New pilot advice

[RadioFlyerMan]

For those of you who have been flying for a while, what do you suggest as the best way learning to visualize your drone in flight? Should I focus more on the drone itself or should I focus more on the controller and screen? I am keeping my mini within VLOS yet flew it into some tree branches in my yard while watching the drone & not the screen. I’m afraid I’ll do that once I start venturing out perhaps over water or at a higher altitude.

Certainly flying close to something is difficult if you are not standing right next to it. For what I call "Precision Flying" at a distance, here is what I do (THIS WORKS ON AN MP OR MPP, I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT!)

The camera has to be in it's "level" position, not pitched up or down. Turn on the grid pattern in Go 4. Then anything that is outside of the center box (marked with an X) will not be in the path of the AC. I have calibrated the box both top, bottom and sides, and there is plenty of clearance even though it looks too close!. If you are so inclined, you can verify this by setting up a vertical 8 foot stick, then fly slowly by it while observing the offset distance as the stick gets close to any of the center box lines.

I have used this method to fly close to and rotate around trees and other non-human objects. Remember to keep the camera level.

PLEASE, NEVER DO THIS WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS!

 

[old man mavic]

Certainly flying close to something is difficult if you are not standing right next to it. For what I call "Precision Flying" at a distance, here is what I do (THIS WORKS ON AN MP OR MPP, I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT!)

The camera has to be in it's "level" position, not pitched up or down. Turn on the grid pattern in Go 4. Then anything that is outside of the center box (marked with an X) will not be in the path of the AC. I have calibrated the box both top, bottom and sides, and there is plenty of clearance even though it looks too close!. If you are so inclined, you can verify this by setting up a vertical 8 foot stick, then fly slowly by it while observing the offset distance as the stick gets close to any of the center box lines.

I have used this method to fly close to and rotate around trees and other non-human objects. Remember to keep the camera level.

PLEASE, NEVER DO THIS WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS!

View attachment 90509

thats a great tip thanks for sharing

 

[Thomas B]

Certainly flying close to something is difficult if you are not standing right next to it. For what I call "Precision Flying" at a distance, here is what I do (THIS WORKS ON AN MP OR MPP, I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT!)

The camera has to be in it's "level" position, not pitched up or down. Turn on the grid pattern in Go 4. Then anything that is outside of the center box (marked with an X) will not be in the path of the AC. I have calibrated the box both top, bottom and sides, and there is plenty of clearance even though it looks too close!. If you are so inclined, you can verify this by setting up a vertical 8 foot stick, then fly slowly by it while observing the offset distance as the stick gets close to any of the center box lines.

I have used this method to fly close to and rotate around trees and other non-human objects. Remember to keep the camera level.

PLEASE, NEVER DO THIS WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS!

View attachment 90509

Great tip! And good advice.
Also remember that judging distance from the object straight ahead is not going to be accurate since you can only see 2 dimensions.

 

[pmshop]

For those of you who have been flying for a while, what do you suggest as the best way learning to visualize your drone in flight? Should I focus more on the drone itself or should I focus more on the controller and screen? I am keeping my mini within VLOS yet flew it into some tree branches in my yard while watching the drone & not the screen. I’m afraid I’ll do that once I start venturing out perhaps over water or at a higher altitude.

3 words

Low and Slow

 

[Joe4flight]

You asked a great question. After owning a MPP for 18 months and crashing it twice, I’m of the mindset of staying close by with constant VLOS. This does get boring. The problem I always have with the RC is I can’t see the screen because the sun is too bright. I do glance at the screen from time to time because I know there are great data points happening in real time, but nerves and past crash experiences keep me focused on seeing the drone at all times. But I hope that’s about to change cause I got the DJI Goggles. With the goggles on, I’ll be in the cockpit of the drone with full instrumentation. I’m looking forward to having this experience.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

The comment is always made about using a spotter whenever using goggles, why is that. With any kind of distance between you and the aircraft it can't be seen except for the screen (especially with the MM) it disappears from site so quickly with either the trees or obstacles at least if you're using goggles you are in the pilots seat correct? Just guessing how it works since flown yet let alone used the goggles.

While on a scuba diving trip to New Guinea last November I'd be diving in the mornings and flying my Mavic Pro in the afternoons to capture the jungle, mountains and beach scenes adjacent to our eco lodge. From personal experience, going back 3 years since acquiring my drone to supplement my underwater videos, by using VLOS and an 8" tablet I'd agree with Rchawks and Joe4flight. Switching from the view on the tablet & then trying to spot the bird in bright, tropical sunlight is easier said than done and that's also the case when I'm flying in UK conditions, though if there's a cloudy background I think it's a tad easier to spot the bird even when several hundred metres away. As a result I'm a firm advocate of the Epson Moverio BT300 HUD glasses which I used exclusively while flying on the dive trip, since the telemetry and the camera view is right there in front of my eyes, whilst I can also see over the top rim of the glasses for quite a distance, and especially on take off or landing, plus as I did on one flight, attaining a pilot's eye view of a dive liveaboard boat anchored half a mile offshore that I wanted to video and no spotter needed! Using this system I'm fully aware of what's going on in the immediate vicinity around me and I'd suggest no need for a spotter, especially since I was flying from a wooden jetty running over the reef some 100 metres from the beach which was only 2 metres wide and 2 metres above the level of the sea! Using all enclosing goggles could have landed me in the drink if I'd taken a wrong step and with no spotter to warn me! The Moverio glasses were just the ticket, not cheap but a ruddy good system IMO.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

As Old Man Mavic has said, you are legally required to keep VLOS, i.e.you must be able to see your aircraft at all times with the unaided eye. If “any kind of distance” means that you can’t see the aircraft, you are breaking the regulations and would be considered by the relevant authorities, to be flying negligently and illegally.

If you are wearing goggles, you usually cannot see your aircraft at all and have very little situational awareness other than what is in the direct field of view of the on-board camera. Therefore a Visual Observer is a legal requirement - just as a safety pilot is required when practising IMC flight in a fixed wing aircraft. The VO must maintain VLOS with the unaided eye at all times and be able to communicate directly with you.

I don't know what "laws" regarding VLOS you have in Canada but "illegal"? Breaking the Drone Code, yes, but to judge by the number of videos posted about maximum distances attained & shown on YouTube there's an awful lot of droners doing "illegal" long distance flights around the world! And what about Amazon planning to deliver by drone? The UK Civil Aviation Authority has recently issued information showing that they are actively pursuing allowing safe BVLOS to assist delivery companies do just that from a central control room. If it will be good enough for Amazon, then why not hobbyists? Just saying.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

You asked a great question. After owning a MPP for 18 months and crashing it twice, I’m of the mindset of staying close by with constant VLOS. This does get boring. The problem I always have with the RC is I can’t see the screen because the sun is too bright. I do glance at the screen from time to time because I know there are great data points happening in real time, but nerves and past crash experiences keep me focused on seeing the drone at all times. But I hope that’s about to change cause I got the DJI Goggles. With the goggles on, I’ll be in the cockpit of the drone with full instrumentation. I’m looking forward to having this experience.

Quite agree. See my post above.

 

[EricJT]

to fly with goggles on you need another person ie the spotter to keep VLOS on the drone, and they must be close enough to you to communicate with you using normal speech, the biggest problem with FPV flying is the limited field of view you get from the drone ,and if something was approaching the drone outside of that view you would not be able to see it

Exactly! Think quite limited peripheral vision.

 

[old man mavic]

I don't know what "laws" regarding VLOS you have in Canada but "illegal"? Breaking the Drone Code, yes, but to judge by the number of videos posted about maximum distances attained & shown on YouTube there's an awful lot of droners doing "illegal" long distance flights around the world! And what about Amazon planning to deliver by drone? The UK Civil Aviation Authority has recently issued information showing that they are actively pursuing allowing safe BVLOS to assist delivery companies do just that from a central control room. If it will be good enough for Amazon, then why not hobbyists? Just saying.

regardless of what the CAA may or may not be doing with regards to BVLOS,that is in the future ,and just because amazon may be able to fly BVLOS there systems will be subject to many more rules than are in place now, and it could take years for drone deliveries to become the norm and it is the many people who do post stuff on youtube that are giving the hobby a bad name as well as the media who love to portray drones as public enemy no 1

 

[Rchawks]

Valid points by all.

 

[MacCool]

It's all in your perspective. Flying your screen with a spotter / Navigator and all the relevant information on screen is really exciting. You don't have to go far to have fun. Give it a try, you can always let go of the sticks.
If you get in trouble or lost, switch to your map view to reorient yourself to your drone. It's easier then flying the camera view and it maintains all of your critical information such as height above ground.

For me, it's not about "having fun", it's about accomplishing the goal of the flight. If I want to have "fun", I'll get out a freestyle quad. That is the fun part of flying these things. The Mavic 2, for me, is boring.

 

[dronerdave]

For those of you who have been flying for a while, what do you suggest as the best way learning to visualize your drone in flight? Should I focus more on the drone itself or should I focus more on the controller and screen? I am keeping my mini within VLOS yet flew it into some tree branches in my yard while watching the drone & not the screen. I’m afraid I’ll do that once I start venturing out perhaps over water or at a higher altitude.

Yes it's fairly easy to clip something by just watching your quad if you're flying around obstacles you can run into. Depth perception varies from person to person. Maybe get a good feel of your Mavic in a more open area? I'm guessing you'll get more accustom to it the more you use it. That said I usually try to visually survey the area for any low visible snags prior to flying into an area.Usually my objective is to capture unique shots. For me a lot depends on the terrain. On fairly level ground I'll be checking AGL and compass stats more than watching the video as I fly, and at the same time keep an eye on the quad from time to time to maintain VLOS. I always use strobes which might be an issue with a Mini... or not. As far as photography, I always frame a subject or prepare for a video or a still shot. In hilly or less open terrain I often focus more on watching the quad visually and using the video to keep an awareness of my surroundings. I often do a slow practice run making sure I don't run into something using the camera to avoid obstacles and if necessary take the time to look around with the camera during a hover. After noting the AGL, I can usually do the similar run with some insurance that I'll have a clear flight. Still photography is a bit different because I'm generally looking for a subject rather than effect. It's more like using a standard DSLR.
There is no one perfect approach, just use all the info you have available to you.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

Yes it's fairly easy to clip something by just watching your quad if you're flying around obstacles you can run into. Depth perception varies from person to person. Maybe get a good feel of your Mavic in a more open area? I'm guessing you'll get more accustom to it the more you use it. That said I usually try to visually survey the area for any low visible snags prior to flying into an area.Usually my objective is to capture unique shots. For me a lot depends on the terrain. On fairly level ground I'll be checking AGL and compass stats more than watching the video as I fly, and at the same time keep an eye on the quad from time to time to maintain VLOS. I always use strobes which might be an issue with a Mini... or not. As far as photography, I always frame a subject or prepare for a video or a still shot. In hilly or less open terrain I often focus more on watching the quad visually and using the video to keep an awareness of my surroundings. I often do a slow practice run making sure I don't run into something using the camera to avoid obstacles and if necessary take the time to look around with the camera during a hover. After noting the AGL, I can usually do the similar run with some insurance that I'll have a clear flight. Still photography is a bit different because I'm generally looking for a subject rather than effect. It's more like using a standard DSLR.
There is no one perfect approach, just use all the info you have available to you.

I think that's an excellent piece of advice, especially before actually taking a photo or video. Do a slow practice run and use the camera to take a look around while hovering.

 

[Camino Ken]

I agree with many of the thoughts expressed, depth perception is very difficult at a distance. One technique I have used to help judge the distance, and train my eye, is to fly close and perpendicular to a distant object and then turn the camera to look sideways (90 deg) and look at that object on the screen. Then look at the drones position relative to the object and look again at the screen to help calibrate what you are seeing on the screen versus the position of the drone. This works because it is much easier to judge lateral distances at a distance. With some practice you can get a much better feel for what you see on the screen versus the drone actual position to the object in front of the drone. This practice can also be done when you are close to the drone’s position and the object so you can more accurately note the distances.

 

[MacCool]

I never had an issue flying RC planes. I always flew larger ones, but the asymmetry of a model airplane made orientation much easier than these various quad copters like Phantoms and Mavics, which are much smaller, and symmetrical in their profile from a distance. They can be very difficult to keep oriented when flying LOS and that's one reason I rarely do.

 

[EricJT]

I never had an issue flying RC planes. I always flew larger ones, but the asymmetry of a model airplane made orientation much easier than these various quad copters like Phantoms and Mavics, which are much smaller, and symmetrical in their profile from a distance. They can be very difficult to keep oriented when flying LOS and that's one reason I rarely do.

Agreed....although RC planes can fly forwards, pitch up or down, and roll left and right....cannot fly backwards like a quadcopter. Orientation of the AC is a challenge for me, so 4 FT ARC II's (red, green, 2 x white) on the arms makes it much easier to know where the front end is pointed, as well as see the AC from a distance.

 

[Ron Boger]

Thank you everyone for your helpful insights and suggestions. I appreciate your experiences and will share mine as I start the journey. 70/30. VLOS. Use the map and be careful over water. Have fun. This sounds like it is going to be a fun hobby!

 

[Ron Boger]

Certainly flying close to something is difficult if you are not standing right next to it. For what I call "Precision Flying" at a distance, here is what I do (THIS WORKS ON AN MP OR MPP, I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT!)

The camera has to be in it's "level" position, not pitched up or down. Turn on the grid pattern in Go 4. Then anything that is outside of the center box (marked with an X) will not be in the path of the AC. I have calibrated the box both top, bottom and sides, and there is plenty of clearance even though it looks too close!. If you are so inclined, you can verify this by setting up a vertical 8 foot stick, then fly slowly by it while observing the offset distance as the stick gets close to any of the center box lines.

I have used this method to fly close to and rotate around trees and other non-human objects. Remember to keep the camera level.

PLEASE, NEVER DO THIS WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS!

View attachment 90509

Thanks for the tip! This is very helpful. So anything inside of the X (center box) will be in the AC’s path. Ex. Flying toward a tree. It’s within center grid box. Move AC slightly left or right putting tree in any of the outer boxes will fly the AC close but make no contact. Is this correct?

 

[slup]

Thanks for the tip! This is very helpful. So anything inside of the X (center box) will be in the AC’s path. Ex. Flying toward a tree. It’s within center grid box. Move AC slightly left or right putting tree in any of the outer boxes will fly the AC close but make no contact. Is this correct?

Yeah ... for the Mavic Pro/Platinum. Can be different for your Mini, you have to test it during controlled circumstances for the Mini if you want to have that thumb rule in your flying "tool box".