Newb: joystick config standards, using display to navigate

[CrashAlpha]

Hi all. My girlfriend bought me a Mavic mini for my birthday. It's my first drone and I'm loving it.

I was wondering about the joystick configurations that were available in the inflight app. All the default configs I see have vertical translation and yaw on one joystick, horizontal translation on the other.

I guess this is like combining a helicopter's tail rotor and collective pitch on one joystick, and the other joystick acting like the cyclic control. But a helicopter's controls are inherited from the original mechanical realities of controlling a swash plate and a tail rotor. I have no idea what helicopter controls would be like if we had a fresh start and we were designing with fly-by-wire and thought about what people find intuitive.

I know that the controls can be customized, and I changed them to forward-back, yaw on the right, vertical translation and left-right on the other. I am interested in performance flying (speed and agility - photography/filming is secondary) so I guess in my mind I am thinking more VSTOL aircraft forward-oriented and turning by banking (but I LOVE helicopters). But I don't want to develop bad habits and find out I am going to regret programming my brain with the wrong ergonomics and finding out that as I upgrade to other drones that all assumptions for use were based on drone joystick standards.

My second question has to do with the inflight display. I am flying the drone by looking at it - the way I see people do with RC planes. I don't know what the norm is. I live on a very heavily wooded property and would like to try navigating entirely with the display, not looking at the drone. But the display has very little info on direction, elevation - no graduated ticks or the like to give you an idea of what the centerline of the drone is. I realize that wind can make all this moot, so I am wondering if such a display is possible but not used because it's just another bad habit to develop.

I appreciate any advice you may have.

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

I personally like the default stick settings, and have information on the screen for my needs, so can't help you there.

But welcome to the forum.

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum

 

[mrjohnc1]

Welcome!

 

[Mossiback]

Welcome to the Forum. You have a very thoughtful girlfriend.

For stick configuration, you might consider leaving the stick setup at the default settings for two reasons: 1) If you ever fly someone else's drone it will probably be set at the default, and 2) Who knows what optional settings DJI (or other manufactures) like stick configurations will be dropped in future controllers. Might as well get used to a common setting.

As for flying by watching the drone instead of the display, technically speaking that is what we are all supposed to be doing. You should have eyes on drone and occasionally look at the display. This is especially important when flying close to trees. It is so easy to hit a branch when looking at the display and going any direction other than straight forward.

 

[dirkclod]

Hit the 3 dots top right in screen and go in camera and you can put grid lines you chose.
The screen also shows you other info such as height,sats and how much battery you have.
I scan where I am flying but use the screen to get the shots I want. screenshot from doing a screen recording.
Updated app the info is on the outside of screen.


Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching . ?

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi CrashAlpha welcome to Mavic Pilots

I am another for default stick settings.
I look at the drone unless framing a shot.

 

[Drone Master]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots! ? Enjoy the forum!

 

[CrashAlpha]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. Very helpful. Looking forward to learning more about sports/performance use of the drones.

 

[Xanadu]

Welcome!

 

[Wild Wayne]

Welcome!! ?

 

[Greekislandlover]

Hi, and welcome

The default configuration of the sticks works for me, so I have no reason to change it. But that's just me. I believe that some people like the controls to be the same as video game controllers, some people like to have a different configuration because of physical abilities and some people just like to be different for the sake of it!

So I would imagine all manufacturers allow the configuration of controls. Set the controls up for how best suits you, and transfer that hard wiring to your next drone. It's not a bad habit - just using a feature provided to help you fly the drone safely and get good results.

Regarding having eyes on the drone, there are rules about visual line of sight (VLOS), but even though you might be watching it fly, the second you take your eye off it you lose the bugger. I don't keep my eye on the drone every second, as I too like to take in all the surrounding obstacles such as trees and check the display. I've taken to having some strobe lights mounted on each leg that certainly make it a bit easier find the flipping thing. I've also taken to using my son as a spotter as he's been not working thanks to the dreaded lurgi (plague) and is home, so daddy's little soldier has his uses

 

[Thomas B]

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.