Before the flight01
Recreational or Part 107? Decide by the purpose of the flight
In the United States, the reason you launch matters more than whether money changes hands.
3 MIN READ
THE HANGAR / FIELD LIBRARY
Less guesswork.
More understanding.
21 practical guides for camera-drone pilots, FPV newcomers, and curious people at the workbench. Start with a question, not a product.
Find a reading path ↓Before the flight ↗
Permission. Preparation. Perspective.
02 / TOPIC DESKInside FPV ↗
Understand the system, not just the parts.
03 / TOPIC DESKOn the workbench ↗
Turn specifications into understanding.
THE COMPLETE SHELF
21 guidesWhat are you working on?
Search titles, introductions, reader questions, and section headings. Catalog records and raw research have their own search.
Before the flight02
Under 250 grams is not a free-flight category
A light drone can avoid one US recreational registration trigger while remaining subject to the rules that make a flight safe and lawful.
3 MIN READ
Before the flight03
Airspace authorization and land permission are two different checks
LAANC can answer an FAA airspace question; it cannot give you the right to stand, launch or recover on someone else's property.
3 MIN READ
Before the flight04
Remote ID basics: choose the compliance path before the launch site
Start with registration status, then match the aircraft and location to one of the FAA's three ordinary Remote ID paths.
3 MIN READ
Before the flight05
FPV does not replace visual line of sight
Goggles can be the flying view, but US recreational operations still need eyes on the aircraft and an observer who can actually perform the job.
3 MIN READ
Before the flight06
Travel with drone batteries: pack by watt-hours, not guesswork
For US passenger flights, spare lithium batteries stay in the cabin, protected from short circuits, with airline approval needed in the larger permitted range.
3 MIN READ
Before the flight07
A first-flight site assessment you can finish before arming
Turn a promising pin on a map into a go, adjust or no-go decision by walking the site in a fixed order.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV08
Your first FPV system, mapped before you buy
Treat the aircraft, control link, video link, radio and goggles as connected decisions, not five items that happen to be on sale.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV09
Analog or digital FPV: choose the workflow, not the label
The useful comparison is what you will see, carry, repair and replace—not whether one transmission technology wins in the abstract.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV10
Radio and receiver compatibility without guesswork
A shared frequency is only the first line of the check; protocol, firmware, RF hardware and model settings must agree too.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV11
A simulator-first FPV learning plan
Use short, measurable sessions to learn stick control before crashes can consume batteries, props and attention.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV12
RTF, BNF or build: pick your first commitment
The formats differ less by prestige than by how much integration work you want before the first careful hover.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV13
The props-off bench check before a first flight
A quiet, ordered check catches reversed channels, missing warnings and failed failsafe before rotating propellers enter the problem.
3 MIN READ
Inside FPV14
A small FPV maintenance log that actually helps
Record changes and symptoms in a form short enough to use after every session and specific enough to diagnose the next one.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench15
How to read a drone flight-time claim
Treat the headline number as a controlled-condition reference, then rebuild it around your aircraft, route, weather, and landing reserve.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench16
Battery labels: volts, amp-hours, and watt-hours
Read a pack as an energy source and a voltage system, not as one impressive milliamp-hour number.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench17
Battery care and retirement without guesswork
A simple inspection, cooling, storage, and logging routine catches more problems than folklore about a magic cycle count.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench18
Propellers and motors: match the system, not the diameter
Prop size is only one input; voltage, pitch, blade count, motor winding, ESC limits, mounting, and airframe clearance form one system.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench19
Return-to-home is not a rescue plan
RTH is a configured navigation mode with prerequisites and failure cases, not a universal undo button.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench20
Camera specs beyond the 4K badge
Resolution is only one link in an imaging chain that includes sensor, lens, readout, bit depth, codec, bitrate, stabilization, and exposure control.
3 MIN READ
On the workbench21
Wind and weather decisions at the launch point
Combine the forecast, what the site is doing now, the aircraft manual, and an escape plan before committing to the first climb.
3 MIN READ
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A LITTLE DIRECTION
Follow a flight path.
READ IN ORDER. RETURN WHEN YOU NEED IT.
Your first camera drone
Start with the purpose. Finish with a plan for the actual flying site.
A first FPV system
Map the connections, learn the controls, then approach the bench.
A better battery routine
Understand the label before planning the day or packing the bag.