{"id":2072,"date":"2018-05-02T01:00:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T01:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/?p=2072"},"modified":"2018-07-27T08:38:15","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T08:38:15","slug":"fpv-camera-angle-full-throttle-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/fpv-essentials\/fpv-camera-angle-full-throttle-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"FPV Camera Angle: Solving the Mystery of Fast Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

FPV Camera angle is a very personal thing.\u00a0 It is the single most significant part of your setup that is not directly related to tuning equipment.\u00a0 What it says about you as a pilot, is more telling than the color props you use or the Botgrinder motors<\/a> you just picked up.\u00a0 If one were to say clothes makes the man (or woman if it were the case). You might also say that camera angle makes the pilot.\u00a0 And yet, if you ask the average experienced pilot they can tell you it is important. They can tell you that you need to move your angle up to go faster. But we all seem to have a hard time articulating exactly what that means.[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2109″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]That is what we will address today, as we unlock the mysteries of full throttle forward flight.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Standard Tilt<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When we start out, many of us start at a similar FPV Camera angle of 20-25 degrees. (Or even lower if you start with a Tiny Whoop).<\/p>\n

This makes things easier as you have a clear view of both the ground and what is in front of you.\u00a0 Once you try to start racing though, or doing some Matty Stuntz airborne acrobatics.\u00a0 You quickly realize that this angle will not work.<\/p>\n

The people you fly with, have probably witnessed you hovering and bobbing around.\u00a0 The bobbing up and down like a floating fish lure is a symptom of a camera angle that is to low.\u00a0 Because the camera angle is low, any quick throttle movement will result in you popping more up, than forward.<\/p>\n

They probably told you need to increase to an FPV camera angle of 35 or even 40 degrees!\u00a0 But when you tried this, you crashed straight into the ground (or worse a tree). And then you went straight back down to your comforting 20 degrees and cried to Mommy.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2113″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

My self esteem is as low as my camera angle right now…<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Math and Concepts<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Why does increasing your tilt allow you to fly faster?\u00a0 Well let\u2019s take a moment to discuss the thrust and lift vectors of your quad copter.\u00a0 Because you have 4 motors all spinning in alternating rotations, your lift \/thrust when hovering at a level angle is all angled in a straight up direction perpendicular to your quadcopter (fig1).\u00a0 All your thrust is providing you with straight up lift.\u00a0 When you pitch your quad forward, you are now adjusting that thrust to an angle that is between the angle of attack, (the angle you are moving), and the thrust vector which is still perpendicular to you.\u00a0 As this angle increases, you have more thrust pushing you forward (fig2).\u00a0 More thrust in this direction means you fly faster.\u00a0 Now what else are you noticing as you increase this angle?\u00a0 The thrust that is pushing you up, is decreasing as the thrust pushing you forward increases.\u00a0 This means not just that you can fly faster, it means that you HAVE to fly faster to maintain a constant altitude at that angle.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2076″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Now what do we notice about the 3 quadcopters above?\u00a0 In the first image our camera is pointing up, in the 2nd<\/sup>, it is pointing level, and in the 3rd<\/sup> we are looking straight at the ground.<\/p>\n

By increasing our fpv camera angle, we increase that angle of attack in which we see our quad flying at a level angle in relation to the horizon.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Where did this idea come from?<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Now that we know what is going on, let\u2019s discuss why it becomes easier once you start to approach a higher tilt. A few extreme free stylers like Matty Stuntz<\/a>, have been flying super high camera tilt for a while.\u00a0 Certain racers have been doing this lately as well. In fact super high tilt has started to be known as \u201cDolma Tilt\u201d after Piro team pilot Andy “DolmaFPV<\/a>” Marachillian started sharing his builds. People commented how his camera was pointed to the sky.\u00a0 When asked for comment on his recommendation for racing camera angle. Marachillian responded with \u201c70 and go!\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2078″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Why is it easier?<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If you have ever seen Joshua Bardwell\u2019s videos<\/a> where he talks about turning using cross coordination that when you turn to the left at a forward clip, you need to use a combination of yaw to the left on your left stick and roll to the left on your right stick (for mode 2 pilots).<\/p>\n

Now the interesting part.\u00a0 The higher you start to increase your camera angle, something starts to happen.\u00a0 That dual stick cross coordination that needs to happen to turn starts to diminish. \u00a0Somewhere around an FPV camera angle of 60 degrees plus you start to be able to take turns, especially quick turns using only (or mostly depending on angle) roll.\u00a0\u00a0 Those mechanics also seem to get a little slower, similar effect to lowering your rates, it\u2019s like you now have a little more fine control even though you are moving more quickly.\u00a0 This is due to having single stick control over turning.<\/p>\n

For me this was like stepping through a door to another dimension where things suddenly started to become more clear.\u00a0 I realized that in order to safely buzz the tower Maverick could only have been using single stick input, no way he was cross coordinating anything on that move.<\/p>\n

You are now flying using mechanics that are much closer to what you would play a video game with.\u00a0 Flying around using one stick to turn, instead of a perfect combination of 2, can be much easier to fine control for some pilots used to playing video games.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2126″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

We have all been training for this for decades.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Why is it more difficult?<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As we mentioned before, the higher you increase the more forward thrust you have, but your vertical thrust (what keeps you in the air) is now lessened.\u00a0 This means you need to apply more throttle to maintain a level forward flight.\u00a0 More throttle is now also more focused in thrust forward, than vertical lift.\u00a0 In other words, you have to fly faster to maintain altitude.\u00a0 I know for me, being able to process the information fast enough for my eyes and hands to react took a long time to adjust to.\u00a0 Once you punch the throttle at FPV camera angle 60+degrees, you no longer are punching into the sky.\u00a0 You are cranking the knob to Ludicrous Speed!<\/p>\n

If you watch a faster pilots videos, and it looks like they are traveling at Warp 7, you may not be ready to crank it up to 70 degrees just yet.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Adjusting to avoiding crashes<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]This also means that if you do need to pull out of something, (quickly pull up).\u00a0 You need to get used to pulling back on the pitch stick to level out before you hit throttle to go up. (The reverse of the 3 quads above). It is a new type of cross coordination that you must perform in these instances.\u00a0 Usually you are not navigating obstacles when moving up.\u00a0 \u00a0So you have more room, I prefer the fine control moving around obstacles and through gates.<\/p>\n

One thing you must be aware of, is getting your actual camera settings set perfect for where you are flying so that you can see everything coming at you.\u00a0 To do this review this article about Getting the Right FPV Drone camera settings.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to keep moving up?<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Best strategy is to move up incrementally.\u00a0 Try moving 5-10 degrees at a time, do 10-20, 50 packs until you are comfortable and then move up again.\u00a0 Make sure you do plenty of practice sessions like this before you show up to the race.\u00a0 And be ready to hit the throttle to stay in the air.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2086″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

My interpretation of “Dolma Tilt”<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Landing<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Landing becomes more tricky.<\/p>\n

How can you land when you cant see the ground!?\u00a0 This is one of the most difficult parts to adjust to.\u00a0 I find that by coming in slowly in a corkscrew motion slightly pointing down I can gauge how high I am.\u00a0 Just keep going in circles until I am very close to the ground and disarm. This is what is often referred to as the racers tumble.\u00a0 Skilled pilots can angle to the sky, and still throttle down slowly for a smooth landing.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Practice makes Perfect<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Once you have moved your camera angle, you need a ton of practice.<\/p>\n

Setup some practice gates if you are a racer, or go to a field with grass (not concrete) for you freestylers and practice flying around, taking turns.\u00a0 Practice taking off, practice landing, and keep away from anything you don’t want to crash into.\u00a0 (including yourself!)\u00a0 Just as the driveway mechanic that runs over his own foot bears the ultimate humiliation, so does the FPV pilot who flys into his own face.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Liftoff Pro Tip<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Liftoff<\/a> is an awesome drone flying simulator that lets you practice free style and racing.\u00a0 In Liftoff workbench settings only allow you to increase angle up to 60 degrees.\u00a0 In the game though, you can hit the Up arrow key to increase a degree at a time up!\u00a0 I have been playing with 70-80 degrees.\u00a0 This has really allowed some key practice in transitioning my camera pointing to the sky.<\/p>\n

So rack up some virtual crashes before you turn your new Stingy frame<\/a> into shards of broken carbon fiber.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2103″ img_size=”large” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In conclusion, start cranking up those angles. This was an idea that took me a very long time to understand.\u00a0 The concept of moving camera angle up to go faster is simple.\u00a0 But the idea that moving up to a certain point actually can make flying fast easier and more precise is not something I really understood.\u00a0 Bottom line, is that ultra high angle means you can turn with only one stick instead of two. I just happened to figure this out through a lot of trial and error.<\/p>\n

If you find it just doesn\u2019t work for you, just go back down to whatever feels best.\u00a0 I know plenty of people faster than me that are still in the 50-55 degree range.\u00a0 If you are a gamer though especially, give it a try and see what happens. You just may be end up going from last place to first place at your local races in no time.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FPV Camera angle is a very personal thing.\u00a0 It is the single most significant part of your setup that is not directly related to tuning equipment.\u00a0 What it says about you as a pilot, is more telling than the color props you use or the Botgrinder motors you just picked up.\u00a0 If one were to … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[2490,2491,2501,2502,2489,2492,2499,2500],"class_list":["post-2072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fpv-essentials","tag-camera-angle","tag-dolma-tilt","tag-drone-camera-angle","tag-drone-camera-tilt","tag-fpv-camera-angle","tag-fpv-camera-tilt","tag-fpv-full-throttle","tag-full-throttle-drone","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2072"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2520,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions\/2520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getfpv.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}