Why was this feature added? Does it make the quad "self land"? In other words, if I pull down on the throttle until it locks into place, can I think stop controlling the controller and watch the thing land? if not, then what's the point?

I have done that.  However, it is not the best idea to bring the quad straight down into its own rotor wash.

imho it is rather pointless.  there are too many variables to manage to simply lock it in place.  that may have been the designers objective, but i dont like it.  some may say it should be used just WHEN you land (in other words, lock it at the point of landing so that you can let go during the 3secs before the rotors stop).  but for just THAT alone, it isnt worth having to me.  i took my controller apart and removed the little metal bar that locks it (just two small screws to remove).  but then again, i did it because i am backwards (in other words it would have locked down my REVERSE not my DESCEND which has even less function haha).  but i always recommend to disable it, but some may like it.

Doesn't this throttle lock feature also increase the likelihood that the sticks may accidentally end up in the "CSC / combination stick command" in mid-flight thus powering down the quad? By the way, is this a concern in general (inadvertent CSC combination stick command) in mid flight?

stinkbug Posted at 2015-5-8 04:42
Doesn't this throttle lock feature also increase the likelihood that the sticks may accidentally end ...

No it would not.  You would have to have the throttle lock down and in the corner resulting in a turn while flying backward moving in a sideways motion at the same time.

Axeman Posted at 2015-5-8 05:34
I guess I'm the black sheep of the family cuz I like it. After a velvet smooth greased landing with  ...

You aren't the only one that likes it Axe,  I use it when I have time to fly.  It frees up my hand to operate the camera or tip up another beer!

One of the uses for the throttle lock is during a crash.  If you know you are going to crash the best thing you can do is cut the engine power.  Most RC controllers don't have a spring loaded, self centering throttle stick so if you pull the stick back it stays there, or you can instantly kill power with a throttle cut switch. Locking the throttle down will cause less damage and may save your ESC during a crash.

I think you can remove the lock if you don't like it.

Axeman Posted at 2015-5-8 06:09
Well I'm one up on you there Gerry. I wear one and so does the flight crew. Leave our hands free f ...

seems like if i wanted to lock throttle down in a crash mode, i would just CSC so im not understanding the benefit of the lock there versus CSC.

as far as landing, if you lock it down from any sort of altitude (re: the 'more time' comment) then you run the risk of prop wash causing vrs.  if you are only doing it from 10-20ft up, then you arent getting much time saved versus just holding it down (maybe 1 sip of beer? thats pretty bad ROI).  also, i find that when im landing i often get a few ft off ground and if crosswinds cause me to move laterally i can stop descending, get stable and then begin descending.  and you wouldnt be able to do anything about that because you'd have a beer in your hand rofl.

still dont see any clear big winning benefits

Axeman Posted at 2015-5-8 05:34
I guess I'm the black sheep of the family cuz I like it. After a velvet smooth greased landing with  ...

I'm with you Axe, I use it on just about every landing, ground or hand. As soon as I've safely landed, I lock it down to shut down the motors then I turn the video off. I don't know how I'd do without it for hand catching, I pop it down as soon as I get my hand around the leg.

Jerry

no matter how you slice it, at landing it is only saving you 3 to 5 secs of 'holding a knob' (after 20 mins of holding knobs).  what is that, a .4% reduction in knob holding?  hardly groundbreaking functionality.  and yet, for my setup, it locked REVERSE NOT DESCEND so that made it worthless even if 3 to 5 secs wasnt already worthless enough.  

really interesting feedback. Here's my conclusion: if you are WAY up there then the lock might save you a few seconds of at least having to think about descent and holding the stick down. After landing safely, you may as well engage the lock (which in my opinion, is hard NOT to do, anyway.)

This forum is a great resource.

thanks!

if you lock it when you are 'way up' in the air then you are asking for vrs.  frankly, when i descend, i rarely get more than about a 15-20% lean to the throttle stick.  in zero wind (even going slightly laterally like we all know is best for avoiding vrs) if i throttle down 100% (which is where the lock would be) i can almost create vrs on demand so i dont know why anyone would lock their throttle fully down when at altitude, but hey, to each his own.

I think i like this lock function. With my old phantom descending was the least fun part. Not to slow, but surely not to fast down. Now i just lock it when i want the quad to be going downwards, and it descents automaticly. Nice! And this should be the function of this throttle lock. But, i've also read a lot about propwash, vrs, and when descending the quad almost always looks very unstable. So i'm not sure if i want to use this anymore. I now try to descent myself, at an angle, not straight down. That should be ok i guess.

Jackvg Posted at 2015-5-8 20:15
I think i like this lock function. With my old phantom descending was the least fun part. Not to slo ...

moving laterally is certainly a big factor in avoiding prop wash and vrs.  however, i have found that a nearly equally important factor is the % of descent for the throttle stick (ie- how much from center i move the down throttle).  in other words, i do BOTH move laterally and barely throttle down.  if i move laterally and go 100% throttle down (like folks are saying above by using the lock because you have to be at 100% to lock it) then even moving laterally i tend to get a moderate amount of 'wobble' and we all know that wobble is a good leading indicator for vrs.  that is why i wouldnt use the lock at altitude (and why i made the point about the marginal value of it if you only use it from a few feet above landing).

I use to to bring it down as fast as it is safe to do.  I think if you let it land it will be a hard landing.