right so ive been on simulators for probably 3 months, mostly liftoff and velocidrone, and i feel decent on basic stuff like split S and loose power loops but whenever i take it to the field on my actual quad everything falls apart. the quad is a self built 5inch with f7 stack running betaflight 4.4, rates are pretty close to what i use in sim.

the split S specifically ? in sim i can do them pretty consistently through gaps but in real life i always either gain too much altitude on the pull or i just panic and flatten out early. i dont know if its a rates thing or a tune thing or just a me thing. my PIDs are basically the default betaflight tune with minor adjustments, nothing fancy. been flying maybe 6 months total so im not a total beginner but definitely not smooth yet. someone told me to lower my rates to build muscle memory but that seems backwards to me, wouldnt lower rates just make everything feel sluggish

the sim to real gap is brutal and almost everybody goes through it. the thing with split S specifically is that in sim you dont really feel the altitude loss anxiety so you commit fully. in real life your brain goes nope halfway through and you bail early. its not your rates, its just exposure. do them high up where you have room to mess up, like way higher than feels necessary, until the motion is automatic. then bring it lower gradually.

the advice about lowering rates isnt totally wrong but its not really about that either. what you actually want is consistent rates you trust so you stop thinking about the input and just fly. default betaflight rates are kind of all over the place depending on version anyway, id look up what your favorite pilots are running and try something closer to that.

gaining altitude on the pull just means youre not cutting throttle before you initiate the flip. classic mistake, sim doesnt really punish you for it the same way. throttle down first, then flip, then manage on the way out. sounds obvious but it took me forever to actually do it consistently in the field