FT Aviator?

[AnzacJack]

It will definitely have its place, not sure if it will be main stream though

 

[¬Nomad]

"I just checked their web site and they start shipping June 24"

Who got one?

 

[TheWolfen]

"I just checked their web site and they start shipping June 24"

Who got one?

Not me! No shipping notice yet, either. The site still says the same thing but I do wonder if any have shipped yet.

 

[PhantomFandom]

Is it a surprise to anyone that the shipping date has slipped once again?

 

[Nfhill]

The manufacturer's of traditional RC transmitters (AKA controllers) tried selling single stick transmitters some years ago. They worked so well and were so popular that no one makes them anymore.

Nick

 

[TheWolfen]

Is it a surprise to anyone that the shipping date has slipped once again?

Do you know it has actually slipped? Kickstarter backers will be first in line and even they won't all get them at the same time. Since I'm not in that bunch anyway, I expect it to be a little while before seeing mine. Hopefully it won't be too long but I guess we'll see.

 

[TheWolfen]

The manufacturer's of traditional RC transmitters (AKA controllers) tried selling single stick transmitters some years ago. They worked so well and were so popular that no one makes them anymore.

Nick

Well the RC market was considerably smaller some years ago so today, with a lot more flyers, it stands to reason that there will be more people interested in a product like this. Will it succeed? Who knows? I'm looking forward to flying with it as I believe it will work better for me than a traditional controller. Most won't care, so it is definitely a niche product, but one some of us are glad to see.

 

[lightbg]

I expect mine to arrive today. I jumped on this simply because both my thumbs are arthritic, and both the DJI and Spektrum controllers fatigue my hands in less than 10 minutes. Yet, I can use a joystick for hours. I want to continue my flight activities to be enjoyable without pain, so from an old farts’ perspective this is a winner.

Jake

 

[twoheadlines]

Good to see a few "real world" experiences of people using the FTA in their own settings beginning to appear on YT over the last week or two. Early indications appear almost exclusively positive, but I suspect the more reviews that get posted, the better the positive and not so positive balances might become.
I haven't yet watched all of the recording of a pod cast, streamed last Sunday, in which Fluidity's Scott Parazynski seems to have been quite candid in his responses to a wide range of questions about the FTA.
Here's the link for anyone interested in maybe tipping their view, one way or the other, about how the FTA might fit into their UAV flight operations. No word yet when I might expect to see my ordered FTA winging its way towards the South Pacific.
Happy flying - two handed, or "two handed".?

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I'm about to move away from the exclusive use of quadcopter UAVs, having just purchased (but still waiting on delivery) my first hexacopter - "Big Bird"!! While the Inspire 1 I bought close to 3 years ago does not have a huge number of hours actual flying time on it, compared to the M2P I bought last November, I am finding its intended use is increasingly compromised because of it being that little bit older and only a quadcopter. With more and more situations requiring a safety risk assessment forming a part of any planned mission - mostly in commercial settings - the hexacopter's potential fail safe type redundancy of being able to "get home" in the event of loss of propulsion capability on a motor tipped the balance for me during the last few months as I have looked at a replacement for an upgrade to the Inspire 1 type of UAV. Payload options has also been a consideration, though that really only came into consideration once I had actually decided to go with a hexacopter - flexibility over type, etc.
My trusted M2P will continue to clock up logged flying hours though, and it will certainly be the UAV of choice when packing photography equipment to take on my next planned overseas trip in a few months. I suspect I might struggle to squeeze a hexacopter into the overhead locker of pretty much any of the world's passenger aircraft fleet at present as well!

 

[lightbg]

Well, I don't have any interesting video, but I do have some points of interest. First, it does work as advertised. Coordinated turns are easy, the stick is intuitive, and the 5 settings for speed are well calibrated and much better than Photo and Sport.
I adapted the phone holder to accept my iPad Mini, and although bulky, it is manageable. The software hasn't been adapted for an iPad screen, it only uses half the screen area.
My big difficulty is landing. Pushing down with some force on the thumb button only gets me to a 2' hover - not any lower. I actually change control to the DJI sticks to land - not neat, but it does work.
I will be patient while I'm sure numerous updates will be made - I already installed one - and even though there are some bugs to be worked out, my thumbs are resting easy, and my control has improved greatly.

YMMV

Jake

 

[Mpranzo]

I received my FT Aviator today. Works as advertised.
Pros: Great if you haven't already mastered flight control with standard radio from DJI. It really is very intuitive.

Cons: Won't work with PSP4+
Won't work with Epson Moverio/Crystal Sky/etc

It uses it's own software interface and is similar to DJI Go4 or Litchi app.

Litchi app was super smooth when tilting. This is not that smooth even with sensitivity turned all the way down. You can kind of do a move that is smooth but nothing like the litchi app smooth.

 

[twoheadlines]

Can't wait for an update that will allow use of the Crystal Sky monitor. During the podcast I have mentioned earlier Scott Parazynski did suggest the CS could be used in conjunction with the FTA right now, but only as a second "photographer's" control unit. I understand also that porting the CS to the FTA is happening, but no word yet when that might get pushed out as a much anticipated update. Maybe DJI will "do coffee" with Fluidity - there are plenty of Starbucks in China, as there is in the US - and work out a way of simply making the FTA an option within DJI GO4!

 

[TheWolfen]

Well, I don't have any interesting video, but I do have some points of interest. First, it does work as advertised. Coordinated turns are easy, the stick is intuitive, and the 5 settings for speed are well calibrated and much better than Photo and Sport.
I adapted the phone holder to accept my iPad Mini, and although bulky, it is manageable. The software hasn't been adapted for an iPad screen, it only uses half the screen area.
My big difficulty is landing. Pushing down with some force on the thumb button only gets me to a 2' hover - not any lower. I actually change control to the DJI sticks to land - not neat, but it does work.
I will be patient while I'm sure numerous updates will be made - I already installed one - and even though there are some bugs to be worked out, my thumbs are resting easy, and my control has improved greatly.

YMMV

Jake

Here I was going to say we expect a full report but you beat me to it! Thanks for the info!! Just got word that mine is to be expected between July 26-29. That gives me just enough time to try it out before taking it on my next trip in August!

 

[lightbg]

Here I was going to say we expect a full report but you beat me to it! Thanks for the info!! Just got word that mine is to be expected between July 26-29. That gives me just enough time to try it out before taking it on my next trip in August!

These guys are serious about support. I shot them 2 emails about my issues and got replies within 3 hours. I have a good feeling about this device.

Jake

 

[TheWolfen]

These guys are serious about support. I shot them 2 emails about my issues and got replies within 3 hours. I have a good feeling about this device.

Jake

That's also great to hear!!

 

[TheWolfen]

Can't wait for an update that will allow use of the Crystal Sky monitor. During the podcast I have mentioned earlier Scott Parazynski did suggest the CS could be used in conjunction with the FTA right now, but only as a second "photographer's" control unit. I understand also that porting the CS to the FTA is happening, but no word yet when that might get pushed out as a much anticipated update. Maybe DJI will "do coffee" with Fluidity - there are plenty of Starbucks in China, as there is in the US - and work out a way of simply making the FTA an option within DJI GO4!

I hope they can pull it off, although I wonder how given it's the lack of Bluetooth support on the Crystalsky was the issue in the first place.

 

[dmurphynj]

I hope they can pull it off, although I wonder how given it's the lack of Bluetooth support on the Crystalsky was the issue in the first place.

Maybe a USB Bluetooth adapter? They’re only a few dollars on Amazon - plug one of those into a USB port on the CrystalSky, and that could very well be all we need.

My FT Aviator is due to ship in the next few days, and I’m very excited. The controller is so, so intuitive - I got to play with the demos at CES, and was immediately enamored with it.

This is one of those “you don’t get it until you try it, then wonder why it took you so long!” kind of devices.

The design reminds me of the Canadarm controller on the Space Shuttle. That makes sense, given Scott’s background ...

And as far as trust in FT to deliver - as I see it, if you can’t trust an astronaut, the entire world’s gone mad.

 

[Jim Flannery K0UNX]

Has anyone had any hands-on (or even first-hand observational) experience with the FT Aviator controller? It's projected to start shipping shortly, and the MSRP is discounted, I suspect only in the pre-order period. It looks really intriguing, and claims to be compatible with the entire Mavic line (I'm an Air-head). I'm thinking of ordering one, but I hate dropping the money blindly.

Thanks!

YES! I got mine two days ago and have had a couple of hours using it so far. I'm ELATED! I find it MUCH easier to fly with the FT Aviator than with a pair of thumbsticks. The control is much more precise. Now, to fly WELL... that's going to be a personal thing. It is definitely DIFFERENT, yet very familiar. Having a full HAND SIZED control is so much nicer than tiny one-inch joysticks. I made a lot of mistakes with the standard controller, and am not doing that with the FT Aviator.

At first, I had an issue getting my head around comparing the FT Aviator with flying a manned single prop helicopter. Then I realized that THIS IS SO MUCH SIMPLER. With a MANNED helicopter, you have a delicate balancing act, having to constantly apply PEDAL to counteract the YAW FORCES, since the fuselage wants to turn in the opposite direction of the prop. The more acceleration of the prop, the more force needed to keep the fuselage from turning. With a MULTI-PROP craft like a drone, this isn't necessary.

So, that out of the way, on the FT Aviator, your thumb and forefinger are the equivalent of the COLLECTIVE on a helicopter. The entire "joystick" becomes the "cyclic" of the helicopter, and controls your DIRECTION OF FLIGHT (forward, backward, port and starboard.) A TWIST of the joystick is your RUDDER (the direction you're FACING.)

Once you get your head around those things, you just fly using your thumbnail as your guide. Just point your thumbnail in the direction you want to fly. It "FEELS" a lot more like flying a J3 Cub than flying a helicopter.

So I guess I'm the first "regular user" to post a review. I'm looking forward to reading others' thoughts!

de K0UNX, Jim, in Jefferson County, Colorado

 

[TheWolfen]

Thanks for the update! I know a lot of people don't get it, but I'm really looking forward to using it! Should be less than 2 weeks now for me!

 

[TheWolfen]

Maybe a USB Bluetooth adapter? They’re only a few dollars on Amazon - plug one of those into a USB port on the CrystalSky, and that could very well be all we need.

My FT Aviator is due to ship in the next few days, and I’m very excited. The controller is so, so intuitive - I got to play with the demos at CES, and was immediately enamored with it.

This is one of those “you don’t get it until you try it, then wonder why it took you so long!” kind of devices.

The design reminds me of the Canadarm controller on the Space Shuttle. That makes sense, given Scott’s background ...

And as far as trust in FT to deliver - as I see it, if you can’t trust an astronaut, the entire world’s gone mad.

I suppose that's a possibility, although that would require the Crystalsky to support the ability to host a USB device. I still don't get why DJI didn't build Bluetooth support into it in the first place - makes no sense at all. Anyway, I hope Fluidity pulls it off. The only thing that has kept me from buying a CS is the fact that I want the FT Aviator more!