Beginner recommendation, don’t attach sticks to controller

[old man mavic]

@Artemis ,fine tuning will be something that you will get to in time
just take your time and practice, practice ,practice

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Peronally I like the straight line version, 0.5, it gives more consistant changes in how the drone responds to changes in the joystick position. If you introduce curves the response changes depending on where on the graph the joystick currently 'is'.
When I was testing to see if changes to the EXP were stored in the drone and stuck when a different phone was used I set yaw to 0.9, the highest I could go, it meant that the slightest movement of the left stick in the yaw direction away from the central position produced nigh on the maximum yaw rate.

 

[Droniac]

Came across a video referencing an instructor suggest newbies leave sticks off til they develop some skill, although you have access to functions that affect this and often people get longer sticks for increased sensitivity and accuracy, apparently flying with no sticks increases smoothness substantially for the newbie and reduces the chance of over reaction. This made sense to me but thought shorter sticks might Be a good substitute, these look to be sold out or discontinued but bh still had some in stock so I ordered a set to try….. I’ve been teaching myself the fundamentals using iOS app called drone simulator lite, it’s free and seems pretty good, taught myself how to orbit on it last night Ulanzi Rockers for DJI Mavic Air 2 Remote Controllers (Pair)

I myself am a pincher and a thumber! Grew up on gaming although when it gets tight (anywhere near obstacles) I find an advantage pinching. Although, This position is subject to change it’s my regular methodology. I’m currently on medication for it. But the lanyard is the key to pinching. Godspeed, Droniac

 

[Ralph thompson]

In my opinion you should learn how to operate the drone safely. Forget stick lengths. Find an open space, practice slow ( then faster) figure of eights not forgetting the roll input. Take the drone a distance away turn it to face you and fly back slowly, increasing altitude And finish 20‘ above your head. Take it a distance away, turn away from the drone and yaw the drone for a while. Then figure out which direction it’s facing without looking at the controller. Find a tree or post & move around it keeping the drone facing the object all the time. Try at a distance then get closer. Etc etc, there’s lots of these exercises on youtube. Nobody is a brilliant operator out of the box, you have to learn the skills and characteristics of the device. All the rest are just excuses for poor levels of skill.

 

[Flying Shroppie]

At my age my biggest problem when flying anything above 200ft and at a greater distance than 300yds, is seing/remembering which round the drone is facing. I often have to stop and have a "hands- off" the sticks moment and then gently nudge one or other of the sticks just to remind myself which way round the drone is facing. I still haven't yet got used to flying via the screen and not watching the drone.
This is particularly important when flying near obstacles such as trees etc. Luckily the "hands-off" moment gives me time to think. At my age things are not so instinctive as they were 70 years ago.
I also fly fixed wing models but the "hands-off" approach does not work with them as they keep on going and usually its groundward. I have a stack of shredded balsa to prove it.

 

[Artemis]

In my opinion you should learn how to operate the drone safely. Forget stick lengths. Find an open space, practice slow ( then faster) figure of eights not forgetting the roll input. Take the drone a distance away turn it to face you and fly back slowly, increasing altitude And finish 20‘ above your head. Take it a distance away, turn away from the drone and yaw the drone for a while. Then figure out which direction it’s facing without looking at the controller. Find a tree or post & move around it keeping the drone facing the object all the time. Try at a distance then get closer. Etc etc, there’s lots of these exercises on youtube. Nobody is a brilliant operator out of the box, you have to learn the skills and characteristics of the device. All the rest are just excuses for poor levels of skill.

Although I agree with everything you said, I do think a proper ergonomic set up will help me, that’s why I am paying so close attention to “experts”…. it was only a 10 dollar expense to know which sticks feel the most comfortable flying, I may end up liking the stock better but better to know up front and train with whatever I choose

 

[Artemis]

At my age my biggest problem when flying anything above 200ft and at a greater distance than 300yds, is seing/remembering which round the drone is facing. I often have to stop and have a "hands- off" the sticks moment and then gently nudge one or other of the sticks just to remind myself which way round the drone is facing. I still haven't yet got used to flying via the screen and not watching the drone.
This is particularly important when flying near obstacles such as trees etc. Luckily the "hands-off" moment gives me time to think. At my age things are not so instinctive as they were 70 years ago.
I also fly fixed wing models but the "hands-off" approach does not work with them as they keep on going and usually its groundward. I have a stack of shredded balsa to prove it.

I think I will find that challenging also… one reason why I went ahead and ordered some strobes, should be easier to tell my orientation as long as I’m not too far out

 

[hiflyer201]

What’s dumb idea. IMHO of course

 

[John Locke]

that’s why I am paying so close attention to “experts”

Not everyone online is an expert, and nobody knows what their motivation is, suggesting to fly with no sticks. IMO that's totally ridiculous, and anyone contemplating this is wasting their learning time while increasing the risk of a crash.

 

[Artemis]

Btw the suggestion comes from here, as stated earlier, for beginners, no one is suggesting experienced people would like it, it simply trains newbies to make small movements

Alex Harris Drone Academy:- https://courses.dronelaunchacademy.com

 

[Artemis]

And here is another video talking about it

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[Tomk_]

My father flys his Mini 2 exclusively without sticks. He says he feels more in control. Says everything is to "jerky" with the sticks on.

Personally, I like the sticks. I thumb on the DJI, pinch for FPV.

 

[Artemis]

My father flys his Mini 2 exclusively without sticks. He says he feels more in control. Says everything is to "jerky" with the sticks on.

Personally, I like the sticks. I thumb on the DJI, pinch for FPV.

Yeah, I can see how before cene mode was developed the jerkiness was hard to overcome so tricks like this were used more….. btw fpv looks cool but it always looks like an accident in progress to me… hard to imagine people not crashing everytime…. Obviously it’s not as difficult as it looks though or no one would buy one

 

[Rick B.]

I saw something similar, but the context was about having that skill in your bag of tricks in case you lose or break your sticks...that way you're not grounded when out on location. I tried it "dry" -- no drone attached to the RC -- and it felt just really awkward. Lesson for me is don't lose the sticks or have a spare set as part of your kit...

 

[4006448]

This one is probably a personal preference.

I feel like I have more control when using my thumbs. But, I grew up playing video games, so maybe that's why it works better for me.

I agree it’s likely personal preference - similar to how you can hold drum sticks, there’s options as to what feels more comfortable.

 

[Capt KO]

One suggestion, stop buying stuff for your drone. It’s the biggest temptation for new pilots. After you know your capabilities check back here for recommendations on practical additions. Or you will end up with a bunch of unused junk. Been there. Enjoy

 

[eznoh]

Came across a video referencing an instructor suggest newbies leave sticks off til they develop some skill, although you have access to functions that affect this and often people get longer sticks for increased sensitivity and accuracy, apparently flying with no sticks increases smoothness substantially for the newbie and reduces the chance of over reaction. This made sense to me but thought shorter sticks might Be a good substitute, these look to be sold out or discontinued but bh still had some in stock so I ordered a set to try….. I’ve been teaching myself the fundamentals using iOS app called drone simulator lite, it’s free and seems pretty good, taught myself how to orbit on it last night Ulanzi Rockers for DJI Mavic Air 2 Remote Controllers (Pair)

This works for me.

 

[MS Coast]

This works for me.

I did something similar with a couple of 8-32 stainless steel screws that I trimmed to about 3/8" long. I've been flying the Air 2S with them and using the stock sticks on the Mini 2.

It's not revolutionary, but it is interesting. Your thumbs can remain in contact with the body of the controller and it seems a bit easier to be smooth and precise with movements while shooting video. It's certainly inexpensive to try. (And if you lose one of your standard sticks, there's a simple workaround available at any hardware store.)

 

[MA2 317]

did something similar with a couple of 8-32 stainless steel screws

Good point using stainless as it shouldn't effect the controller.

I watched a tear down video of the Spark remote and the sticks are sensitive to metal as they worked within a magnetic field type of collar.

The new remote may be similar.

 

[diesel97]

I did something similar with a couple of 8-32 stainless steel screws that I trimmed to about 3/8" long.

I'm surprised they aren't metric