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Fright of the navigator

FPV drone flying is the quadcopter equivalent of piloting a stunt plane, so we snagged DJI’s debut effort and tried extremely hard not to destroy it

from R16 000 / dji.com

A rubber cover below the camera pulls up to reveal a microSD card slot and USB-C port.

Even within the drone nerddom, FPV racing sits apart, jealously protected by sniffy gatekeepers. Designed for competitive racing and aerobatics, these arefast and twitchy drones – paired with goggles for a pilot’s-eye view of where you’re flying – that you usually build yourself. And a lack of anti-collision tech can end in costly crashes.

Enter the DJI FPV. Available fully built and big on safety features, this seems to be the drone to bring first-person-view antics to the masses… but can it turn a noob into a seasoned racing pilot? We’re confronted with the copter, an FPV Goggles V2 headset, a twin-stick controller plus spare parts and charging kit.

The drone is smaller than expected, but exudes a menacing air thanks to a forward-hunched poise and vaguely military finish. A camera sits beneath a plastic gimbal guard, while the large battery slides into the back. The propeller arms are fixed rather than folding, and the props themselves attach via a twist of your hand. A lurid green body cover is supplied to make it easier to spot in the wild.

Build quality is superbly solid, although scratches indicate a previous reviewer pitched it into the ground on at least one occasion – so it’s certainly crashable, but sturdy enough to survive some impacts with cosmetic damage only.

The headset is lightweight and comfortable, while the soft strap makes wearing it for extended periods a breeze. There’s a microSD slot, although recording footage to the drone itself offers higher quality, plus a few controls, including a ‘5D button’ offering one-finger navigation of the on-screen menus.

The controller is lightweight and sturdy too, and removable thumbsticks make it easy to transport. There are buttons to start and stop video recording, adjust the camera pitch, return to home, toggle flight modes, and engage the emergency brake. Preflight assembly is a simple, painless process.

This seems to be the drone to bring firstperson-view antics to the masses, but can it turn a noob into a racing pilot?

Tech specs

Camera 12MP 1/2.3in CMOS Video 4K @ 60fps, 1080 @ 120fps Max speed 140km/h Range 10km Max flight time 20mins Dimensions 255x312x127 mm (with props), 178x232x127mm (without props), 795g

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Donut of Truth™

01 Relatively safe to fly after some training 02 For an FPV drone it has terrific battery life 03 Everything an FPV pilot needs in one box 04 Image quality lags behind other DJI drones 05 Gimbal doesn’t tilt enough to level the horizon 06 You can definitely crash it if you’re not concentrating

DAY 02

DJI recommends spending time with a simulator before flying for real, so we’ve fired up its Virtual Flight app for a bit of training. This Unreal Engine-powered game links your phone with the controller and headset to take you through the controls and modes, then you get to pilot a virtual drone around a few locations. We’ve been flying DJI drones for years, but this is different so the app is vital prep.

DAY 03

Maiden flight time. Flipping the controller to N (Normal) mode, speed is limited, it hovers in place when the controls are released, and obstacle sensors are engaged. We switch up to S (Sport) mode, which increases speed, turns off obstacle detection and makes things much livelier. The FPV feels responsive and easy to fly, even if we’re too chicken to take it through tight gaps. There’s a switch for cruise control and the emergency brake brings things to a very noisy but almost immediate stop.

DAY 08

Today we’ve finally summoned up the courage to test M (Manual) mode, opening up a world of loops and flips, turning off speed limitations, and allowing the FPV to zip through the air at up to 140km/h. DJI claims a maximum range of 10km, although taking it out of visual range is technically illegal. Here’s another law: you have to bring one other person with you when piloting the FPV, as you can’t see it while wearing the headset.

Video transmission is rock solid, with an almost constant 1080p feed beamed near-instantly from the drone’s camera to the headset’s crisp display. The battery life of FPV drones has hovered around the five-minute mark, but DJI’s is good for around 20 minutes of flight time.

DAY 14

We’ve flown DJI’snew Air 2S and the FPVdoesn’t compare to its cheaper cousin when it comes to dynamic range, detail and smooth footage. The FPV’s camera sensor is smaller and it lacks three-way stabilisation so major tilting results in off-balance footage.

But this is a groundbreaking drone, bringing the notoriously difficult world of FPV flight to a wider audience. Buy the box and you’re basically good to go, but be warned you’ll need hours of practice before pulling off any spectacular stuff.