how to fly straight?

[alexjo55]

I flew like 8 min in total and then i sped it up in a editor program, but i can see its not perfect.
When its sped up, you can see small movements wich i think make the video worse.

I have lines and so in the app of the drone wich helps to ceep the object centerd, but its just not possbile for med to hold it EXACTLY at the same spot for many minutes.

When the video is not sped up, you can not see the movements beccause then they are slower.

Is there any way to fix this?
Maybe some program can fix it?

 

[Sir Maxwell Greene]

The drone wont fly exactly in a straight line over a long distance, different factors effect your flight, wind being one of them...
Try using the stabilize option in your editor or if its that bad, use key frames to straighten the path.

 

[MA2 317]

Is there any way to fix this?

You might try disabling sideways flight under the safety tab in the FLY app if it's available for the mini 3.

I assume it is.


.

 

[mavic3usa]

These drones can fly so straight you would never be able to notice anything but I'm not 100% familiar with each model and capability. What you are looking for is cruise control where you can point the drone and increase the speed and let go of the sticks. In the past, drones had course lock where you could tap on teh screen and the drone would fly there...in a straight line. I'm not up to speed on the mini 3. However these drones have 3 modes approx (cine, norm, sport) and if you want steady, you can put it in cine mode and in the settings lower the speed to the lowest and then you'll be able to put the stick all the way and hold, hopefully with very little side to side movement. These are just ideas, I'm sure there's a better way than in post with keyframe which would a nightmare if you're not good at it (speaking about DR); however, I would look to see if your editor has an automatic stabilizing feature that would greatly help to correct footage.

 

[mavic3usa]

You might try disabling sideways flight under the safety tab in the FLY app if it's available for the mini 3.

I assume it is.


.

Yep that too, my post came about the same times as yours. I don't remember either, so many drones and drone models within, so many sw versions, it's hard to keep it "straight" (no pun intended).

 

[alexjo55]

Yep that too, my post came about the same times as yours. I don't remember either, so many drones and drone models within, so many sw versions, it's hard to keep it "straight" (no pun intended).

i dont think mini 3 have that option.
At least i have not found any.

 

[MA2 317]

I found this clip for the mini 3 PRO and just assumed it was on the regular mini 3.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Remember also that flying via the camera demands that the camera be pointed in precisely the same direction as the drone itself. If the camera is point off to the side then, based on what is seen on the screen, pure forward stick will produce apparent sideways drift.
1deg of error on a 3000m run would result in an apparent drift of 53+m

 

[tuxtard]

I am also experiencing multiple issues when trying to fly straight.

1. sometimes when I start moving it moves diagonally instead forward. I guess that in these situations camera yaw is not centered
2. it yaws during forward moves longer than few seconds
3. like the OP said, on speed up footage different unwanted movements are obvious, especially horizon tilt changes

 

[Crash Pro]

Don’t know if this will help, but I have found that flying in reverse (backwards) is easier to maintain straight flight. Just make sure you are above any obstacles as you won’t be able to see where you’re going.

 

[WobblingWillie]

i dont think mini 3 have that option.
At least i have not found any.

Yes, only the Mini 3 Pro has obstacle avoidance. The Mini 3 does not.

 

[alexjo55]

I have done some more testing and i have found out that you often have to push the yaw stick a little bit.
No big movements.
Also, i think a bigger screen would help tohave the object centerd.
I have an iphone 6 plus and i think the video gets other feeling when i look at it on the computer.
I will try to get a tablet instead but dont know wich one that works with the fly app.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Fly straight... a loaded term

You are, of course, referring to relative to the ground, and your question implies a fixed course on the ground. So let's talk about heading, and course.

Heading is the compass direction your drone is pointing, while course is the line it flies over the ground.

A typical consumer drone has a built-in compass, and is pretty good at holding heading. Yaw changes the heading, then the flight controller will keep the drone on that heading as you pitch, roll, and change elevation. In straight-ahead flight (full right stick forward) it will similarly keep flying in the same direction or heading.

However, course is a different matter. Almost no aircraft have the sensing capability to provide the fine control to fly a fixed course over the ground with little error. Whether a Cessna 182 or a DJI drone, the instrument available to track a course is the pilot's eyeballs.

Flying a straight course is more difficult with any degree of crosswind, and there's almost always some air movement, especially aloft. Easier with a steady wind, much much harder if it's gusty.

In any case, as you've discovered you must yaw or "crab" (aviation term ) into the wind. You shouldn't need to hold some yaw stick, this will make you spin around 360°, even with a tiny amount of stick, just slowly.

Rather, if you want to fly a course of 100° and in that direction there is a steady headwind with a bit of an angle crossing your course left to right, you will have to hold a heading less than 100°, the amount of correction depending on your speed and the wind speed. Say, 90°.

This can only be done "by feel" watching your course on the camera display as you go. If you have a target in the distance, it's easier. With a crosswind component, there will be a spot to the right or left of the display cross hair where the target will stay fixed, and not drift left or right. This is the proper heading that corrects for the crosswind. You gotta adjust heading and eyeball it.

If it's gusty, then the situation is dynamic, and you just gotta do your best. Again, a target here really helps.

You can also roll in the direction of the crosswind to correct. If you use this method – instead of crabbing – you then keep your target dead-center in the cross hair, correct with roll input. This is more tedious as you have to hold the roll angle constantly with the stick.

 

[Cafguy]

I know Profesional Drone pilots that take classes on how to fly straight proficiently.

 

[FLDave]

Fly straight... a loaded term

You are, of course, referring to relative to the ground, and your question implies a fixed course on the ground. So let's talk about heading, and course.

Heading is the compass direction your drone is pointing, while course is the line it flies over the ground.

A typical consumer drone has a built-in compass, and is pretty good at holding heading. Yaw changes the heading, then the flight controller will keep the drone on that heading as you pitch, roll, and change elevation. In straight-ahead flight (full right stick forward) it will similarly keep flying in the same direction or heading.

However, course is a different matter. Almost no aircraft have the sensing capability to provide the fine control to fly a fixed course over the ground with little error. Whether a Cessna 182 or a DJI drone, the instrument available to track a course is the pilot's eyeballs.

Flying a straight course is more difficult with any degree of crosswind, and there's almost always some air movement, especially aloft. Easier with a steady wind, much much harder if it's gusty.

In any case, as you've discovered you must yaw or "crab" (aviation term ) into the wind. You shouldn't need to hold some yaw stick, this will make you spin around 360°, even with a tiny amount of stick, just slowly.

Rather, if you want to fly a course of 100° and in that direction there is a steady headwind with a bit of an angle crossing your course left to right, you will have to hold a heading less than 100°, the amount of correction depending on your speed and the wind speed. Say, 90°.

This can only be done "by feel" watching your course on the camera display as you go. If you have a target in the distance, it's easier. With a crosswind component, there will be a spot to the right or left of the display cross hair where the target will stay fixed, and not drift left or right. This is the proper heading that corrects for the crosswind. You gotta adjust heading and eyeball it.

If it's gusty, then the situation is dynamic, and you just gotta do your best. Again, a target here really helps.

You can also roll in the direction of the crosswind to correct. If you use this method – instead of crabbing – you then keep your target dead-center in the cross hair, correct with roll input. This is more tedious as you have to hold the roll angle constantly with the stick.

While crabbing is practical in a fixed wing aircraft with a vertical tail "wing" for some yaw control it's not the only way fly straight with fixed wing especially when landing when the aircraft should be facing straight ahead, not crabbing. In case slipping into the wind will align the aircraft.
On the other hand a quadcopter does not have a tail fin or rudder to maintain directional control. The computerized motor controls are use for all movements, so the drone does not need to crab to maintain ground heading when on an automated flight path. Programs such as Litchy and Dronelink can be set for the drone to maintain heading along a path without crabbing in the fixed wing aircraft.

 

[Droning on and on...]

While crabbing is practical in a fixed wing aircraft with a vertical tail "wing" for some yaw control it's not the only way fly straight with fixed wing especially when landing when the aircraft should be facing straight ahead, not crabbing. In case slipping into the wind will align the aircraft.
On the other hand a quadcopter does not have a tail fin or rudder to maintain directional control. The computerized motor controls are use for all movements, so the drone does not need to crab to maintain ground heading when on an automated flight path. Programs such as Litchy and Dronelink can be set for the drone to maintain heading along a path without crabbing in the fixed wing aircraft.

Yup. As I mentioned, holding a roll angle can compensate for a crosswind to stay on a course, and this is essentially what the FC does with waypoint operations.

However, crabbing works too, and is easier on the pilot if wind conditions are relatively steady.

A fixed tail isn't necessary to crab. All that's needed is a compass. A quad maintains direction and yaw by dynamically varying the RPM of the 4 motors individually but coordinated to produce a net torque around the vertical axis of the drone. The FC does this continuously to stay on heading, and it's rather precise.

Side-slipping is only necessary for fixed-wing aircraft on landing, and only because they aren't VTOL. One of my scariest landings in a 152 was when some weather came in quickly, I was VFR back when I was current, and the wind was gusting 90° to the runway from the left.

Got in the pattern, lined up on final and put it into a slip, and I was getting tossed around so much as I landed the left wingtip got about 2 feet from the tarmac a time or two.

Kissed the ground after that landing.

What really got to me flying was accelerated stalls. Took me lots of practice not to get to the edge of panic practicing those, but I did it and passed the flight test. Back in '86.

I only fly drones now

 

[alexjo55]

I have done some testing with "return to home" and it works really good.
The problem is that you cant set the return tom home location more than 2km away.

I usually fly to the object, and then press return to home button.
But you have to be a little bit further so you can turn the camera back in the right position because when you press return to home, the drone will spin 180 degrees.

When fly to your end location(where you will press the button), you will be able to see how the video will look like.
A few times i took some other way when i flew to my object and then when the drone came back, i was not happy with the angle of the video and so.

You also have to calculate the battery usage.
The battery hits 10%, the drone will stop and go in to forced landing mode and the video will be destroyed beccause of movements.

If you dont want to fly to the object first, you can set the homepoint at your target/object and before you press the button, you can check the satelite map and see so the return to home location is where you want it to be.