If you’re looking to get started with a drone transmitter to either bind to your first drone or to use in a simulator for practice then this post might be for you.
A lot of people don’t know where to start in FPV. The best advice I can give, after spending tens of thousands of dollars on drones and parts is to start with a radio and a simulator.
The Importance Of Learning In a FPV Sim
Learning to fly is like learning to ride a bike. It’s really difficult at the beginning because, well, this is one of the most unnatural things you can do with yourself! Even if you’ve flown a Mavic or similar in the past, FPV is a completely different beast.
Some great reasons to learn in a sim:
1: It’s cheap – A radio and a sim can be had for under $200 in most cases. I recommend the Boxer by Radiomaster because it’s an all around excellent radio that also happens to be very inexpensive. It comes in a few different options, a 4-in-1 which runs basic protocols or a version with ELRS which has been the rage lately. If I were starting today, I’d grab the ELRS model simply because the performance is fantastic. Bottom line is the radio is something like $150 and a sim like Velocidrone can be had for $18. If that price scares you, then FPV might not be for you.
2: It’s realistic – There are a bunch of different FPV sims on the market today, but the one that I love the most is Velocidrone. It’s been my main stay for over 6 years! A lot of the newer sims are really pretty looking with excellent graphics, but this isn’t about that at all. The sim is for training so you can learn how to fly, AND how to crash. Believe it or not there is a way to crash gracefully, and the best way to learn all of this is with a REALISTIC simulator.
3: You can be great FAST – There are pilots that fly every day for years that still can’t do basic maneuvers. While there is nothing wrong with that, I believe that if you want to be great, you have to push yourself HARD. That means drilling moves, and practice practice practice! The sim is perfect for that because it is super fast an easy to jump in, even for 5 minutes a day! Think about it, you can take off, crash, and repeat 20 times within a few minutes of flying…. try getting away with that in real life! If you fly a lot in the sim, you can become an excellent pilot SUPER FAST!
My last big point on doing things this way…. You’re buying a radio that is future proofed so that you can use this to transition to a real quad(s) in the future. That means getting used to the radio, how it works, what the gimbals are like, and dialing things in like rates before you step outside. That is a HUGE advantage! Not only that but you’re also leveling the playing field and blurring the lines between a simulation and the real thing — so when you get in the air for real — it’s all second nature and it doesn’t require nearly as much thought or concentration.
If you want to check out the recommended radio, click here to get started.