FPV drone racing is a sport where participants control small radio-controlled quadcopters and race around a course consisting of flags and gates. The drones are equipped with low latency video cameras which transmit the video back to the pilot who is wearing a head-mounted display.

Equipment

To get started in FPV racing you will need:

  • Mini Quad
    • Maximum size of 300mm diameter across motor shaft centres
    • Maximum of 6S battery
    • Maximum 25mW video transmitter (VTX) that can broadcast on 5.8GHz supporting bands A,B,E,F and Race on channels 1-8
    • Propeller up to 6″
  • BMFA Insurance
  • Radio Transmitter (e.g. Taranis / Spectrum)
  • FPV Goggles

Race Tracks

FPV racing tracks are made from a sequence of gates and flags, each competitor must complete as many laps of the course within the 2 min allotted period. Competitors then have an extra 30 seconds to finish their final lap.

Gates are usually made from PVC or fibreglass poles covered with fabric. Designs of gates vary from track to track, but are usually 6ft x 4ft.

Tracks will sometimes feature harder elements such as gravity gates which requires the drone to enter from the top and dive through the opening.

Race Format

Competitors are grouped into heats based on their skill levels so that everyone races people of similar abilities. Each heat will race 5 to 10 times to determine the overall rankings.

At the end of the qualification rounds competitors are again split up into final heats which then race 1 more time to determine the overall result.