One-Handed Flyers

Skywalker · Jan 28, 2020

I have a co-worker who is interested in flying but only has use of one hand. Who out there has overcome this challenge? Are you using special techniques, software, equipment?

Please share to help a future pilot get into the air.

Thank you,

Magilla Gorilla · Jan 28, 2020

From the Phantom Pilots forum:

Flying 1 handed?

long shot, but need some advice if anyone can help. I fly a P3 and my brother also wants to buy a drone, however he recently suffered a stroke and has little to no control of his left hand and arm. He wants a drone he can control with just his right hand, possibly totally via tablet or phone...

phantompilots.com

old man mavic · Jan 28, 2020

Skywalker said:
I have a co-worker who is interested in flying but only has use of one hand. Who out there has overcome this challenge? Are you using special techniques, software, equipment?

Please share to help a future pilot get into the air.

Thank you,

there is a one handed controller called the FT Aviator which i believe will work with DJI drones have a look on the web

MAvic_South_Oz · Jan 28, 2020

old man mavic said:
there is a one handed controller called the FT Aviator which i believe will work with DJI drones have a look on the web

This is probably the best option I can think of.
It's like a plane joystick, so pulling back on it raises elevation like a real aircraft.
Probably easy as he can get straight onto that from the start.

I also thought about goggles, and how you can turn (yaw) many DJI aircraft with a head turn either way, but that isn't a good thing for a new pilot, the FT Aviator will be far easier I'm sure.
Check compatibility with DJI (and other) drones and go from there *.

Drone Controller • FT Aviator Drone Radio Controller • Fluidity Tech

The best drone controller on the market for beginners and experts alike. FT Aviator is the first of its kind drone controller designed for intuitive flight.

fluidity.tech

*Seems it works with Mavic 2 (some camera features not supported at this time), Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro Platinum, Mavic Air, and most Phantom 3 & 4.

Magilla Gorilla · Jan 28, 2020

The FT Aviator is a good option if he wants to spend the money.And it’s $100.00 off right now, $349.99.
I think a one handed flyer could easily learn to control a DJI product using DJI controller with a small learning curve given some instruction.
If he has good dexterity in his hand, with controller supported on a table or in his lap, operating the sticks should be easy enough.

Prismatic · Jan 28, 2020

MAvic_South_Oz said:
This is probably the best option I can think of.
It's like a plane joystick, so pulling back on it raises elevation like a real aircraft.
Probably easy as he can get straight onto that from the start.
...

As the owner of an FT Aviator I heartily agree. However, it does not behave as you describe. Throttle is on the thumb. Pulling the joystick back is like pulling back on the right-hand stick of your normal controller; it commands the aircraft to fly in reverse (backward).

All in all, it's very intuitive (unless you're deeply practiced in flying a real joystick-controlled aircraft, I suppose).

MAvic_South_Oz · Jan 28, 2020

Prismatic said:
As the owner of an FT Aviator I heartily agree. However, it does not behave as you describe. Throttle is on the thumb. Pulling the joystick back is like pulling back on the right-hand stick of your normal controller; it commands the aircraft to fly in reverse (backward).

All in all, it's very intuitive (unless you're deeply practiced in flying a real joystick-controlled aircraft, I suppose).

Ah ok, thanks for the heads up . . . I was recalling (possibly incorrectly) that someone said theirs was like a plane joystick.
Can they be set to different or custom modes like the standard controllers ?

I expect as you said yours works would be possibly easier to use with drones in any case, more like a heli stick.

Prismatic · Jan 28, 2020

@Skywalker : You should search the forums for "FT Aviator"; several users have devised a chair or tripod or monopod to make flying even more relaxed. I have a tripod-mounted platform that secures the FT Aviator beside the RC/mobile device. I admit it's a PITA to set up, but it makes for a very pleasant flying experience.

I should note that I got the FT Aviator because my hands are rather shaky (essential tremor). That big joystick is a lot easier for me to use than the little thumb-sticks on the native remote controller. Recent updates improved the in-air handling, making the FT Aviator is by far my favorite way to fly. For me--using a conventional two-stick remote--it's very difficult to make a smooth curving flight with a slow pan and/or elevation change. I know some people find two-sticks" natural, but not me. Maybe I just have dumb thumbs.

That said, the FT Aviator consolidates all aircraft flight controls in the joystick hand, and all other controls in the base. A truly one-handed pilot would have to release the joystick (i.e., go to a stationary hover) to change the gimbal angle. In short, a single-handed pilot can't tilt the gimbal as the drone simultaneously moves in some direction. However, even minimal use of "the other hand" may suffice; the gimbal control is just a variable-speed rocker-switch that doesn't demand high dexterity. The other base controls (the 5-position "joystick sensitivity" knob, exposure control, launch, RTH, and so on) are generally not changed during a take.

Note that the FT Aviator is only compatible with the DJI drones listed for it. They say they have plans to support additional drones in the future, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Even if other manufacturers have an SDK, I would bet that porting the control app to a whole new platform would not be trivial. DJI is the big dog in the drone market, and the FT Aviator has to make a pot o' money before they can afford a big investment that doesn't promise anything near the potential sales volume present in the DJI ecosystem.

ulven · May 28, 2020

Hi, i am a one handed pilot after a brain stroke. I fly using the FTAviator, it is so fun

here is a video of my flying it:

JoeDronePilot · Jan 17, 2022

Where can I find the latest firmware update to use this device? It's January 2022. It's useless if you can't fly a drone with this device. Supply a link to download firmware.

MAvic_South_Oz · Jan 17, 2022

JoeDronePilot said:
Where can I find the latest firmware update to use this device? It's January 2022. It's useless if you can't fly a drone with this device. Supply a link to download firmware.

Please ?

The FT Aviator is obsolete, not been on the market for some time I believe.

Drone Controller • FT Aviator Drone Radio Controller • Fluidity Tech

The best drone controller on the market for beginners and experts alike. FT Aviator is the first of its kind drone controller designed for intuitive flight.

fluidity.tech

If you found one 2nd hand and want any firmware etc, you might have to contact them.

The links on the website say it had an app, with the quick start guide having a link to download this . . .

https://fluidity.tech/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FT-Aviator-Quick-Start-Guide-Onlilne-Version.pdf

The zendesk link is now dead, looks like Fluidity no longer uses that service.

JoeDronePilot · Jan 17, 2022

Yikes! Please? Really! For you, YES, for them...

You have a company put out a product that is barely 2 years old, scoop up the cash from folks with a promise of their product being the best thing since sliced bread for drone pilots, and then abandon them to have them fend for themselves. Not to mention them pulling out of all forms of communications to get issues resolved. Notice that most of the online videos are 2 years old. Yikes!

The FT Aviator makes for an amazing paperweight! Every time someone in the drone world sees it on my desk they ask: "What is that?" Me: "That is an example of how not to do business with the general public." Again, Yikes!

Sincerely, thanks for your help and this forum. Happy New Year!

MAvic_South_Oz · Jan 17, 2022

JoeDronePilot said:
Yikes! Please? Really! For you, YES, for them...

You have a company put out a product that is barely 2 years old, scoop up the cash from folks with a promise of their product being the best thing since sliced bread for drone pilots, and then abandon them to have them fend for themselves. Not to mention them pulling out of all forms of communications to get issues resolved. Notice that most of the online videos are 2 years old. Yikes!

The FT Aviator makes for an amazing paperweight! Every time someone in the drone world sees it on my desk they ask: "What is that?" Me: "That is an example of how not to do business with the general public." Again, Yikes!

Sincerely, thanks for your help and this forum. Happy New Year!

Agree, if they took the $ and ran.
I checked their blog linked to that page, last entry was about the FT Aviator 'taming the Inspire', so that is not all THAT long ago.
I also had a quick look in the Apple store apps, and nothing came up for FT Aviator, or Fluidity (in relation to the biz).

It could have been something that is just downloaded, but the QS guide QR code seems to suggest it might have been an app on Apple and / or Google Play.

You've obviously tried contacting them, with no luck.

If so, good luck to Fluidity with future products they might be working on, companies that do this really tarnish the many that do things more professionally.

The FT Aviator did create quite a stir when it was released, and it's SUCH a great idea, even DJI picked up on it somewhat for their FPV drone, with the DJI Motion Controller.

For future 'one arm' folk that visit here, that could be the obvious answer now . . .