What is FPV
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- Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 23:04
FPV stands for “First Person View.” Some use “Fly by Pilots View”. In any case it means flying an RC aircraft by means of a video signal being transmitted back to the pilot on the ground, viewed either using a pair of video goggles or a video screen.
To fly FPV, some basic components are required. These consist of a camera, video transmitter, video receiver, and a means to view the received signal (video goggles or LCD screen etc). The camera is affixed to the aircraft and connected to the video transmitter which then transmit the video signal back to t he pilot on the ground in real time. More advanced setups then go on to include, on screen displays, return to home, and head trackers etc.
Both fixed wing and helicopters (including multi-rotors) are used for FPV with great success. The more common aircraft are those with good endurance and payload capacities giving long flight times such as gliders and flying wings. FPV Aircraft are used for both aerial photography, and for the rush of what feels like flying the real thing.
Common aircraft used a foam based over wing type such as the EZ Star, EZ Glider or flying wings like the RiteWing Zephyr.
FPV has risen to popularity due to the full immersive experience. Head trackers are often used for this reason, as the camera on the plane will move as the pilot moves their head, and along with audio being sent from the plane, virtually puts the pilot in the cockpit.
One thing I must say is that the first time you fly FPV you may feel a bit queazy. Some even get motion sick. It is highly recommended that for the first few flights you have a spotter and preferably stay within the line of sight so that the spotter can take over if you run into trouble.
