so ive been building out a small backyard track and im trying to figure out how tight i can make the gate spacing before it just becomes unflyable for anyone who isn't already pretty dialed in. right now my longest straight is maybe 15 meters before i have a 180 turn and then immediately two gates close together like maybe 4 meters apart. my buddy came over last weekend and could not make it through without clipping at least one every pass.

im running a 5 inch freestyle build not really a dedicated race quad so i know thats part of it but i still feel like 4 meters should be manageable at moderate throttle. maybe the gates are slightly offset? i built them out of PVC and pool noodles so they're not exactly precision engineered lol. wondering if anyone has done small backyard tracks and what spacing actually works for people who arent pros

4 meters is pretty tight honestly especially if theres any offset or angle to the gates. when i built my first backyard setup i kept them at like 6-7 meters minimum and even then it felt cramped on a 5 inch. the thing is when youre actually flying at speed your brain is processing a lot and a gate that looks fine walking up to it feels like a keyhole at 60kph. id suggest spreading them out a bit and then slowly tightening over a few sessions once you and your buddies get the line dialed. also check that both gates are exactly the same height off the ground, that messes people up more than the spacing sometimes

yeah i had the same issue at my place. turned out one of my gates had a lean to it from the wind and it was just enough to throw off the line. also freestyle quads dont handle the same as a proper race build, the tune is totally different and youre fighting the quad a bit through tight sections. not saying thats your whole problem but it doesnt help