I have a hard time understanding all these crashes... If you find yourself in trouble just let go of the controls and it will go into hover mode...MP practically flies itself... just saying... be safe, fly smart!
Flight Anxiety
- Thread starter mdominic
- Start date
I had a bit on the maiden flight of my MP but within a minute or two when it got to 30' and I took my hands off the sticks and it just hovered in the same position it vanished. I could hardly believe how stable it was. I still can't believe how stable it is every time I fly !
I have had some serious flight anxiety in the past on various flying machines. My Trex electric helicopter was a very lively little number and it was total heart in mouth every flight despite hours on the PC simulator using the same radio control. It is now in a box in the attic ..... in bits . Then there have been various other small helicopters some of which are quite easy.
I also have a dilemma in the attic. It is a fully completed Hirobo Shuttle helicopter with 5cc nitro engine. It is quite a beast with a rotor span of over 4 feet. I built this in 1985 and have the radio control and everything ready to fly. It is most definitely not a toy. I started it in the back garden and even at low revs those rotors are very intimidating. The problem is that it has primitive electronic aids to help you fly. A gyro and that is about it. Apparently they are quite easy to fly as they are so heavy and everything happens much more slowly than all these small model helicopters. Even so, the likelihood is that I will get it up to 20 or 30 feet quite easily but the chances of maintaining a hover there are small. It is almost certain that I will crash. I could get an expert to fly it for me or maybe upgrade the electronics if possible or sell it (now these are a bit of a collectors item) or just crash and burn.
I think one day I will experience the ultimate in flight anxiety and go out with a bang
I have had some serious flight anxiety in the past on various flying machines. My Trex electric helicopter was a very lively little number and it was total heart in mouth every flight despite hours on the PC simulator using the same radio control. It is now in a box in the attic ..... in bits . Then there have been various other small helicopters some of which are quite easy.
I also have a dilemma in the attic. It is a fully completed Hirobo Shuttle helicopter with 5cc nitro engine. It is quite a beast with a rotor span of over 4 feet. I built this in 1985 and have the radio control and everything ready to fly. It is most definitely not a toy. I started it in the back garden and even at low revs those rotors are very intimidating. The problem is that it has primitive electronic aids to help you fly. A gyro and that is about it. Apparently they are quite easy to fly as they are so heavy and everything happens much more slowly than all these small model helicopters. Even so, the likelihood is that I will get it up to 20 or 30 feet quite easily but the chances of maintaining a hover there are small. It is almost certain that I will crash. I could get an expert to fly it for me or maybe upgrade the electronics if possible or sell it (now these are a bit of a collectors item) or just crash and burn.
I think one day I will experience the ultimate in flight anxiety and go out with a bang
Although I get zero anxiety flying my MP I do get bursts of adrenaline from time to time but that is different. I can't really understand how anyone can get anxious because the aircraft will just hover on station on its own if you get into a tizz and panic a bit.
The closest I have come to crashing is when I was practicing some video shots. These were the famous up and backwards (not that intelligence flight mode but manual). I started with the aircraft a couple of feet higher than me and maybe 10 feet away with the camera focused on my eyes. Then it was off backwards and upwards with my head in the same position (in theory) and I did this at various speeds. As I was coming back to start the next test I had the bright idea of doing the same thing but forwards and come screeching to a stop a bit above and ahead of me. It is easy at slow speeds but I was very aware of the potential danger and fortunately I was on my e-bike and had a snow board style helmet and a padded waistcoat type thing made from a buoyancy aid. Even so, on my first high speed attempt I kept the Mavic 10 feet or so to the side of me. By now the anxiety/adrenaline was there in spades as I set off down from about 200 feet away and above. She came careering down and I decided to bottle out at about 20'. The problem was I had under anticipated how much longer she took to stop and pull up with the weight and momentum at speed going downwards. Had she been going level there was loads of room to stop but going down she just kept on coming and I must have missed the ground by 2 or 3 feet as she eventually pulled up. My heart was beating like crazy and the thought that I could have so easily not decided to do it from the side and she would have hit me in an unprotected area and right where a guy does not want to get hit sent shivers down my spine
In hindsight a very stupid thing to do but a huge lesson learned in her aerodynamics. I am now getting much more of a feel of her own momentum as I turn her at speed and I love combining inputs from both sticks. It makes flying much more enjoyable to be more at one with her. I can't wait to try FPV with my Goggles
The closest I have come to crashing is when I was practicing some video shots. These were the famous up and backwards (not that intelligence flight mode but manual). I started with the aircraft a couple of feet higher than me and maybe 10 feet away with the camera focused on my eyes. Then it was off backwards and upwards with my head in the same position (in theory) and I did this at various speeds. As I was coming back to start the next test I had the bright idea of doing the same thing but forwards and come screeching to a stop a bit above and ahead of me. It is easy at slow speeds but I was very aware of the potential danger and fortunately I was on my e-bike and had a snow board style helmet and a padded waistcoat type thing made from a buoyancy aid. Even so, on my first high speed attempt I kept the Mavic 10 feet or so to the side of me. By now the anxiety/adrenaline was there in spades as I set off down from about 200 feet away and above. She came careering down and I decided to bottle out at about 20'. The problem was I had under anticipated how much longer she took to stop and pull up with the weight and momentum at speed going downwards. Had she been going level there was loads of room to stop but going down she just kept on coming and I must have missed the ground by 2 or 3 feet as she eventually pulled up. My heart was beating like crazy and the thought that I could have so easily not decided to do it from the side and she would have hit me in an unprotected area and right where a guy does not want to get hit sent shivers down my spine
In hindsight a very stupid thing to do but a huge lesson learned in her aerodynamics. I am now getting much more of a feel of her own momentum as I turn her at speed and I love combining inputs from both sticks. It makes flying much more enjoyable to be more at one with her. I can't wait to try FPV with my Goggles
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NestleQuik
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Did, you calibrate your compass? It's reccommended to do it away from metal object as well as concrete with a lot of rebar in it, best place is in a lawn. I dont believe it says this in the manual, but when you calibrate it, always start the calibration with it facing North. As far as flying, its alawys gonna be fun and stressful combined. My Biggest fear when i fly Is this big *** Hawks we have around here, i havent had any issues, but they always come out to observe, I just think, yeaaa its just a matter of time before one goes for it hahahaha.
Interesting - where did you read that, is it the same for all gyro compasses ?
I am a big believer in calibrating the compass especially if you are flying in a mountainous/hilly area as many hills have rocks with a high iron content that can create a local magnetic anomaly. If you are just moving a couple of hours drive away and are in a flat landscape then it is not a good idea to do it I have read, although it did not explain what harm it can do.
EDIT: I am really glad I read your post as I have just remembered I have stuck one of those Flytron
high intensity white strobes on the back of mine and this has metal parts so I must do the compass before the next flight.
As for the inevitable crash they used to say you could never ride a horse properly until you have fallen off one !
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Not to go too far off subject but from what I have read, while the $60 State Farm insurance sounds great, if you put in a claim it can effect the rates on existing and new insurance policies.
Is this wrong?
Be very careful with the State Farm drone insurance policy. • r/drones
Is this wrong?
Be very careful with the State Farm drone insurance policy. • r/drones
Cheech Wizard
Well-Known Member
Ye
Yep. I calibrated it before it's first flight but not before the one by the river. But i believe you shouldn't calibrate it every time you're flying.
Yep. I calibrated it before it's first flight but not before the one by the river. But i believe you shouldn't calibrate it every time you're flying.
JoostGT3
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I have *some* anxiety when flying, but it is mostly just from the joy of flying it. Having said that, when I just got my MavPro, I tried flying it with my nexus 5x phone or nexus 7 tablet. Both gave me regular app crashes which REALLY got me anxious, to the point of really not enjoying the flying anymore.
I then decided to get an iPad mini 4 and haven't had any app crashes after anymore. Confidence built, and I could start exploring with the Mav. A few months later, I was flying over water, in heavy winds, at the edge of a NFZ, over a large mobile dam. I had some serious gimble recalibrating issues, later found out they were related to an app update. Scared the sh!ts out of me, landed straight away and it took me a while to rebuild the confidence.
These forums have really helped me regaining confidence, as I found out there many more people with the same gimball issues. It also helped that the issue was fixed in a subsequent app update.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Spark, and had a lot of disconnection issues, video signal losses, etc. That really got me frustrated and a bit anxious as well, but at that time I had already got to the level that I didn't doubt myself so much, but realized it was the CE mode.
Like some others have mentioned; know your stuff, build confidence slowly at a pace you're comfortable with. Don't baby the craft, but be sensible about it, and watch signals that something might be off (low number of GPS satellites, compass or other sensors, low battery)
I then decided to get an iPad mini 4 and haven't had any app crashes after anymore. Confidence built, and I could start exploring with the Mav. A few months later, I was flying over water, in heavy winds, at the edge of a NFZ, over a large mobile dam. I had some serious gimble recalibrating issues, later found out they were related to an app update. Scared the sh!ts out of me, landed straight away and it took me a while to rebuild the confidence.
These forums have really helped me regaining confidence, as I found out there many more people with the same gimball issues. It also helped that the issue was fixed in a subsequent app update.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Spark, and had a lot of disconnection issues, video signal losses, etc. That really got me frustrated and a bit anxious as well, but at that time I had already got to the level that I didn't doubt myself so much, but realized it was the CE mode.
Like some others have mentioned; know your stuff, build confidence slowly at a pace you're comfortable with. Don't baby the craft, but be sensible about it, and watch signals that something might be off (low number of GPS satellites, compass or other sensors, low battery)
NestleQuik
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no its not recommended to calibrate every time, but the manual does say if you travel 30 miles away or so, its a good idea. I normally fly in one area so i never really calibrate
Cometman
Active Member
My wife and I both ride motorcycles, and we do long distance trips every year, 10 days or longer. Before each of these trips my mind goes though all sorts of possible issues. I get the same anxiety as a newbie drone pilot. But as with riding my motorcycle, I trust my skills and my machine, I feel the same way with the drone. It's those exterior forces that we have no control over that will cause accidents.
I love the rush of 'taking off' either on my bike or with the drone.
Its fun to see where my next trip takes me. And looking forward to tying the two things together with the track function too!
Tim
I love the rush of 'taking off' either on my bike or with the drone.
Its fun to see where my next trip takes me. And looking forward to tying the two things together with the track function too!
Tim
Ok, i'll remeber that from now. I got a replacement drone back, but i'm yet to try it.
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