Hey everyone.

I got my DJI FPV Drone last Fridaty and absolutely love it.  While I am extremely new to Manual mode I did spend about 20 hours in a simulator and got the "basics" down.  Here is where I need help.  When I enter manual mode, arm the rotors and take off, the drone automatically starts going forward without any commands from me.  I'm simply throttling up.  This makes flying difficult as its always going forward until I specifically command it to back.

Does this happen to anyone else?  If I'm missing something obvious feel free to bash me. ;)

Thanks

Yep,  thats the joys of full manual FPV.

Yep,  thats the joys of full manual FPV.

Yep,  thats the joys of full manual FPV.

Yep,  thats the joys of full manual FPV.

Have you flown other FPV drones?  I am not familiar with the DJI FPV yet but typically you have to actually fly in manual mode on any other FPV drone.  I expect it is the same with the DJI FPV.

Interesting.  In the simulators the drone acted differently.  Guess I just have to get used to this.

No, I've never flown any other FPV drones.  I didn't expect it to move forward without me telling it to move forward.

welcome to the FPV flying. You're the boss now, zo if it goes forward - it is all up to you to prevent that from happening ...

Thanks everyone.  Seems the auto moving forward is intended.  I'll get used to it.

So much fun!

Hello there Raptorz102. Good day and thank you for these information you have given. In addition to this post in Manual Mode the cllassic FPV aircraft control mode with the highest maneuverability, which can be used for racing and freestyle flying. In Manual mode, all flight assistance functions such as automatic stabilization are disabled and professional control skills are required. The throttle stick can be adjusted in this mode. Thank you.

Thanks Stephen,

I understand your comments.  In all the simulators I used the drone never proceeded forward (backwards, side to side etc) without a command from me (the pilot).  If I simply throttled up the drone would rise up in altitude but not increase speed past 20 mph on its own in a ny direction.  As an example, last night I took off in manual mode, from a flat surface and rose up to 150 feet.  Within 10 seconds, the drone was flying forward at 28 mph without any commands from me.  As some of the other forum users here have stated, perhaps this is intended and I just have to get used to it.

DJI Stephen Posted at 3-8 21:44
Hello there Raptorz102. Good day and thank you for these information you have given. In addition to this post in Manual Mode the cllassic FPV aircraft control mode with the highest maneuverability, which can be used for racing and freestyle flying. In Manual mode, all flight assistance functions such as automatic stabilization are disabled and professional control skills are required. The throttle stick can be adjusted in this mode. Thank you.

[view_image]

Hi Stephen,
I also experienced this problem. When lifting up, the drone immediately started to move forward.
For me it seems to be a calibration issue of the right joystick. Why would the drone flying forward, when the right joystick is in center position? Does not make any sense to me.
I am aware that you have to compensate the forces in manual mode by yourself when you change the angle of the rotors. However the drone should be able to hover.
Why is DJI not stating such kind of “normal” behavior in the manual?
Henrik

djiuser_K6ibK1gXFljj Posted at 5-16 07:07
Hi Stephen,
I also experienced this problem. When lifting up, the drone immediately started to move forward.
For me it seems to be a calibration issue of the right joystick. Why would the drone flying forward, when the right joystick is in center position? Does not make any sense to me.

I find it very funny your confidence in fact that your drone is supposed to hover without touching the sticks. No! it is  NOT in manual mode. In M your drone doesn't know what level is. You are the accelerometer, sort of speak and if your don't level it to hover it will go where you direct it to go. You really need to adjust your expectations and most certainly your expressions if you don't know how stuff works because you might confuse others ...

tomekyo Posted at 5-16 12:49
I find it very funny your confidence in fact that your drone is supposed to hover without touching the sticks. No! it is  NOT in manual mode. In M your drone doesn't know what level is. You are the accelerometer, sort of speak and if your don't level it to hover it will go where you direct it to go. You really need to adjust your expectations and most certainly your expressions if you don't know how stuff works because you might confuse others ...

What drone do you fly in manual mode?
I wonder why no one else with a DJI FPV confirmed the behavior of automatically flying forward in manual mode. Or did I just overlooked it?

Raptorz102 Posted at 3-9 07:59
Thanks Stephen,

I understand your comments.  In all the simulators I used the drone never proceeded forward (backwards, side to side etc) without a command from me (the pilot).  If I simply throttled up the drone would rise up in altitude but not increase speed past 20 mph on its own in a ny direction.  As an example, last night I took off in manual mode, from a flat surface and rose up to 150 feet.  Within 10 seconds, the drone was flying forward at 28 mph without any commands from me.  As some of the other forum users here have stated, perhaps this is intended and I just have to get used to it.

DJI support confirmed that the drone should stay in place and not automatically fly forward. As a solution you should calibrate the controller.
Good luck! Please write back if the calibration solved your problem. Thanks!

I find it much better to take off and land in Normal mode, and then switch to manual in the air. This can prevent all kinds of accidents from happening on both takeoff and landing.

djiuser_K6ibK1gXFljj Posted at 5-17 02:20
What drone do you fly in manual mode?
I wonder why no one else with a DJI FPV confirmed the behavior of automatically flying forward in manual mode. Or did I just overlooked it?

I will make another attempt and try to explain what happens. If you look at the drone from the side while seated on the ground you will notice that it is tilted forward. If trying to take off in manual mode the drone will NOT compensate for this tilt and WILL immediately move forward due to this natural tilt. If you want to hover in place YOU need to level your drone with the pitch stick. If you don't you will continue to head forward until you doe something else. This concerns every drone where you don't have self levelling. You only use gyro sensors which do not detect "level" so will try hold your drone in the last requested position. If you take off in normal or sport mode you can carefully observe the drone lifting the front first off the ground. This is what the accelerometers are casing. Those are being used to keep your drone level, unlike the gyros. In these modes, the craft should remain more or less in one place when you let go of the sticks. (only if the GPS works otherwise the drone will drift with the wind). This applies to all drones, which have manual mode btw, not only to this one.

tomekyo Posted at 5-20 10:56
I will make another attempt and try to explain what happens. If you look at the drone from the side while seated on the ground you will notice that it is tilted forward. If trying to take off in manual mode the drone will NOT compensate for this tilt and WILL immediately move forward due to this natural tilt. If you want to hover in place YOU need to level your drone with the pitch stick. If you don't you will continue to head forward until you doe something else. This concerns every drone where you don't have self levelling. You only use gyro sensors which do not detect "level" so will try hold your drone in the last requested position. If you take off in normal or sport mode you can carefully observe the drone lifting the front first off the ground. This is what the accelerometers are casing. Those are being used to keep your drone level, unlike the gyros. In these modes, the craft should remain more or less in one place when you let go of the sticks. (only if the GPS works otherwise the drone will drift with the wind). This applies to all drones, which have manual mode btw, not only to this one.

"only if the GPS works otherwise the drone will drift with the wind"

Are you sure on this point? I think when the drone is close to the ground the drone also uses its downward facing camera to hold position. The drone holds position much better than I'd expect with GPS and IMU.

Duane Degn Posted at 5-20 13:02
"only if the GPS works otherwise the drone will drift with the wind"

Are you sure on this point? I think when the drone is close to the ground the drone also uses its downward facing camera to hold position. The drone holds position much better than I'd expect with GPS and IMU.

good point this one, although it has nothing to do with this topic ... I guess somebody needs to test it somewhere in a bunker or something like that ...

In Normal and Sport mode the drone will stay in a GPS locked spot until you tell it to go elsewhere. In manual mode the drone is manually controlled by you. In order for it to not drift or move in any direction - you would literally need to be in a huge room with no moving air, away from your own prop wash, no wind, and in a perfectly 0 degree balance in all directions (virtually impossible) and perfect amount of throttle to create enough lift to remain at the same altitude.

Lots of good conversation here.  Tomekyo had a good point in that the DJI FPV drone is naturally tilted so when taking off in manual mode it will gently fly forward.  That being said, I will try and re-calibrate the controller to see if that helps.  Normally, I take off in N or S, fly around a bit and then switch to manual mode.  That seems to work the best for me.  Then, when I'm ready to land, I switch back to N or S and land normally.

Raptorz102 Posted at 3-8 14:09
Thanks everyone.  Seems the auto moving forward is intended.  I'll get used to it.

So much fun!

This is not "Auto Moving"! This is how a real FPV drone behaves. It is your job to control the position, attitude, direction and speed through fine steering inputs Period

Every movement you make on the sticks affects any FPV craft in Manual or Acro modes. Even normal FPV kwads in angle or horizon mode require constant correction on the sticks as they have no GPS to keep them rooted. This is also why so many of these amazing drones have been trashed. Sims are good but real world is better. The trick is to learn how it flies, how it feels and how you can use that to your advantage and how you want to fly. Practice simple movements like flying in a wide circle, a figure of 8 or just simply a square. People who are new to this cannot simply take it out the box, slap it in manaul and expect to fly it straight away. It has been stated that "anyone" can fly this drone and in thoery it's true, but you have to learn how to fly in each mode and then manual. There is no quick fix. You either get it or don't as it's not for everyone. Stick time is key to developing that all important muscle memory that is crucial to flying full FPV. Just the fact that moving right stick up changes in manual mode from forward to pitch is too much for some to handle. It takes time, but when it clicks......IT'S BRILLIANT

KerryG Posted at 5-19 07:39
I find it much better to take off and land in Normal mode, and then switch to manual in the air. This can prevent all kinds of accidents from happening on both takeoff and landing.

Yep. I'm the same. Seen too many manual landing's botched for my liking. Take off in normal, line it up, flick the switc and send it. Same in coming in to land. Slow down, stop recording, flick the switch and land exactly where it took off from. No risk, no fly away, no damage.

Agreed and another great point.  While I have spent hours in a simulator, this is my first FPV experience.  After reading everyone's comments its clear the drone is acting normally.  I have probably 10+ hours flying manual and I absolutely love it.  Obviously, I have a long way to go to become proficient but its such a fun experience.

if you really want to stay at place after takeoff. first off: why?? dont you want to fly anyway?

but OK. if you want to stay, make sure your camera tilt is exactly 0°. if not, just the camera angle naturally sends you forward. thats the normal fly mode in manual: you set the cam at an angle how fast you want to fly forward!
say you want to do basic freestyle: you set up 15-20° and go like 20mph forward. if you want to race really fast, you set up 45°. but make sure you understand the changing flight dynamics after that change! it will move differently.

<-- Me a some years DYI drone builder and acro flyer, I guess I know some things about that

I’m surprised no one has correctly answered this question yet. The reason why your drone moves / drags forward is because once you arm (switch on the motors) in manual mode the drone activates air mode where the propellers will lightly spin, air mode allows the drone to sort of glide and for you to maintain control when doing tricks. The DJI app is ok get the hang of m mode but it is very unrealistic to how the drone actually behaves in real life, even performance wise.

Yes my drone goes forward but not go up like normal drone

Manual mode obviously has zero gps stabilization, so you have to compensate constantly. Sims are good to get the basics laid down, but only regular stick time gets you to really understand the physics of manual flight. Sims don't have wind or any other outside influence to flight, so the stick time is key here. Practice in real life by doing a figure of 8 or even a big circle. Once you have that mastered, move onto other moves when you are happy. The FPV drone is forgiving, but takes some time to get used to how she flies due to the weight and shape compared to a traditional freestyle quad. Always compensating in any manual or acro flight, but don't over compensate or it will look un-natural in the video. Every day is a learning day in FPV

There is no command to make the drone fly forward in manual. Just throttle, and throttle propels the drone in whatever direction the drone is angled in. Hovering in place in manual is extremely difficult. There is no just chilling in manual mode, you are in control of everything.