Flying FPV with your significant other is a great way to spend time together. How to get your girlfriend/wife to fly drones? Be patient, be encouraging and be there for her. Here is what worked for Smitty and Roo.
Welcome! Do you every wonder, “How do I get my wife/girlfriend into drones?” You’d spend more time together as a couple. You would travel to events together. You would enjoy a hobby and make new friends. And you get to buy more drone parts (but remember half will be for her)!
Here is what worked for Smitty and Roo:
Try a sim – but don’t give up if it’s difficult for her.
If she has never had an RC background, have her try one of the simulators like DRL, Velocidrone or Liftoff. Be sure to set up the sim first for more beginner-friendly settings. This is not the time for her to try high freestyle rates! Some sims have beginner rates that help with auto-leveling.
Let her know before she starts that she may not be able to fly well for a few months but that doesn’t mean she can’t learn.
Explain the radio settings – and let her choose.
Pinching? Thumbs? Mode 1 or Mode 2? Tell her that some pilots use just thumbs, and some pilots pinch the control. Roo could not use the radio until she tried pinching, but Smitty can’t imagine not using thumbs. Roo later switched to a hybrid approach. Discuss Mode 1 and Mode 2. Roo is very left-handed, and Smitty didn’t think about the different controls at the time.
Get her a micro drone of her own.
Many, many women say they are too afraid to try drones because they don’t want to break their husband’s gear. (It doesn’t occur to women that breaking drones – often recklessly – is its own type of sport!) Give her a micro drone that she can fly around the house and not worry about breaking. Be sure to get a cute canopy!
Start small and slow.
Is she ready to fly outside? Try smaller drones first. Roo’s favorite drones at first were 3- and 4-inch drones. These drones are easier for beginners to control. Today even toothpick and twig drones are available. It took some time until Roo “graduated” to 5-inch drones.
Also experiment with throttle limits. A low throttle limit – such as 50-65 percent – will help her keep control of her drone.
Let her pick acro or angle/auto level.
This is a thorny subject, but Roo has heard men say, “I’m going to start my wife on 6S acro mode and she’s going to learn right from the start.” You have great intentions, and many experts would say that it’s best to start on acro mode, but remember the end game. Have her try both modes and pick for herself. Roo was unable to fly acro mode, and flew in angle mode for nearly a year. Roo has heard that even HeadsUp used level mode for the first three months. Smitty never pressured Roo to use acro, but simply told her, “You’ll know when you’re ready.” And one day, Roo wanted to go faster than angle would allow her. By then, she had very little difficulty adjusting.
Do everything for her at first (if she wants you to).
Charge the batteries. Change her props. Help her change channels. Ever women is different, and some women have STEM backgrounds that make this easier. But if your wife or girlfriend is trying to get into drones, it can feel overwhelming. She is likely already feeling embarrassed and worried about lighting batteries on fire. (Roo did accidentally light a battery on fire when learning to charge batteries!) Your wife or girlfriend will be a pro in no time, but in the beginning help in any way she needs. It’s a lot for a beginner to think about.
Point out what she’s doing right.
Drones have a long learning curve, and society expects women to be perfect. Before she flies for the first time, tell her everyone crashes right away and that she should expect that, too. Try to joke and laugh! When she does crash, point out things she did well. Roo has talked to dozens and dozens of women who tried to fly once, crashed right away, and assumed they couldn’t learn. Tell her that everyone crashes, and most people need at least a few months to feel in control. It’s no big deal. And show her Roo’s first flight.