The Art of Flying

Flying a drone, especially one at the toy level, requires finesse and recognition of limitations. Finesse, in that you have to know precisely what amount of force and in which direction to move the transmitter's control levers. Limitation, in that you have to know the range and altitude limits of your drone. First, read the manual and familiarize your self with the controls. Second, find an open field, free of trees or obstructions. Assuming you have little or no experience, start by applying a little throttle (you did read the manual, right?) till the drone starts to lift off. Be careful, because some craft will soar once they leave the ground. This is where finesse comes in and you need to moderate the throttle lever. To start, do not exceed much more than head high altitude. Believe it or not, maintaining head high altitude and hovering will greatly aid you in future flights. If there is little to no wind, and you feel comfortable, you can start applying trim to aid in hovering. Maybe I'm just lucky and have well mannered drones, but I do not use the trim switches. I have found that the least amount of wind can upset a drone, so I am applying force to the levers most of the time anyway. Moving on. Once you feel you can control the drone in a small area, it's time to figure out what is the head and tail of your drone. Most manufacturers apply tape or paint to the head of the drone and/or install different colored propeller(s). This is vitally important to know because it dictates what input to apply to the controls. Here's the process as best as I can explain it. Come to a hover and apply forward force to the right control lever. If you're drone is pointing forward, it will move away from you. You can bring the drone back by applying reverse force to the same control lever. Now, we'll make it a little more complicated. Using the identifiers mentioned earlier, apply force to the left or right on the power lever and the drone should rotate left or right bringing it around so that the head is facing you once again. Now the input needed will be reversed to move the drone backward or forward. If you lose orientation, remember the color identifiers and/or apply input forward and backward to the right stick to determine which way brings the drone towards you. If all else fails do not panic and set the drone down. Finally, we haven't mentioned what moving the right control lever left or right does. In the beginning try to limit yourself to basic, low altitude back and forth and figure eight flight exercises. As you progress you'll notice that you need to guide the drone to the left or right to keep it on track. That is what the right lever's left and right input accomplishes. It is very similar to the rudder on conventional aircraft. I can't overstress how important it is to take baby steps and limit your altitude and distance from the transmitter to begin with. It is very important to note that most toy level drones have very limited range. It is also important to note that that range is not only determined by distance, but also altitude. You may want to enlist the aid of a friend or two and determine that distance in an unobstructed area. There are hacks to improve the reception of the drone which we'll discuss later. Now, go practice and have fun!

Some things to note. A lot of drones offer a headless mode which is suppose to aid in removing the confusion on what input is needed to control it. Basically, in the headless mode, the drone will respond to the right transmitter lever input no matter which way it is oriented. Simply put pull the lever and the drone will come toward you and vice versa. Personally, I have found that to be confusing; especially in the beginning. Some transmitters also offer the ability to change/swap what each lever controls; often referred to as Mode 2. We'll delve into all of that in later posts.