Something all fixed-wing pilots know about, many RC heli pilots (all should, but alas, not the case), and virtually no quad first-time pilots know about.
After 2 years of drone flying and ignoring it (I'm a private pilot, as well as past fixed-wing RC gliders and helis), I decided to give coordinated turns a look, and MAN OH MAN! A really good skill to learn for flying quads!
What are coordinated turns? On a fixed-wing aircraft, the plane turns by banking (rolling). When you do this maneuver, you have to "coordinate" some yaw so that the aircraft doesn't slip diagonally sideways/down in the direction of the roll. In fact, this slide/slip is a technique that is used to fly straight into a sidewind while landing.
Quads have the same problem, although the control effects are changed around a bit. We turn via yaw control, not rolling. Quads are not "directional" like a fixed-wing plane; they fly equally well in all four cardinal directions. However, when you turn via yaw input, momentum causes the quad to "slide" sideways in relation to the new forward direction until the new thrust direction manages to completely change the direction of flight.
In other words, you may be done with the actual heading change from your control inputs, but the aircraft is still flying in the original direction, especially if you were moving fast.
Yet, you can coordinate turns with a quad, very effectively, and massively improve the control over precisely where the aircraft is in space. You can fly like a bad mofo in Sport mode, and precisely zoom around a turn without much overshoot.
HOW
Simple: When turning, add some roll in the same direction you're turning. How much depends on how fast you're going, and how fast the yaw rate is (how much yaw stick your giving). THIS is what you have to simply go out and find a big, open field to practice, practice, practice to get the right feel for how much control input to get it optimal.
Good news is, this is so fun you won't want to stop. Get a few more batteries.
Once you get this down, to the point of muscle memory so you're not thinking about it, you can "fun fly" in sport mode so much better, and with much more control.
I've been burning 5 batteries a day all week doing this, and having a blast. Nearly no braking at all -- full speed Sport, circles, ovals, back and forth, around stuff, figure 8s, etc. And absolutely wild!
Coordinating turns is really only helpful when flying really fast, LOS, pretty much ignoring the camera. It's sport flying, drone-only -- you're not flying a camera drone when you're worrying about coordinating turns.
After 2 years of drone flying and ignoring it (I'm a private pilot, as well as past fixed-wing RC gliders and helis), I decided to give coordinated turns a look, and MAN OH MAN! A really good skill to learn for flying quads!
What are coordinated turns? On a fixed-wing aircraft, the plane turns by banking (rolling). When you do this maneuver, you have to "coordinate" some yaw so that the aircraft doesn't slip diagonally sideways/down in the direction of the roll. In fact, this slide/slip is a technique that is used to fly straight into a sidewind while landing.
Quads have the same problem, although the control effects are changed around a bit. We turn via yaw control, not rolling. Quads are not "directional" like a fixed-wing plane; they fly equally well in all four cardinal directions. However, when you turn via yaw input, momentum causes the quad to "slide" sideways in relation to the new forward direction until the new thrust direction manages to completely change the direction of flight.
In other words, you may be done with the actual heading change from your control inputs, but the aircraft is still flying in the original direction, especially if you were moving fast.
Yet, you can coordinate turns with a quad, very effectively, and massively improve the control over precisely where the aircraft is in space. You can fly like a bad mofo in Sport mode, and precisely zoom around a turn without much overshoot.
HOW
Simple: When turning, add some roll in the same direction you're turning. How much depends on how fast you're going, and how fast the yaw rate is (how much yaw stick your giving). THIS is what you have to simply go out and find a big, open field to practice, practice, practice to get the right feel for how much control input to get it optimal.
Good news is, this is so fun you won't want to stop. Get a few more batteries.
Once you get this down, to the point of muscle memory so you're not thinking about it, you can "fun fly" in sport mode so much better, and with much more control.
I've been burning 5 batteries a day all week doing this, and having a blast. Nearly no braking at all -- full speed Sport, circles, ovals, back and forth, around stuff, figure 8s, etc. And absolutely wild!
Coordinating turns is really only helpful when flying really fast, LOS, pretty much ignoring the camera. It's sport flying, drone-only -- you're not flying a camera drone when you're worrying about coordinating turns.
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