How To Fix Drone Drift - Get Your Drone Flying Smoothly Again

How To Fix Drone Drift


How To Fix Drone Drift

If you are wondering how to fix drone drift, then you have come to the right place.

Whenever you are flying your drone along in a straight line, does it feel like your drone is drifting to one side or the other? Well, this common problem is called drone drift, as you might know, and it can be very frustrating for drone pilots.

It can be dangerous too, as the drone can get into trouble, and can even crash. Only if you know how to fix drone drift, you can avoid such situations. So in this guide, we are going to tell you how to fix drone drift.

How To Fix Drone Drift?

When your drone starts to drift, you can feel the panic start to set in. It’s not a good feeling when you’re in the middle of an aerial shot and your drone starts to drift out of your control.

Meanwhile, the pilot that was flying the drone is also freaking out. They may be able to correct the drift by adjusting the throttle, but it’s not going to be easy. If your drone keeps drifting, here is what you need to do:

  • First of all, recalibrate the drone. Within the app, there is an option to calibrate the control sticks of your controller - just do it.
  • Secondly, adjust the yaw of the drone gimbal. This solves the drifting issue most of the time. To adjust the yaw:
    • Find out to which side your drone is drifting.
    • Open the app and find gimbal settings.
    • Now, alter the yaw. If your drone is drifting to the left side, it means your gimbal is pointing a little bit to the right side. Therefore, adjust it to the left to make the drone camera point straight. 
  • Finally, try swapping the propellers. If your drone is drifting to the right or left, then swap the front and rear propeller on the tilting side. Check to see if any of the props is bent or damaged; if they are, you may need to replace them.

If all else fails, you can approach your service centre and let them have a look at your drone. Indeed, you should do this because if the drone is damaged, then it’s not worth the repair. They may charge you for that, but it’s better than losing a few precious shots.

Why Do Drones Drift To One Side?

how to fix drone drift
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Credit: DJI

The most common causes of drone drift are poor calibration, motor issues, lost connection, uneven weight distribution, and loose or damaged propellers. Other environmental factors like extreme wind and electromagnetic interference can also cause a drone to drift. The good news is that you can prevent your drone from drifting to some extent.

Before you take off, you need to recalibrate your drone as mentioned in the above section. You can also check if the gimbal on the front of the drone is perfectly aligned. If it is tilted to one side, you will get the impression that your drone is drifting to one side, although it is going straight.

Also, it's recommended to not fly your drone during heavy winds, as it can cause the drone to drift and you can end up losing control of it. So keep these tips in mind to avoid drone drift. 

It’s important to bear in mind that there may be more than one issue at play here. So it’s always good practice to run through some basic checks before you start flying your drone, just to make sure everything is working as it should. And hopefully, drone drift will be someone else’s issue, not yours.

How Do You Fix An Unstable Drone?

If you are a drone pilot, you probably have had your share of frustrations with the instability of the drone. The instability causes your quadcopter or drone to fly off course. There are many reasons why it might happen, and the most common reason is the propellers.

In this situation, you can adopt the measures listed in the previous sections to fix your unstable drone. Soon you will be able to fly your drone with stability and precision. Happy flying!

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