Practicing Dual Operator Mode for I2?

[Ellie M]

Hi there,

I have the I2 and am starting to get work that would be best as a dual operator set-up. I've practiced a bit with another pilot, but want to hone my camera op skills as much as possible. Obviously it's best to practice in person, but I'm also curious if there's a good simulator for practicing the camera op / "slave" controller?

Have searched for an existing thread about this, but haven't found anything yet (though there's always a chance I've missed it).

Any other dual operator tips, tricks, and resources are welcomed as well!

 

[The Editor]

I

Hi there,

I have the I2 and am starting to get work that would be best as a dual operator set-up. I've practiced a bit with another pilot, but want to hone my camera op skills as much as possible. Obviously it's best to practice in person, but I'm also curious if there's a good simulator for practicing the camera op / "slave" controller?

Have searched for an existing thread about this, but haven't found anything yet (though there's always a chance I've missed it).

Any other dual operator tips, tricks, and resources are welcomed as well!

I don’t know of any simulator that allows for practice of camera moves.
The very function of every simulator I have come across is to hone flying skills (and crash) without hurting your pocket!

DJI do an enterprise version of their flight simulator but again this is purely targeted at the flight dynamics of the aircraft.

Sorry - don’t think what you are looking for even exists.

Moved to Inspire 2 Section

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

I concur with @The Editor, never heard of anything like this. Might see if we can do some research to see if anything exist that might aid you.

 

[FlyBuffalo]

RealFlight 8 has a few multi-rotor models. Some models allow for setting the view to the gimbal (must choose a model which support + choose a flying field which is high definition). You can control / manipulate the gimbal, however this is all on a single controller. Not sure if that helps or not.

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

One tip for honing the skills to to make adjustments to the gimbal controls - generally adding expo to make the sticks less sensitive towards the center and adding some gimbal smoothing to ease in and ease out of the motions. This helps avoids the abrupt starts and stops and helps create smoother motion and more consistent speed.

 

[EarlDGrayJr]

Hi FDST,
Do you happen to have the specific parameters for changing those expos you discussed, along with good numbers for them you have used? I am a pilot used to one man operation and am now trying to get up to speed with the slave controller and two man/camera operator method.

Any help or direction on this is much appreciated.

Earl Gray

 

[nickedw]

Hi there,

I have the I2 and am starting to get work that would be best as a dual operator set-up. I've practiced a bit with another pilot, but want to hone my camera op skills as much as possible. Obviously it's best to practice in person, but I'm also curious if there's a good simulator for practicing the camera op / "slave" controller?

Have searched for an existing thread about this, but haven't found anything yet (though there's always a chance I've missed it).

Any other dual operator tips, tricks, and resources are welcomed as well!

I think you'll find the difficulty arises from getting good, clear communication between the pilot and camera op, you need to establish good protocols for talking to each other as you are likely looking at different things and your cameras are probably facing in different directions most of the time - if they're not why do you need a second op!

You (or the pilot if you're not flying) also need to count moves in and out to get good results, eg slowing down and stopping in 3,2,1 etc. FIighter pilots have similar problems, lots of single seat guys cant convert to 2 seat because they forget to talk to the other guy if it's any consolation!

No simulator can replicate this, you need to put the hours in with youir second guy.

Nick

 

[Donnie Frank]

Hi there,

I have the I2 and am starting to get work that would be best as a dual operator set-up. I've practiced a bit with another pilot, but want to hone my camera op skills as much as possible. Obviously it's best to practice in person, but I'm also curious if there's a good simulator for practicing the camera op / "slave" controller?

Have searched for an existing thread about this, but haven't found anything yet (though there's always a chance I've missed it).

Any other dual operator tips, tricks, and resources are welcomed as well!

IMHO NOTHING beats real-world practice. There's just no shortcut for it. Dual operator mode goes far beyond the skills of the individuals. You eventually learn how to communicate with one-another, which is huge. You learn to RESPECT one another's decisions. You need to be on the same page with vernacular. You learn situational awareness and how to work with it to get your shot. You learn to accept the limitations of what each other can do in a given situation, and on and on. Simple things like "Yaw" for the bird and "Pan" for the camera will really help get the shot and will instill confidence in your client.

IMHO, with all due respect, if you're not willing and able to put in the time for real-world practice, you'll never be able to compete with those who are.

My partner and I always practice a day or two before a shoot, just to dust off our skills. We'll challenge ourselves to shoot a bird or a passing vehicle or any number of dynamic targets.

And finally, as a camera op, you should ALSO be a good pilot. Because this REALLY gives you a firm working knowledge of the bird's limitations and how difficult some of demands can be on a pilot. When my PIC says "no," I don't argue. I find a plan B or dump the shot altogether.

Good luck!

D

 

[Ellie M]

Thanks for all the input! I'm definitely all for in-person dual-operator practice, developing strong communication between the pilot and camera op, and being a solid solo pilot.

That said, I like to have both real world and simulator practice. I learned to fly single operator by practicing with that Real Flight simulator, and found it to be really useful preparation for flying solo in a real-world situation... So I've been hoping something similar exists that can aid my due diligence in becoming a strong dual operator team member. But I DO hear those of you who are saying there's no substitute for the real deal.

If anything emerges dual operator simulator-wise, I'd love to know about it! In the meantime, I'll be getting some of that real world dual op practice in.