The Importance of Safety within FPV Drone Flying

First-Person View (FPV) drones have revolutionized the way enthusiasts experience the world of aerial photography, racing, and exploration. These nimble and maneuverable devices, equipped with cameras that stream real-time video to a pilot's goggles or screen, provide an immersive flight experience similar to sitting in the cockpit of a small aircraft. However, with the exhilarating freedom of flight comes a significant responsibility to ensure safety. This blog post delves into the critical aspects of safety when flying FPV drones, an essential topic for both novice and experienced pilots, and ends with a little real-life story of a resident who first got angry and then suddenly changed his mind.

Understanding the Risks

FPV drones, while incredibly fun and engaging, can pose various risks if not handled properly. These risks include:

1. Personal Injury: High-speed drones can cause serious injuries to both the pilot and bystanders if they crash.
2. Property Damage: A drone crashing into a car, building, or other property can result in significant damage and financial liability.
3. Privacy Concerns: Unintentional recording of private properties or individuals can lead to privacy violations and legal issues.
4. Wildlife Disturbance: Drones can disturb wildlife, especially in protected areas, leading to potential harm to animals and birds.
5. Airspace Violations: Unauthorized flying in restricted airspace, such as near airports or military bases, can result in severe legal consequences and pose risks to manned aircraft.

Key Safety Practices

To mitigate these risks, FPV drone pilots should adhere to several key safety practices:

1. Know the Regulations

Understanding and complying with local aviation regulations is paramount. Different countries and regions have specific laws governing where and how drones can be flown. Familiarize yourself with these rules to avoid legal troubles. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides clear guidelines for recreational and commercial drone use.

2. Pre-Flight Checks

Before every flight, perform a thorough pre-flight check. Ensure that the drone's battery is fully charged, the propellers are secure and undamaged, and the camera and video transmission system are functioning correctly. Also, check the weather conditions to avoid flying in adverse weather, which can lead to loss of control.

3. Fly in Safe Locations

Choose safe and open areas away from people, buildings, and restricted zones. Parks, fields, and dedicated drone flying areas are ideal. Always maintain a safe distance from crowds, traffic, and wildlife.

4. Maintain Line of Sight

Even though FPV flying involves viewing through goggles or a screen, maintaining a direct line of sight with your drone is crucial. This helps in better situational awareness and allows you to quickly regain control in case of video feed loss or other technical issues.

5. Use a Spotter

Having a spotter, someone who can keep an eye on the drone while you focus on the FPV feed, adds an extra layer of safety. The spotter can alert you to potential hazards and help in maintaining visual contact with the drone.

6. Emergency Procedures

Learn and practice emergency procedures, such as executing a controlled landing if you lose control or experience technical problems. Familiarize yourself with the fail-safe features of your drone, such as return-to-home functions, which can automatically bring the drone back to its takeoff point in case of signal loss.

How I was training before attending reallife FPV

In the beginning, I bought a DJI FPV drone, which has all the necessary sensors to prevent the drone from crashing. I practiced a lot with it and later I started to build my own custom FPV drones. Well, building doesn't mean flying. So after I built one, I started training on the simulator I had Liftoff install to train for about 15 hours, and then I went to a local event with people flying FPV drones. I completely understand why flying right at the beginning is wrong, because the flying experience, the controllers are completely different to use.

The resident who got angry

It was in the summer where I went with friends for a weekend to the Black Forest located in Germany. After we arrived there, we wanted to go flying before it got dark to see the environment a little better and to explore and see the beauty of it's mountains.We were about 50 meters away from a resident who had his own hotel. We did not even fly near his hotel. We flew around the mountains very high and also saw the landscape with the lakes.Suddenly a man of about 35 years of age came towards us, looked angry and said that we were disturbing him and his guests, that the guests had noticed a loud drone. Also, the place we were in was private. He was very aggressive and threatened to get his dogs, which turned out to be very large and aggressive bulldogs. Not a good surprise.After some back and forth, he looked at my drone and goggles. He asked curiously if it was a drone you could see in VR. Of course it is not virtual, it is real, but I gave a quick answer that meant yes. He was excited. I kept telling him that we were not flying to the hotel, but to the mountains and nature.In the end he apologized for his behavior because he found it fascinating what we were doing there. So the evening ended. At the end he came with the dogs, but of course he did not attack us.