Getting Started with FPV Drone Racing

Starting your journey to Drone Racing can be daunting, however the VDRT are here to help point you in the right direction.

Join a Club

We recommend joining a civilian FPV club to be able to attend regular race events, meet new people and to obtain your MAAA insurance. The AU FPV website maintains a list of all active clubs within Australia. If you cannot find a club near you - get in contact and we can assist.

There is a wealth of information available online on how to get started in FPV Drone Racing.

YouTube has a large number of channels dedicated to FPV drone flying, learning, building and racing. Channels such as 'Joshua Bardwell' provide excellent resources for starting your journey and for finding solutions to any problems find along the way.

All the experts will agree, the best way to get started is to purchase a controller. Then learn to fly in your simulator of choice.

There are many free simulators available such as FPV.SkyDive and then there are other more racing focused like Velocidrone and DRL.

It doesn't matter which one you choose, as long as you have fun and enjoy learning how to pilot the craft. Then you can move onto the real thing

Learn to Fly

When it comes time to build, you will need parts. There are several FPV Drone parts stores here in Australia to get you started and stocked up on parts. The majority of these stores are online, but there are locations all across Australia. Click the logos for links to the stores!

We recommend checking out RISING SUN FPV. It is a FPV and 3D Printing store, owned and operated by Team Pilot WEDGE. He also provides a 10% discount on all items to Veterans.

We are also supported by our great friends at MantisFPV - Veteran Team members are able to access discounts and support.

Learn to build

Unlike a Camera drone bought from a store, the drones used for racing are all custom built. This means you get to choose exactly what components go into your drone. Learning to build is great fun, will teach you some great skills and is essential for learning how to repair your drone when you inevitably crash it going for the win on the race track!

At a minimum you will need:

• a Radio Controller

• FPV Goggles

• a Drone

• Batteries

• Battery Charger

• Tools

There are many different types of Ready-To-Fly (RTF) kits available. It depends on what size of drone you wish to fly. These range from Tiny Whoops (65mm indoor drones) all the way to massive X-Class and Beast Class Drones.

For Tiny Whoops - you can get started with a simple kit that contains everything you need to get started (Googles, Controller, Drone and Batteries) examples include the BETAFPV Cetus Pro (approx $500)

For Open Class Racing (5 inch) which is the standard size used at most Australian Clubs - we recommend checking out the D-Spec Racing Kits at our friends MantisFPV. These kits provide all the components you need to build a really competitive racing drone. You will just need to source your own Goggles, Controller and Batteries

Get Racing

Once your ready to start racing, head along to your local club start putting in some laps.

If your a beginner, focus on just getting through your first gate, then your first lap and then your first race. Relish every little success along the way!

Remember crashing is sometimes just part of the fun!

Join the Team!

If you are an Australian Defence Force Veteran and not eligible to race with the ADF Drone Racing Teams - You can join us!

We provide support to Veteran's to participate in the sport of Drone Racing. This is by linking in with other Veterans in the sport, connections to Civilian Clubs and support to attend Major Race events all over Australia, such as the Australian Drone Nationals and the Military International Drone Racing Tournament.

Veteran Team pilots can also access discounts on equipment through our various sponsors.

If you believe you are eligible - Reach out and get in contact!