Hoverfly Something Big?

[Aerovideo]

I've defended Hoverfly for quite some time and am the first one to praise how well it flies in manual mode. That's ALL I fly in. AH is amusing as is GPS hold and RTH, reliable they are not. The problem I have and I think most others have is not how well it flies in manual mode it's how poorly it does the other functions, that we paid A LOT for, almost all other flight controllers can do now.

I don't fly big expensive cameras but it seems to me if I was and I lost orientation, radio signal, or video signal it sure would be nice to have a RELIABLE RTH feature that surely the FAA WILL require if they ever figure out the rules for commercial use. Thus my search for another FC, just preparing for what's to come...

Lastly one of the reasons I went with Hoverfly was because it was made in the USA and had local HELPFUL and ACTIVE support. That support appears to all but have dried up

 

[workshop]

BINGO!

Honestly it scares me when I see people who can't fly a CP heli nose in - flying a MR that weighs a lot. I won't say we never fly in AH or AL but we very rarely use anything other than manual. With a trained pilot and HFP it's just not necessary. I hope whenever the FAA finally figures this mess out, that they require a license and a test to fly RC for commercial use. The lack of safety and experience I have seen in the MR commercial world really worries me.

I am in Albuquerque at the TAAC conference. The rules will probably require a FAA ground school equivalent. Pilot proficiency testing is not high up on the agenda.

 

[Earl E Adobtr]

Lastly one of the reasons I went with Hoverfly was because it was made in the USA and had local HELPFUL and ACTIVE support.

Well, on the positive, they did leave a whole bunch of really knowledgable and AP industry savy customers all virtually gathered together in one place. That's as relevant or more relevant than any single piece of hardware - to be able to look over the shoulders of "them that's doing". HF may be in limbo at the moment but this forum is still the best place to come for current info that cuts through the noise.

 

[Aerovideo]

Well I crashed the forum making this post the first time I wonder if that's a sign.

I just received my "Other" flight controller. It's nice, compact, self contained aluminum casing, looks impressive. Hopefully get a chance to see how it flies soon.

If it flies terribly, I'll be back here singing the praises of Hoverfly once again

 

[Stacky]

Well I crashed the forum making this post the first time I wonder if that's a sign.

I just received my "Other" flight controller. It's nice, compact, self contained aluminum casing, looks impressive. Hopefully get a chance to see how it flies soon.

If it flies terribly, I'll be back here singing the praises of Hoverfly once again

Hurry up man.
Can you please make a video out the front of your house with the quad hovering in 1 spot for 5 minutes with the radio on the ground in front of you. That will be the clincher for me.

Im hoping you like it.

 

[octocine]

Yes, please share your impressions. Also, I read the manual for the "other" flight controller, but could not understand exactly how the various modes work. Does the throttle work like HFP in the corresponding modes? I've seen lots of videos showing that it holds well in gps mode, but does it move smoothly from a given point with input from the stick?

 

[Aerovideo]

Hurry up man.
Can you please make a video out the front of your house with the quad hovering in 1 spot for 5 minutes with the radio on the ground in front of you. That will be the clincher for me.

Im hoping you like it.

Me too!

Looks like Chuck has one on order too. He'll probably get his in the air first.

I have it unboxed, that's good right?

I'm sure I'll do one of those awesome GPS hover videos But hopefully you don't mind if I post some flying too?

Yes, please share your impressions. Also, I read the manual for the "other" flight controller, but could not understand exactly how the various modes work. Does the throttle work like HFP in the corresponding modes? I've seen lots of videos showing that it holds well in gps mode, but does it move smoothly from a given point with input from the stick?

I'll definitely share but it'll probably be over in the "other" thread

My understanding is that it still has a manual mode which I suspect I'll still use most and it should work just like Hoverfly's manual mode as I think only the gyros are working, no auto level, gps, or altitude hold.

 

[Aerovideo]

Well, on the positive, they did leave a whole bunch of really knowledgable and AP industry savy customers all virtually gathered together in one place. That's as relevant or more relevant than any single piece of hardware - to be able to look over the shoulders of "them that's doing". HF may be in limbo at the moment but this forum is still the best place to come for current info that cuts through the noise.

This is very true, also I think has the highest concentration of video pros too.

 

[tahoelight]

Hurry up man.
Can you please make a video out the front of your house with the quad hovering in 1 spot for 5 minutes with the radio on the ground in front of you. That will be the clincher for me.

Im hoping you like it.

I don't have a video of it, but I flew an entire 10 minute pack in GPS hold without touching the sticks in a small yard. Something I would never do with my HFP unfortunately.

 

[sgeprods]

I don't have a video of it, but I flew an entire 10 minute pack in GPS hold without touching the sticks in a small yard. Something I would never do with my HFP unfortunately.

I can do that with the DJI Phantom, Tarot Gimbal & GoPro, I was stunned actually on how good this thing is for the price. Let go of the sticks & it just about stops dead & waits for your next input when in GPS mode & it lands within 2-3 ft of where you take off in Failsafe. Would love my Hoverfly hexa to have that sort of control as well as precise flying. Anyways, I have decided to store my HFP FC a in a box next to the HFP Mac software release.

 

[Stacky]

When I mentioned the hovering thing I was being sarcastic

 

[CrashMaster]

Shock horror. Someone mentioned, here, the 'P' word..... Go wash your mouth out with soap.

 

[hugh4g]

I love this existential thread… Its all about something and nothing...

Seasons greetings all

Hugh

 

[Aerovideo]

When I mentioned the hovering thing I was being sarcastic

Oh I know, that's why my GPS video is going to be so AWESOME!

 

[SleepyC]

The sad part is HFP users like myself seriously did freak out and stand there in GPS hold mode on the other FC going “WOW!!” (wait a few seconds.) WOW!!! (wait a few seconds.)
it took a good 5 flights for the novelty of a actual functioning GPS to wear off.

 

[Stacky]

I tried the GPS board about 2 weeks ago. I initially had a problem which was simply related to my not having the AL properly trimmed. When I fixed that I had it working quite happily. Everything worked ok. I did only a couple of flights and then took the board off and gave it back to the friend who had it.
I do note that the HFP AH is simply nowhere near as good as the NAZA, not even close. Apparently they use the same barometric sensor. With the AH I get height holding that varies 1-2 feet, the NAZA I have tried gives me with 6 inches to 1 foot at worst. Unfortunately for me the NAZA in comparison flies like a sack of ****, unless Im hovering in one spot of course.

I have high hopes for the SuperX, have seen some very positive videos of a SuperX being flown around like a crazy thing in strong winds and it looked very good.

 

[DucktileMedia]

I suggested to Hoverfly that they get back on this thread and chime in. I will be surprised if they do. They posted something on Facebook today so clearly they are alive.

 

[Bartman]

I tried the GPS board about 2 weeks ago. I initially had a problem which was simply related to my not having the AL properly trimmed. When I fixed that I had it working quite happily. Everything worked ok. I did only a couple of flights and then took the board off and gave it back to the friend who had it.
I do note that the HFP AH is simply nowhere near as good as the NAZA, not even close. Apparently they use the same barometric sensor. With the AH I get height holding that varies 1-2 feet, the NAZA I have tried gives me with 6 inches to 1 foot at worst. Unfortunately for me the NAZA in comparison flies like a sack of ****, unless Im hovering in one spot of course.

I have high hopes for the SuperX, have seen some very positive videos of a SuperX being flown around like a crazy thing in strong winds and it looked very good.

fwiw, about two years ago i posted a video of a mikrokopter flying very easily in winds that were 22 gusting to 30 kts (about 25 gusting to 35 mph) and the heli was dead solid (it was probably good another 10 kts of wind speed). it's nice that other makes can now do it too but let's not give any one the credit as being unique in this ability. it even held it's ground in GPS PH mode while i shot video with the camera i had on it.

 

[sgeprods]

I suggested to Hoverfly that they get back on this thread and chime in. I will be surprised if they do. They posted something on Facebook today so clearly they are alive.

Looks like they have removed all the feedback comments on Facebook too… good idea…. Dont worry Stacky I am just being sarcastic.

 

[hoverben]

Y'all want someone from Hoverfly to chime in ... so here I am.

I really wish I knew what that "something big" was. I honestly don't have any idea what marketing had in mind when that post was made. Maybe they were trying to emulate the "big guys" by posting a teaser and never responding to any questions about it? :frog:

To be frank, I am probably the only person in this company who has the time to scan through the forums on a regular basis. While I like to think I have a good grasp on what we do here, but I am by no means the expert; I rely on the engineers. In those situations where I am able to act as a conduit between you and the engineers, it just makes more sense to do so via direct contact - either through email, phone, or Zendesk.

So while I understand the public desire to see more activity on the forums, the simple fact is that it would have to come from me. And if it comes from me, most of it is going to be, "I don't know the answer to that question. Please submit a Zendesk ticket and I'll send it to the engineers," or else "I can't comment on that." I don't like this being the case, but unfortunately it is.