Greetings from Roseville, California

[Scott Robinson]

Hello Everyone,

I received a Typhoon H for Christmas as a surprise. I can't wait to take it out for it's maiden voyage. Any tips on flight instruction for a total noob?

 

[CC Rider]

First of all, Merry Christmas and congrats on scoring the new Typhoon! You're gonna love it.

I'm not much further along than you are, but I've been searching for Typhoon H info like a madman for many weeks, and still am, so I have a pretty keen idea of what you need to know and where to find it before you take your first flight. Before I start, let me say this to you: you may not want to wait to fly until you purchase this, but I would highly recommend the Yuneec UAV Pilot simulator, for around forty bucks, to gain some flight experience before you actually fly your new Typhoon. I practiced with the H flying, landing, maneuvering, etc., for a couple of weeks before I actually took off. Personally, I think the simulator should come with the H because it's time well spent learning the handling of the Typhoon H. But you probably don't want to go that route. You probably want to fly, and understandably so. So here I go:

DO NOT take your first flight until you have totally digested every word in every manual Yuneec offers, in the box and online. Don't just read them, UNDERSTAND them fully. Literally, one small mistake and a crash is definitely in your future, either caused directly by you or by your unfamiliarity with the onboard equipment and systems operations. Sometimes this craft will move on its own accord - on the ground or in the air - as it's designed to do (especially in concert with the ST16 controller powered on) but in ways in which you are not prepared for it to behave or have even thought out. So, know how the systems work before you ever power up so your H will fly ONLY where you want it to. (BTW that's the only secret to avoiding a crash: just always fly safe and always fly ONLY where YOU want your aircraft to be. It's that simple.)

DO NOT take your first flight until you have seen and digested MANY of the numerous videos posted on YouTube and elsewhere across the Internet about the Typhoon H. Watch enough of them until you get sick, then watch those again and next find some new ones to watch. Trust me, those vids contain a whole lot of little kernels of first-hand, practical knowledge about this drone, its components, and how they all work together that fill in the many gaps present in the Yuneec owner's manual. Yes, Yuneec wants you to believe that the H is something you can just unbox, set up as shown in a few online diagrams, and be competently flying in a matter of minutes. THAT is just a marketing ploy to help move units. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. You do have a lot to learn before being airborne and there are no safe short cuts to getting that knowledge. Why would anybody think that it would be easy learning to fly something that is GPS guided, attains speeds approaching 50 MPH, operates both by remote control and independently, and can fly well beyond the line of sight while still maintaining signals and video feed to a handheld controller? By nature it's a very complicated piece of machinery and therefore it must be approached as such.

Luckily, others have travelled this road ahead of us and have left a video trail we can follow and learn from. Treat those videos like the library books of Alexandria. Bookmark the ones that are of particular interest to you (on setup demos, flying tips, Typhoon H basics, whatever) so you can play them on demand and really learn what is being shown. If you do this much, you will be as informed as possible and ready to move on to the next step.

The moment will come when you feel ready and you know it's time to take the Typhoon up. When it does, PICK A VERY, VERY OPEN AND VERY, VERY WIDE UNOCCUPIED SPACE ON A CALM DAY FOR YOUR FIRST FLIGHT! That means no trees whatsoever in the immediate area, no buildings, no people, no power lines, no nothing. Follow all the Yuneec instructions included for battery loading, etc. Keep your ST16 controller about 30 feet away from the drone and power it on, antennae out. Walk back to your Typhoon 30 feet away. Make sure the nose of the Typhoon points at least 20 feet toward empty space, (i.e., nothing in front of the sonar sensors within 20 feet) in case you happen to switch on Object Avoidance, which you SHOULD NOT DO yet!! Power on the drone until it emits a distinct tune then return to your controller.

Stand 30 feet BEHIND your drone. You should now be looking at the large rear light. ON YOUR ST16 MAKE SURE the landing gear switch is down. Make sure the Pan mode camera switch is flipped up to "F" so that the camera is aimed in the same forward direction that you will be flying and are facing. Make sure that you are switched into Angle Flight Mode only NOT IN SMART MODE!! NEVER TAKE OFF IN SMART MODE DESPITE WHAT YOUR BRAIN MAY TELL YOU IT SHOULD DO!! SMART MODE IS DEDICATED SOLELY TO PRE-PROGRAMMED CAMERA/TYPHOON H MANEUVERS THAT ALLOW THE H TO MOVE ABOUT ON ITS OWN!! ALWAYS TAKE OFF IN ANGLE MODE!! Also, make sure you have rotated the speed control to 'Turtle.' You're not ready for 'Rabbit' mode yet.

In Smart Mode the Typhoon can and will react to the ST16 controller's placement and proximity to the aircraft, so it may suddenly surge forward, backward, etc., without warning. Smart Mode does a whole lot of cool and unique things, but each item must be entered into with thought beforehand to avoid undesired effects with the aircraft. Therefore, ALWAYS take-off in ANGLE MODE (center switch position) and then move into Smart Mode as the situations call for it and as you learn. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR LANDING!! For example, while you can hit the Return To Home switch for the aircraft to return to you, you should switch RTH off and select ANGLE MODE when the aircraft is close enough for you to take over control of it. IN ANGLE MODE YOU RETAIN CONTROL OVER THE TYPHOON. IN SMART MODE THE TYPHOON IS INDEPENDENT/CODEPENDENT AND MUST REMAIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE ST16 CONTROLLER, so it may suddenly fly away from it and perhaps run into any number of obstacles strictly by design and through no fault of its own.

Once in Angle mode, press the red start up button on the left side of the ST16 to start up the 6 props. Once the rotors are engaged, slowly raise the left stick and raise the aircraft off the ground about 10 feet (distance is indicated on the ST16). Let the drone hover there. Raise the landing gear. Raise the craft 5 feet higher. Let it hover some more. Now move the left stick left and right to rotate the craft clockwise and counterclockwise. When it is facing away from you, you see the large taillight and two red light rotors; facing you, you see the 2 sonar sensors and 2 white light rotors. Face the craft away from you again and lower it 5 feet again. Now use the right stick and move it to the right and watch the Typhoon move to the right with you. Stop. Now try left. Come back to your starting point. Practice these basic maneuvers until you get a feel for the controls and for how the Typhoon responds, and until you are able to set the drone in space where you want to. When you feel ready, the sky is yours, just DO NOT OVERDO IT!!! Your first flight is not the time to go for altitude or distance records. Keep it reeled in a bit. You're not going to learn it all in one day, so don't even try. Remember, power without control is not only not good, it's also dangerous.

Once you're up in the air, play around some. Try switching the Pan mode to "G" Global and turn the Pan control knob with your eyes on the display. Try everything you have seen or read online, in a manual, or seen in a Typhoon H video. However, be mindful of your battery level. Time will fly as you fly. Either be time-conscious or set a timer on your phone for 17-18 minutes to remind you to return the bird to the ground BEFORE you start getting warnings. This is your first flight, the experience is intoxicating, and you may be tempted to push the time element, but don't. Get it back safely on the ground in time. Try to be mindful of exactly how the craft is situated in 3D space as you fly and even hover. If you are in Smart Mode, the craft will always correspond to your movements on the ST16, despite which direction the nose of the craft is pointing, making flight much easier. Be aware that switching on Return To Home first RAISES (or LOWERS) the Typhoon to a little more than 30 feet above the ground before flying to home, so be very aware of the environment before you switch on this auto feature.

When you're ready, either switch on RTH or pilot the bird yourself to your clear, pre-selected landing site. If you used RTH, switch back to Angle Mode long before it is within 30 feet of the controller and LAND IT YOURSELF. Once on the ground, first power down the drone and remove the battery to cool, then power down the ST16. Finally, lean back and laugh.

That's about what I can offer you as a starter. Hope it helps. Overlook nothing, ignore no detail, never guess, and use the equipment as it was designed to be used. Do that and all should be well.

Here's wishing you the best on your maiden flight. By all means look elsewhere for advice, too. Most of the folks in these forums are friendly and freely offer their advice and support. Good luck and good flying!

 

[Scott Robinson]

Thanks!

I've been doing just that, reading beyond the manual, up late at night watching YouTube on everything from flight control, flight failures and human vs drone encounters. There's a lot to digest, but I'm happy I haven't let my excitement get the better of me until I totally understand the drone operation. From just a days reading I avoided the potential disaster that can happen flying in safe mode...

I'm in no rush I plan to take it on it's maiden voyage in the next week or two...

Thanks again!
S

 

[Cranky Trapper]

Well that's a very fantastic surprise. Welcome to the drone world!

Advice..... not much more I can offer than what has already been said.

Everyone on here are a great resource - don't be afraid to ask.

 

[CC Rider]

Happy New Year's, Scott! I hope you've enjoyed your holidays. Look like you are definitely pointed skyward through your progress. And best of all your new Typhoon H is is still in pristine shape!

I'm really tickled to see that you have put in the time - and the patience - you have into understanding your Typhoon H before taking it up. That's gonna put you light years ahead of about 80 percent of the folks who got an H for Christmas, followed a few instructions before naively taking to the air, and found out that's a faster way to lose a grand than investing a drunken day walking around Las Vegas with $20s sticking out of your pockets.

Your patience, above all, is to be applauded. I know the pull the Typhoon has on a soon-to-be UAV pilot. But trust me, your efforts and patience are going to have huge immediate payoffs for you once you fly that you will have earned and will follow you as you grow into this avocation (or vocation, if you're lucky!) Besides, it's not always about the destination; sometimes it's about the journey.

By now you are much more aware of what the Typhoon H can and will do, how it works, the outstanding features it has as well as its limitations. You also know more about its own independent behavior in certain modes and conditions, and how that behavior relates to 1) the ST16 controller you'll be holding in your hands and 2) your selections and choices. Remembering that constant symbiotic relationship is critical to flight enjoyment and accident avoidance.

As you keep doing what you're doing and get closer to maiden flight day, now's a good time to start thinking about flight locations other than where your upcoming maiden voyage will occur and what you're going to do with the aircraft later on. Keeping in mind the Typhoon H is basically a video drone (although it's a blast just to fly flat out at top speeds over an open field or a river, too) be prepared to have some places and subjects in mind to fly around and photograph/videograph in the near future. Your H should have come with a 16GB microSD card containing some info from Yuneec. As the images you'll be taking are stored on a microSD card inserted into the camera (and also stored in the pad memory of the ST16) and those files are HUGE shot in 4K, a paltry 16 GB card is completely insufficient for image storage, and I'd suggest beefing it up a lot now.

The camera can handle up to a 128GB card; so that's the size I got, a Samsung microSD for somewhere around $35 via Amazon. A small price to pay for the sense of freedom I get to be able to shoot whatever I want in the air and then sort through the files later in my home office at my convenience. This is especially true when using video or photo burst modes and storage space quickly becomes an issue. Trust me, it doesn't take long for the files to add up when one JPEG image can require close to 10MB of card space.

Another thing to think about now, too, are the images you're going to be catching and what software you are you going to use to handle the files you generate once you're flying like a pro.

Being the owner of a Typhoon H now makes you an artist, whether you consider yourself one or not. The H is your brush; the camera video sensor your canvas, the skies and the beautiful people, places and things in this world are your muse. Start learning the rudiments of photography and videography now (if you don't know them already) to familiarize yourself with the related terms and jargon as both will come into play. As a former art school and graphics arts student, I have always believed that everyone can be an artist. It comes along with the package of being born a sentient human being. So start stoking the creative side of your personality now to ensure you know what you're looking for when composing, arranging and shooting an image you want preserved. Do a little extra reading on the subject. Understand composing in the camera to reduce editing time afterwards. Know the basics of light and dark, perspective, composition as well as how modern video cameras work and the differences that exists between them and traditional film cameras. You don't have to master all of this, just establish a working knowledge of these areas so you are not caught off guard when these related topics arise. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

At the same time, you're going to need to own and have a minimal working knowledge of some photo/video editing software in order for you to produce videos and pictures worth looking at. I researched through a lot of what is out there in this department, and the best I found is PowerDirector 15, by Cyberlink. It's very affordable (less than $50 if my memory is right, which it may not be, but I'm close), downloadable, is one of the few software packages out there that can handle/edit 4K images as well as 360-degree panorama shots which the H can take, and has a host of other features some of the others do not offer. This video editing program received the most awards and commendations I could find for these type of products. In practice, its interface is intuitive, fluid and easily understood without having to invest an inordinate amount of time in learning it. It also seems to be highly regarded by some of the "old-timers" (a very relative word in the drone world!) who routinely speak out on such issues in the Yuneec forums.

Now, before you take your H out on her date, you want all of the details to be covered, so that means it's time to accessorize now before you pick it up. Your H probably came with 2 batteries, which means you're going to have about 30-34 minutes of total flight time once you take off because YOU are going to land your H BEFORE you get battery warnings because YOU set a timer on your phone reminding you to land it with time to spare. A quick battery car charge doesn't happen quickly at all; you're looking at more than an hour of recharge time. So you have to decide if 30-34 minutes of flight time is really going to be enough that day or on any day of flying. The time will pass by very quickly, and the first battery goes down fast it seems. So, now is the time to consider adding batteries to your inventory to stretch out your flying day, if this is an affordable option for you. I have 5. I wish I had 6. Those batteries are your fuel cells. Without them there is no drone flying to be had. They are not cheap, but they remain a very vital and necessary commodity to have that I believe is worth investing in to maximize the drone flying experience. Simply put, 4 batteries buys you about an hour's worth of flying, nearly time enough to recharge a dissipated battery while you're still having fun flying.

There are other accessories you can consider later that are worth looking into - lens filters for proper lighting under specific flying conditions, for example - but that stuff can wait for now.

Next, REGISTER your drone via the online FAA portal for registering UAV aircraft now. It's mandatory and is the law with a craft this size and weight. Why get busted for something stupid that takes just a few minutes to do and will keep you in federal compliance? When you register it you will be given a unique ID number that must be affixed either to the aircraft or visibly inside its battery compartment. I spit out a label strip from my office label maker and placed it on the landing gear, with another label displaying my phone number with a request to call me if found. Doesn't take away from the H's appearance yet satisfies the FAA requirements.

Also, there are several drone-related free mobile apps that you will want to checkout. One is called Kittyhawk, the other one I use is Hover, both shareware, although Kittyhawk offers a paid upgrade version that does much more than the freebie version. I have seen no reason yet to make that purchase. Both programs will use your current location and offer current weather details as a pre-flight check. Remember, they say the H can handle 25 MPH winds, which is a lot, but again don't push it yet. Restrict yourself to calm-moderate winds for a while. The Kittyhawk app has a timer/stopwatch feature and a flight log tied into it, too. In timer mode you can accurately record your flying time and GPS location coordinates automatically in the flight log. You can even keep track of your batteries to ensure proper recharge levels and more. Keeping track of these details is part of it and will help you determine the actual flight time you are getting from your batteries, get more life from the batteries themselves, as well as keep an accounting of how many flights and flight hours you have logged, maintenance notes, flight and incident notes, and so on. It can help chart your flying history and progress and keep a record of it, sparing your gray matter.

Don't want to bend your eyes too much here but I wanted to pass on the above while I was thinking about you and your progress. Keep hanging in there, continue to do what you're doing, and please let me know when you're going to take your H out and up. Take care, have a great 3-day weekend, and I'll talk with you later. Best to you and yours in 2017.