Mar 1, 2023

Betaflight Modes Series - Acro Mode for Beginners

Drone Camps / Modes Series / ACRO Mode

Acro mode is often referred to as the "holy grail" of FPV.

This is because Acro Mode is the most advanced and challenging flight mode for fpv drones.

While angle mode and horizon mode are suitable for beginners, acro mode requires a high degree of skill and experience to master. Learning acro is an art form unto itself. Each person flies acro with a different style and flow. Most fpv pilots want to achieve a state of "flow". Where the quad smoothly transitions from one move to the next. Justin often describes the camera as his "paintbrush".

Getting Started with Acro Mode

Before attempting to fly in acro mode, it is recommended that new pilots first learn to fly in angle mode and horizon mode. These modes offer varying levels of stabilization, making them easier to control than acro mode. Drone Camps RC's Series on Angle mode and Horizon mode are excellent resources for new pilots who want to learn how to fly in these modes.

Finding an Acro Trainer Drone

It's also recommended that new pilots start with a smaller sub-250g drone before attempting to fly a larger, more powerful drone. Sub-250g drones are easier to control and less likely to cause damage if they crash. Remember your first acro trainer drone will take a lot of abuse and likely get broken. It will be your basher drone. So the lighter the better.

Recommended Acro Trainer Quads

1. Geprc Tiny 4K RTF Combo - Link here.

2. Betafpv Cetus X RTF Combo - Link here.

3. Emax Tinyhawk 3 RTF Combo - Link here.

Once a pilot has gained some experience flying in angle mode and horizon mode and feel comfortable with their skills, they can begin to fly acro mode.

Mrs. Camps with the iFlight Nazgul5 DJI HD Edition quad

First time flying Acro Mode - Flight Instructions

Make sure your drone is set up for acro mode. This will require changing the settings in your drone's flight controller to turn off the stabilization system on a switch. Typically pilots have 3 flight modes on one switch. Angle, Horizon, and Acro modes. Many pilots take off in Angle mode. Also make sure you setup your beeper and bench test that the beeper works. After you flying to a safe height pilots often switch into acro mode. - But before you do ...

This field is sufficient but watch the trees. You may be fishing your quad out of a tree!

Drone Launch Pad! ! $13 - Link here.

Find a large, open space to fly acro in. This will give you plenty of room to practice without risking damage to your drone or property. We suggest finding at least a few acres of open land. Avoid places with trees, buildings, playgrounds, or people. Buy yourself a landing pad. Practice trying to come back and land on the pad in acro. This will teach you to be precise with your movements.
Once you are ready and positioned on your landing pad ; arm the drone. Take off in Angle Mode and fly up to a height of around 50 feet and 50 feet away from your launch spot. Give yourself some distance from the drone. Safety first! - Now once you have flown up a safe height from the ground and yourself it's time to switch into Acro Mode.
Flip the switch and go into acro mode. At this point is where most pilots crash straight into the ground. The common thing pilots do is nose down. So remember as you switch into acro mode be ready for your quad to nose down. It's best to have a forward flight path with some speed. Switching into acro mode while hovering is harder than moving forward.
If you crashed. Start this process over. Fly back up and get some height and forward medium speed. Keep the nose up. Switch into acro mode. Pull back slightly on the right stick and keep your throttle up to the level motor speed. If your quad dips down give the throttle a slight bump up and pull back a little on the right stick. Practice flying straight before using the yaw stick if you can.
Next you will work on your turns. Introducing yaw in acro mode. Yaw is where the quad gets really fun. It can also confuse beginners. Over time you will learn to fly yaw for quick direction changes. What we call a "yaw snap". It is a quick horizontal 180º turn to change direction. Save this move for later. What you want to do now is slightly add some left stick yaw and right stick aileron to perform a bank. Practice flying with both sticks in sync as you make a smooth turn right and left. Some pilots turn the same way a lot. Practice both left and right turns. You may find you prefer to turn right more than left. Or left more than right. By now your muscle memory using the simulator is paying off. You may have already practiced acro turns.
Congrats you now can fly smooth stable forward flight in acro mode and make turns. Now it is time to work on flips and rolls in acro mode. This unfortunately is where many fpv pilots also crash. Tips for your first acro rolls : Do rolls first. They are easier than a flip. Get some height and bring the throttle slightly up. Push the right stick to the right quickly. You may not do a full rotation on your first try. If you do go 360º congrats. Now counter the roll by going slightly left and back to stick center. Rolls are all about timing. Like most things in acro flying. Practice the roll to the left. Practice rolls and flips for a few battery packs. This is where fpv gets fun!
Flips in Acro Mode. Flips are harder than rolls for many people. Start out again with forward speed. We like to fly in an upward trajectory nose up. Give some slight throttle and pull back on the right stick slightly. The quad will rotate backwards! Keep pulling slightly until the camera comes back to level. Give it some slight throttle to keep flying forward. Now practice a forward flip. Many find the forward flip harder. Throttle slightly up and push the right stick forward. Let the quad rotate. As it comes back around give it slight throttle. Keep the nose up. Level out. Practice flips and rolls in acro until you can get the timing right. It's all about timing. Now you are ready to move on to more advanced freestyle fpv practice! Congrats on your first flights in acro mode. Acro mode is the mode you will most likely flight for the rest of your time as an fpv pilot. The only time you may fly Angle mode now is for take off and landings. This helps. Or when flying tiny whoops indoors.