Orbits
Difficulty: Beginner
Trick Type: Pole Dancing
An orbit is a fundamental FPV trick where you fly your drone around an object in a circular path while keeping the object centered in your camera view. This maneuver requires precise control and coordination of roll and yaw inputs to maintain a smooth, consistent circle around the target.
Tutorial
To perform orbits, approach the object head-on but slightly to the side. For this tutorial, let’s start with orbits from the right side.Approach and Begin the Orbit
Approach and Begin the Orbit: As you approach the object from the right side, start adding left roll along with a bit of left yaw and a tiny amount of pitch. The roll will cause your drone to tilt to the left, while mixing yaw will counterbalance this tilt, keeping your drone level. The pitch provides the forward momentum needed to keep the drone moving around the object. To maintain your orbit distance and speed, keep the object slightly off-centered to the left.
Performing orbits is a balancing act between roll and yaw. When you roll to the left, the object will appear to rotate clockwise, and when you yaw to the left, the object will appear to rotate counterclockwise. The goal is to mix just enough yaw to your roll to keep the object perfectly vertical in your view.
To exit the orbit, gradually bring your yaw and roll back to center, leveling out the drone and smoothly transitioning out of the orbit.
Tightening Up Your Orbits: To tighten your orbits, apply slightly more roll and yaw to bring the object to the center of the screen. By focusing on keeping it centered, you will naturally add more and more roll and yaw, causing your drone to slowly orbit closer and closer to the object. Once you’ve reached your optimal distance, ease off the roll and yaw slightly, allowing the object to become a bit off-centered again to maintain that distance.
Speeding Up Your Orbits: To speed up your orbits with an extra boost of speed, slightly increase the pitch and balance it out with throttle. The pitch will make your drone want to fly towards the ground, so you’ll need to add more throttle to maintain elevation. The added throttle is what gives your drone the extra speed, resulting in faster orbits.
Keep in mind, it’s easier to focus on adding roll first and then mixing in yaw to balance it out rather than the other way around. Although mixing sticks is generally considered an advanced technique, orbits serve as an introduction to this skill since they require combining yaw and roll for smooth execution.
