First Flight
Keep the first powered flight short, conservative, and focused on basic stability.
ESPFlight Docs · v1 • Validated v1 documentation path
# First-hover sequence
- 1
Use a known-good configuration
Do not combine a first flight with multiple experimental hardware or PID changes.
- 2
Select a clear area
Leave enough space to disarm or land immediately.
- 3
Start conservatively
Use the most familiar control mode and increase throttle smoothly.
- 4
Lift only enough to evaluate
A brief low hover is enough to reveal wrong control direction, severe oscillation, or mechanical imbalance.
- 5
Land on the first uncertainty
Do not try to “fly through” an unexplained problem.
- 6
Inspect after landing
Check motor temperature, fasteners, propellers, battery, connectors, and anything that moved during the test.
# After a stable hover
Once the baseline is repeatable, continue to Flight Modes and Basic Tuning .