Getting an Avata 2? Spend even MORE money!!

[Droning on and on...]

So, I'm plenty proficient flying manual.

But I'm timid. Too afraid of crashing the Avata. So there are risks I avoid, and any 60mph flying is level with nothing in sight and no lower to the ground than 10ft.

Avata 2's joining the Squadron next week. There's this tree fork I want to shoot through at 60mph, but of course if I miss and smack the trunk it's likely a total replacement.

Solution: BetaFPV Cetus X:

Complete FPV setup cheap cheap for U$310. Good reviews. This is gonna be my manual practice/no-risk-too-great beat the hell out of it FPV drone. If I destroy it, it's cheap and easy to fix or replace.

As an old fart, my reflexes, vision, and mental processing just ain't what is was when I was a yute (shameless My Cousin Vinny reference, one of the best movies of all time, h/t to Fred Gwynn), so it takes me about 3x the practice to get the unconscious reflexes as you dang kids.

 

[MARK (LI)]

Have fun and good luck with it

 

[old man mavic]

@Droning on and on... good luck with your new aspect of the drone flying hobby,i hope it turnes out to be a success,
there are several reasons ,why I myself personally, will not be going down the FPV route,some of them, which I have mentioned before ,but for those who do have the skills to fly FPV,then something like the Avata 2 could be a good introduction to that side of the hobby

 

[mavic3usa]

So, I'm plenty proficient flying manual.

But I'm timid. Too afraid of crashing the Avata. So there are risks I avoid, and any 60mph flying is level with nothing in sight and no lower to the ground than 10ft.

Avata 2's joining the Squadron next week. There's this tree fork I want to shoot through at 60mph, but of course if I miss and smack the trunk it's likely a total replacement.

Solution: BetaFPV Cetus X:

Complete FPV setup cheap cheap for U$310. Good reviews. This is gonna be my manual practice/no-risk-too-great beat the hell out of it FPV drone. If I destroy it, it's cheap and easy to fix or replace.

As an old fart, my reflexes, vision, and mental processing just ain't what is was when I was a yute (shameless My Cousin Vinny reference, one of the best movies of all time, h/t to Fred Gwynn), so it takes me about 3x the practice to get the unconscious reflexes as you dang kids.

I had one of those (the basic kit); couldn't fly it; sold it. I thought the same, it would help me with FPV; it didn't. Instead I just took it easy on the first FPV drone and literally practiced every day; little by little. You may like the Cetus (apparently many do) but I was completely disappointed.

 

[Cafguy]

those are good the controller is a bit cluncky BUT it will work If you have not purchased that one yet I would go with the EMAX Tinyhawk 3 they can take an insane amount of abuse. So can the Beta FPV's ALSO- PyroDrone is your friend for parts for tinywhoops! they are sort of a differant animal they react faster than an Avata. and you may or may not like the cheap goggles BUT thats true of every RTF kit you can get.

 

[Droning on and on...]

those are good the controller is a bit cluncky BUT it will work If you have not purchased that one yet I would go with the EMAX Tinyhawk 3 they can take an insane amount of abuse. So can the Beta FPV's ALSO- PyroDrone is your friend for parts for tinywhoops! they are sort of a differant animal they react faster than an Avata. and you may or may not like the cheap goggles BUT thats true of every RTF kit you can get.

Thanks, I'll take a look at those.

Manual flying's not the problem but rather some things I want to practice and get good at that I haven't cause I know I'm going to crash, and crash, and crash at first. Like that forked oak tree, which with the canopy makes a perfect triangular opening.

I've done it with the Avata a bunch of times – at like, ¼ throttle, maybe 10mph. When I tried to go faster, I winged the tree a few times and chickened out.

I want something I can accidentally have an epic cinematic explosive destruction of the practice drone and it's cheap enough I'm marveling at the crash, not the damage to my wallet

At thar price frankly I'm expecting to be basically disgusted at 480p analog after being spoiled cutting my teeth on the DJI digital system going back to the FPV Combo 3 years ago.

 

[Cafguy]

Its is a great way to learn tricks and save money I would try the LIFTOFF sim too the Micro drone sim will get you ready for your Whoop!
I will warn you that once you start liking the other style goggles and the tinywhoops- they got you hooked!!
Jungle gyms playgrounds and swingsets are Fair game! lol these little 60 gram drones are A BLAST!
you should also look into RACEGOW its really fun You build yourself a little obstacle out of PVC and race around it for time soo addictive lol.

 

[mavic3usa]

....I still have not yet tried manual mode. Sport mode is so much fun.

 

[Cafguy]

Manual or ACRO is the only way to fly!!! Just so much more exciting. I now have trouble flying My Air2s in normal mode-- Trying to turn with both sticks in normal mode looks funny. lol Sometimes I wish I could fly My Air2s like I fly my Cinelog.
LIFTOFF will train you to fly ACRO once you start flying acro you won't wanna go back!

 

[mavic3usa]

Manual or ACRO is the only way to fly!!! Just so much more exciting. I now have trouble flying My Air2s in normal mode-- Trying to turn with both sticks in normal mode looks funny. lol Sometimes I wish I could fly My Air2s like I fly my Cinelog.
LIFTOFF will train you to fly ACRO once you start flying acro you won't wanna go back!

I keep saying I'm going to make the crossover but once I get in the field, too much fun flying in Sport mode. But I'll get there....this summer!

 

[Brojon]

I discovered I utterly suck at FPV.
I suck in Liftoff and DRL. Oh - I can fly but I get outside the boundaries far too easy.
I also can't hit the rings for squat.
The thing I like about the Avatas that would mitigate FPV is it can operate as a hybrid.
Meaning that it can have the "normal" DJI safeties of hover, position holding, return to home - those little niceties that keep you from losing your drone or trying to plow the field with it.

 

[Brojon]

Its is a great way to learn tricks and save money I would try the LIFTOFF sim too the Micro drone sim will get you ready for your Whoop!
I will warn you that once you start liking the other style goggles and the tinywhoops- they got you hooked!!
Jungle gyms playgrounds and swingsets are Fair game! lol these little 60 gram drones are A BLAST!
you should also look into RACEGOW its really fun You build yourself a little obstacle out of PVC and race around it for time soo addictive lol.

lol - I hate you guys that make it sound so easy.
I've tried different styles like pinching, watched Joshua Bardwell - a lot.
Bought the sims and played them a lot.
Take my Tinyhawk or Mobula 7 out in the front yard and inevitably end up schlepping down the block to retrieve it.

 

[Cafguy]

II can't use the pinch method I'm to old school with my thumbs I have done it BUT it is diff for sure. In liftoff you can also put the drone in diff modes I forgot the key though its been awhile since I used anything but Acro. start in angle mode first then move to Acro once you start Acro Dont use the other modes for awhile It will mess up your reactions.

 

[mavic3usa]

lol - I hate you guys that make it sound so easy.
I've tried different styles like pinching, watched Joshua Bardwell - a lot.
Bought the sims and played them a lot.
Take my Tinyhawk or Mobula 7 out in the front yard and inevitably end up schlepping down the block to retrieve it.

I started out that way as well but all it takes is practice and then if you practice alot, I mean daily or every other day, after about 6 months you'll have it down completely and after a year you'll wonder how you had any problems with it to begin with. For example, I cannot believe I used to have trouble approaching and going around a flag pole because I didn't want to hit it and now, I can't seem to get enough speed with throttle full down when approaching a flagpole and barely missing it.

 

[Cafguy]

I used to aim for the race gates and for some reason fly over them- EVERYTIME!
I fly everyday or at least sim at least 2-3 hours... Practice is the only way. NOW I zoom through the race gates and sometimes for fun I will get behind one of the computers drones and follow it along. PRACTICE and it will come to you. Race gates and Bando city are the two best ways to practice in the sim that and getting the add- on that puts RC airplanes to follow at the golf course into Liftoff. They have a sim for Micro drones that IMO is more suited to flying Whoops even though the drones in the sim are tiny the reflexes you will get from the sim are invaluable.

 

[Droning on and on...]

lol - I hate you guys that make it sound so easy.
I've tried different styles like pinching, watched Joshua Bardwell - a lot.
Bought the sims and played them a lot.
Take my Tinyhawk or Mobula 7 out in the front yard and inevitably end up schlepping down the block to retrieve it.

I think the hardest thing is changing from angle mode to rate mode control. Your brain and the reflexive, unconscious response of what you're supposed to do with the sticks to affect some flight change is totally different.

I had to consciously tell myself what to do with the sticks A LOT in the simulator before it started to become natural. In angle mode, the way DJI drones are controlled, you want to slow down you back off forward stick a bit. In rate mode, you go backward on the stick, but just long enough to slow to the speed you're after, then recenter.

Stick with it. You'll get it. While I can fly quite well in manual with confidence, I'm not precise enough to shoot rings in the simulator without hitting about half of them.

 

[Kilrah]

For me "acro" was always more natural and I hated angle, but it might have been because I was flying fixed wing before quads.
A quad in acro is basically an ideal helicopter (aside from yaw you have to actively control in forward flight rather than hover), and a helicopter in forward flight is mostly like a fixed wing airplane.

Pitch for speed, throttle for altitude applies.

Maybe some airplane flight sim experience could be worthy before transitioning to quad sims.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Pitch for speed, throttle for altitude applies.

It may be the same control sticks, but the way you manipulate them is totally different.

In angle, hold the pitch stick forward half way, and the drone goes at constant speed (let's say half of max for simplicity). Let's also say this is at half max pitch tilt, 20°.

And this was the desired behavior.

Now, in rate mode to execute exactly the same behavior in rate mode, you push the pitch stick forward at ANY amount, and the drone starts to pitch forward. When it gets to 20° you recenter the stick, and cruise at half speed.

Also, to maintain constant altitude, you've got to increase throttle (left stick), something the FC takes care of for you in angle mode.

(@Kilrah knows all this, didn't post it for you buddy )

 

[Kilrah]

That's the whole point of acro... when you let go of the sticks it continues on its trajectory and your inputs are just slight corrections to adjust it, in others it makes a sudden jarring jump that means nothing.