| Stable hover |
Check general stability, drift, and slow oscillations while holding position.
Watch for gradual drift, wobble, or “floaty” feel.
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P-term (attitude), I-term (drift correction), HSI (if using Horizon), I-term relax (amount of I during stick movement)
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| Slow forward flight (smooth lines) |
Fly straight lines and gentle turns. Look for tracking accuracy and tendency to wander off line.
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I-term (long-term tracking), I-term relax, P-term (directional authority), feedforward (stick tracking)
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| Fast forward flight / big sweeping turns |
High-speed passes and wide arcs. Watch for bounce-back after turns, oscillations, or “rubber band” feel.
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P-term (strength of response), D-term (damping oscillations), feedforward (crispness), feedforward boost (snap at stick changes)
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| Full-throttle punch-outs |
Go from mid-throttle to full throttle quickly. Observe climb stability, oscillations, and throttle-induced wobble.
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P-term (overall authority), D-term (high-frequency oscillation control), throttle PID attenuation (if used), feedforward (response to stick changes)
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| Rapid throttle steps (up/down) |
Quickly step throttle up and down. Look for bounce, overshoot, or lag in altitude and attitude.
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D-term (overshoot damping), feedforward (stick immediacy), feedforward boost, I-term (slow altitude drift)
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| Quick flips and rolls (acro) |
Perform snappy flips/rolls and stop sharply. Watch for bounce-back, overshoot, or mushy stops.
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P-term (rotation authority), D-term (stop bounce), feedforward (stick following), feedforward boost (snap at start/stop)
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| Propwash test (hard 180s / braking into own wash) |
Fly forward, then hard 180 or sharp braking into your own propwash. Look for jittery oscillations.
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D-term (propwash handling), P-term (too high can excite propwash), D-term filter settings, feedforward (can worsen if too high)
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| Yaw snaps / yaw spins |
Perform fast yaw snaps and sustained yaw spins. Watch for bounce-back and uneven rotation.
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Yaw P-term, Yaw D-term (if available), I-term (holding heading), feedforward (yaw stick tracking)
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| Precision hovering near obstacles |
Hold position close to objects. Look for micro-drift, small corrections, and “nervous” oscillations.
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I-term (fine drift correction), I-term relax (how much I is allowed during stick input), P-term (micro corrections), HSI (if using Horizon)
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| Small, repeated stick bumps (centered around mid-stick) |
Make tiny, quick stick nudges and return to center. Observe how closely the quad follows the sticks.
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Feedforward (stick tracking), feedforward boost (extra punch on changes), P-term (baseline authority), I-term relax (to avoid I fighting quick moves)
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