Flying FPV drones - what they are and which model to choose for learning to fly
FPV drone flying - a new form of entertainment
Flying with a first-person view or FPV (first-person-view) is a way to get to the bottom of the world. first person view) is one of the most exciting and immersive ways to fly a drone, which is gaining popularity. The feel and experience is completely different from that known from standard drone control. In addition to entertainment and adrenaline, this latest form of flying has opened up opportunities in various fields, such as search and rescue missions and inspections or military targets. Today, FPV drones are not limited to self-built custom drones.
Without any technical knowledge, you can purchase ready-to-fly drones, connect them wirelessly with FPV goggles and provide an exciting flight experience. If you want to learn more about flying FPV drones, this article is for you.FPV racing drone takes you - the pilot, mainly your visual awareness into the housing of a fast, agile and precise drone with a camera. Gives you a completely new and inspiring view of the world around you that only FPV pilots can see. My first thoughts when I tried my hand with FPV were "wow, it feels like a bird.". The only visual stimulus you receive is the image from the camera of the drone you fly. Something wonderful.
Currently, there are several FPV techniques:
- racing photography - smooth, cinematic flying,
- freestyle - fast flying along with performing acrobatics,
- for fun - free flying between obstacles.
- racing - flying on a pre-built track in the shortest possible time. Each has its own exciting aspects and there is a community to help you on your journey
How the FPV drone works
The principle of FPV drones is very simple. The model itself is no different from a regular model like DJI, Autel. The basic configuration includes an FPV camera, which is connected to a video transmitter that wirelessly transmits video from the camera. This signal can be received by any device, in this case by FPV goggles in which we see the image from the camera.
To build or not to build, that is the question...
At the beginning? Not. Do you want to start learning about parts: motors, frames, receivers, transmitters, controllers, cameras? Once you've researched the market, searched where you can find all of this, you'll know how much you'll have to wait for all of these parts (they probably won't be purchased in one store). Let's not forget the technical side - learning how everything works, assembling and soldering. You probably want to fly right away, expect "instant gratification". In that case, a cheap FPV drone, is the perfect solution to see if you like it, if you catch the bug. More and more very sensible off-the-shelf FPV drone solutions are appearing on the market, several manufacturers have unveiled great and durable designs. A word of warning - you will definitely crash your drone, many, many times. There are harmless falls, and then there are those in which one of the parts doesn't survive the failure, or the cable comes loose, or you break off the antenna. If you don't know your way around electronics, you may not know how to perform a repair.
Finished FPV drones, and especially the brand BetaFPV, has very easy to replace parts. By going through the process of repairing your first FPV ready drone, as a beginner, you will understand the operation of the drone and the different parts - how they work with each other, as well as how to fix anything that might break down.
Which FPV racing drone to learn to fly
Yes, as I mentioned earlier. You will crash your drone more than once. It's like learning to ride a bike. We believe that for learning to fly FPV, you should choose a drone that meets the following objectives:
- Easy to repair - preferably all components (motors, camera) can be changed without soldering.
- Availability of parts to repair the drone - it is important that there are spare propellers, cases (most important), motors.
- Affordable - in case of complete damage or loss, we will not spend another several thousand on new equipment. It is important to remember that at the beginning we make the most mistakes.
- Easy to use
- Small size - ability to fly indoors and outdoors.
Many people who wanted to start the adventure of flying chose the longer and, in our opinion, inferior way - building their own drone. Why? The time it takes to complete, set up and configure the equipment is much longer and more expensive and in the end we don't even know if we will like it. You may say "but I like and know how to tinker and know electronics. Better to assemble the equipment yourself.". We do not discourage your own construction, but the question is whether this form of flying is for you and whether after a few flights the equipment will not end up in the closet.
If you want to build a drone yourself after all, I think it's better to buy a ready-to-fly model for home training first, and then think about building a second larger model. Flying on a finished design we will gather experience and it will be easier to specify what we expect from our race.
The first model that meets all the assumptions is the whoop model, which has built-in engines and propellers which makes the whole structure very safe from numerous damages. This is a drone that surprised me a lot, my attitude was very skeptical, but I quickly changed my mind. This little model is a lot of fun and I very often fly it around my apartment and office learning and having fun with it.
Ready-to-fly, spare parts and easy-to-use racing drone BetaFPV Starter Kit V2 equipped with brush motors. Just charge the batteries and you can fly! The model, through built-in propellers is very safe and resistant to any collisions with furniture, walls, cables and other objects that will serve as your virtual track at home.
For those who have already had the opportunity to fly FPV drones or want more powerful equipment, we recommend the racing drone version BetaFPV Advanced Kit V2, which has brushless motors.The drone features more power compared to the Standard version making it necessary to "feel" the gas to be able to fly freely indoors. Due to its more powerful engines, the model will perform better when flying in open terrain. FrSky protocol-based apparatus will allow us to connect it to another drone in the future. Want to own two drones we do not need to invest in a new radio and goggles.
How to fly an FPV drone?
Be careful! When flying FPV with goggles, we deliver quite a sensation to the brain, which may initially affect vagus disorders. During the first flights, we recommend that you sit comfortably. If you feel dizzy, put down your goggles and rest for a while. After a few flights, the effect of dizziness will no longer occur. If you are a novice operator it is worth starting the "level" mode, that is, with stabilization. In this mode, the gyroscope will work. Each swing of the stick will also swing the drone, but it will return to level. Once you have mastered flying in this mode, it is worth switching to "acro," or without stabilization, where you should already stay, or temporarily choose "race_a," a combination of ACRO and LEVEL mode. In RACE-A mode, the drone will stabilize only in the Roll axis (side-to-side flight), while in the Pitch axis (forward and backward flight) the acro mode will already work.
Successful flights!