So You Want To Be A Drone Racing Pilot?…

One of the fastest growing segments of the model aviation industry is the use of First Person View, or FPV, on drones for racing and other applications.

At the AMA Expo West in Ontario, CA, ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell spoke to Derek Sachtleben, Associate Brand Manager for Blade at Horizon Hobby, about how to get into FPV flying.

Sachtleben said that there are a lot of younger people getting into FPV drones and drone racing using aircraft ranging in sizes from the palm of your hand to larger, purpose-built racing drones. He said that the rapid pace of technological changes is driving the growth in the sector. 

Sachtleben says that racing is very demanding on the machines as well as the electronics, and companies are always looking for ways to increase speed of the aircraft, as well as more responsive controllers that can respond to the rapid inputs that drone racing demands. "That's really pushed the industry to grow and develop. They used to do maybe 50 to 60 miles per hour around the course. Now they're pushing 80 to 85."

Adding FPV to the mix also adds to the complexity, he said.

Sachtleben also goes into some of the specifics of how the systems work, from controlling motor speeds to getting video from the aircraft to the FPV goggles and monitors normally found around the courses. 

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