so anyway i finally went to one of those informal meetups a few weekends ago, just like 6 or 7 people at a big open field outside town and honestly it was a completely different experience. like i've been flying solo for almost two years and you get used to it but there's something about having other people around who actually know what youre looking at when your quad does something weird. one guy there helped me figure out why my rates felt off after the last betaflight update, took him like 3 minutes. would have taken me days of youtube rabbit holes. also just watching other peoples flying styles gives you so much to think about. definitely going to start making these a regular thing if i can find more of them locally

100% agree. i learned more in one afternoon at a group fly than in like 6 months of watching videos. theres just no substitute for standing next to someone whos been doing this for years and having them watch your stick inputs and go "yeah there's your problem"

honestly depends on the group lol. went to one that was basically just a bunch of guys standing around talking about gear they wanted to buy and hardly anyone actually flew. but when you find a good one yeah its great, the one i go to semi regularly we usually do informal races nothing serious just for fun and someone always brings food which helps