11 FPV Etiquette Tips – how to have fun flying with others!

Definitely when i first got into the hobby, i didn't really have any friends that were into the hobby. So when i started meeting other people that were into the same thing that had the same interest, it was just so much more fun to do and better than getting together with other people that love flying drones as much as you hanging out for a good day. Flying one of the worst things about flying is flying with other people yeah. Sometimes i just want to fly and other people they're distracting they're plugging in they're, messing up your video they're flying around you yeah, sometimes it's too much so flying with people can be both a really great experience and it can also be kind of frustrating. So we got some tips for you guys today, some etiquette that will maximize your chances of having a good time when you're flying with other people. If you had a hobby before drones, like skateboarding or snowboarding or mountain biking or one of those hobbies, that's a little bit more independent, but you can do with other people you're familiar with the idea of this kind of unspoken code of conduct that you don't you Don'T drop in on a ramp while someone's on the ramp, you don't snake someone's line on the mountain bike trail. You don't cut someone off on the tow rope, while all these things that you kind of get to know and when it comes to flying fpv, drones and really all rc, there are those same sorts of etiquette tips.

So we kind of divided up these etiquette tips into categories uh. The first category that we thought of was just flying yeah, because – and this goes for not just fpv drones, but really all rc. There are certain pieces of etiquette that you want to keep in mind to be polite and safe. The most important part of this video. The thing we wanted to talk about right at the start is do not fly at or over people yeah. I always like to think that at any time, while i'm flying the hand of god can reach down and unplug your battery and what happens then you're wherever you're going that's, where the quad's going yeah it just becomes a projectile right. We'Ve all seen that guy maybe you've been that guy. You don't want to be that guy you've been that guy it's really. It feels really cool to fly straight at the group of people and last minute. Oh turn around. It feels cool but it's, not cool. I was at a freestyle contest once and i was out there just doing my thing, spinning the quad around and i was getting a little too close to the crowd. Wasn'T thinking straight and the flight controller locked up and it just did a death spiral right into somebody's body. That stuff was so bad. You know, and he was a really good friend of mine. I felt terrible i'm still apologizing to him this day, it's, making those mistakes that teach you the lesson we're, hoping that we can share.

Some of our mistakes share some of our tips so that you don't have to make those mistakes to learn the lesson, especially when you're, just starting out you don't necessarily know any better, like i don't think you were thinking about well now. That'Ll happen right, i'm, totally responsible for, like the first half of multi gp rules. I mean, like you, say that and you're like ah it's, not going to happen to me like it could be anything guys. It could be your flight controller freaking out it. Could it could actually be your battery leads coming unconnected like those xt60s, they get squished and they get loose over time. It could be your prop spinning off, because the nylock is worn off. A number of things could happen that essentially, at any time, just turns your drone into a brick, and whichever way it was going uh, oh you can't, steer it anymore. It'S, just gon na keep going that way and it's a very sharp break right yeah. So i just always keep in mind that no matter where i'm flying no matter what direction or trajectory i'm on there's a chance that oh i'm just gon na keep going on that trajectory there's. Just no reason to fly those certain trajectories, there's, no reason to fly at the crowd and turn around that's, probably the worst thing you could do, and similarly just don't fly over people. What do they call it buzzing the tower don't buzz the towers, the tower.

Our second tip also has to do with safety and and not wanting to hit people with drones, and that is i'd say don't walk out on an active spot right. Oh man, i crashed. I got it all right. Oh wait! Till everybody's landed before you go out there, because not only are you putting yourself at risk, but you're, also making the pilots have to stop and pay attention to where you are so they can't fly the spots yeah and if you know, if it's a smaller group, You know i'm always happy to like when sean goes down. Sometimes, if i'm, not in the middle of something he'll. Tell me, i'm done. I'Ll just go park it somewhere and he can go get it, but if i'm, in the middle of a flow or something – and i don't want to break it. It'S good to fly with a friend that, like understands, like oh he's, in the he's in the middle of a line i'm just gon na wait not making for any surprises, don't, walk out and surprise people. By being out there and don't put yourself at risk at the same time, yeah and conversely, i would say you need to be courteous for the people that need to get their drones, give other people that are crashing more a chance to go. Get it right. All you guys, with your 6s batteries and your seven minute flight times. Oh my gosh, so the third tip under the flying category is you got to have a spotter that's that's, the law that is the law it's, really good to.

Let people know where the soft targets are. You know you want to make sure that people are aware of any people that are not necessarily with the group all right, yeah, no, just stay uh stay away from the back corner, there's a there's, a thing pulling in what kind of thing no it's like it's, Like a fire truck that's, a fire truck no it's like a giant it's like a it's like a fire truck and there's just dalmatians what like lined up on it. Just oh yeah, i see them. Oh my god, they're kidding me there's. One of these. There really are dalmatians, i know, and then oh, my gosh, you see there's, actually a hot air balloon wow out of the back of the fire truck yeah. So the group that you're with they know because they watch this video not to be walking out onto the active field to to get their quads that are crashed and stuff like that. So everyone that you're with should know better. But someone else that's just showing up for whatever reason they don't know the rules right that's. Why parks seem like they could be a great place to fly, but most times, especially during weekends, it could be a pretty bad place. People pop out of nowhere parks like all the time, so you definitely want to scope out the spot to make sure that it is clear of people, because you don't want to be flying around other people, and you want to use the spot or you want to Have someone there that's thinking about hey? Is there anything else going out there and they can let you know like? Oh, hey, hey there's, someone over there by that staircase.

So go over to the left and steer clear of them right, yeah. One last courtesy, i'd say you should keep in mind when you're flying with other people is don't, be the distracting person right. Not everyone can handle. Flying and hearing you talk at the same time. I feel like that's, pointed at me a little bit. No oh i'm. New driving crazy, when my freaking transmitter is going yeah, that's, always good to have those noises yeah so think about your gear, too what's making beeps what's, making buzzes and know that that could be distracting someone else. Some people can't handle it. When you talk to them and yeah, so i don't think i've got too many buzzes or beeps going on, but i do think i have a bad habit of while someone else is flying. I'Ll just start talking to you. I'Ll start talking like you're flying and some people can totally handle flying and listening and even having a conversation, but other people that's, really distracting yeah and i've. Definitely had someone be like drew hey. Let me just get my line in. I can usually tell when you're in the flow, because you don't talk to me back when i talk to you, yeah watch it and you just get good at tuning it out too, when i'm in the zone, even talking to me all day long i'm, not here, Yeah, no, not listening. So all these tips that we've covered so far really apply to all forms of rc, especially flying rc right, so whether you're flying line of sight or flying fpv.

These are really good rules to keep in mind now, when you add fpv in the mix specifically there's a whole other set of courtesies, that you need to keep in mind. You'Ve got a more sensitive rf situation going on, so, whereas controlling technology has really gotten to the point that you can have hundreds of people in the air flying at the same time, the fpv video technology isn't there, whether you're flying analog or flying with digital there's. Only so many people that can beat in the air at the same time and if you're, not careful, you can really interfere with other people's receiving gear. So our next category is rf courtesy. You want to be sure to divide the channels up it's best to really assign channels in advance. Know that sean's going to have r1 channel, usually on r1 i'll space out i'll go to at least r3 or if i mean, if it's, just the two of us. I can jump all the way to r7 i've kind of changed a little bit, though, because you had mentioned to me recently since we've been doing this dji stuff. Is that since dji powers up on basically race band, six there's, all sorts of weird things to keep in mind with dji that that's, what it's kind of best, if you're on dji? If you pick a higher channel? Because, then, when you friends that are with you that are flying analog, they can be on the lower channels and then, when you plug in and you accidentally hit r6 as the public channel you're, not really blasting them.

Yeah there's there's a particular thing when you're using the dji system it kind of makes r6 unflyable, and to that end i would say: if you're flying a mix of analog and dji pilots, the dji pilots, it usually works out for us if they stay on the Higher channels, because six is blasted anyway, so the analog pallets, they can use one two three four, maybe even five and the dji pilots would use the equivalent of race band six, seven eight, so you got ta think about what channel you're powering up on, and you Also need to think about what power level you are powering up on both analog systems and dji systems. Let you select your power level. Basically, the more pilots that you have, the lower power level. You should technically be on right that way. Everybody can kind of intermingle together, so let's take analog, for example, when you're trying to fly maybe as much as six or eight people at a time during a race you're going to have to be on 25 milliwatts. You got to get that under control because there's all sorts of weird harmonics and unexpected interferences – it just gets worse and worse the more power you have, the less people you have, the more room you have to bump up the power level. We usually, when we're doing a freestyle session, the most pallets we ever have flying at the same time would be four, and at that level we can usually get away with everyone flying 200 milliwatts, maybe 400 milliwatts.

If you're flying just two or three people. You might start bumping it up to six or 800 milliwatts, and it just depends on also what gear everyone is using and you'll. Just kind of learn like if you fly with the same three people based on whatever antennas everyone is using, you might be able to get away with a little bit more than you can expect. But when you're flying with a new group of people play it on the safe side, use less power and then start seeing if you can all bump it up together so play nice play fair, be courteous, don't, be that guy out there 800 milliwatts i'm guilty. I always everyone else is trying to be nice run 25. All the way. This guy stop stop it's, just all over i'm just trying to fly there's let's fly rc coming in clear, and then you also need to think about where your transmitter is right. So if sean's flying here, one of the worst things i could do is hold my drone right here and plug it up, especially if he's using patch antennas that's just emitting a lot of rf right in his situation. Oh well, whoa, video, video, video video. Oh, you want to keep your transmitting drone away from the receiving antennas of other people, so a great practice to put in place is have a kind of designated takeoff and landing area yeah, because you don't want to land near anybody either because right, yeah that's.

Definitely a problem, so you all take off together, that's great and all then oh man, i nicked a prop. I got to bring it in and then i come land right at my feet. Standing right! Next to him i mean i'm kind of lazy. I don't really like to get up off my chair and get my quad, but but if you come land right by everyone else, it's gon na mess them up you're, making sure that you're not plugging in right in someone else's face. Even so, you should always call out your plugins plugging in race band. Three. Oh wait. Wait! I'M on three: are you on three i'll? Wait: okay, don't! Take too long, you wait all right! I'Ll, be quick! All right! I'Ll be quick. I'M, almost done i'm patiently waiting. Okay, are you done yet not yet i'm patient? The last few things we should talk about, have to do with just being a good community member. You know we've got a really great community within fpv. We need to keep it that way. We need to make sure that we can keep flying where we have been flying there's already enough negativity about drones in the news. We want to try to minimize that as much as possible so that the people that don't fly fpv aren't affected negatively by us. So being a good ambassador for the fpv community means be prepared to share the hobby with others that might walk up, no matter where you are whether it's a park or a bando at some point, you'll probably have someone come up to you and say what is That that you're doing it is so cool it is so cool.

I love bringing an extra set of goggles or screen, because i just love to see the reaction that people have when you share the hobby with them and show them what you're doing i've had police officers come up to me all the time and you can completely Change their mood just by showing them what you're doing, because it is so cool and they get blown away don't be that guy. That has the quad that always gets lost when you crash your friends aren't just going to let you go look for your stuff by themselves, they're going to come and help you and then yeah. So this goes hand in hand with the tip that be kind. If someone loses their stuff help them fight and find it right so don't be the guy that's, always losing their stuff right. Have your beeper set up? Have your gopro securely mounted? Have your battery securely plugged in i'm? Looking at you van over, he insists on just using a piece of foam in a battery strap. Oh, my gosh that's not just use a 3d printed thing already, you're always losing the gopro we've had to help you look for like three times god, if he wasn't so good at flying. I know right it's, so good, the better. You are flying the more malarkey you get away with it's, not fair. If you want to keep flying at the spots you're flying at make sure you clean up after yourself, yeah it's, very important, you don't want to leave crops underwear, i mean that's, just a rule for being a good human, no matter what you do, if you're going Having a picnic in the park, don't leave all your wrappers and stuff like that.

So right same goes when you're flying with drones. I know where all your used props are yeah. I got a truck, i bought a truck just so i could throw them all in the back of the truck that's. The the prop can back there that's, where we keep a nice mound of props. So wrapping up, we have talked about flying etiquette, our f etiquette and community etiquette. These are some tips that we think, if you guys, keep in mind it's going to make your experience flying with other people that much better. Now i know that with everything that's going on you're – probably spending less time flying with other people and more time flying yourself. I know a lot of people got into fpv because they picked up a new hobby. While you maybe have more time to do things, but hopefully, as we get back to a more normal state – and you can start flying with other people and that's going to be a great time to keep all these tips in mind. To make sure that when you do start flying with more people, you have a good time yourself and you don't ruin the time for anybody else, all right, guys. I'M, madrid, i'm let's fly rc. Let us know what what did we forget? What'S, an etiquette tip that you think is super important to having a good time flying with other people, leave it in the comments down below yeah.

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