DroneAuthority

The first time I tried FPV, I lasted about six seconds before lawn-darting an imaginary quad into a virtual tree. It was humiliating—and weirdly addictive. Oscar Liang’s beginner guide (updated April 2025) became my flashlight in a hobby that feels like half video game, half soldering apprenticeship. In this post I’m going to tell the story the way it actually happened for me: the simulator obsession, the gear rabbit holes, the “why is my VTX nuking someone’s goggles?” moment at a meetup, and the slow shift from fear to flow. TL;DR: Start with 10+ hours in an FPV training simulator using a real radio, learn Acro, buy a tiny whoop as your first real drone, then graduate to a 5-inch. Budget $400–$1,800, pick a solid radio (ELRS 2.4GHz), choose an FPV system (analog vs DJI/Walksnail/ HDZero ), and take safety + community etiquette seriously. 1) The ‘Sim First’ Rule I Tried to Ignore (...