Getting Started with Drones

Chapter 4. Flight Controller

What Is a Flight Controller?

Basically, the flight controller is the brain of your drone. It measures the performance of your aircraft through an array of various sensors, hundreds of times per second, and then manages all the microadjustments that are needed on each motor to keep your aircraft stable in the air. Think of what happens when you walk down the street. You are not thinking about the variations needed in your gait due to an uneven sidewalk or headwind. You just walk, and your brain comes up with those details and executes them while your only thought is “forward.” The flight controller acts in the same manner. When you give your drone the command to move forward at 10 miles per hour, the flight controller ...