Finally got the right combination of free time and good weather yesterday and made my first successful flights with the CradyCopter -- in the wind no less!
After heavily modifying the airframe and adding sonar i wanted to run the Arducopter's 'AutoTune' feature to get the PIDs dialed-in right the first time. Long story short, the wind gusts prevented AutoTune from completing its 'calibration dance' but everything else was flawless.
I did quick takeoffs [to avoid ground effects] then once the copter was about a meter off the ground I switched to Altitude Hold. For anyone familiar with ArduCopter this has the benefits of Stabilize mode + it won't allow the copter to bounce off the ground unexpectedly at very low altitudes. I also tried Loiter mode (aka 'Position Hold') and despite the wind gusts it did a remarkable job staying put.
When I got ready to set it down I relied on the fully automated hands-off 'Land' mode. Thanks in so small part to a well calibrated compass and the sonar it set itself down so smoothly it was like someone was lowering it from a rope. Crazy.
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Finally got the right combination of free time and good weather yesterday and made my first successful flights with the CradyCopter -- in the wind no less!
After heavily modifying the airframe and adding sonar i wanted to run the Arducopter's 'AutoTune' feature to get the PIDs dialed-in right the first time. Long story short, the wind gusts prevented AutoTune from completing its 'calibration dance' but everything else was flawless.
I did quick takeoffs [to avoid ground effects] then once the copter was about a meter off the ground I switched to Altitude Hold. For anyone familiar with ArduCopter this has the benefits of Stabilize mode + it won't allow the copter to bounce off the ground unexpectedly at very low altitudes. I also tried Loiter mode (aka 'Position Hold') and despite the wind gusts it did a remarkable job staying put.
When I got ready to set it down I relied on the fully automated hands-off 'Land' mode. Thanks in so small part to a well calibrated compass and the sonar it set itself down so smoothly it was like someone was lowering it from a rope. Crazy.
Can't wait to add cameras!