Hi everyone,
I’ve been brainstorming a fun concept for a fixed-wing FPV setup using my Hewing T1 Ranger powered by ArduPlane, and I wanted to pitch the idea to the community to see if it’s feasible or if anyone has tried something similar.
The Concept: The “Anti-Gravity” Video Game Flight
In sci-fi video games, anti-gravity vehicles or hoverships have a very specific and intuitive feel:
They glide effortlessly and refuse to crash into the ground.
If you push the pitch stick forward, the craft pitches down slightly to accelerate horizontally rather than diving straight into the dirt.
If you pull back, it climbs smoothly.
It performs extreme low-altitude “grass-skimming” (rase-motte) while automatically hugging the terrain contours, compensating for pitch and throttle so you don’t stall when climbing hills.
What I want to achieve with the T1 Ranger
I want to configure ArduPlane to recreate this exact arcade-style physics profile. Essentially: a terrain-following mode coupled with auto-throttle and tilt-compensation, making the aircraft feel like it’s floating on an invisible cushion just 2 to 3 meters above the ground, completely immune to pilot error (like accidentally nosing into a field).
Why I’m posting here
While traditional terrain following for mapping or long-range cruising is common, I suspect that some pilots might have experimented with this kind of “low-alt aggressive arcade hovering/cruising” just for fun, but perhaps haven’t documented it thoroughly on the forums.
Has anyone attempted a similar setup with a small twin-motor wing like the T1?
Which combination of ArduPlane modes (e.g., CRUISE, FBW-B, or specialized loiter/guided scripts) and parameters (like terrain offset, minimum airspeed, and pitch limits) would get the closest to this “hover-craft” responsive feel?
Are there any pitfalls regarding sensor latency (using a low-cost LiDAR like the TF-Luna) when trying to aggressively hug the ground at 40-50 km/h?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, parameter suggestions, or if anyone has tried pushing ArduPlane into this kind of arcade flight behavior!