What is FPV Quadcopter Racing?

What is FPV Quadcopter Racing?

FPV is first person view. Ever wanted to miniaturize yourself and ride on an eagle? Or a flying dog perhaps? I won't go there, that movie creeps me out a bit. Anyway, FPV not only enables you to fly like an eagle, it puts you in full command of our 3 dimensions in space. Power, RC power.

If you were ever afraid of flying RC, or tried and failed. FPV may be your answer. Due to mental spatial relations, and changes in direction and attitude, flying line of site RC is very difficult. When the aircraft is heading away, you have the same perspective as the aircraft. When it turns or is returning, your brain needs to adjust for that before making corrections.

I'm a great line of site pilot, fixed wing and multirotor. I can tell you from experience that flying a fixed wing vs a quad is day, and night. Flying an RC airplane is easy by comparison. A plane is non-symmetrical. You have visual cues that help your brain to process the craft's configuration in flight, to help you make the quick left, right, up down corrections and inputs to keep yourself aloft.

Multirotors are mostly symmetrical, and more compact in shape. At a distance there is really no way to tell the aircraft's attitude, or direction. You must depend on seeing what direction it is headed to decide what corrections to make.

FPV eliminates all of the mental spatial relations issues, because you are "In the Craft." Up is always up, right is always right, you get it. Though it is still difficult to learn to fly FPV, in the grand scheme it opens up the sport to many more people. FPV eliminates the most difficult part of RC flying in its entirety. Your perspective. When I fly fixed wing, I always "put myself" in the craft, to help my brain to fly it. FPV, sweet.

21st Century Super Sport

As we close in on the future, I envision the days of pumping gallons and gallons of Nitromethane into top fuel drag cars will be a thing of the past. Pushing the envelope, or so it has been called is an obsession of mankind. Chuck Yeager perhaps epitomizes this. Without going off on a huge tangent, lets just say that we have a "Need for Speed", and a need to break speed records, to go faster. Hence the top fuel drag cars, The Bell X-1, etc. Here's the current 163.5mph multirotor record

Chuck Yeager and the X-1

I'm a bit of a motorcycle fanatic. I have ridden dirt bikes and mostly Kawasaki Ninjas my whole life. And not so much without injury. I won't go into that. I have speed issues.

What if you could experience such things virtually, but in reality. Not like lame virtual reality. But real speed, in real life. YOU CAN:

What freaking rules about FPV quadcopter racing

  • Speed - You can get 100mph quads for less than my winter electric bill
  • Get your game on - Video gamers, your gaming skillset puts you way ahead in the game
  • Skills - It's programming, electronics, dexterity, ingenuity, and agility
  • It's Safe - If you are flying responsibly, absolutely no one is going to die
  • The Park - I love the park, the micro revolution opens up the park for no danger flying
  • The Community - Local clubs are everywhere - Go Fort Collins, cheers Tiny Whoop
  • It is Wicked Cool - Quads are tricked out, skinned out, goggles are stickered out, it's an expression of yourself and what you love doing
  • Bragging Rights - If you are sick, if you rip, bragging rights are assumed
  • It's about Fun - The community is very supportive and focused on "Just having fun" and promoting the sport, this makes entering the sport less uncomfortable to a beginner
  • Fast Evolving - This sport is evolving at an exponential rate
  • The whole Package - It's Endor speeder bike sick, it's at no personal risk, it's challenging, it's rewarding, and most importantly: Anyone can learn to fly!

The video that started it all

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