Air mode... Do you need it for stunts?

F

Fly crash repair repeat

Member
So, after a couple of months learning acro I dared to try my first roll... Only to see my mini quad tumble out of the sky like it was drunk. I tried again, same thing.
I go back to YouTube, yep I'm doing it right (I'm thinking) it seems so easy in the simulator, i go out, try again, same thing, twisting this way and that as I try to gain control before hitting the deck...
I find a YouTube video and it mentions air mode, I thought that was another term for acro, I was well wrong lol..
Now, I use kiss fc and kiss 24a esc's (since upgrading from little bees esc's) but find a wonderful YouTube video explaining how to set up air mode by using a differential in my Taranis x9d plus.
I've set it up but not tested yet, hoping for dry weekend..
But it's like some secret mode that's hardly mentioned anywhere, so I'm wondering if anyone else has discovered air mode by accident like me or what?!
I know now that's its an option in cleanflight but as I'm using kiss gui I'd still be none the wiser if I hadn't come across it purely by accident on YouTube.
I think air mode will take me to the next level now and can't wait to get my head round it..
I also understand that it's not something you need to race, but I'm not a good enough pilot to even consider air gates yet. But I really wanna do stunts, it was matty stunts and mr steele videos that hooked me in the first place.
Anyway, just wanna know people's thoughts, any comments or replies very welcome..
Ken
 
Fly crash repair repeat said:
So, after a couple of months learning acro I dared to try my first roll... Only to see my mini quad tumble out of the sky like it was drunk. I tried again, same thing.
I go back to YouTube, yep I'm doing it right (I'm thinking) it seems so easy in the simulator, i go out, try again, same thing, twisting this way and that as I try to gain control before hitting the deck...
I find a YouTube video and it mentions air mode, I thought that was another term for acro, I was well wrong lol..
Now, I use kiss fc and kiss 24a esc's (since upgrading from little bees esc's) but find a wonderful YouTube video explaining how to set up air mode by using a differential in my Taranis x9d plus.
I've set it up but not tested yet, hoping for dry weekend..
But it's like some secret mode that's hardly mentioned anywhere, so I'm wondering if anyone else has discovered air mode by accident like me or what?!
I know now that's its an option in cleanflight but as I'm using kiss gui I'd still be none the wiser if I hadn't come across it purely by accident on YouTube.
I think air mode will take me to the next level now and can't wait to get my head round it..
I also understand that it's not something you need to race, but I'm not a good enough pilot to even consider air gates yet. But I really wanna do stunts, it was matty stunts and mr steele videos that hooked me in the first place.
Anyway, just wanna know people's thoughts, any comments or replies very welcome..
Ken
Click to expand...


I used to use acro, but now I use airmode. It is mostly for those zero G looking stunts but is also a nice confortable flight mode. Horizon mode is also meant for stunts, but offers autolevel if you feel like you still want it. I usually like to switch to Horizon if I'm landing FPV, otherwise Airmode is fine. Also one cool test you can do with airmode and rate is to have the quad on the ground and get it to pitch slightly forward in rate, and notice how it bobbs a little then goes back to paralell with the gorund when you take the throttle back to zero. But if you try the same with airmode you can usually pitch it forward with the throttle at zero and it will usually hold pretty well without bobbing too much.

Before airmode we used to turn motor_stop off so that the motors would not stop spinning at zero or near zero throttle. This kinda worked in that your quad did not destabilize like a falling rock and cause you to completely loose control, however it was not all thqat good because you still could not right the quad with the right stick. So the solution was to increase throttle a little bit, however this was not the best solution either as it caused you to fall faster and limited your hangtime. Then this magical mode called airmode came along to betaflight, it solved these issues by allowing the throttle to reach5 zero, but gave the PID controllers just enough controll to stabilize, and allowed user input to increase the motor's speed. This allowed for more hang time and PID controller input at zero throttle.


 
Last edited:
GJH105775 said:
I used to use acro, but now I use airmode. It is mostly for those zero G looking stunts but is also a nice confortable flight mode. Horizon mode is also meant for stunts, but offers autolevel if you feel like you still want it. I usually like to switch to Horizon if I'm landing FPV, otherwise Airmode is fine. Also one cool test you can do with airmode and rate is to have the quad on the ground and get it to pitch slightly forward in rate, and notice how it bobbs a little then goes back to paralell with the gorund when you take the throttle back to zero. But if you try the same with airmode you can usually pitch it forward with the throttle at zero and it will usually hold pretty well without bobbing too much.

Before airmode we used to turn motor_stop off so that the motors would not stop spinning at zero or near zero throttle. This kinda worked in that your quad did not destabilize like a falling rock and cause you to completely loose control, however it was not all thqat good because you still could not right the quad with the right stick. So the solution was to increase throttle a little bit, however this was not the best solution either as it caused you to fall faster and limited your hangtime. Then this magical mode called airmode came along to betaflight, it solved these issues by allowing the throttle to reach5 zero, but gave the PID controllers just enough controll to stabilize, and allowed user input to increase the motor's speed. This allowed for more hang time and PID controller input at zero throttle.


Click to expand...
Yeah, you're obviously in the know.. And I have seen the vid you posted and it's really helpful..
I've seen other pilots in other forums talk about how stupid they felt expecting the quad to operate with no throttle, we watch others doing stunts and observe the sticks as a graphic with zero throttle on YouTube and the quad still responding to commands.. It's confusing when you're quad doesn't do the same.
On my next flight I'm gonna throttle up full and then take throttle completely off quick and hopefully it'll drop but stay level.. Then I'll try half a roll, test the rate, then just go for it! I admit, I'm nervous heehee.
Cheers for reply, you told me stuff I didn't know about quad history, thanks.
 
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