A brief introduction to FPV piloting, my presentation that I performed at FPVHub Northern Meet 2013.

1. Getting Started in FPV
By Steve Woods (Steve W)
www.intothebluerc.co.uk

2. Joined FPVUK in February 2011
Lives: Humber Bridge-ish.
Current plane: FPVRaptor + X5 Wing
www.intothebluerc.co.uk
www.youtube.com/intothebluerc
www.fpvhub.com
Steve Woods (Steve W)

3. FPV is what YOU make of it – no strict requirements
Learn at your own pace, 10km is not required!
Experimentation is half of the fun! Explore!
You will spend more money than you think!
It’s a hobby, so remember to have fun!!!
Don’t stress about getting results!
Join a community – listen to people who
have already made the mistakes you’re about to make!
Some Prerequisites…

4. Getting Started
So, what is FPV?
“First Person View”:
The art of flying an RC
aircraft from the pilots-eye
view instead of watching it
fly around the sky, by
means of a camera and
video receiving equipment.
What you need:
An aircraft (it helps!)
An FPV system (video
transmitter, receiver and
camera)
A monitor or goggles to
view the video image.

5. Legality & Safety
FPV is entirely legal.
You must obey the Air
Navigation Order.
Insurance is not
mandatory but highly
recommended.
www.fpvuk.org/fpv-law
Safety first!
Don’t fly near vehicles,
cows, people or Lincoln
Cathedral ;)
Be a responsible flyer.

6. Other insurances are also available (RCHA, BMFA)
15 quid gets you £5million public liability cover
Renewed annually (or you can go elsewhere)
Not mandatory but highly recommended
Subject to FPV Legality www.fpvuk.org/fpv-law
Grants you specific exemptions from the ANO.
Instant setup at www.fpvuk.org/join
FPVUK Insurance

7. Ideally:
Easy to fly, stable by default
Able to carry a fair amount of weight
Able to withstand some enthusiasm ;)
Repairable (Foam + duct tape + hot glue =  )
Able to grow with you as you get better at FPV
A popular airframe
Choosing Your Airframe

8. Choosing your Radio Control
35MHz Band
Decent range >2km
Quite reliable but can glitch
Pilots will clash if using the
same frequency 
Long-ass-antenna that will
snap if you’re not careful!
2.4GHz Band
Less range, but still >1km
Very reliable, mostly glitch free
Uses frequency hopping to
ensure no clashing 
Small antenna, no worries
Becoming very popular
Short + Medium Range

9. Choosing your Radio Control
UHF Control Systems
Excellent range (many
kilometers)
Very reliable signal
The only real option for long
range flights
Can be quite expensive
UK Legal frequency is 459MHz
Very clean transmission band.
You can’t buy a UHF radio, it
comes as a module which you
can install in your existing
transmitter.
Longer Range

10. In the UK, you have a legal choice of:
2.4GHz, max 10mW power output
5.8GHz, max 25mW power output
Will depend on your control frequency.
Do not use 2.4GHz with 2.4GHz control!!!
Choose between legal power output and flight safety.
Video Transmission Choices

11. On-Board Video Camera
The camera you use is your
“eye in the sky” and a
critical component.
Cheap ones work!
Expensive ones do too!
WDR is brilliant in the UK
Angle it down a bit!
2.8mm lens is awesome!
What I use:
2g Nano camera
2.8mm wide angle lens

12. Video Antennae
Your choice will probably be
based on the type of FPV
flying you will be doing:
Linear Polarised for
slow, steady flying
Circularly Polarised for
aerobatics / hard banking
in the air (and is better!)
Types of antenna:
LP: Rubber duck (whip)
CP: Clover + Skew Planar

13. Video Receiving + Viewing
Goggles are fantastic, but
fairly expensive.
Monitors are cheaper but
not as mobile and don’t
give the same experience.
Ground station or in-built
module – you decide!
A completely personal
choice – no right answers.
What I use:
FatShark Dominators
Skew Planar Antenna
Built in Video
Receiver

14. FPV Aircraft:
AXN, Easy Star or similar pusher-jet
RC Control System:
Turnigy 9x on 2.4GHz
FPV System:
FirstPersonView.co.uk 5.8GHz
system including Dominator Goggles
An Ideal Beginners Setup

15. FPV Aircraft:
50 quid
RC Control System:
around 60 quid
FPV System:
around 400 quid
Cheaper than a set of golf clubs!
Buy cheap, buy twice!
An Ideal Beginners Setup

16. Important Checklist
Choose somewhere familiar so you can orient yourself in
the air – don’t crash without knowing where you are!
Make sure you can conduct
the flight safely – no cathedrals!
Plan your flight beforehand so
you don’t accidentally fly off and
lose your gear – go in circles!
Your First FPV Flight

17. What it looks like from above!
Flown with:
Multiplex EasyStar
£14.99 camera
Dominator Goggles
100mw 5.8GHz video
2.4GHz RC control
This was my live view!

18. FPV is what YOU make of it – no strict requirements
Learn at your own pace, 10km is not required!
Experimentation is half of the fun! Explore!
You will spend more money than you thought.
It’s a hobby, so remember to have fun!!!
Join a community – listen to people who
have already made the mistakes you’re about to make!
A reminder…

19. Steve W
Find me on www.fpvhub.com
Visit, and subscribe:
www.intothebluerc.co.uk
www.youtube.com/intothebluerc
Any questions?
No? Great! ;)
Thanks for watching!