It's ALIVE! Darth Iratus Takes to the Air!

[Chaosrider]

Second Flight

To my delight, both the goggles and the drone had been recording during the first flight! I took the cards out, intending to format them on my PC, but there was no need. There were already recordings there.

Went out and set up with a minimum of muss or fuss. I still got the "Format SD Card" warning, but since I knew it was lying to me, I just ignored it. I'll want to get that sorted out eventually.

Just FYI, if you view the vids using VLC media player, you can see all the real-time flight data as a subtitle. Very cool!

Up, up and away! I climbed to 400 ft ATL, and zipped 3000 ft down the canyon in no time. Turned around and came back, went about 1500 ft up the canyon.

WHAT A RUSH!

This is what flying a drone...being a drone...is all about! I don't regret the expense for a microsecond!

I got so embedded with being the drone, that I tried to look to one side by turning my head, until I realized that I need to turn the drone to look in some direction! I'm sure I'll just do that without thinking soon enough.

I didn't go anywhere new on this flight, just the places I normally go, only much, much faster. And I stayed high, 400 ft most of the time. Next time, I'll go lower.

I got in a full 15 minutes of flight, but it felt like the blink of an eye. I keep punching the shutter button to cancel the RTH, but now that I'm aware that I'm doing that, I'll stop doing that soon enough.

I don't feel the slightest bit of vertigo or disorientation while flying. But back on the ground...after 15 minutes of intensely terrorizing the canyon, I felt like a sailor without land legs when I took the goggles off! Probably normal, but I didn't expect it.

I guess I belong in the air, and not on the ground...



I may get in another flight today, but only if I de-quease first. I'm sure that effect will lessen with time. Either way, I'll shift to the rear flight deck tomorrow. I'll come home with a little more reserve left for a few flights from the rear, but there's nothing in the handling that will suggest it will be a problem.

This is IT!



TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

Ohhh boy, you're gonna have a blast. Normal/Sport mode are easy and just like the Mavics, but Manual mode is where the real fun begins.

I'm planning to stay in Normal mode through next Sunday, the 7th.

Will I have the self control to actually do that? Dunno...



TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

Do FPV flights get logged anywhere?

The phone isn't hooked up when I'm flying. Will these flights eventually show up in my log on the phone in DJI Fly, or...?

Thx,

TCS

 

[RH009]

I'm planning to stay in Normal mode through next Sunday, the 7th.

Will I have the self control to actually do that? Dunno...

View attachment 147512

TCS

I'm gonna predict that you won't have the self control and you'll be flying sport mode before then. (Subject to change depending on # of flights)

 

[RH009]

Do FPV flights get logged anywhere?

The phone isn't hooked up when I'm flying. Will these flights eventually show up in my log on the phone in DJI Fly, or...?

Thx,

TCS

You need to hook the goggles up and connect it to your DJI FLY app, and then you can sync your flights. I sync every time I finish up flying through my batteries, but I usually go through all 5 in ~ 1hr.

 

[Chaosrider]

Yeah, the goggle battery does take quite a while to charge, but I've never timed any of them.

As for the foam replacement, I bought one on Amazon but it didn't cover the nose area, only had a little adhesive foam strip for over the nose. Didn't work real well, so I cut the original foam around the nose area and use them both. I'll send a picture when I get home, currently on the road.

As it turns out, once I'm in the air, I don't even notice the light bleed around the edges.

This is my favorite kind of problem...the kind that just evaporates!



TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

I got a strap that doesn't go over the head, just around it and holds the battery. I find it so much easier to use and more comfortable, personally..

It was much easier the second time. I actually sort of like the stability of the top strap...at least until I stop turning my head to look to the side while flying!

I'll run with this one for a while, and see how it plays out. So far, putting the battery in my right shirt pocket has been a complete non-problem.

I'm sure you already figured it out, but on the top right side of the goggles is the 5D control and you use that to move up/down/left/right/select on the menu of the goggles. I don't have my goggles with me right now, but I know there is a format option in there, maybe under the camera menu. Just press the 5D button down when you have the goggles powered up and the menu should pop up.

This requirement was overtaken by events! Now I just need to get rid of the warning telling me to format the already-formatted cards.

Same thing, you can change the settings in the goggles with the 5D button. Everything is programmed in those menus. The imperial data will ONLY show in the flight displays, it won't change in the settings menu. So, if you change the return to home height in the menu, you will still choose a metric unit, not imperial. And it's dumb, because it jumps from 100meters to 200 or 250 meters, you can't set the RTH incrementally, which means you can't set it at 400', but rather 100 meters or ~330 feet.

I'm not sure I follow here.

As long as the units change on the in-flight display, that's all I'm looking for.

It's not as graceful at landing as my MA2, so maybe we're seeing the same thing. I usually land on my landing pad, in grass... I've never landed on a truly hard surface, so not 100% sure.

The driveway is concrete in perfect condition. I tried landing it more slowly during the second flight, but it didn't seem to make any difference. It seemed to just hold a little bit above the ground, and then drop, while I held the stick full down.

It's mostly just surprising. As long as it doesn't hurt the drone, I guess I don't care.

Yeah, the extra batteries was my top priority, then I added the case, head strap, lanyard, goggles foam pad, goggle insert (to protect from the sun), motion controller, strobe holder, strobe light, battery numbers, etc. But I'd make batteries your top priority. My next purchase will be an extra set of goggles, so spectators can enjoy the flight.

Do you have a link to the sun-protection insert? Watching that segment in the Pilot Institute vid put The Fear in me about that. Which was probably the intent, and probably a good thing.

I've been debating the strobe issue. I have strobes on all my Minis, but I'm reluctant to add one to Darth, and I'm not sure why.

Let me know how the "audience" goggle thing works. I'm very interested in doing that!

Yes you are, welcome to the club!!!!!

TCS

 

[RH009]

The lense cover I use is actually for the Oculus Quest 2, and it fits perfect. I bought one for the goggles, but it was too big and that seems to be a common issue. I swapped it for my Oculus one and it's a perfect fit, and the bigger one fit in my Oculus fine. I have one similar to the link below:

(1 Pack) Orzero VR Lens Protect Cover Dust Proof Cover for Meta Quest 2, Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Quest, Washable Protective Sleeve - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VS627FK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_7DH69AVWHREF6PWH9ZZA

You can see what it looks like in the attached image, in my goggles.

 

[Chaosrider]

The lense cover I use is actually for the Oculus Quest 2, and it fits perfect. I bought one for the goggles, but it was too big and that seems to be a common issue. I swapped it for my Oculus one and it's a perfect fit, and the bigger one fit in my Oculus fine. I have one similar to the link below:

(1 Pack) Orzero VR Lens Protect Cover Dust Proof Cover for Meta Quest 2, Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Quest, Washable Protective Sleeve - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VS627FK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_7DH69AVWHREF6PWH9ZZA

You can see what it looks like in the attached image, in my goggles.

The one I saw was made specifically for the DJI goggles. I think I saw it in the Pilot Institute course. I should probably watch that course again.

Yesterday after my first two flights, I quickly read through the manual again. I frequently do this after I first fly something, because sometimes I see stuff on the second reading that just didn't catch my eye on the first pre-flight pass.

Thx,

TCS

 

[RH009]

The one I saw was made specifically for the DJI goggles. I think I saw it in the Pilot Institute course. I should probably watch that course again.

Yesterday after my first two flights, I quickly read through the manual again. I frequently do this after I first fly something, because sometimes I see stuff on the second reading that just didn't catch my eye on the first pre-flight pass.

Thx,

TCS

The one I bought for the goggles was also made for the goggles, and has the antenna holders on them also, but it was still too big. I'd just make sure to read the reviews and if people are complaining that it doesn't fit correctly, be cautious of buying them.

 

[Chaosrider]

The one I bought for the goggles was also made for the goggles, and has the antenna holders on them also, but it was still too big. I'd just make sure to read the reviews and if people are complaining that it doesn't fit correctly, be cautious of buying them.

That's the one I saw, and I'm almost certain I saw it in the Pilot Institute vid.

When you say it's "too big"...in what dimension(s)? What's the fit behavior that you don't like?

Thx,

TCS

 

[RH009]

That's the one I saw, and I'm almost certain I saw it in the Pilot Institute vid.

When you say it's "too big"...in what dimension(s)? What's the fit behavior that you don't like?

Thx,

TCS

The width of them is too wide and doesn't fit in the goggles without bending the sides up in order to lay flat against the lenses. If you put it in and bend the sides down, the felt won't be touching the lenses. I'm out of town at my daughter soccer game, but I'll send a picture of it when I get home later.

 

[Chaosrider]

The width of them is too wide and doesn't fit in the goggles without bending the sides up in order to lay flat against the lenses. If you put it in and bend the sides down, the felt won't be touching the lenses. I'm out of town at my daughter soccer game, but I'll send a picture of it when I get home later.

Great, thanks!

I'm thinking, with nothing more than visualization, to go on, that I'm not going to see the edges folding up as a problem.

But I'll look forward to your pic!



TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

Third Flight

WARNING: WHINING ALERT!

I wrote this immediately after my third FPV flight, and there are a lot of issues that I found frustrating. However, don’t read this to mean any unhappiness on my part with either Darth Iratus, or FPV flying. I love ‘em both!



===========================/
It’s not just a drone, it’s an adventure…and not always in a good way.

I’m starting to get my pre-flight routine better established. If I put the goggles on my head ahead of time, inside, I can carry all three of the components out to the launch site. That also provides a more relaxed environment for getting the goggles seated properly…all good.

I went out to fly from the rear flight deck for the first time today, and I saw some very squirrely behavior. I pushed the sticks down and in to start the props, all normal. But when I added power, it started skittering around the deck! Uh…say what, turkey? Very different from the forward flight deck.

The main differences between the two are that the rear flight deck is wooden planks, while the forward flight deck is concrete, and the rear flight deck is enclosed, and the forward flight deck, the driveway, is open. Why that would cause a problem, I don’t know.

Fortunately, I have the skittering recorded for analysis…or at least, I think I do. More on that later.

Skittering around on the rear flight deck is Very Bad. There are things that are close and easy to hit, which fortunately, didn’t happen. I stopped the motors, and put the goggles on my forehead. No obvious problem with the drone. So I put it back in the normal launch position, and tried again.

In all three flights that I’ve had, it doesn’t want to lift off gracefully. The initial throttle response seems more binary than analog. I increase the throttle (left stick up) a little bit after the motors start, and nothing seems to happen, until at some point, BAM!, it jumps off! It’s annoying. Am I doing something wrong, or is that just the way it is?

In any event, I used a sharp pop on the throttle for the second liftoff, and it lifted off OK, although not gracefully. I moved away from the deck, toward Guardian Rock. Then I paused to try to get the settings changed to Imperial. No luck. I just kept cycling back and forth between the Format SD Card, warning, and cancelling it.

Darth zipped up to Guardian Rock in the blink of an eye! It’s a climb with the Minis, but with Darth, I just say “Up!”, and up he goes. I went up almost instantly, and paused there for a while, trying to get the blasted settings to work. And the whole time that I was doing that, the flight data…like time remaining…was gone from the screen.

I had debated even flying from the rear flight deck at all, given the low elevation control issues that I had seen on my previous flight, from the front flight deck. I went out back, intending to fly my Mini-SE, but the weather was so good, and the wind so still, that I decided to go for it with the FPV…with the firm commitment that I would come back with plenty of power left, in case I got weird behavior during landing, like I had during liftoff.

So there I was, 600 ft up, and 1000 ft away, hovering, and putzing around with the settings. Eventually I decided it was time to bail and come home, so I cancelled out of everything, and saw that I had about 5:30 flight time left. No problem. I came home.

Landing was…interesting. I don’t quite have the landing perspective from the drone point of view fully integrated into my brain. I could hear that the drone was very close, but I couldn’t obviously tell where I was on the on the deck laterally, from inside the goggles. Many options for fatal errors on the rear flight deck. In the end, I tracked the drone shadow down, gradually edging forward and down, until I was convinced I was at a good spot, and landed. That all worked fine.

But at that point, safely on the ground, with everything up and running electrically, I decided that I was going to get to the bottom of my weird inability to change the settings. I was shocked and appalled when I discovered the cause!

It turns out that, until that moment, I had no clue how that blasted 5D “Button” actually worked! I’d been pushing down on the button on the edge where I wanted to scroll. It had never occurred to me that you had to push on the edge of the button laterally to scroll! A button is something you push down. A lever is something you move laterally. If you think of it as a stubby lever/control stick, rather than as a button, it becomes natural. Which I finally realized AFTER my third flight!

And the scales fell from my eyes! I could scroll! I went through the entire set of menu options, changed the units to Imperial, and a couple of other things. One thing that I wanted to change, but couldn’t change (I couldn’t select it), was to turn on the distortion correction setting. Greyed out. I couldn’t go there. Any idea why?

I really, really want to get rid of that erroneous “Format SD Card” error message. Reformatting a working card seems like a lame answer, but if that’s the only option, I’ll do it.

But with all of that, the most frustrating thing, by far, was that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to see if the recording was actually happening, either in the aircraft, or in the goggles. I hear a beep when I punch the appropriate buttons. Wonderful. How do I tell, in real time while flying, whether the recordings are happening? At one point, I briefly saw a standard recording counter counting up, which is what I want to see, but I have no idea how I brought that up, and it vanished after a few seconds.

What do I need to do to see, in real time, the recording counters for the drone and/or the goggles? How do I put that on the screen?

And with all that, it was a great flight! The aircraft performed flawlessly, after the take-off skittering. The speed with which I got up to Guardian Rock was just stunning. That’s something I’ll do again, many times. The FPV sensation of being right over Guardian Rock, live and in color, 600 ft up and 1000 ft away, was just awesome.

I don’t have the fact that I have controls on two different physical devices to deal with fully integrated into my brain, but it’s getting clearer. At some point, it will just pop into place. That’s how I usually learn things. I struggle for a while, longer than other people, and then suddenly I just see it all.

I’m adapting to just keeping my head still, and rotating the drone when I want to look one way or the other, rather than turning my head. Another couple of flights and that will fade into the background, and I’ll never notice the issue again.

The flight batteries actually re-charge pretty quickly. The manual says 50 minutes, and that seems about right. Given that, I feel less urgency about getting the Fly More kit, although I will eventually. Getting the second set of goggles may rise in the priority stack.

The adventure continues! I was hoping to squeeze in another flight before today’s storm hits, but it’s just coming in too quickly. But soon!



TCS

 

[EpicFlight]

I've heard that there's an "enhanced" foam insert for the goggles that lets less light in. Any pointers to that would be greatly appreciated.

Not long now...



TCS

A few important tips:

Burn it in your brain to keep direct sunlight away from the viewing lenses inside the goggles. If you make a mistake, and allow direct sunlight to pass through the lenses even briefly, it will burn the display module, which can only be fixed by having DJI replace them. This happened to me. Invest 10 bucks in one of these:

HeiyRC Lens Protection Cover for DJI FPV Goggles V2 Sun Shade​

The goggles battery supports the PD power protocol, and will fast charge with a PD charger. Same as mini 2 batteries.

 

[EpicFlight]

I'm planning to stay in Normal mode through next Sunday, the 7th.

Don't!!!! Fly in Sport on your next flight! You think you got up that canyon fast in Normal...

Just stay away from stuff for now. You already have the skill and muscle memory from flying your minis.

Remember you can always stop by just letting go of the sticks. The brake stops faster (scary fast!), but a stick release stops pretty fast too.

 

[RH009]

The lens cover that @EpicFlight posted looks to be shorter and may work, but the one I bought didn't correctly and several others had similar reviews. @EpicFlight, do you have that one and does it fit well?

You can see mine in the attached image and how it doesn't fit, it's too wide.

 

[RH009]

I went out to fly from the rear flight deck for the first time today, and I saw some very squirrely behavior. I pushed the sticks down and in to start the props, all normal. But when I added power, it started skittering around the deck! Uh…say what, turkey? Very different from the forward flight deck.
The main differences between the two are that the rear flight deck is wooden planks, while the forward flight deck is concrete, and the rear flight deck is enclosed, and the forward flight deck, the driveway, is open. Why that would cause a problem, I don’t know.

Maybe it hadn't had a good GPS lock yet? I'm not sure and haven't had any issues like that when taking off in Normal.

In all three flights that I’ve had, it doesn’t want to lift off gracefully. The initial throttle response seems more binary than analog. I increase the throttle (left stick up) a little bit after the motors start, and nothing seems to happen, until at some point, BAM!, it jumps off! It’s annoying. Am I doing something wrong, or is that just the way it is?

There's really not much about this beast that's graceful! I have noticed that I need to be softer on the sticks than on my MA2, that's for sure.

Darth zipped up to Guardian Rock in the blink of an eye! It’s a climb with the Minis, but with Darth, I just say “Up!”, and up he goes. I went up almost instantly, and paused there for a while, trying to get the blasted settings to work. And the whole time that I was doing that, the flight data…like time remaining…was gone from the screen.

I have mine set to start recording as soon as the motors start, so I don't forget to hit record. I honestly don't recall if the time remaining (right side of the OSD, just a little above center) goes away after a bit. I'm flying tomorrow so I'll pay attention and see.

Landing was…interesting. I don’t quite have the landing perspective from the drone point of view fully integrated into my brain. I could hear that the drone was very close, but I couldn’t obviously tell where I was on the on the deck laterally, from inside the goggles. Many options for fatal errors on the rear flight deck. In the end, I tracked the drone shadow down, gradually edging forward and down, until I was convinced I was at a good spot, and landed. That all worked fine.

I lift my goggles up over my eyes to land, so I can see what I'm doing and what's around me. Plenty of people land with goggles on, but I find it easier to land while watching the craft.

It turns out that, until that moment, I had no clue how that blasted 5D “Button” actually worked! I’d been pushing down on the button on the edge where I wanted to scroll. It had never occurred to me that you had to push on the edge of the button laterally to scroll! A button is something you push down. A lever is something you move laterally. If you think of it as a stubby lever/control stick, rather than as a button, it becomes natural. Which I finally realized AFTER my third flight!

And the scales fell from my eyes! I could scroll! I went through the entire set of menu options, changed the units to Imperial, and a couple of other things. One thing that I wanted to change, but couldn’t change (I couldn’t select it), was to turn on the distortion correction setting. Greyed out. I couldn’t go there. Any idea why?

I was trying to explain it, but I guess I didn't do a very good job. It's a weird control, for sure. Was the drone still on when you were trying to change the distortion correction setting?

I really, really want to get rid of that erroneous “Format SD Card” error message. Reformatting a working card seems like a lame answer, but if that’s the only option, I’ll do it.

Once you have saved what's on the SD card, no harm in formatting it. I'd just do it, if I were you, so one less thing to think about.

But with all of that, the most frustrating thing, by far, was that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to see if the recording was actually happening, either in the aircraft, or in the goggles. I hear a beep when I punch the appropriate buttons. Wonderful. How do I tell, in real time while flying, whether the recordings are happening? At one point, I briefly saw a standard recording counter counting up, which is what I want to see, but I have no idea how I brought that up, and it vanished after a few seconds.

What do I need to do to see, in real time, the recording counters for the drone and/or the goggles? How do I put that on the screen?

Set it to start recording at motor start and to stop recording at motor stop, easiest way and never worry about forgetting to hit the button again.

I don’t have the fact that I have controls on two different physical devices to deal with fully integrated into my brain, but it’s getting clearer. At some point, it will just pop into place. That’s how I usually learn things. I struggle for a while, longer than other people, and then suddenly I just see it all.

One you have got your settings the way you like them, you never really have to mess with the buttons on the goggles again, just the controller. Just spend some time with all the turned on, the drone motors off, and get comfortable with all the settings.

The adventure continues! I was hoping to squeeze in another flight before today’s storm hits, but it’s just coming in too quickly. But soon!

View attachment 147551

TCS

It is an adventure and I'm excited for a nice calm day tomorrow to go flying!

 

[Chaosrider]

Burn it in your brain to keep direct sunlight away from the viewing lenses inside the goggles.

Greg at Pilot Institute already did that burning very effectively!

All I was waiting for was a link to that cover, or a specific name for the product. I just ordered it from Amazon, and I should get it Tuesday.



Thx!

TCS

 

[EpicFlight]

@rob7 the cover I posted is a perfect fit, just snug enough to stay in without loosening, but no buckling at all.

I got a different cover shortly after getting the FPV, and it was a little too big too (not as bad as yours!). I replaced it with the one posted earlier, was clearly measured and designed for the v2 goggles.

And everyone: Get one of these. NOW. If you've spent yourself poor, mow a few lawns or something. I sunburned my display early on, and can't even tell you when it happened. The risk is huge. Without a cover, all you'll be doing is paranoid babysitting your goggles, once you learn about sunburn.

See my saga here: Goggles gone bad