Got a Syma X5C-1 and just took it out to fly. I immediately lose orientation. Can't figure out which is front and rear or left and right. Seems like Headless would solve this issue. If so, why would any beginner want anything other that headless? My research indicated this Quad would be easy to fly.
Please help
- Thread starter johnr9q
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GetAirborne
New Member
In my opinion, most of the small toy quadcopters are not so easy to fly. The very basic autopilot does not assist you much. There is no altimeter and the throttle is inconsistent, so they unexpectedly go up or down, or they fly in a new direction without your order. You have to dedicate a good part of your attention to ride the throttle and keep it steady. The controls are twitchy and too small (you can glue on joystick extenders to help). With no GPS or vision to hold position, the smallest breeze will blow it away.
But they are very fun once you get the hang of it. If you have the prop guards on the X5C, you can fly it indoors to gain skill. Without wind, learning is a lot easier. In close proximity, you'll have no orientation uncertainty. At first, just learn how to hold position in midair, then do small maneuvers - yawing being the most difficult with these toys. Eventually you should be able to fly small figure-8 patterns in a room. Keep away from glassware and HDTV screens, of course. Once you can operate the controls without thinking too hard about it, go back outside with (on a calm day). The nice thing is that the controls are the same for more serious aircraft, should you decide to move up. And you'll find the more advanced models are much easier to fly.
Yes, the headless mode may be helpful for a beginner. But eventually you will want to learn to fly without it. To help with visual orientation, you could spray fluorescent red / orange paint on two of the booms.
The Hubsan X4 is a lot smaller than the X5C, but some variants are available with "altitude hold." The altimeter function is not perfect, but it certainly helps... one less thing you constantly have to pay attention to. The price varies, but Amazon has had them in the range of $30. Fine for indoors if you get a prop guard. They seem too weak for flying outdoors in a breeze.
But they are very fun once you get the hang of it. If you have the prop guards on the X5C, you can fly it indoors to gain skill. Without wind, learning is a lot easier. In close proximity, you'll have no orientation uncertainty. At first, just learn how to hold position in midair, then do small maneuvers - yawing being the most difficult with these toys. Eventually you should be able to fly small figure-8 patterns in a room. Keep away from glassware and HDTV screens, of course. Once you can operate the controls without thinking too hard about it, go back outside with (on a calm day). The nice thing is that the controls are the same for more serious aircraft, should you decide to move up. And you'll find the more advanced models are much easier to fly.
Yes, the headless mode may be helpful for a beginner. But eventually you will want to learn to fly without it. To help with visual orientation, you could spray fluorescent red / orange paint on two of the booms.
The Hubsan X4 is a lot smaller than the X5C, but some variants are available with "altitude hold." The altimeter function is not perfect, but it certainly helps... one less thing you constantly have to pay attention to. The price varies, but Amazon has had them in the range of $30. Fine for indoors if you get a prop guard. They seem too weak for flying outdoors in a breeze.
Headless will not help. You should have lights and /or different colour props that tell you which is front. What I did, when I was learning on little off-the-shelf quadcopters, was to glue a thin strip of aluminium to the top of the frame, protruding forwad a few inches, so that I could always see which way the front was. (see attached photo). TRY AND FLY THE SYMA AT LESS THAN FIVE OR SIX fFEET FROM THE GROUND AND KEEP IT NOT TOO FAR FROM YOU. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS TAKE OFF AND LAND LOOKING AT THE BACK OF THE DRONE! In this manner, your right, left, forward and backward stick motions will be the same as the drone's movements. IF THE FRONT OF THE DRONE IS FACING YOU, THE CONTROLS WILL BE IN OPPOSITION TO THE DRONE'S MOVEMENTS, E.G. IF THE DRONE MOVES TO THE YOUR RIGHT, YOU WILL COMPENSATE MOVING THE STICK TO THE RIGHT (SAME SIDE), NOT ON THE LEFT, ETC.ETC. It will take quite a lot of practise to learn to control the little beast. Use the throttle carefully and with very small changes. LEARN AT FIRST TO FLY VERY CLOSE TO THE GROUND AND PRACTISE TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS (NOT CRASHINGS...LOL).
Cheers from Bruno
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moonpie57108
Member
Headless mode would goof me up to no end because while it might be simpler to start on, it's override control orientation. The multirotors left is no longer its left. Insert sailor terms here.
Just depends what you want out of your flying. Self Level, Headless, & Altitude Hold can all help you do something. But for example, you won't be able to fly fpv in headless.
I think the part your missing is just practice. Don't use more crutches than you have too and just keep burning batteries. Often my next input is based on what the quad was doing with the last input and knowing which way it's facing based on its reaction.
At some point, poor lighting or too much will cause you to loose orientation but if you know what you were doing, you should know which way it is facing and be able to fly out of the problem or at least put it down safely.
Just depends what you want out of your flying. Self Level, Headless, & Altitude Hold can all help you do something. But for example, you won't be able to fly fpv in headless.
I think the part your missing is just practice. Don't use more crutches than you have too and just keep burning batteries. Often my next input is based on what the quad was doing with the last input and knowing which way it's facing based on its reaction.
At some point, poor lighting or too much will cause you to loose orientation but if you know what you were doing, you should know which way it is facing and be able to fly out of the problem or at least put it down safely.
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Old Man
Active Member
Being hard to fly is what makes small, unsophisticated multirotors great trainers. Automated modes fail, GPS fails, when that happens those that haven't learned to fly without them crash, or experience what the believe to be a fly away, when in truth they flew it away from themselves.
Headless has it's place being very useful for single operator photography to assist reducing the workload, but a good operator learns how to use all of his tools. It's the difference between an apprentice and a journeyman, an amateur and a pro.
Headless has it's place being very useful for single operator photography to assist reducing the workload, but a good operator learns how to use all of his tools. It's the difference between an apprentice and a journeyman, an amateur and a pro.
Gabriel Yee
Member
As others said, while headless mode will get you up in the air and flying relatively easy you will need to learn how to control the plane properly on your own and figure out your orientation.
What I did to learn was to start flying indoor or only within my backyard where I could properly see the drone and figure out which way is forward.
Start there and try and try and try...and crash of course
What I did to learn was to start flying indoor or only within my backyard where I could properly see the drone and figure out which way is forward.
Start there and try and try and try...and crash of course