I ordered my Typhoon H, and it will be arriving on Monday and I am beyond excited for it to get here. I have been watching a lot of videos and reading up on things to know before I fly my H. Just wanted to make this post to get any suggestions of things I should know, before I take my H on its first flight.
Typhoon H Tips?
- Thread starter Derek
- Start date
A few months ago when bought my TH I was a newbie and very excited about my new toy. Big Error......... didn't read the instructions just went and flew it at a park. I was flying and started drifting toward a tree. I was about 10 feet of the ground. Panicked and push the red button. My new toy just dropped like a rock. and camera destroyed.. My advice. At the beginning fly higher than all obstacles until you get the hang of it. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Good luck and enjoy this beautiful machine.
I was also a newbie at the beginning of the year 
Especially with hindsight, I would suggest that you fly in Angle mode not in Smart mode to start with. Many crashes have been caused by launching in Smart mode and standing too close to the H. If you are new to flying, don't fly too low and if you lose control just take your fingers off the sticks and the H will safely hover in place while you sort yourself out. The H is a wonderful flying camera but the flying comes first. Get used to that before worrying what your video looks like!
Finally, the H is complex with many functions but is fabulous to use so enjoy your flying.
Especially with hindsight, I would suggest that you fly in Angle mode not in Smart mode to start with. Many crashes have been caused by launching in Smart mode and standing too close to the H. If you are new to flying, don't fly too low and if you lose control just take your fingers off the sticks and the H will safely hover in place while you sort yourself out. The H is a wonderful flying camera but the flying comes first. Get used to that before worrying what your video looks like!
Finally, the H is complex with many functions but is fabulous to use so enjoy your flying.
Maybe even a good idea to do a few flights without camera, it is easy to remove from the TH and you don´t risk wrecking it in case something does go wrong. What do the others think about this?
Find a huge open space for your first few flights, no power lines nearby and a day with no wind if possible.
Find a huge open space for your first few flights, no power lines nearby and a day with no wind if possible.
PatR
Premium Pilot
You're off to a good start by watching videos and asking questions.
If you haven't flown before, don't make the H your first crash. Obtain an inexpensive multirotor "toy" and put some flights in on that to develop the hand-eye coordination that is critical to flying these things. It's much cheaper to crash and trash a $60.00-$90.00 toy while learning than it is to crash an H.
My advice is to "go slow" after it arrives. Take a little time to see how everything fits. Practice inserting and removing the battery correctly a few times in order to learn what it looks and sounds like when a battery fully seats. Make that sound and look to be part of your pre-flight check. If you didn't hear the battery "click" when it is inserted or it does not look to fit smoothly with the body, check it again.
Remove the gimbal and look at the contacts on the bottom. Practice installing the gimbal a few time in order to learn what it looks like when installed properly. Note there's a direction arrow on the bottom of the gimbal to tell you which end goes on the mount first. The gimbal always mounts and dismounts at the front of the aircraft. Understand there is a definite front and back, or nose-tail of an H. The end with the two round holes under the power button is the front
Before installing the SD card that comes with the H in the camera, insert it into your laptop and download the info it contains into a new folder on your computer. Review that info. If you don't need to use this SD card, save it someplace you will remember and use it for firmware upgrades. The card that comes with the H always works for firmware upgrades where others often don't.
There is no need to upgrade anything when you get your H, it will work fine out of the box. Check that the system is properly bound. Calibrate everything! Learn what does what and how on the ST-16 before you fly the first time. If you have questions you don't know the answers to, come back and ask them before trying anything you are unsure of.
Remember, go slow and learn. You never "have to fly", we only want to fly. Many times people get in a hurry feeling they have to fly, missing steps they should have followed or lacked understanding they should have had before flying that led to a crash. With just a little care your H will last a long time and provide hundreds of satisfying flights without needing repairs. The most common cause of crashes and "system failures" is the owner.
If you haven't flown before, don't make the H your first crash. Obtain an inexpensive multirotor "toy" and put some flights in on that to develop the hand-eye coordination that is critical to flying these things. It's much cheaper to crash and trash a $60.00-$90.00 toy while learning than it is to crash an H.
My advice is to "go slow" after it arrives. Take a little time to see how everything fits. Practice inserting and removing the battery correctly a few times in order to learn what it looks and sounds like when a battery fully seats. Make that sound and look to be part of your pre-flight check. If you didn't hear the battery "click" when it is inserted or it does not look to fit smoothly with the body, check it again.
Remove the gimbal and look at the contacts on the bottom. Practice installing the gimbal a few time in order to learn what it looks like when installed properly. Note there's a direction arrow on the bottom of the gimbal to tell you which end goes on the mount first. The gimbal always mounts and dismounts at the front of the aircraft. Understand there is a definite front and back, or nose-tail of an H. The end with the two round holes under the power button is the front
Before installing the SD card that comes with the H in the camera, insert it into your laptop and download the info it contains into a new folder on your computer. Review that info. If you don't need to use this SD card, save it someplace you will remember and use it for firmware upgrades. The card that comes with the H always works for firmware upgrades where others often don't.
There is no need to upgrade anything when you get your H, it will work fine out of the box. Check that the system is properly bound. Calibrate everything! Learn what does what and how on the ST-16 before you fly the first time. If you have questions you don't know the answers to, come back and ask them before trying anything you are unsure of.
Remember, go slow and learn. You never "have to fly", we only want to fly. Many times people get in a hurry feeling they have to fly, missing steps they should have followed or lacked understanding they should have had before flying that led to a crash. With just a little care your H will last a long time and provide hundreds of satisfying flights without needing repairs. The most common cause of crashes and "system failures" is the owner.
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FlushVision
Premium Pilot
My advice? Height is your friend.
For your first flight If you can't find a completely open area without trees and other obstacles nearby then be prepared to jump into your car to find an open area. Before you hit that red button double check all the switches are in the correct positions and importantly ensure that, for your first flights at least, you are not in the 'smart' mode.
'Smart' mode can be a misnomer. If you don't understand the potential pit-falls of this mode you could have your day ruined. Leave smart mode alone until you are more used to the aircraft.
Know how the switches feel. Investigate how easy it is to catch that switch and accidentally switch into smart mode without noticing.
For your first flights keep the aircraft close to you so you are able to keep aware of the aircraft's orientation. For your first flights keep your aircraft pointing away from you so that, from your perspective, your right is the aircraft's right, etc.
If you get confused gain height then take a moment to gather your thoughts.
Remember that, as in most things in life, rushing things is counter productive. If you smoke, then have a smoke. Have two!
Learning to fly the aircraft comes first. Taking pictures or video well is something to be learned on another day.
Height is your friend. Height is your friend. Height is your friend.
For your first flight If you can't find a completely open area without trees and other obstacles nearby then be prepared to jump into your car to find an open area. Before you hit that red button double check all the switches are in the correct positions and importantly ensure that, for your first flights at least, you are not in the 'smart' mode.
'Smart' mode can be a misnomer. If you don't understand the potential pit-falls of this mode you could have your day ruined. Leave smart mode alone until you are more used to the aircraft.
Know how the switches feel. Investigate how easy it is to catch that switch and accidentally switch into smart mode without noticing.
For your first flights keep the aircraft close to you so you are able to keep aware of the aircraft's orientation. For your first flights keep your aircraft pointing away from you so that, from your perspective, your right is the aircraft's right, etc.
If you get confused gain height then take a moment to gather your thoughts.
Remember that, as in most things in life, rushing things is counter productive. If you smoke, then have a smoke. Have two!
Learning to fly the aircraft comes first. Taking pictures or video well is something to be learned on another day.
Height is your friend. Height is your friend. Height is your friend.
All of the above, plus, if the package that you bought came with the Simulator, use it.
PatR
Premium Pilot
No, don't do that. Check, sure, but don't change. You won't know enough about the system yet and may end up joining a lot of other newbies that bricked their systems through their upload errors out of the box. It will perform fine as received.
Thanks for catching and correcting that for me. Wrong advice is worse than no advice. I should have known you guys would have mentioned it already if it was wise. Thanks
As most people have already stated, slow down. Some people (not saying you), want to grab the Typhoon H (TH) and hit the ground running. Please don't. This airframe takes some getting use to (I know, I jumped ship from 3DR SOLOs to Yuneec). There is an unofficial manual somewhere in this forum, (if I find the link I'll post it) look it over.
Secondly, turn your ST16 on (not your TH) and flip all of the switches, turn all the dials, and just get a feel for the controller. When you are ready to fly, put all of the switches in the middle position, especially the top right one, S4 (Smart [not so Smart Mode], Angle, and Home)(not the landing gear switch, the one facing you on the top right).
Before take off, there is a slider switch on the right, under the controller, if you look at it there is a rabbit and a turtle, please, please keep it in turtle until you are comfortable flying the TH. Yes, it will be slow to move (but remember you are in a big open field). On the left side under the controller there is another slider switch, this one controls the camera pitch (up and down), if you look at your ST16 screen and only see the ground, slide the switch away from you. Note, this switch will stop the camera at the angle of the switch, not when you let go. If you want the camera at a 45º angle put the switch at 45º. I get this complaint a lot, why didn't the camera stop when I stopped sliding the switch? Because it's relative, not reactive.
If you are flying and have been playing with the rotary switch on the front of the controller (pan control), the chances you land the camera back dead center is probably not going to happen. Have no fear, switch S2 (Pan Mode) has the ability to center the camera for you, flip the S2 switch away from you for a couple of seconds and the camera will snap back to dead center. Why is this important? I for one watch the airframe and video feed to operate when I am flying, if the camera is off at a 45º yaw (pointing off to the side of the airframe) and I am trying to return to home/launch on my own it can get confusing on what the airframe is doing.
Whatever you do, check the battery on preflight a dozen times, push the back of the battery and the front of the airframe together multiple times. New batteries slide in easier then older batteries, but please check to make sure the battery is seated. Sometimes, the battery can become unseated and fail to provide power to the motors in flight, which results in your TH falling from the sky and ending up in five or more pieces. Check the battery.
DO NOT PUSH THE RED BUTTON IN FLIGHT!!! Unless you have an in-flight emergency and the TH needs to be grounded (crashed). I had a student the other day push the red button at 35 feet, bye bye camera (cgo-ET), a landing gear leg, and two arms.
If you are flying and for some reason you lose sight of your TH or it starts wandering off, flip Switch S4 towards you, the airframe will return to where it took off from. If you are on a boat, driving in a car or flying in an airplane (FAA says no on flying from an airplane, but to each their own) and you think the TH is going to land right in front of you. It won't, the TH will land at the takeoff location (marked as a gps home in the brains of the unit). It is heart breaking to hit the return to home or have an automatic return to home for low battery, and watch your TH sink in the lake/ocean. You get some cool bubbles and it might bob for a second, but your TH is done.
Lastly, when you are trying to land, ensure S3 (OBS AVOID) is either centered or away from you. Centered is preferred. Obstacle avoidance will force the TH to stay away from obstacles, this includes the Earth during landing.
If I screwed something up, someone please correct me.
Secondly, turn your ST16 on (not your TH) and flip all of the switches, turn all the dials, and just get a feel for the controller. When you are ready to fly, put all of the switches in the middle position, especially the top right one, S4 (Smart [not so Smart Mode], Angle, and Home)(not the landing gear switch, the one facing you on the top right).
Before take off, there is a slider switch on the right, under the controller, if you look at it there is a rabbit and a turtle, please, please keep it in turtle until you are comfortable flying the TH. Yes, it will be slow to move (but remember you are in a big open field). On the left side under the controller there is another slider switch, this one controls the camera pitch (up and down), if you look at your ST16 screen and only see the ground, slide the switch away from you. Note, this switch will stop the camera at the angle of the switch, not when you let go. If you want the camera at a 45º angle put the switch at 45º. I get this complaint a lot, why didn't the camera stop when I stopped sliding the switch? Because it's relative, not reactive.
If you are flying and have been playing with the rotary switch on the front of the controller (pan control), the chances you land the camera back dead center is probably not going to happen. Have no fear, switch S2 (Pan Mode) has the ability to center the camera for you, flip the S2 switch away from you for a couple of seconds and the camera will snap back to dead center. Why is this important? I for one watch the airframe and video feed to operate when I am flying, if the camera is off at a 45º yaw (pointing off to the side of the airframe) and I am trying to return to home/launch on my own it can get confusing on what the airframe is doing.
Whatever you do, check the battery on preflight a dozen times, push the back of the battery and the front of the airframe together multiple times. New batteries slide in easier then older batteries, but please check to make sure the battery is seated. Sometimes, the battery can become unseated and fail to provide power to the motors in flight, which results in your TH falling from the sky and ending up in five or more pieces. Check the battery.
DO NOT PUSH THE RED BUTTON IN FLIGHT!!! Unless you have an in-flight emergency and the TH needs to be grounded (crashed). I had a student the other day push the red button at 35 feet, bye bye camera (cgo-ET), a landing gear leg, and two arms.
If you are flying and for some reason you lose sight of your TH or it starts wandering off, flip Switch S4 towards you, the airframe will return to where it took off from. If you are on a boat, driving in a car or flying in an airplane (FAA says no on flying from an airplane, but to each their own) and you think the TH is going to land right in front of you. It won't, the TH will land at the takeoff location (marked as a gps home in the brains of the unit). It is heart breaking to hit the return to home or have an automatic return to home for low battery, and watch your TH sink in the lake/ocean. You get some cool bubbles and it might bob for a second, but your TH is done.
Lastly, when you are trying to land, ensure S3 (OBS AVOID) is either centered or away from you. Centered is preferred. Obstacle avoidance will force the TH to stay away from obstacles, this includes the Earth during landing.
If I screwed something up, someone please correct me.
I 100% agree with this, I would have saved myself a crash had I done this. But all ended well. Happy Flying.
PatR
Premium Pilot
My pre-flight includes a step that is a little different from some of you. For me I assure all switches except one are in a position "away" from me before arming the H. The only switch not "away" is the flight mode switch, which I place in the middle angle position. Having all the switches "away" has the gear switch in the down position, the gimbal locked in the forward view position, the gimbal restricted to low angles, and OBS off. OBS always remains off with mine. Sliders are set up for Rabbit during T/O and Landing, and centered for camera tilt.
For the most part the right side toggles never get moved, with only the top gear switch used for any given flight. When using Angle mode the green arrow on the screen will always bring you home. For someone new that might be pretty important if they get orientation messed up. Push the right stick in the direction the green arrow is pointing and it's coming back. The arrow is only present when using Angle mode and GPS is working.
Set your RTH height at least 50' higher than the highest "whatever" is in the area you are going to fly in. If you can't guess obstruction heights, make the RTH height 75' higher than your obstruction height estimate.
For the most part the right side toggles never get moved, with only the top gear switch used for any given flight. When using Angle mode the green arrow on the screen will always bring you home. For someone new that might be pretty important if they get orientation messed up. Push the right stick in the direction the green arrow is pointing and it's coming back. The arrow is only present when using Angle mode and GPS is working.
Set your RTH height at least 50' higher than the highest "whatever" is in the area you are going to fly in. If you can't guess obstruction heights, make the RTH height 75' higher than your obstruction height estimate.
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