Flight simulators

[Sue Daly]

Hi there,

I'm a natural history cameraman and have bought a P2 with GoPro and gimble to take low level aerial footage. I'm totally new to RC flying and would like to get some experience with a flight simulator. Is it possible to use the Phantom control with any flight sim software? I can't see anywhere to plug it into to my computer. If not can you recommend a controller and the best software please? For the latter I've read that Heli-X is good and has the option to simulate a Phantom. Oh, I'm a Mac user, by the way.

Sorry, one more question - I can't seem to update the software on my Phantom using my Mac. Will it only talk to a PC?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[noiseboy72]

AFAIK, no-one yet supports the phantom as a plug in controller, although this is technically possible. The Mac software is usually fairly robust. Have you downloaded and installed it from the DJI site?

I use Phoenix R/C on a PC and it has the Phantom 1 in there as an aircraft, but... it is not that close to the real thing. It seems to fly much more slowly and is even easier to fly than the quad itself. Maybe one of the free apps on an ipad is a better starting point just so you get to learn what the controls actually do.

I suggest you remove the GoPro & Gimbal -if you have one, and then learn to fly in the real world. The main things that break are the gimbal and the props, so removing the gimbal and accepting you might chew up a set of props is worth the risk. Just avoid water and really heavy landings, that's all.

Find yourself a big field without any obstacles on a calm day and slowly build your confidence.
Start by reading the manual - so you know how to start and stop it, then switch it on, calibrate the compass, ensure you have GPS lock and think about your first flight.

Get the motors running and once you are happy the area is clear, give the throttle a bit of a shove to get the quad rapidly into the air and hovering at about 10'. the reason for the rapid ascent is to avoid the quad sticking slightly to the ground and tipping over before it gets airborne. If all is going well, the quad should just hang there, oscillating from side to side and up and down just a few inches. Rotate the quad so it is pointing away from you and gently push the direction stick forward so it flies away from you. Pulling the stick back will reverse the course. Try flying nose in and nose out and practice a few landings as well. Some like to catch by hand, but I always land on the ground - which is a little trickier but less risky to slicing your finger or arm if you get it wrong!

From then on, it really is a case of trying more and more complex shapes and steadily increasing height and range until you are confident in both the quad's and your abilities. Learn about the different modes - Phantom and Naza, as they offer more advanced flying abilities, albeit with more risk of crashing and start to experiment with course lock and home lock.

Hope this helps

 

[Sue Daly]

Many thanks for your advice. All very useful. I'd still like to try a simulator and have looked up Phoenix but it doesn't appear to run on the Mac I'm using. Will keep looking around for one.
Thanks again.

 

[QYV]

I suggest you remove the GoPro & Gimbal -if you have one, and then learn to fly in the real world. The main things that break are the gimbal and the props, so removing the gimbal and accepting you might chew up a set of props is worth the risk. Just avoid water and really heavy landings, that's all.

Find yourself a big field without any obstacles on a calm day and slowly build your confidence.
Start by reading the manual - so you know how to start and stop it, then switch it on, calibrate the compass, ensure you have GPS lock and think about your first flight.

Get the motors running and once you are happy the area is clear, give the throttle a bit of a shove to get the quad rapidly into the air and hovering at about 10'. the reason for the rapid ascent is to avoid the quad sticking slightly to the ground and tipping over before it gets airborne.

I give this advice too all the time. fly without the gimbal/gopro at first to learn the basics, if you crash (which happens to the best of us) you won't damage the gimbal or gopro at least.

also proper advice regarding takeoff. don't take off "gently" it might tip over... no harm really but you'll break props which get expensive at $10 each.

regarding landing, it only took me about 5-6 flights before I realized that catching the Phantom is safer than landing on the ground, for basically the same reason. any lateral movement or wind at the last moment can cause it to tip over and again, broken props.
there's a perfect catch in the first minute of this video... basically come in high, bring it back towards you slowly and reach out and grab a leg up close to the body with your right hand. use your left hand to hold the throttle down full for a few seconds and the props will spin down. a lanyard is essential