[greggold]

When I started in fpv I was told that angle mode - which is an auto- level mode - was an dubious crutch, that you should discard as soon as possible, that will teach you bad habits, that the good pilots will not touch,  and much more along these lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otJNzZrE-yk

In the first few moments of this video Joshua Bardwell demolishes these arguments, and points out that 5 years ago all the top tiny whoop fpv racers flew in angle mode. Today apparently around half still do.

I think not all pilots agree with JB on this point.... but I certainly do, and I know for example that angle mode taught me no bad habits. While I now use acro mode most of the time in my flights, I always use angle mode for landing, as it still helps me hit the mat 100% of the time. If you miss the mat you may land in wet grass and this can lead within a minute to the loss of your flight controller - its has happened to me on two occasions, requiring an expensive repair. 

Angle mode is a crucial protection in an emergency when video signal is lost; if angle mode is engaged immediately it allows you (a) make a gentle climb (b) slowly yaw the quad  and © orient your tx towards the drone, where steps a - c all help restore the video connection.  It can also save the day in case of loss of pilot concentration, or disorientation.

[caffeine]

I did my first flight with my quad today and yes I used angle mode! One less thing to worry about when you're learning to fly or trying a new drone.

Angle mode doesn't change the way the quad controls, just limits the amount each axis can move. Yaw, pitch and roll work just the same as acro mode, but with safeguards to prevent overcontrol.

It's the same with my planes, I learn to fly them on low rates, so that it doesn't do anything sudden or unexpected while I am still figuring out how it works. Once I'm comfortable, I can up the rates and use the full range of the control surfaces.

It's not like training wheels on a push bike, yes they stop you from leaning too far, but on a bike that's actually detrimental and not how a bike actually works, you end up relying on the training wheels for balance and cornering in an unnatural flat manner, that needs to be unlearned to ride properly (this subject is a pet peeve of mine, we taught our son how to ride using training wheels, and it was a bad decision)

[greggold]

Congratulations on the maiden!

I meant to include 2 points in my post:

spend as much time on the sim as possible, I used - and still use - the Liftoff sim and I followed Bardwell's free 15 episode tutorials which are graded and use Liftoff. I am up to the one where you do the split S, BTW before you do the split S make sure you practice the earlier manoeuvres thoroughly... dont ask how I know ... and note that drone aerobatics generally do not work like plane aerobatics.

Even the best top drone pilots can become disorientated during aerobatics which are performed in acro mode; when this happens a crash can be averted if angle mode is applied with only a few microseconds delay, because angle mode causes the drone to autolevel in a stable hover before it strikes the ground. It means you must be expert at switching to angle mode without requiring any time, which requires practice.

[caffeine]

I bought liftoff, well worth the $20. I'll have a look for those tutorials, thanks!