We love sharing drones and teaching others about their capabilities and bringing new people into the hobby. We also enjoy assisting professionals understand what's needed to safely, and legally, run a drone operation.

No matter if you freestyle on the weekends, place top in the country in a race league, or make a living off your drone business - we all started with zero knowledge. So that's where we'll start.

This is not intended for those who already know what's going on. There will be things I leave out intentionally, or maybe some half-truths or not-fully answered items. That knowledge will come with time and experience.

 

Where do I start?

If you only read one of these, make it this one...
This question is a good one, because it shows you realize you don't know the things you don't know. So here's the quick overview, then I'll give some solid suggestions on your first steps to do as you get into the hobby.
Drones are awesome. They're fun. Also, they are tools. Also, they can be dangerous. There are laws that govern all drones outdoors by the FAA. Some drones are hard to control. Some are very easy to control with things you already have like a smartphone, or even your voice. Some are cheap, and some will make you cry because of the price. Socially, drones are often misunderstood. Sometimes they are also demonized because of a small few people do dumb public things with them. (Don't be one of those)

So where do you start?
"Through God and Youtube, all things are possible."
Internet is accessible from everywhere, and everything is searchable. Use it to your advantage. You will undoubtedly come across a few of the very well known youtubers that will get you further than any online post would. So bookmark Joshua Bardwell, Mads Tech, Chris Rosser, and others. Bardwell is especially geared for those new in the hobby and he covers pretty much everything.

Find a group. I get that facebook is for old people now, but really - there's a group for everything. Find one local to you and ask questions. Find a meetup with a local drone group and just be there to absorb knowledge.

The summary is this: surround yourself with people who know what you want to know. Ask all the questions without fear. No one started life knowing everything, and the only way to learn is to ask.

 

 

What gear should I get?

You need three things to fly FPV. A Drone, a transmitter, and goggles. (I count batteries as part of the drone - don't forget those) Get your transmitter first. Why? Because you maybe shouldn't be flying a drone yet.
Assuming you want to get into FPV flying, you really should be using a simulator first. Thankfully, there are some good cheap transmitters that will connect to your computer, allowing you to practice flying in a simulator, and then later you will be able to use that same transmitter for your actual drones.

Transmitter suggestion: Radiomaster Pocket
This transmitter is cheap[ ($65) and runs EdgeTX - which is the same software as many of the other modern transmitters available for drone use. (NOT DJI Camera drones)

 

 

Simulator? Which one?

There's a ton. Pick one. The differences don't matter much when you are starting, but here's my take on a few:

Liftoff (Steam):
Great sim with low graphics it runs pretty easily on a low end computer or laptop. Will give you the basic concepts of flying. Good Multiplayer support as well.

TRYP FPV and Uncrashed (Steam):
I lump these together because I think they're very similar. Both have very nice graphics and lots of options and good tracks. If you need good graphics to keep your attention, try these out.

The Drone Racing League Simulator (Steam):
You may have watched DRL on ESPN2 in past years - well this is the game behind it. Tons of tracks, and good visuals. The gamification is top notch. Worth the download, but if you race with the standard DRL racers, know they are supposed to be modeled from the real 7in quads - so they are a bit slower and will fly different from lighter/faster quads. This isn't good or bad, just something to be aware of.

Velocidrone (https://velocidrone.com/):
Thinking about racing? This is it. Get this. Graphics aren't as nice as others, and physics are 'good enough' for racing, but it mimics racing better than every other sim out there. At least for MultiGP like racing.

No matter which one you go with, the main complaint about EVERY sim is that they don't properly simulate the feel of a drone. There's always something off about the gravity, 'fling-ability', dropoff, or power output compared with the real thing. This is despite each sim having their own versions of custom tweakability of these settings.

Overall, your goal of a simulator in the early stages isn't to perfectly replicate how a drone flies, but instead how you fly a drone. It's about understanding the controls. Learning about throttle management, relationship of yaw to camera tilt, how to maneuver around objects, and how to build muscle memory on basic flying skills. All of the sims I listed above will do that for you.

 

 

What kind of drone should I get?/What kinds of drones are there?

Drones are like cars. When someone asks you what kind of car they should get, your first questions should be "What do you need it for?". Maybe you want a race car with tons of power and performance. Maybe you want a pickup truck with lots of utility. Minivan to carry lots of stuff really far away? Maybe you don't actually need a car at all? Same applies to drones.

I categorize drones into a few categories, each with a few caveats or sub-categories:

 

Camera Drones
DJI has the market on these. Mavics, Phantoms, and even some of their FPV offerings fall into this category. These typically are not FPV, and usually have a dedicated controller just for that platform. Do you need nice, stable video of something? These are great options and probably what you need. They carry nice camera sensors with longer flight times, usually with built-in security/safety sensors. These are usually the most hands-off kind of drone flying you can do.

FPV Drones
Ahh, the bread-and-butter of this DFWFPV group. Does it have a camera on it that sends a feed to your goggles? Cool, it's FPV then. But wait... Is it a tiny whoop? Whoop? 5inch? 3inch? 2.5inch? 7inch? x class? Race or freestyle quad? It has a DJI air unit in it, but I thought DJI was camera drone? Wait, there's different video systems?

Even within this category, there's lots of options. The main thing to consider is if you want to fly camera style with FPV (Like the DJI Avata), fly tricks (custom built 5in is the standard), specialized cinematic (Larger drones to carry heavy weight cameras), or maybe a race quad. One of the best beginner drones you can get is a tiny whoop. These are small, light, and tons of fun. The trade off is that they aren't as easy to work on and fix when something goes wrong.

Commercial Rigs
Need to haul something big? Maybe a farming drone used to spread fertilizer? Search and rescue operations maybe? Here you go. If this is really what you need, you're probably not reading this.

Toy Drones
If you can buy it at Walmart, that's the kind I classify as a toy drone. We don't deal with these here - but it's worth noting that according to the FAA, these are still considered aircraft so follow the same regulations as other drones. (Or Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) as the FAA calls it)

 

First drone Bind and Fly (BNF) or Build?

There use to be an issue that BNF was costly to get. Honestly the markup now isn't that much. Some argue that to really get into the hobby you should build your first drone. Don't listen to them. Here's why:

You are going to break your quad. It will happen.

When it does, you will have to fix it. So, If you decide to build your first quad you may take a long time to do it, or maybe you'll even break the parts before you fly it. You may get discouraged and quit. Or maybe you'll build it wrong and it will fly really badly.
Meanwhile if you start with something that is proven to fly, you will start having fun and learning the whole point of this right away. The ability to fix and build can come over time.

We build to fly. So get to flying as soon as possible.

 

 

Where should I go for parts?

Not a lot of words on this one, just some links in no particular order

Wrekd
Pyrodrone
FlyFive33
RacedayQuads
Newbiedrone
Brain3D (3D Prints)

 

 

What laws do I need to know about?

Where can I fly?
Short version:

 

• Never fly higher than 400 feet
• FPV pilots always need a visual observer next to them
• Never fly farther than line of sight
  
• Never fly over people, or over moving vehicles
• Don't fly at night
• Do not fly in controlled airspace unless you understand the rules, and how to use the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)
• Recreational pilots need their TRUST certificate with them
  • TRUST is free and online
• Commercial operations need their 107 license
  • 107 is an FAA UAS Pilot Certificate issues by the FAA and requires a practical test
• Drones over 250g need to be registered and have Remote ID. That registration number has to be labeled on the exterior of the drone
• No Remote ID is needed if flying in an FAA Recognized Identification Area (FRIA)
• All drones being flown for a 107 operation need to be registered and have Remote ID - regardless of weight
• Generally, the FAA is the only entity that can enforce regulations in the air. However, local laws can govern where you take off and land. In other words, there is no 'private airspace'. This doesn't account for FAA regulations about restricted airspaces.
  • Just because you can fly in some areas doesn't mean local police know that - and they may confront or even arrest you.

Pick open areas, and know if you are in controlled airspace and what you need to do to fly there. It takes time to know all these things, but if you fly responsibly then it will probably never be an issue where you fly. If you NEED to break one of those rules, like flying over people or at night, then there are waivers you can submit to the FAA to grant permission for that operation. That's far beyond the scope of this.

Looking for a place to fly in DFW? Here you go: http://map.dfwfpv.club

"Shut up and tell me solid answers!"

OK... Here's what I tell new people over and over.

 

1. Get an ELRS Radiomaster Pocket. It's $65, and low commitment.
2. Download Liftoff and practice while you research.
3. If you don't like flying like you thought, sell the Pocket and make $50 back.
   1. If you like it: Research what kind of flying you want to do.
4. Buy Goggles. HDZero if you intend to race. The new HDZero Box goggles are a GREAT option at a lower cost. If you don't plan to exclusively race, go with DJI. If you can afford the Goggles 3, do it. Otherwise the cheaper N3s or the Integra's will do the trick. Walksnail is worth a mention here - they are swinging at DJI for some great quality and options - so if you hate DJI for whatever reason, do some research on Walksnail - but I still think DJI is a better option overall.
5. Buy an ELRS Bind and Fly quad. If I had to recommend one for overall FPV, it would be an iFlight Nazgul. It's tried and true, there's tons of parts available out there, and iFlight has a lot of options for you to customize. They also have all their software settings online, so if you need to reset it quickly, you can.
6. Buy extra parts. At least a few arms, and one extra motor. Buy a solder iron. Portable one is ok. Do some youtubing on how to solder. You WILL break your quad and have to fix it at some point. Know that it will happen, and that's ok.
7. Take your TRUST test, research the regulations.

 

If you still have beginner questions, comment below, or join our DFWFPV Discord and ask away in there. We're happy to help and even jump in a voice chat.
Discord: https://dc.dfwfpv.club

Welcome to the hobby. Say goodbye to your money. Meet people, have fun. Fly Good, Don't Suck #FGDS and #GoBeAwesome.

https://dfwfpv.club