. A decet 6dof toy quad with good lights would be the way to go now. I used a Sharper Image DX-2 modified so I could see the lights from the front, back, and sides better to brushup for a month before I got a Phantom.

 

[Pharm]

The easiest thing to do when confused is to just let go of both sticks. Then you can think and make small movements to get reoriented.

 

[Paul Schulze]

True, but when close to a tree, one mistaken nudge and ........ Also, don't forget that a mistake requires braking distance to reverse.

If you never make mistakes, I would be inclined to say, fly anyway you want. I say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Peter Hartmann]

I have managed to operate my new drone ( I now have almost FOUR weeks of experience operating drones....!) without crashing it.

I attribute my good luck to several things. My incredible SKILL & expertise.....AND.. ( this may have something to do with it.....) .my realization that trees, telephone poles....the side of my house... the earth's surface..........ARE NOT MADE OUT OF FOAM RUBBER !

 

[BCBasher]

E

The easiest thing to do when confused is to just let go of both sticks. Then you can think and make small movements to get reoriented.

Easiest but not the right thing to do, I love my Phantom and it's ability to take care of itself when conditions are right but it has limitations and you may need to actually fly it once in awhile. Learn nose in and don't lose orientation if at all possible,

 

[Pharm]

E


Easiest but not the right thing to do, I love my Phantom and it's ability to take care of itself when conditions are right but it has limitations and you may need to actually fly it once in awhile. Learn nose in and don't lose orientation if at all possible,

True but always the right thing to do if you DO get disoriented. If one gets in the habit of nose in, great! If not or unexpected condition, hovering in place with no controller input to send the bird in an unintended direction is always the right choice.

 

[Brockrock]

I think one of the most efficient ways to learn skilled control of the copter is to fly it in ATTI mode in a wide opened area above all obstacles on a light wind day. Not a no wind day but a light wind day.

Begin by maintaining a constant altitude - which it will do with no throttle inputs - and practice squares, triangles, and figure eights. Try to hit the same points within the practice area each time with each maneuver. Then, when this gets comfortable - and it will kind of 'click-in' all of a sudden - practice altitude changes during the same maneuvers. This will suddenly 'click-in' too. If at any time you feel like you're tending toward out of control, switch back to 'P' mode, regroup, and keep trying.

 

[Magdalena1234]

For me as a new pilot I always rotate toward objective and fly forward (except for landing) so the craft always goes straight ahead with forward stick..seems less confusing for me at this juncture, also make sure the arrow is pointed to your home point BEFORE you take off.. when it's time to come home I make sure arrow is pointed at home point and apply forward stick I have read too many horror story's on here about the Return to Home (RTH Function)get familiar with your flight screen before you take off , find an open area and put the bird up a couple of feet to minimize any damage and watch your screen while you rotate and move the craft .. you don't want to be fumbling around with controls and panic while birds a hundred feet in the air and a couple hundred yards downrange with battery getting low! Also try to fly on cloudy days or at dusk so you're not sunblinded and can see your screen and the craft more clearly... just sayin

 

[pomonabill220]

.my realization that trees, telephone poles....the side of my house... the earth's surface..........ARE NOT MADE OUT OF FOAM RUBBER !

... and DON'T move out of your way!

 

[Deleted member 68677]

I have managed to operate my new drone ( I now have almost FOUR weeks of experience operating drones....!) without crashing it.

I attribute my good luck to several things. My incredible SKILL & expertise.....AND.. ( this may have something to do with it.....) .my realization that trees, telephone poles....the side of my house... the earth's surface..........ARE NOT MADE OUT OF FOAM RUBBER !

lol..[emoji2]

 

[montanamac]

I have only been flying for a few months now and have found that, for me, using the "home lock" feature in the Litchi app is a real aid for keeping control.

For those that don't know ... when in the "home lock" configuration the bird will always respond in a "nose away" response no matter which way the arrow is pointing. If you are disoriented you can get your bird back within a close range using familiar stick movements until you can re establish which way the bird is facing.

Once this is accomplished I turn off "home lock" before making my landing. As a final note .. make sure you have plenty of altitude when using "home lock" when you bird is a long way off

 

[Ursus Horribilis]

If you're flying any RC aircraft in that way you are severely limiting yourself. An RC pilot should always learn to fly in any orientation for successful stress free flight.

Here's the easiest way to fly any RC aircraft. Put yourself in the seat of the aircraft you're flying and fly it as though you were the pilot actually inside the aircraft. If you keep that in mind when flying you will always know which direction to push the stick. I've only been flying quads for not quite two years now but flew RC gas and electric planes and helis for many years and that's the only way to fly these machines and always be comfortable doing it. When you put yourself in the pilot's seat, flying the RC aircraft becomes second nature and the "conscious thought" process and any "readjustment" isn't necessary.

I hope that helps.

Bud

It seems to me that many crashes have probably occurred in situations where the aircraft nose was pointing toward the pilot, as in RTH. Left/right stick movements are reversed and one small correction in the wrong direction can catch a tree, bush, wall, etc.

I always cancel RTH (if using) and rotate the nose away from me on decent or when coming in and well above trees and other objects. This way, the controls are in the same directions as the drone movements. This also removes a conscious thought process which could consume precious seconds. Some pros can accommodate immediately, but I have never mastered an automatic readjustment.

 

[hrosee]

If you can't fly "nose in" then you are not ready to fly at distance at all. For those of us that also fly RC planes or Heli's that is one of the first things you learn WITH an instructor for several weeks of flying. I get amused when I see people complain about Fly-a-ways and crashes and always want to blame DJI first. These Quads fly themselves when all is right. Loose GPS and go into ATTI mode and you better know how to really fly.

I also agree with what others said about Homelock. It's your friend. When I take off I go out about 200 feet, put it in homelock and pull the stick back. If it heads my way I know that the Homepoint is set correctly. My Phantom 2 is easier to check because you just flip a switch, no app. On my P3P you have to flip the switch and respond to a couple of screen prompts. You can react quicker on a P2 standard to a flight issue then you can a P3.

You have tons more fun flying if you spend some time "CLOSE IN" learning the advance modes. You also won't have as many crashes or fly-a-ways.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

I have raced RC sailboats and now fly drones. With enough practice, your reflexes will be proper for both nose-in and nose-out flying. You should do lots of practice within a 100 yard area in an open field before going further out. Another technique you might use when returning to home is to use the "HomeLock" intelligent flight mode. Then, no matter what your nose-orientation is, pulling the right stick back brings the drone toward home (you), pulling the right stick left makes the drone go left, and pulling the right stick right makes the drone go right.

All that being said, their is no substitution for lots of practice. The following is a suggested sequence.
- forward and back (nose out at all times)
- 50 yard box ... forward, left, back, right (nose out at all times
- forward and back (nose out for forward; nose in for returning
- 50 yard box ... forward, left, back, right (with 90 degree turns at corners)
- banked circles both clockwise and counter clockwise
- banked figure eights

Does that sound like a lot of work ... not if you want good piloting skills.

 

[Paul Schulze]

Are there any pilots who have flown nose-in and had a crash or near collision because of an incorrect left or right pitch?

Other than being able to say "I fly nose-in without incidents," why not fly nose- out, or even sideways, if that suits you? I cannot see any real benefit to a particular flying style other than nose-out for those who want to fly but don't have time to perfect nose-in, or are not seasoned pros and never will be. Thanks to technological advances, novices can fly and do so safely.

I know some say that you should not fly if you don't master this or that by practice so that it becomes a reflexive action. Again I point to technological advances which allows the weekend pilot to enjoy a good hobby without incidents. Good for those who want a reflexive response to everything. A neat feature of a DJI Phantom is to just let go of the sticks and your bird will eagerly wait in place for your next command. If I were wanting to go beyond the hobby stage, then I agree that you should practice, practice, practice and gain those reflex actions otherwise what's the point?

 

[3putts]

So far, in my short tenure as a P3 Pro pilot, seagulls probably scare me the most. They do not seem interested in the drone, but.......
Anyone have issues with birds?