DJI FPV manual mode

Megabonk · 2025-08-01T11:29:39-0400

Recently purchased an DJI FPV drone , goggles and controller. Can fly reasonably well in Normal or Sport mode. However, manual mode is not acting like I expected it to.
Still can't understand why the DJI FPV drone flies differently in Liftoff sim versus real life. I went out today and flew the DJI FPV in manual mode. It responds differently IRL than it does in LIftoff sim. I am using the DJI FPV DLC. In Liftoff, when you point the nose of the drone down with right stick, you lose altitude. When you point the nose up, you gain altitude. Basically, it follows its nose. Left stick controls throttle/prop speed. IRL, left stick still controls altitude and right stick only controls nose up/nose down, but does not affect altitude.
All settings are correct to fly in manual. Using control mode 2.
Does anybody have any insight? Is is a difference between camera drones and racing drones/
Thanks.

phph001 · 2025-08-01T13:51:47-0400

I would suggest that your actual drone is fine and it is the sim which is misbehaving. Yes, the drone does tip its nose down when moving forward but the automatics should preserve the height.

Megabonk · 2025-08-01T13:57:08-0400

So drones fly more like helicopters than fixed wing planes? Pitch does not regulate altitude. Nose down pitch gives you forward speed, but does not necessarily affect altitude.

phph001 · 2025-08-01T14:23:35-0400

Megabonk said:
So drones fly more like helicopters than fixed wing planes? Pitch does not regulate altitude. Nose down pitch gives you forward speed, but does not necessarily affect altitude.

Yes, the drone is a form of helicopter. A single-rotor helicopter progresses in any direction either by tilting the rotor itself or by varying the the individual angles of the blades so that the airflow is made to flow at an angle to the vertical. This means, of course, that if the throttle is held constant then some vertical lifting force is lost and the drone would lose height. I have some baby drones without automatics which indeed behave like this. If I want to move it in any direction I have to apply left joystick throttle as well as right joystick direction

phph001 · 2025-08-01T14:39:18-0400

phph001 said:
Yes, the drone is a form of helicopter. A single-rotor helicopter progresses in any direction either by tilting the rotor itself or by varying the the individual angles of the blades so that the airflow is made to flow at an angle to the vertical. This means, of course, that if the throttle is held constant then some vertical lifting force is lost and the drone would lose height. I have some baby drones without automatics which indeed behave like this. If I want to move it in any direction I have to apply left joystick throttle as well as right joystick direction

Megabonk · 2025-08-01T17:19:20-0400

Well I just spent an hour flying in manual. That seems to be the answer as with most things, is practice, practice, practice! I didn't crash, but it was not what I would call graceful flying! LOL Small stick movements until I get better.

Brutalwarpig · 2025-08-01T20:27:31-0400

Megabonk said:
Recently purchased an DJI FPV drone , goggles and controller. Can fly reasonably well in Normal or Sport mode. However, manual mode is not acting like I expected it to.
Still can't understand why the DJI FPV drone flies differently in Liftoff sim versus real life. I went out today and flew the DJI FPV in manual mode. It responds differently IRL than it does in LIftoff sim. I am using the DJI FPV DLC. In Liftoff, when you point the nose of the drone down with right stick, you lose altitude. When you point the nose up, you gain altitude. Basically, it follows its nose. Left stick controls throttle/prop speed. IRL, left stick still controls altitude and right stick only controls nose up/nose down, but does not affect altitude.
All settings are correct to fly in manual. Using control mode 2.
Does anybody have any insight? Is is a difference between camera drones and racing drones/
Thanks.

The sim is manipulating the throttle when you pitch down or up. IRL, nose up will cause the quad to move backwards. If you increase throttle, you will climb while moving backwards. If you are holding a hover and bring the nose up without increasing the throttle, the drone will decrease altitude while moving backwards. Same applies to nose down forward flight.