Observing Typhoon H Behavior

[Eagle's Eye Video]

I’m almost always putting it down at 1st warning. Through testing, my max flight time is about 15m (once) on average around 12m. Sucks!
Not sure why I get such lousy battery life

Where are you located?

 

[FlushVision]

I’m almost always putting it down at 1st warning. Through testing, my max flight time is about 15m (once) on average around 12m. Sucks!
Not sure why I get such lousy battery life

Best I've done in one of the rare occasions that I landed at 14.3v was 19 minutes. It was a nice warm day though, with no wind and the flight was nice and steady...no fast moves. On average, landing at around 14.6v I tend to get around 11 to 12 minutes in the air.

 

[rdonson]

I’m almost always putting it down at 1st warning. Through testing, my max flight time is about 15m (once) on average around 12m. Sucks!
Not sure why I get such lousy battery life

Like you and @FlushVision my average is around 12 minutes. On rare occasions a minute or so more. I’m not a hot rod who flies at full throttle or tries stunts. I fly smoothly as my thrill with the H is getting good looking videos.

It is what it is and I have no idea how other H pilots get longer flight times.

 

[Steve Carr]

It is what it is and I have no idea how other H pilots get longer flight times.

I've had harrowing flights that seem to last for hours. Then I wake up covered it sweat.

 

[Photo]

Like you and @FlushVision my average is around 12 minutes. On rare occasions a minute or so more. I’m not a hot rod who flies at full throttle or tries stunts. I fly smoothly as my thrill with the H is getting good looking videos.

It is what it is and I have no idea how other H pilots get longer flight times.

If you want to take pics from lets say max hight is the best battery economy to climb and descent in rabbit or turtle mode?

 

[rdonson]

Good question. I don’t have a good answer for it though.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

I'd say mid-between, where it beeps... but since descent rate will always be slower, it will take more time... so if it takes 1:30 to reach max height, I'd estimate 2:15 to descend, and time accordingly.

 

[Photo]

Where it beeps???? Why mid-between?

 

[PatR]

I’m almost always putting it down at 1st warning. Through testing, my max flight time is about 15m (once) on average around 12m. Sucks!
Not sure why I get such lousy battery life

That 12 minutes is actually a pretty fair average. 15 minutes is more of an exception than a norm, IMO. Landing at 14.4v to 14.5v, around 12 minutes is roughly what most of my batteries deliver.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Where it beeps???? Why mid-between?

Many times when we see reports of the system suddenly losing power, a contributing factor is the total voltage draw at the time. You do not usually want to do full rabbit ascents or descents... and of course using full turtle will maximize the amount of time just ascending and descending... the best compromise is in between, probably biasing toward turtle, IMHO.

 

[KEITH KUHN]

Drifting near ground is a thing with the typhoon H, or at least it certainly is with mine. In a lot of cases it is caused by aileron not returning to exactly center on the st-16. Check this is in the channel settings rather than the hardware monitor, which allows you to see in more detail if it is hitting exactly 0 when you release the stick. If it's not, calibrate the St-16 using its hidden menu, which should fix it. If it doesn't, you may need to clean the sticks, or you can circumvent it less ideally by setting the rates for aileron so that it stays at 0 output for the first 5% of input off center.

Once you are confident that aileron is centering on 0, then the right thing to do when the H drifts near the ground is to release both sticks and wait for position hold, which should happen quite quickly after you let the sticks go. The thing not to do is to try and counter the drift with additional inputs (unless a collision is imminent of course, but even then it's better to solve it (if you can) with additional throttle rather than directional input), which usually makes things worse, and can be what leads to flips on landing....

Whatever the cause or solution is, it is a thing that happens regularly, so I always make sure I am landing in a nice wide open area where any drift can be allowed to just continue until it sorts itself out. Once you have hover lock, then down throttle is all you need, and it should stay locked all the way to the ground. Just very occasionally it keeps losing that lock, and then it's 'raise to above head height, and hand-catch' time

Thanks those are all good points to consider I will be keeping a close eye on. Keith Kuhn

 

[PatR]

Another cause if drift is extended hovering when close to the ground. Those 6 props are blasting a lot of air towards the ground, under the airframe. The dust cloud when you land on a hard surface is indicative of that. All that roiled air induces some drift as the AP works to stabilize the aircraft in a destabilized atmosphere. There is also a compression effect when descending close to the ground. The H will be trying to descend in a compressed column of air working to lift the H up.

It’s basic aerodynamics learned by every student pilot.

 

[Dustoff]

I noticed that the longer I hover close to the ground the more it wants to drift . The only problem I have with landing like this is if on landing gear touches the ground first and it drives the autopilot crazy. Always a little rise in altitude and let it stabilize works

 

[KEITH KUHN]

I noticed that the longer I hover close to the ground the more it wants to drift . The only problem I have with landing like this is if on landing gear touches the ground first and it drives the autopilot crazy. Always a little rise in altitude and let it stabilize works

I think you are right about what you observe too , we must keep an eye on them at all times. And keep them away from trees. The best we can.