A Beginner's Primer

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A Beginner's Primer

Are The Controls Really Reversed?

This is directed toward new pilots who are learning the flight controls of Phantom 3. As the manual states, when the camera is pointed away from the pilot during take- off, the controls behave "normally". That means pushing the right stick forward makes the drone go forward; pulling it back makes the drone go back. But if the camera is pointed toward the pilot, the controls are reversed. Pushing the right stick forward makes the drone go backwards and visa versa.

Actually, this is not literally what's happening . Think back to your grade school math class and try to recall the X Y plane that your 7th grade teacher first introduced. Going up the y axis gives positive Y values and going down results in negative Y values. Now assume that the drone controller is laid out the same way. The movement of the right stick in the forward direction makes the drone move forward- positive; move the stick back and the drone moves back- negative.

Now, with the drone hovering, let's see how this works in the real world. Position yourself where the camera is pointing away from you. Pushing the right stick forward (in the +y direction) makes the drone move forward- away from you. Walk around the drone so that the camera is pointing toward you. Pushing the right stick forward makes the drone move toward you (in the +y direction). Hey, these are the same. What's happening here? Am I to believe that pushing the right stick forward (in the +y direction) makes the drone move in the same direction no matter where I am standing? Yes!

As Einstein use to say: " its all relative". It appears to the new pilot that controls become reversed but the drone knows better. If a long piece of chalk could be attached to the drone and the right stick was moved back and forth while the pilot walked in circles under an airborne drone, you would find a single straight line traced on the ground. No matter which way you or the drone is facing, the drone will always trace the same path when the stick is moved forward or backward. And pushing the stick forward, ALWAYS moves the drone in the +Y direction.
 

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