I went back to FPV and OMG I love it

Well… Hello there…

Long time no see, huh?

I have been flying FPV since January 2015 (I know… LONG). With its ups and downs, I would say that I have accumulated thousands of hours of flight time in both LOS and FPV, but in 2022 I stopped posting much from my FPV content. Why? Many reasons… First of all - I was tired, and I wanted to have something of my own. Cameras went to the box, and I put many things on the shelf… FPV kinda went there as well. It was an odd feeling to switch from “racing every weekend” to “I just want to be left alone”. Call it burnout or laziness, whatever fits.

One of the things I wanted to do during my 6 week-long retreat was to get my drones ready and start flying again. Not for pure content - but for fun. I wanted inspiration and something to move my soul again… and here we go!

I am back with FPV & Travel content… For real

It’s odd to think about it, but I haven’t really done any FPV&Travel stuff since the pandemic. The feeling of freedom once so exciting and present in my life - wasn’t there for such a long time, and I couldn’t seem to wake up from the nightmare I had put myself into (Yes, probably my fault).

So getting back to FPV stuff has been a big one for me. Let me tell you a story of how it went…

First ETS (Entry To Service)

I have added Walksnail system to my drones to step up the game and get myself hooked on something new. I have been refusing to use digital systems for too long (yes, all of my racing drones have HDZero on them, but it doesn’t matter, does it?). And I have been excited AF… But then I also remembered why I really… HATED some of the parts of #FPVLife…

Skipping on the fact that I had to do a little renovation within my long-range and freestyle drones - I also had to deal with wrong channel mapping and, of course… The ultimate issue of a WRONG CABLE that wouldn’t work with the FC.

After all of that frustration and lost time… I finally got into the Maiden Flight, which I have decided to commit to on the roof gym in strong winds… The drone worked great, I had a good vision, and the LOS test showed me that the drone did what I wanted. SUCCESS! But it wasn’t the weather or place to fly it…

First Flight in 4 months

I won’t lie if I tell you that I haven’t had a controller in my hands for the last 4 months. I sometimes wonder if I still have any type of flight skill that would allow me to fly a straight line, but apparently, it’s like riding a bike. Which is a plus, and I am happy about this part of FPV.

I have decided to proceed with my first FPV flight at the beach. (I know… really smart. All this sand and water, good job Lexie, RIP Drones), but THIS was exactly what I wanted… a straight-line flight through the beach… with the waves, black sand… Everything that I wanted. (For the video, obviously)

Was I stressed? Obviously!
Did it go well at the end? DUH!

The day was fully packed already, as I also had some work to do, but I absolutely had to start with the FPV shot! I have been putting it aside for way too long, and I do have this small issue: Whenever I don’t do something for a month or two - I live in an absolute belief that I HAVE NO IDEA how to do it again. This includes driving a car, bike, video editing and absolutely everything in my life. And yes, I love driving cars and flying FPV. I just always believe that I stopped being able to do it.

Then I do it, and it’s absolutely fine because I know how to Drive/Fly/Whatever. And I ask myself why I was putting it off for so long. Answer? I probably need a therapy session on that particular topic.

Anyway…

My first thoughts on the Walksnail system (RDQ link) was that I LOVE IT.

BUT…

I had a lot of vision problems that I would avoid with my old analogue system. How? I would see that things are slowly going wrong instead of being forced into going up with a black screen. This black screen of death was the scariest thing I have experienced as a person, who was focused on commenting to the camera about the details etc. … and NOT about my surroundings. Once I saw the black screen… I had no idea where I was and if there was any obstacle. So… Any warning would be good instead of “lag, cut, dead” would be much appreciated.

I managed to get the vision back and fly around a bit more. Flips, power loop, and other things just to feel the drone finished with a success. And at the end… I was wondering why was I SO, SO AFRAID of doing it again. It was fine. I still know how to fly (obviously).

And now, I have to find some cool spots and shots to add to my videos. Put the full focus on some FPV footage and just the general greatness of the craft.

The Video

And, of course, it wouldn’t be me if this whole experience hadn’t been recorded and put into a video, so… I just want to invite you to get some popcorn, and ENJOY!
Camera used: Insta360 RS with 1Inch mod and Freewell ND filter

Conclusion?

Sneak peak you saw on Instagram.

I guess that’s how people finish their blog posts, do they?

I think that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it was my destiny to go through those things and feel the absolute burnout. Maybe I was meant to drop the ball and get absolutely lost. Everything to discover that, at the end of the day, I could have done everything by myself. That I was always the answer to “Who will help me do X?”

I don’t need anyone to help me with the content and travel. I can travel all by myself… it’s way less scary than moving to another continent alone… twice. I don’t need people to “help me” with content because people around me didn’t understand what I wanted and why I was even doing any of this.

Now I am surrounded by like-minded people who know EXACTLY what I am after and can feel alike. They may not understand FPV, but they understand the whole concept of my work. It’s a brand-new experience, and I am grateful for having the opportunity to have it.

Is FPV an answer to my burnout? Maybe… I am still going to polish the travel setup and skills required so that I can create great, inspired content… Just like the one mentioned in this post.

What’s next? I don’t know yet… For now - let’s enjoy newly-inspired content from Bali, and see where we will go. Not all of my videos will include FPV, but it will be more present around. If you want to support this journey and join our discord channel - be sure to join me on Patreon! (It starts at 2EUR a month)

Until next time!
xoxo
Lexie