Typhoon H Responsiveness

[CHARLES FISHER]

Hello,

I am about to ask a very silly question but I am open to any advice as this is a real problem for me. I have been flying the Q500+ for nearly 6 months with tons and tons of flights. I received the my new H last week and have a a half dozen flights and I really like it with one exception and it may be due strictly to lack of experience with it. I have noticed it since the first day of flight and that is the responsiveness. The H is so much more touchy with the flight controls. Granted I always fly my Q500+ in turtle speed Angle mode. I do this due to this because I fly predominately for Law Enforcement purposes as I use it for surveillance and overall intel gathering of specific areas/residences prior to executing search warrants and or high profile arrest warrants and I need the slow precision movements so that I can capture high quality photos and video for review by our team prior to the execution of our activities. The first thing I realized with the initial launch of the H is that even in turtle mode this thing is very reactive to the slightest input of the sticks. Compared to the Q500+ the H is a top fuel dragster even in turtle mode. My question is this. Is there anything I can do to lessen the responsiveness of the H so that I can better control its movements so it becomes second nature as it is with my Q500+? Or is it just going to be a matter of practice, practice, practice? I am so comfortable with my Q500+ my confidence level is through the roof with it and flying the 500+ is effortless and I can nearly fly it with my eyes closed with no apprehension at all. I would love to have this type of comfortable confidence with this new H as I truly love this drone. Currently I am still so focused on providing such minute stick inputs that I am not totally comfortable flying the H and I am still limiting myself to very very low altitude and not venturing much farther than 80 feet away. Any advice or suggestions you folks can offer would be greatly be appreciated. Once again I apologize for such a trivial and a seemingly unimportant question.

Take Care and stay safe

 

[NRRTRAINS]

you could always try a Q 4K it's an upgrade .

 

[PatR]

Charles,

You could go into settings and adjust exponential to tone things down a bit but ultimately the H will still be more responsive than what you were used to. Over time you'll find your fingers will develop a softer touch that will soften things a bit more but there will be times the H will give a good "twitch" at the start of a control response. Not to worry, the H does not take off on you and does what you tell it to. Better still, when those twitches do occur they do not get passed through to the video, the gimbal is just that good.

Mostly I think you just need to spend more getting acquainted time together The H is a much different and much better aircraft than the 500 you were flying. Take it out to a field and wring it out a little in Smart and Angle modes. She's a good flyer.

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Thanks PatR,

I kinds figured this would be the general consensus. With it being a 6 rotor aircraft compared to the 4 rotor with the Q500+ that the H would be more powerful. I have a large monitor on a tripod that I use during my serious flights so another officer can get a real good view of the topography, residential layout, possible places of hiding and vehicles that are present. I intentionally would twitch the bird one way then another quickly and I was amazed that although the action was visibly forceful that it did not translate to the monitor the recorded video. Well, it looks like that the H and I will be spending more more time together. I truly do love this bird the other day i was able to fly my Q500+ from a good distance via FPV and reduce my altitude and obtain all the license plate numbers and then rapidly climb out of the area avoiding detection. I can't wait until I obtain this type of confidence with the H. Awesome platform and very stable.

 

[Reasty]

Hi Charles

As you rightly pointed out the H is a hexacopter (6 rotors) and this naturally makes it a lot more tourquey than a quad,I found exactly the same thing when I went from my q500 to the H but now after a few flights I'm cool with it,it will become second nature you just have to practice and be more gentle with the sticks,I loved my q500 but I love the H more,also it's a lot better for your line of work as its black and not white like the 500 and also it's quite abit quieter,so persevere with it and you will defiantly be rewarded.

 

[Steak frites]

Others have noted the twitchiness. The gimbal smoothes it out mostly. Not entirely, but for your needs it is probably ok.

So far, the only way to completely eliminate this behaviour is to switch off the gps. Like this, the movements are smooth as silk. Of course, flying without gps creates new challenges

 

[David Wilson]

We have some pretty in depth talks here about the twitchiness. If you fly in non-gps mode it goes away, like Steak Frites said above. Give that a try and let us know what you think. Otherwise it's just practice, practice, practice...

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Thanks so much guys. I am going to just have to stop flying my Q500+ so much and put it on the shelf for a while and make the H my go to bird. I think once I do that I will become more efficient with it. By the way turning off the GPS made a huge difference. I think when I am at altitude in the clear I am going to turn off GPS and when I before I begin my descent into the intel gathering areas switch back to GPS mode. It really did make a huge difference and she will scream across the sky with it turned off LOL LOL.. Thanks for all of your help and advice. I truly value everyone here opinion. Great forum and great people. Take care and stay safe.

 

[PatR]

Be careful with the FPV operations effective today. Since you are using the 500 and the H for work in law enforcement the action is a commercial operation. Aware that police departments have special CoA's for operation of manned aircraft that may extend to unmanned systems, they would likely still need a waiver from the FPV prohibition now active in Part 107. Lacking that waiver, and/or a Remote Pilot certification for commercial operations, should a defendant in a case where evidence was gathered with sUAS discover those deficiencies there would be a strong chance the case would get tossed because law enforcement was acting illegally.

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Be careful with the FPV operations effective today. Since you are using the 500 and the H for work in law enforcement the action is a commercial operation. Aware that police departments have special CoA's for operation of manned aircraft that may extend to unmanned systems, they would likely still need a waiver from the FPV prohibition now active in Part 107. Lacking that waiver, and/or a Remote Pilot certification for commercial operations, should a defendant in a case where evidence was gathered with sUAS discover those deficiencies there would be a strong chance the case would get tossed because law enforcement was acting illegally.

Yes I am very cautious of my flight practices and uses. I use my drones for Officer Safety Intel Gathering only. Nothing I film or video is used for evidence purposes. Officer Safety only. I only use FPV when it is absolutely necessary as most times its all line of sight and over-flights to identify who is present, hiding places, hazards such as dogs, surveillance systems, electric fences, number of vehicles present, ingress and egress routes. None of the intel gathered is ever taken to court. Nothing more than causal flights and taking scenic photos. LOL.

 

[Rayray]

I'm no Part 107 expert. But I think it only requires the PIC or a member of his crew to maintain VLOS, another member can use FPV. In other words, if the PIC is alone, he should not use FPV.

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

I'm no Part 107 expert. But I think it only requires the PIC or a member of his crew to maintain VLOS, another member can use FPV. In other words, if the PIC is alone, he should not use FPV.

I am never alone as I said I always have another officer or two with me at the time and one monitors the large LCD monitor that I have on tripod and I concentrate on LOS flight. He calls out to move camera up, down, left or right. As I said I predominantly fly LOS. We live in a very rural area and I can typically launch my drones withing very close proximity of the target location and I a can easily see the bird at all times while I am flying and taking photos or video. There are the few instances where FPV is used but I am never alone and I always have a spotter with me no matter the circumstances. The images that we obtain are not used for litigation or evidence purposes strictly for identifying officer safety issues. My flights are nothing more than casual flights for sight seeing purposes (Hobby Applications).

 

[RiverRunner]

Hello,

I am about to ask a very silly question but I am open to any advice as this is a real problem for me. I have been flying the Q500+ for nearly 6 months with tons and tons of flights. I received the my new H last week and have a a half dozen flights and I really like it with one exception and it may be due strictly to lack of experience with it. I have noticed it since the first day of flight and that is the responsiveness. The H is so much more touchy with the flight controls. Granted I always fly my Q500+ in turtle speed Angle mode. I do this due to this because I fly predominately for Law Enforcement purposes as I use it for surveillance and overall intel gathering of specific areas/residences prior to executing search warrants and or high profile arrest warrants and I need the slow precision movements so that I can capture high quality photos and video for review by our team prior to the execution of our activities. The first thing I realized with the initial launch of the H is that even in turtle mode this thing is very reactive to the slightest input of the sticks. Compared to the Q500+ the H is a top fuel dragster even in turtle mode. My question is this. Is there anything I can do to lessen the responsiveness of the H so that I can better control its movements so it becomes second nature as it is with my Q500+? Or is it just going to be a matter of practice, practice, practice? I am so comfortable with my Q500+ my confidence level is through the roof with it and flying the 500+ is effortless and I can nearly fly it with my eyes closed with no apprehension at all. I would love to have this type of comfortable confidence with this new H as I truly love this drone. Currently I am still so focused on providing such minute stick inputs that I am not totally comfortable flying the H and I am still limiting myself to very very low altitude and not venturing much farther than 80 feet away. Any advice or suggestions you folks can offer would be greatly be appreciated. Once again I apologize for such a trivial and a seemingly unimportant question.

Take Care and stay safe

The response of this Hex is a bit too twitchy. It has nothing to do with being a hexcopter. I have built and flown several and they behave just like a quad when transitioning from stopped to moving. It would seem that this should be an easy thing to correct but no one has posted a solution as far as tuning the settings. It does seem to behave better in smart mode and of course in non-GPS mode.
I hope that Yuneec will do a firmware upgrade to improve this.
I wish it was possible to turn GPS on and off with a switch rather than menus on the touchscreen.

 

[DarkWhiteChocolate]

Sounds to me like you are using it for commercial purposes, flying FPV without a VLOS spotter and you say that you only have 6 flights with the H under your belt. Not trying to sound like a jerk, but it looks like an accident waiting to happen... You can't just say its for "Hobby Applications" and hope the FAA buys that after a serious accident, I would recommend obtaining the part 107 so you personally don't get in trouble with the FAA

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Sounds to me like you are using it for commercial purposes, flying FPV without a VLOS spotter and you say that you only have 6 flights with the H under your belt. Not trying to sound like a jerk, but it looks like an accident waiting to happen... You can't just say its for "Hobby Applications" and hope the FAA buys that after a serious accident, I would recommend obtaining the part 107 so you personally don't get in trouble with the FAA

You are completely off base and apparently you didnt read all of my comments above. I do not use the H for this as of yet as I only have 6 flights. No I am not operating for commercial use as I fly LOS and as the PIC I keep LOS and if I ever use FPV I have two others on site as spotters. I DO NOT USE my flights for evidence purposes as the information obtained is for our information only. I never said that I use the H for this purpose and would never with this little of experience with the aircraft. And yes you came across as a jerk. You have no idea what COA I have nor are you familiar with what I do. I am very very skilled with my Q500+ and this is what I fly as I just got this H. So, please read my comments before you assume anything and also before you judge me as an unsafe pilot. As long as I am flying LOS below a 400 foot hard deck there is no law that says that I cannot take photos and video of whatever I want while airborne and if I chose to share that data with others in my group that is my business. That is no different than flying the local park and taking scenic photos of a playground and showing those photos to your buddies or posting on facebook. Furthermore FPV is permitted as long as the PIC has a spotter. (This NO FPV is not set in stone, as this would completely rule out all drone racing. This is a topic that is very vague to say the least and needs more clarification.) (For the record I will be taking my 107 next month but only so I can perform flights for local farmers, insurance companies and landowners and can be paid for my services). But I never said that I use my new H for anything. My comments above are very clear that I use my Q500+. I have only been practicing with my H and this is why I posted this thread in regards to the responsiveness. Your comments were very accusatory and off target.

 

[PatR]

Charles,

I don't know if your department has an aero division. If they do I'd be surprised if they didn't already have a special CoA already for their manned equipment. Just a thought but with what you are doing some might view the end result as "a consideration" since the other officers benefit from it via increased personal safety. A very good thing BTW. If you were to obtain a 107 license it would likely be very easy to incorporate your activities into your normal work as an "incidental" activity encompassed by the existing CoA with the blessings of the FAA. There's also the "added value" you would bring to the table in an official capacity. I'm pretty sure you already have a lot of support from the rest of the department. You guys already have a lot more latitude with CoA waivers than most ever will so it may be possible to really take advantage of that with a minor amendment t the CoA. If you guys don't have a CoA a 107 in and of itself could both hinder and help. Your call with that.

Keep up the good work regardless. There's way too many bad guys out there and anything that improves an LEA's ability to be proactive instead of reactive is a good thing.

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Charles,

I don't know if your department has an aero division. If they do I'd be surprised if they didn't already have a special CoA already for their manned equipment. Just a thought but with what you are doing some might view the end result as "a consideration" since the other officers benefit from it via increased personal safety. A very good thing BTW. If you were to obtain a 107 license it would likely be very easy to incorporate your activities into your normal work as an "incidental" activity encompassed by the existing CoA with the blessings of the FAA. There's also the "added value" you would bring to the table in an official capacity. I'm pretty sure you already have a lot of support from the rest of the department. You guys already have a lot more latitude with CoA waivers than most ever will so it may be possible to really take advantage of that with a minor amendment t the CoA. If you guys don't have a CoA a 107 in and of itself could both hinder and help. Your call with that.

Keep up the good work regardless. There's way too many bad guys out there and anything that improves an LEA's ability to be proactive instead of reactive is a good thing.

Thanks PatR,

Our agency covers a very rural are with only 7000 citizens but with an absolute methamphetamine epidemic. I as the one and only K9 Narcotics Officer when I learn that we are about to work in a given area I contact a local farmer or land owner and get permission to fly his farm in a recreational aspect. I then use my drone to photo and video the surrounding areas. I always have a friend with me to assist with watching the tripod mounted monitors. He's calling out altitudes, times and where to point the camera. I have constant visual LOS of the drone and I worry about nothing but flying. When I get home I download my photos and just share them with my fellow officers just as I would vacation photos. Yes I am looking for specific things that could adversely effect our safety in our region. As for having an Aero Dept I am not sure the three guys I dove and duck hunt with would count, huh? LOL. As I said we are a very very rural sheriff dept with a very bad methamphetamine epidemic and it is destroying our local rural counties because there are NO jobs anymore and these folks can make 100 grams of meth a day which yields $100 a gram. When you have supply you will have demand so not only are we battling the manufacturing, but we are battling the trafficking and users as well. Anything I can do to keep me and other officers safe this is what I intend to do. I was trying to make clear to the other gentleman. There is no law that says I cannot fly as a hobbyist and take photos and videos and share them with my friends. I am not charging for my service, I am not flying with FPV (I have in the past but I always had 2 spotters). I strictly fly below 400 feet with VLOS under 55lbs. There is nothing that I do that every other drone pilot does not do. I fly and take photos of the scenery and share them with friends. For some reason the other guy took it that I was a reckless pilot and I was using my new H that I only have 6 flights with. I never said that. I am still practicing with my H. But yes, I am scheduled to take my 107 in 2 weeks so I will add this to my portfolio as well. Thanks so much for your useful comments and kind words. I am just doing what I love to do and that is fly my drones.

 

[PatR]

It would be a stretch but your hunting friends just might make it a team I hear what you're saying. My home is in another of those rural counties that is spread out and lacks the resources to keep a proper watch on it. Speed does kill, and even if users abandon the crap their lives, and the lives of those around them, are severely damaged forever.

Make you a heck of a deal on a brand new, unused Typhoon battery. Ordered one for the H from Fry's and they sent one for a Typhoon...

 

[Wileytrigger21]

Charles,
First off, great idea for catching a lick! The H is very jerky on initial inputs. Once you get used to her and have a lot more practice u will be able to smooth the flight out a bit. As others and you have said the gimbal accounts for the jerkiness of the H's initial flight.

My background...I am a LEO who is in the process of starting a drone business with one of my LEO buddies. Between us we have 20+ years on the job. I am street, he is detective.

As to your use of the video/photo. Not sure where you are located, but here in Texas we have the Michael Morton Act. We have to turn over "everything" in all of our cases. From handwritten note to texts to other guys about a case to any email containing any mention of a case. If I were to take photo/video to "share" with my LEO friends and it was used for any type of investigation that led to an arrest, it would have to be turned over to the defense.

As to Part 107. Even though you are using the H amongst your friends it sounds like the operation would fall under 107. If (and this is a very big IF) your video/photo were to lead to an arrest and the defense attorney discovered that the video/photo was used, they may use the fact that you are not operating under 107 or 333 as a reason to suppress all evidence stemming from the initial photo/video, which would be everything.

Just food for thought. Meanwhile Good Hunting and hit a lick against the meth monkeys for me!

 

[CHARLES FISHER]

Charles,
First off, great idea for catching a lick! The H is very jerky on initial inputs. Once you get used to her and have a lot more practice u will be able to smooth the flight out a bit. As others and you have said the gimbal accounts for the jerkiness of the H's initial flight.

My background...I am a LEO who is in the process of starting a drone business with one of my LEO buddies. Between us we have 20+ years on the job. I am street, he is detective.

As to your use of the video/photo. Not sure where you are located, but here in Texas we have the Michael Morton Act. We have to turn over "everything" in all of our cases. From handwritten note to texts to other guys about a case to any email containing any mention of a case. If I were to take photo/video to "share" with my LEO friends and it was used for any type of investigation that led to an arrest, it would have to be turned over to the defense.

As to Part 107. Even though you are using the H amongst your friends it sounds like the operation would fall under 107. If (and this is a very big IF) your video/photo were to lead to an arrest and the defense attorney discovered that the video/photo was used, they may use the fact that you are not operating under 107 or 333 as a reason to suppress all evidence stemming from the initial photo/video, which would be everything.

Just food for thought. Meanwhile Good Hunting and hit a lick against the meth monkeys for me!

Good morning. No such law here. Once again I don't use them for investigations. The investigation is already done. I'm just out flying areas days before in a recreational manner on my own personal time. These areas may or may not be where we might be going to pay someone a visit in order to give them a new residence. Now if I see something that i captured on film that could pose a risk or be a hazard then I may share that with my friends. I can't help that all my friends are LEO. No aspect of my flying is every used for the collection of evidence or to be used against anyone in a court of law. My photos are for me to enjoy and share with friends and family. Also there are days after I share those photos on Facebook for all to see. BTW Thanks for your service and Support. My K9 has gotten several good licks over the last few weeks and months. Taking down one meth head at a time. (The H is awesome. Practice makes perfect) God bless, stay safe and watch your six.