What are best navigating practices as I learn to fly.

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I find myself in a quandary all the time when I fly with my FPV. I like to keep an eye on my bird but I also need to watch my FPV monitor because the main reason for flying is video and photography. I find it very easy to lose track of where my bird is when I'm watching the monitor. I have been wanting to get some high altitude shots of 150 to 200 meters, but when I get that high, I have an extremely hard time keeping an eye on my bird.

On a bright day it is very difficult for me to see the monitor clearly and when the bird gets much above 130 meters it is very easy to lose it visually, especially if you turn away from it for a few seconds to view the monitor. The other challenge is to be able to know how your transmitter controls affect the bird at that range. If I have done any yawing at all when it's just a tiny spot in the sky, it's hard to determine which way the bird is pointing. I haven't done it yet, but can you see on your monitor which direction the bird is pointing.

I have to believe that a lot of people must be in the same boat I am. How have you overcome these obstacles and what procedures do you follow to fly safely and know where your bird is and what direction it is facing. It may sound silly and I guess I will get over it with a lot of practice but as I fly, I like to be facing the same direction as the bird is facing so I don't have to think backward with the joystick. Any suggestions for best practices with flying our expensive birds would greatly be appreciated.
 
Do lots of close-in practice until you're completely comfortable with flying it in any orientation.

When it's a long way away, it's easy to tell what the orientation is: just push the stick forward and turn left. If the dot in the sky moves to the left, the quad is flying away from you: carry on turning left until it stops moving laterally - it's now coming straight back towards you. If the dot moves to the right when you turn left, the quad is coming towards you. Turn right until the lateral motion stops - again it's now headed straight for you.

These are basic orientation skills that it's essential to gain when flying any RC aircraft.
 
Thanks for the tips. I was also wondering if most of you experienced pilots fly with someone doing spotting so that when the Phantom gets more than a couple hundred yards away you have someone keeping a visual on the bird for you. I actually lost visual one time and I asked my brother who was fishing nearby to help see if he could find it. He finally did so I could start trying to bring it back safely. I found out if there are any clouds overhead, it is much easier to keep an eye on it when there is a cloud in back of it.
 
Home Lock!

If you haven't yet, enable Naza Mode/IOC as soon as you have mastered monitoring your S1 & S2 positions.

Once enabled, and selected with S2 simply pull back/push down on the right stick.

It will return to you at it's present altitude (make sure you're high enough for you location).

It's like 'reeling in' a fish.
 
You're right.

Don't use GPS either. ;)

Why have the FC maintain your position for you?
 
Use the diamond on the screen on your monitor from the IOSd. Turn left or right until the diamond lines up in the middle of the screen and push forward. It will then return to you. The diamond points at the home point.

If you have lost video signal. Stop. wait a second. your video signal should return. If it doesn't. (and you KNOW you were flying away from home point) just pull back on the stick until you regain the signal. If you are totally lost and blind, slowly turn the quad until you regain signal.

If all else fails RTH.
 
Correct. Do not use GPS either.
Same thing for turning you TX off to get it home.

The tools are there to help, but always using the above will never help you improve your flying skills.
 
Noël said:
Correct. Do not use GPS either.
Same thing for turning you TX off to get it home.

The tools are there to help, but always using the above will never help you improve your flying skills.

I assume you're speaking of not using these tools regularly?
What would you do if you had your bird pretty high up or out and you lost visual site of it. Maybe like me, you looked down at your monitor to maybe adjust the pitch of the GoPro & you look back to the sky and can't spot your bird.

1. Isn't GPS a valid way to assist you to keep your Phantom steady? Suppose you wanted to position your Phantom above you somewhere to get some overhead footage of yourself fly fishing as an example.
2. Wouldn't HomeLock be a valid way to get your Phantom back into visible site if you're not sure where it's located. How do you navigate when you're not sure where in the heck your Phantom is or shouldn't you ever let your Phantom get out of visible site?
3. Is it best to always have a spotter with you if you know your going to be flying out of easy to see range?
4. Are you suggesting to never use RTH provision by turning your TX off?

By the way, I agree that I should practice, practice, practice at close range until I'm comfortable flying the Phantom facing any direction. I have the most concern of getting my bird home when I can no longer visibly see it.
 

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