My field has been having more people interested in FPV - not just on multirotors, but on fixed wing aircraft as well. Pilots are wanting to step up to fly with a camera in the cockpit, so they can see exactly what it's like to fly a scale version of their favorite warbird.
However, it was brought up by multiple people this past weekend, "Do I REALLY need to have a spotter when flying FPV?"
The answer is yes, and here's why:
1) The AMA and the FAA require it. (I know, there's a lot of hate for the AMA and the FAA right now, but whether you love them or hate them, it doesn't change the current requirements from them for safety)
2) The spotter is there to help keep midair collisions from happening - we've had some close calls in the past, and having someone watch out to make sure someone isn't trying to land below your plane, or coming in on a fast, low approach behind you, is a good thing. I liken it to the full scale aircraft having a tower coordinating takeoffs and landings - they're watching out to make sure nothing bad happens.
3) At my field, we have boundaries where you're not supposed to fly (i.e., out over the freeway, over the pit or staging area/parking lot, etc.) It's hard to see those boundaries sometimes through the FPV camera, especially when you have a bit of a fish eye lens field of view.
The last reason that I gave to everyone asking, however, was the one that seemed to resonate best with everyone who wanted to get into it:
4) When your aircraft goes down, your spotter can point and say, "It went down about 100 ft out, just to the left of that bush," or "you're just in front of the 3rd gate!"
This last bit has been CRUCIAL for us the past few weekends, since we've been flying TinyWhoops, and the grass at the field is JUST a tad high. I'm 5'9", and the grass is hitting me up to my knees. When a quad that fits in the palm of your hand goes down in tall grass, you want ANY help you can get to find that sucker. And believe me, we're ALL grateful for that spotter who can narrow it down to, "Right there, about 2 feet to your left!"
I'm sure there'll be some people who will disagree with me, but even the die hards generally admit that having someone who saw where you went down is beneficial.
However, it was brought up by multiple people this past weekend, "Do I REALLY need to have a spotter when flying FPV?"
The answer is yes, and here's why:
1) The AMA and the FAA require it. (I know, there's a lot of hate for the AMA and the FAA right now, but whether you love them or hate them, it doesn't change the current requirements from them for safety)
2) The spotter is there to help keep midair collisions from happening - we've had some close calls in the past, and having someone watch out to make sure someone isn't trying to land below your plane, or coming in on a fast, low approach behind you, is a good thing. I liken it to the full scale aircraft having a tower coordinating takeoffs and landings - they're watching out to make sure nothing bad happens.
3) At my field, we have boundaries where you're not supposed to fly (i.e., out over the freeway, over the pit or staging area/parking lot, etc.) It's hard to see those boundaries sometimes through the FPV camera, especially when you have a bit of a fish eye lens field of view.
The last reason that I gave to everyone asking, however, was the one that seemed to resonate best with everyone who wanted to get into it:
4) When your aircraft goes down, your spotter can point and say, "It went down about 100 ft out, just to the left of that bush," or "you're just in front of the 3rd gate!"
This last bit has been CRUCIAL for us the past few weekends, since we've been flying TinyWhoops, and the grass at the field is JUST a tad high. I'm 5'9", and the grass is hitting me up to my knees. When a quad that fits in the palm of your hand goes down in tall grass, you want ANY help you can get to find that sucker. And believe me, we're ALL grateful for that spotter who can narrow it down to, "Right there, about 2 feet to your left!"
I'm sure there'll be some people who will disagree with me, but even the die hards generally admit that having someone who saw where you went down is beneficial.