Betaflight modes: ARM, Angle, Air mode and turtle on a switch

A mode is not a setting with one value. It is a list of ranges. Each range names a permanent mode id, an AUX channel (AUX1 is channel 0) and a start and end. FlySpark draws that as a band on a 900 to 2100 µs ruler. Saving writes the ranges back with the rest of the save bar.

Two ranges on the same mode are allowed when the firmware has free slots. On Betaflight the extra data for a slot is a logic value: OR means any matching range turns the mode on, AND means this range must also be true. The default logic is OR. A linked id makes the slot follow another mode instead of a raw stick position, which is the Follows mode control.

ARM arms the motors. Disarming stops them at once. Put ARM on a switch you cannot bump, usually a two-position switch at the end of its travel, and confirm the ACTIVE mark appears only in that position.

PREARM is a second switch that must be on before ARM works, so a single bump cannot spin the motors. Leave Prearm off until you are ready, then Prearm, then ARM. PARALYZE permanently disables arming until the flight controller reboots. Race marshals use it. Do not put it on a switch you might hit in the air.

With no self-level mode on, the craft is in acro: the sticks command rotation rate. ANGLE is self-level. The sticks set an angle and the craft returns to level when the stick is centred. HORIZON is self-level near the centre and full acro flips at the stick ends. The strength of those two modes, and the angle limit, live on the PID tab, not on the mode card. The PID tuning page covers those sliders.

HEADFREE keeps stick directions relative to the pilot, whichever way the craft faces. HEADADJ sets a new forward direction for Headfree. Acro trainer, on firmware that reports it, is acro with an angle limit so you can learn rate mode without flipping over. The angle limit for that trainer is a PID setting, 10 to 80 degrees, shown when the firmware has the field.

AIR MODE keeps full PID control at zero throttle, which is what makes flips and rolls work at low throttle. Many quads leave it on for the whole flight. Betaflight also has an Air mode feature and a start-throttle on the Receiver tab: while that feature is on, Air mode stays off until throttle reaches the threshold, then stays on until you disarm. A threshold of 0 turns it on as soon as you arm. The mode switch and the feature are different controls. Set the one your firmware is actually using.

ANTI GRAVITY raises the I term during fast throttle changes so the craft holds its attitude. The help text says it is usually always on. FLIP OVER AFTER CRASH is turtle mode: it spins the motors backwards to flip the craft upright. It needs DShot and ESCs that can reverse. Motor direction and the protocol are on the Motors tab.

GPS RESCUE climbs and flies back towards home. It needs a GPS fix and the rescue settings on the Failsafe tab, which the GPS and GPS Rescue page goes through. Putting the mode on a switch does not by itself set the return altitude.

The FAILSAFE mode forces a failsafe as if the receiver signal was lost. Use it on the ground, with props off, to see what the craft will do. It is not the switch you fly with. VTX PIT MODE puts the video transmitter in low-power pit mode. The power table and pit behaviour are on the Video TX page.

INAV uses the same range editor and a different set of permanent ids. The demo reports ARM, ANGLE, HORIZON, NAV ALTHOLD, HEADING HOLD, HEADFREE, HEADADJ, NAV RTH, NAV POSHOLD, MANUAL, BEEPER, OSD OFF, AUTO TUNE, FAILSAFE, NAV WP, AIR MODE, NAV LAUNCH and TURTLE. A board with two mixer profiles also reports MIXER PROFILE 2 and MIXER TRANSITION.

NAV RTH climbs to the return altitude, flies home and lands or loiters. NAV POSHOLD holds position with GPS, and loiters on a fixed wing. NAV WP flies the waypoint mission. NAV LAUNCH is the hand or bungee launch: you arm, throw, and the motor starts once the throw is detected. Those navigation numbers are on the INAV Navigation and Mission tabs, not on the mode card. The INAV configurator is where those pages live.