The Learning Experience of Becoming a FPV Drone Pilot

Abstract

An immersive drone-flying modality known as First-Person View (FPV) flying is increasing in popularity. Nonetheless, due to its recency, there is a lack of research focusing on FPV drones. Specifically, the journey FPV pilots go through when learning how to fly was not studied yet. Understanding their learning experience allows the development of FPV drones with a gentle learning curve for the pilots. We conducted an online survey with 515 FPV pilots to evaluate how they learned to fly, and how they recommend beginners to learn. We found that most pilots learned using a stabilized flight mode, but the majority of them later switched to an acrobatic (non-stabilized) flight mode. Although only half of the surveyed pilots used flight simulators to learn, 90% of all pilots recommend beginners to use simulators. Our results allow further understanding of the emerging FPV pilot's culture and composition of research questions for future studies.