Jumping into FPV (HOWTO)

Hello folks

            We have now a references doing article about FPV here. Alex (IbCrazy) is well known in the RC and FPV middle and a references when it comes to air wave, radio frequency and antennas. Many of the best antennas on the market came from him, not sure if he is the designer, but, one thing I'm quite sure is that we own him the fact that they are available on the market!

Here are its first article well rated already

http://flitetest.com/articles/How_to_be_successful_in_FPV_Part_1_What_is_FPV_

http://flitetest.com/articles/How_to_be_successful_in_FPV_part_2_Choosing_an_airplane
http://flitetest.com/articles/How_to_be_successful_in_FPV_part_3_The_Video_System

            Still, I wanted to give some hint on how to jump in FPV, when you have your craft (multi-rotor or plane) ready to fly and when you want to do your first flight.

1. Learn to fly LOS (Line Of Sight)

            Yes, flying in FPV is easier than flying LOS. But, you better start to learn to fly LOS for a couple of reason. If you don't know how to fly your craft, you probably don't know how that plane behaves in the air, and how it react, then, it will be harder to predict the flight behavior of the craft when you’re in it. By flying LOS, first, you will practice your pilot skill and the most important, learn how to tune your how you like and what is tuning a craft. 

            For a plane, you will learn how it fly, how it reacts in the air, how it float or not, if he is nose or tail heavy. How it fly in the wind, etc.

            For a multi-rotor, same-thing, how it hover, how it react to the stick, What kind of speed it can have in fast forward and when going up in the sky, 

            You will get used to your battery life time, etc. Before to even fly FPV, you need to know how to fly. 

2. Put your FPV equipment on but, test your LOS flight

            Now that you have learned and get confident to fly LOS, you will add a SIMPLE FPV equipment on your craft. You will then add some weight that will affect the craft. The CG still needs to be respected with the new weight. So, you have to know if the craft still fly well. So, just a couple of flight test will re-assure you about the new craft flight characteristics.

3. Make sure your video reception is good

            While you're going to do the step 2, it's a good idea to have a friend that will check your video signal while you do test your craft with some FPV equipment. Just to make sure your video is good in LOS.

            Now, you know your craft, you know how it flies, you have confident in the craft, you are ready to jump in... Do you know how the ground looks from the sky?

4. Select the FPV terrain carefuly

            When you going to jump in, you going to see the ground from the sky, and this is a totally and completely new way to see things, and, it's easy to get lost if you don't know your area. So, do some spotting to have some good references point. A river, a road, the sun, a tree line, all you can think of that will help you to know where your craft is in the sky compare to your location on the ground. Stay close, remembre, You Start.

            Also, the terrain need to be a wide open space, a field, with nothing on it, no obstacle, less tree as possible, to avoid any danger to hurt someone or broke something in case of something gone bad. 

5. Have a spotter

            A spotter will make you lazy to learn how to situate yourself, because you will rely on him to know where you are in the sky. Still, this is one of the most important thing to have someone to look at your plane while you fly, mostly the first time. He will tell you if you go or come back, if you are high or too low, etc.

6. Ready, Jump in... Completely

            The really first time people do their first flight, one common error people do is to look at the plane LOS, and then, look onto the screen/goggle to see how it goes and switch and... This is the best way to have something going wrong... That why I strongly recommend flying with goggle cause it's harder to switch between the LOS plane and the screen. Just put them and go for it. First time will be really scary. But, you can't do 2 things at the same time, its LOS or FPV, not both.

7. Now, fly

            Now that everything is ready, plane, a SIMPLE FPV equipment, you have your spotter, your video equipment is reliable, you're in a wide and clear area, it's time to jump in and fly. 

            With a plane, I believe that the easiest way is to jump in in flight, you put the plane in the air, then, when it float or climb, you put your goggle on and stay in it, if in the meantime, something happen, you should have the time to take it back and since you already know how the plane fly, it will be easy for you to apply the correction. Of course, the feeling and stress is huge and the way to control the craft is more intuitive. You are not use to it, but, you will get it real quick. After that, landing with goggle is easier than LOS.

            For a multi-rotor, it's not the same. I strongly suggest lifting up and landing with the goggle on. So, you lift up, take some security altitude and go forward. DON'T TRY TO HOVER. In FPV with multi-rotor, it's quite hard to know if you climb or go down, as well if you go to the side or backward. So, take some security altitude and then, GO FORWARD. 

8. Don't go far

            It's your first flight or the beginning of your FPV career, don’t go crazy. You gain confidence, you enjoy it, it's cool, stay close, play securely, stay in the range of your spotter, LOS. Turn around, and get back. Don't fly too long; be sure to not reach your battery limit. 

            Finally, have fun. Like IbCrazy would say, in FPV, it's not a matter of if you will crash, but, when you will crash. Don't worry, you will crash, and this is not important, fix it, check your stuff, and try back. Even experienced FPV flyer crash. 

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