Suggestions for flight training?

[Colorado_scott]

I've been flying RC helicopters for quite a while. These are $500+ helicopters with full collective, +/-12 degree pitch, so fully capable of loops, inverted flight, basically anything. Pilots practice many things, stable hovering (gps on drone takes care of that), nose in hovering, flying slow figure 8’s forward and backwards, flying a square, hovering at each corner, or doing a 360 degree rotation at the corner, and on and on. It’s quite difficult when there is no GPS and no altitude hold.

I’m wondering what drone pilots practice to really get control of their drone? Perhaps in the form of; Basic and Advanced sequences. Maybe this is not done, but filming someone, flying around them when they are walking/ running/ riding a bike, then in front of the person, transitioning into backward flight keeping the camera on the subject - a bit of skill needed for this. I could see doing a constant altitude circle while the drone is rotating 360 degrees every quarter circle, right rotation, then left as the drone circles, but perhaps some standard things you guys practice?

Interested to hear what you practice to get better

Thanks

 

[colinfowler]

I've been flying RC helicopters for quite a while. These are $500+ helicopters with full collective, +/-12 degree pitch, so fully capable of loops, inverted flight, basically anything. Pilots practice many things, stable hovering (gps on drone takes care of that), nose in hovering, flying slow figure 8’s forward and backwards, flying a square, hovering at each corner, or doing a 360 degree rotation at the corner, and on and on. It’s quite difficult when there is no GPS and no altitude hold.

I’m wondering what drone pilots practice to really get control of their drone? Perhaps in the form of; Basic and Advanced sequences. Maybe this is not done, but filming someone, flying around them when they are walking/ running/ riding a bike, then in front of the person, transitioning into backward flight keeping the camera on the subject - a bit of skill needed for this. I could see doing a constant altitude circle while the drone is rotating 360 degrees every quarter circle, right rotation, then left as the drone circles, but perhaps some standard things you guys practice?

Interested to hear what you practice to get better

Thanks

yes to ALL of the above in my case

 

[beachcombing]

Back in the Phantom 2 days, DJI put out this training guide which guides the operator through a series of exercises.

http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phan..._Vision_Plus_Pilot_Training_Guide_v1.1_en.pdf

Other things to practice: Circling an object is a good skill to master. Slow panning while moving forward. Movements to get good cinematic shots.

 

[vanim8]

I've been flying rc for decades. My experience with MP so far is why would you need training? The AI built into these brilliant machines takes so much workload out of flight ops an experienced remote pilot should never need to practice in my opinion. That being said, of course, every flight is an exercise in good decision making and hand eye coordination just like in a real aircraft. Every flight good or bad is a learning opportunity.

 

[Colorado_scott]

Yes, that training guide is a good one to start with. Glad to see DJI thought of this. It's helpful in many circumstances. Even though the altitude lock and GPS make this very easy, still a good skill to practice. Thanks for the guide reference.

 

[dennyc39]

I've been flying rc for decades. My experience with MP so far is why would you need training? The AI built into these brilliant machines takes so much workload out of flight ops an experienced remote pilot should never need to practice in my opinion. That being said, of course, every flight is an exercise in good decision making and hand eye coordination just like in a real aircraft. Every flight good or bad is a learning opportunity.

As a newbie drone captain, I find myself spending a lot of time getting to know my first officer --- the AI in the drone. There are some things it can do extremely well, but it is not real big on judgement or planning. A lot of the panics and worse that I have read about at least partly involve a flight mode or a return-to-home behavior that the pilot did not expect and did not understand in the heat of the moment.

This second crewmember is of most value when the pilot understands her reactions and the things she is aware of; GPS, sensors, obstructions, etc., and the things she is blind to. (OK, I had to pick a gender.) The pilot can then give her appropriate instructions and choose flight modes that can free him to manage the video, watch for hazards, etc., and that are less likely to cause surprises.

I have sometimes put on the prop guards and run some careful experiments with obstructions, and with return-to-home situations that actually demonstrate and validate some of the stuff I've seen in the manual. I think it helps, and it once saved me from seeing the drone avoid an obstruction ahead by climbing directly into overhanging branches. That was worth the time and trouble.