FPV drones: everything you need to get started

FPV (first-person view) flight is the most exciting and immersive part of flying a drone, which is increasingly popular in the drone industry. This latest form of drone technology has opened new horizons in many fields such as FPV drone flight, drone racing, search and rescue missions, and agricultural applications. In the current situation, FPV technology is not limited to self-built, custom drones; ready-to-fly drones can be combined with FPV goggles, helmets, smartphone devices and other displays for a more colorful flight experience. If you want to learn more about FPV drone flying, FPV drone components, unique applications and professional drone recommendations, this article is for you.

What are FPV drones?
FPV drones were a huge breakthrough in the drone industry, which gives ready-to-fly (RTF) drones and FPV goggles a stable place in the drone consumer market.

The first thing to consider is how an FPV drone works. The basic FPV assembly includes an FPV drone camera, which is connected to a video transmission unit, sending live video from the drone to half of the FPV goggles, helmets, smartphone devices and other displays, opening up a new world of an unparalleled flight experience. Read on to find out more details.



FPV drone applications

FPV freestyle
Exciting maneuvers such as short flights, dives and other flight combinations have become an important aspect of drone freestyle, which is a fairly new field, attracting many professional pilots. FPV expands the boundaries of traditional drone flight, emphasizing reaction times, technical progress and freedom of the air.

Search and save
Search and rescue is an increasingly used drone application, thanks to the development of FPV technology. Search and rescue teams can assign team members with specific tasks – one pilot can focus exclusively on FPV flight – while the other camera operator can conduct independent searches using a dedicated second camera.

Agriculture
FPV drones help agricultural operations by providing a dedicated FPV stream for drone pilots. This allows the other camera or imaging device to be used for other operations, such as capturing NDVI data, mapping images, or collecting other precision data. Agricultural FPV drones also allow for easier and safer spraying as the pilot can automate the flight while monitoring the live FPV feed.

FPV drone flight
FPV systems combine radio frequency antennas, transmitters, receiver-side signal processing technology, and unique cameras to ensure that you see exactly what the drone's camera sees, giving you an amazing experience. It also gives the pilot the ability to control the drone and capture video that would be incredibly tricky to capture with conventional flight operations.



Advantages of FPV flying
FPV systems combine radio frequency antennas, transmitters, receiver-side signal processing technology, and unique cameras to ensure that you see exactly what the drone's camera sees, giving you an amazing experience. It also gives the pilot the ability to control the drone and capture video that would be incredibly tricky to capture with conventional flight operations.

Another huge advantage of FPV flying is the feeling that every twist and turn gives you through the perspective of the camera. This feeling is not only incredibly fun, but also allows the pilot to control the drone with more precision and accuracy.

When it comes to aerial photography and videography, FPV technology opens up a whole new perspective of the world. This technology helps you compose your footage and gives you more options for creating dynamic content.

RTF FPV Drones
If you are new to the world of FPV drones, and to avoid the hassle of building your own assembly, pre-assembled, ready-to-fly drone systems are for you. A ready-to-fly drone is a great choice for a beginner to learn FPV flying. You can hone your pilot's flying skills instead of running into technical problems with custom-built drones.



RTF FPV Drone Assembly:

Camera - Higher quality drone cameras contribute to better FPV transmission, offering a more consistent and satisfying flight experience. Although different drone models have different video transmission capabilities, most of them provide 720p or even 1080p live streaming for the goggles of your choice.

Transmitter - Many drones come with a dedicated transmitter or remote control that is used to transmit signals to the radio receiver on the drone. This radio receiver corresponds the pilot's commands to the drone's movements.

Display - After the camera captures the footage, the signal is sent to a transmitter on FPV goggles, helmets, smartphones or other devices, which then converts it into an image on a display. In this setup, the display consists of a smartphone device or a pair of dedicated FPV goggles. The range of the transmitter and receiver is key when choosing your FPV drone.

RTF FPV Drone Recommendations
The following RTF FPV drones are pre-configured and paired with compatible FPV goggles, offering you the easiest and fastest way to get into the air:

FPV drone racing
Drone racing is a new sport that is on the rise both at the amateur and professional level. The sport is fairly new, but due to its popularity with fans and sponsors, the official Drone Racing League (DRL) has become a regular feature on sports channels such as ESPN and Sky Sport. In this spectacle, FPV drones fly around challenging courses with the goal of completing the race as quickly as possible. In the hands of the world's most skilled pilots, FPV drone racing is an emerging and incredibly exciting spectator sport.

FPV racing drone components
Unlike RTF drones, FPV racing drones have more flexibility in terms of customization, so FPV racers have a chance to change or expand their drone according to their wishes. In this paragraph, we will review the components of racing drones and learn about FPV systems.



Flight system:

Frame - The frame is the main structure of the drone, on which the other components are mounted. The frame is usually a lightweight X-shaped section made of carbon fiber.

Motors - Motors are mounted on the arms of the frame ready to drive the propellers. Brushless motors are generally used in FPV drones because they provide high power output and efficiency.

Propellers - The majority of competition drones have 3-bladed propellers, which have different angles depending on the performance and weight of the drone. The propellers are rotated at high speed by the engines to generate thrust.

Flight Controller (FC - Flight Controller) - This is the brain of every drone. In short, it converts the inputs made by the pilot on the control sticks into signals for the electronic speed controls, taking into account data from the gyroscope and flight algorithms. The flight controller can also be connected to software to customize the drone's properties and influence how they respond to certain inputs sensed by the gyroscope.

Electronic Speed ​​Controllers (ESC - Electronis Speed ​​Controllers) - The electronic speed controller interprets the signals generated by the FC and provides the appropriate current to each motor to generate thrust. Today, 4-in-1 speed controllers are commonly used, which improve the weight and design parameters of the drone.

Power supply system:

Power Distribution Board (PDB - Power Distribution Board) - The power distribution board distributes the power from the battery to all drone components. It is especially important when applying voltage regulation to the ESC so that it can control the speed of the motors.

Batteries - Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries have a high discharge rate and energy density that makes them ideal for FPV drones. LiPo batteries are also lightweight, which makes them suitable for an FPV drone setup.

FPV system:

Transmitter - The FPV drone's transmitter converts radio signals from the remote control into actual movement of the drone's rotors, allowing the pilot to control speed, pitch, turn, and yaw. The transmitter sends commands through channels, and multi-channel FPV drones tend to be more expensive as well.

Receiver - The receiver collects the data from the transmitter and forwards the information to the FC. The VTX video transmitter is connected to your drone's camera and transmits a video signal in real time to FPV goggles, helmets and other displays.

FPV Camera - This is the component that allows you to enjoy the FPV view from your drone. The FPV camera is mounted on the drone and connected to the video transmitter.

Antenna - The antenna transmits the signal from the video transmitter and is tuned to a specific radio frequency for FPV racing drones.

FPV goggles - The video transmitter sends a signal, which is received by the antenna on the FPV goggles. The video receiver on the FPV goggles then displays this on the screen, giving the pilot an immersive experience.



Digital FPV System
If you are looking for the most complete and advanced FPV racing experience, you will find it in the DJI Digital FPV System. This system includes 4 main components: an aerial unit, an FPV camera, goggles and a remote controller. The system also includes the DJI HD Low Latency FPV Signal Transmission, which provides a delay of less than 28 ms, breathtaking HD resolution and max. It provides a signal transmission distance of 4 km. The system provides pilots with real-time responsiveness and clear HD transmission while whizzing through an FPV course. With additional features such as wide omnidirectional signal coverage and eight frequency channels, the DJI Digital FPV System will revolutionize the FPV drone experience like no one has experienced before.

Summary
FPV drones unlock the potential of your drones, allowing for increased flight accuracy and even better aerial photography. FPV drones aren't just for photography – search and rescue teams, agricultural pilots and drone racers are all snapping up FPV goggles, helmets and using FPV displays to enhance their flying experience and efficiency. Ready-to-fly drones are powerful, creative machines right out of the box, and when paired with DJI Goggles, can be transformed into immersive FPV drones that everyone can experience. With live HD FPV transmission, advanced signal transmission modules and low latency, DJI goggles provide an unparalleled FPV experience. It's about time you experienced it yourself.