This small guide is not official at all but we hope that it will help a maximum of people, who begin to find out, which types of exercises to do to train and especially to reassure themselves because when we pilot the quadcopter for the first time, it is very normal that we need the training gradually while respecting the legislation in force and the safety regulations, you will so avoid breaking your drone too quickly and being dripped with it, or worse to hurt somebody!
Important definitions:
FPV (First Person View) – the flight can be seen through the UAV camera by the pilot;
Line of sight – quadcopter can be seen during flight by the pilot;
Transmitter/Remote Control – device that allows you to adjust its settings and maneuver the quadcopter;
Propellers – they start spinning according to the manual controls of the pilot;
Camera – the device that allows to pilot to practice aerial videography and photography;
Roll – maneuvers and controls the quadcopter left or right;
Pitch – tilts the quadcopter backwards of forwards;
Yaw – allows to rotate the quadcopter left or right;
Throttle – helps to adjust the height, of the quadcopter;
Trim – thanks to it you can adjust yaw, roll, pitch, and throttle if they are not balanced;
The Rudder – serves to control yaw directly;
Aileron – serves to control roll directly;
The Elevator – serves to control pitch directly;
Bank turn – a circular turn in the clockwise and counterclockwise direction;
Hovering – controls the throttle;
Figure 8 – flies in “figure 8” pattern;
Manual mode – same as to fly a helicopter;
Attitude (Auto-level) mode – the copter levels out after the sticks are centered;
GPS Hold mode – once the sticks have been centered, it helps to return the quadcopter position by using GPS.
There are four essential controls of the quadcopter: Throttle, Pitch, Roll and Yaw.
Yaw: by pushing the left stick to the left or to the right, this control starts rotating the drone clockwise or counterclockwise.
Throttle: quadcopter propellers are given enough power to get airborne thanks to this control. In order to engage it, you need to press the left stick forwards and in order to disengage – backwards.
Pitch: this control will tilt the quadcopter, resulting in forwards or backwards movement.
Roll: it rolls your quadcopter once you push the right stick the transmitter to the left or to the right.
And a couple words of the transmitter or the remote control:
Right Stick – roll and pitch
Left Stick – yaw and throttle
Guide of learning to pilot a quadcopter
It is to explain you how to fly the quadcopter, to explain you the principles of the general way, to explain you how to pull and we have chosen Hubsan X4 because it is one of the best choices to train, learn and even to have fun if you have already piloted.
With its small size you can fly it indoors as well as outdoor (unless it is very windy), but to begin, it is better to buy protecting propellers (sold with certain versions of Hubsan X4). If you possess another model, no panic, the principle remains the same!
1. Learn to take off.
You do not need a big space to learn flying quadcopter, but of course, if you have a big room it will be much easier. Choose the place, where you will have no piece of furniture, take away the children, put your dog, cat or other pet in another room and the go to make your first flight!
Before any take-off, refer to the note of your multi-rotors (because in fact we do not say a drone but one multirotors)
Some very important principles:
Make sure that the battery is charged;
Always put it on a horizontal surface when the drone initializes, otherwise according to models they will always leave
Make the regulation of trims;
Bind your drone (it is the function, which allows to indicate your drone that you are going to use this or that radio control;
Do not believe that you are going to take off and that you can go where you want from the first flight;
It is not ashamed to bang in walls (or trees);
With the training you are going to acquire of the insurance, but it is necessary to be patient.
As soon as you will begin to know the stabilization of your drone, you are going to be able to pass to the second step.
2. Learn to Forward and reverse.
It can be commonplace, but before wanting to think of having a walk everywhere in the house or outside, it is going to need to train to make a straight line, for it we suggest you to:
Do not try to turn at the beginning, that will be the next stage, make some go / go back (as much as it will be necessary for you to feel natural who you are doing it). It is good if you manage to go at the end of the corridor and to return in reverse without banging on walls. Then we move on to the next step.
3. Learn to turn back.
Now that you know how to go straight ahead and return one be going to go straight ahead, to turn back and to return, etc.
You think that to turn back is very simple? It is not a car, when you are going to turn your drone, this one will have to stay at the same height (the first lesson to stabilize the device). As soon as you will start knowing how to turn in the right direction, try to make it in the other way then pass in the following lesson.
4. Learn to make circles.
It is the step, which is very important and which seems difficult at first, as soon as you are going to learn how to make circles you are going to be able to start taking a real advantage from your drone!
When you manage to make circles in the room, try to turn the other way, then to make 8, then move on to the next step.
5. How to land where you want.
Land drone it is not so simple, as you may think, especially outdoor because it will be necessary to take into account the wind!
How do you feel about that? Then, it is time for you to go outside, but remember that you should not go too high and that as soon as you rise a little there will be more wind and sometimes if there is too much wind and that your drone is too small you cannot get it back (or you will have difficulty because its low weight will push it).
If you lose control and you see your drone taking away further and further, then do not hesitate to land it (if it is the possible, of course) rather than to lose it, it is better to have a bad landing!
6. How to Loop the drone.
Certain drones have the programmed function to make loopings, it is the case, for example, of Latrax Alias, it is really very pleasant at the beginning, that impresses everybody, but we assure you that to make real loopings in manual mode is much funnier!
To make loopings it is necessary to follow some instructions:
Your drone must be compatible (it is the case of Hubsan X4, it is necessary to think of deactivating the option “anti looping”, which is activated by default by safety);
You have to put your radio control in the mode, allowing to make loopings (usually, it is the “expert” or “agility” mode with a red LED in most of the cases);
To have the space, especially at high altitude because if you are not high enough to make the loopings, you will not have time to raise your drone;
Do not make looping when you have a low battery (you will not have enough power to put back the drone in the right direction).
And last advice, if you try flying outdoors, fly above a lawn, which is cropped well (if the grass is high, it is very difficult to find your drone in case of a fall).
