Longer but more entertaining version

We get asked all the time…

“So, what drone should I build/buy first?”

Real world answer: DON’T BUILD or BUY a DRONE YET.

We actually do not recommend building or buying a drone first at all. Nada, zip, zilch. The first thing you want to do is to purchase a decent radio controller. It is a worthy investment that’ll last as long as you don’t accidentally drop it off a balcony. We recommend this:

Some will debate, why recommend a radio that is this expensive as my first radio? We simply see that a radio controller as a worthwhile, long-term investment. There is a good chance, that you’ll never need to buy another radio until you accidentally break it. Really.

The RadioMaster TX15 has more features than you’ll ever need for the first few years of your journey into the world of FPV. Heck, it’ll even fly your fixed wing and RC helis if that ever becomes an interest in the future.

Some simple words to live by:

“Buy once, or buy twice.”

It is likely that you’d want to buy right the first time – once. It is never pleasant to end up out-growing the investment quickly, and needing to buy again, soon after. We can advice you to make a wiser investment, avoiding needing to buy twice.

Now, go spend 30 hours on a simulator…

OK, maybe not 30 hours if you’re a gamer. Certainly 30 hours for the age-challenged life experienced guys 🙂
Our go-to simulator is still VelociDrone. Simply spend a good stack of hours on a simulator until your fingers bleed. Then, do it again. And again. This is where you want to make all your big mistakes.

You’re going to get angry…

Your first few hours will be frustrating. You’ll be cursing a lot. Better start pre-paying that swear jar at home. However, a moment of an elevated realisation will suddenly manifest itself. You’ll be suddenly saying – hey I got this! I’m doing it! I’m flying by thought! My fingers and sticks are doing what I’m thinking. This is one of those glorious moments in life when you transition from frustration to utter joy. Life is good.

You might not like it

There is a slim chance, that you might not like any of this. If this is where you decide to bail out. After all, you’ve only invested on a remote controller, some software, and lost a few years of your life swearing at a simulator. No great love lost.

Who are we kidding?! You’re gonna love it!

You’ll want to (you can’t wait to) build your first freestyle quad. We’ll be posting more guides soon about building your first quad, or simply buying a ready made one. In the meantime...

Is it for you?

FPV is for everyone, but it rewards curiosity, persistence and a willingness to learn. It also helps if you don’t mind picking up a soldering iron every now and then.

You’ll make mistakes, troubleshoot strange problems and probably break a few things along the way. We’re here to help and point you in the right direction, while also encouraging you to learn, experiment and build confidence for yourself.

For many people, solving problems and figuring things out is half the fun.

If you’d prefer something that works straight out of the box with minimal setup or maintenance, a consumer drone such as DJI may be a better fit. Don’t worry, we won’t judge!