A small FPV maintenance log that actually helps

Give every aircraft a stable identity

Start one page or spreadsheet row group per aircraft. Record a nickname plus frame or vendor model, flight controller, firmware version, receiver and firmware major version, video system, motor and prop specification, battery connector and intended cell count. Add the radio model name and receiver number. This baseline prevents a later purchase or firmware update from relying on memory.

Keep facts separate from guesses. Installed: receiver LED double-blinks and the radio script reports Model Mismatch is useful. Receiver broken is a conclusion you have not yet established. ExpressLRS documentation identifies distinct LED patterns and says Model Match IDs must agree, so the observed state can lead directly to the relevant check. Attach configuration backups by date and never assume a backup from another aircraft is interchangeable.

Use a sixty-second post-session entry

After flying, enter date, location type, approximate number of packs, any impact or moisture exposure, symptoms, visible damage and the next action. For each battery, use a simple pack ID and note unusual heat, swelling, physical damage, connector damage or an unexpectedly short session. Follow the battery and charger manufacturers for charging, storage and retirement decisions; the log is evidence, not permission to reuse a questionable pack.

An illustrative entry might read: [session date], indoor practice, four packs; gate touch on pack C; front-left prop nicked; video briefly rolled only after impact; aircraft disarmed normally; replace prop and inspect antenna connection before next power-up. That is better than crashed, video bad because it preserves sequence. If the fault repeats without an impact, the two entries reveal a different pattern.

Betaflight can report voltage, current and consumed capacity when the relevant sensors are configured and calibrated. Treat those numbers according to their quality. A voltage reading checked against a meter is different from an uncalibrated virtual current estimate. Note calibration status beside any numeric trend so false precision does not drive battery decisions.

• Observed: what you saw, heard or felt.
• Context: before or after an impact, update or parts change.
• Action: inspect, replace, verify or seek help before next flight.
• Result: fixed, unchanged, intermittent or not yet retested.

Close the loop after maintenance

Every repair or settings change gets its own line: exact part, firmware version or parameter area; reason for change; backup filename; props-off checks completed; and result. Do not write updated firmware without the old and new versions. If a receiver stops connecting after an update, knowing that its transmitter remained on another major ExpressLRS version immediately narrows the investigation.

Schedule checks by events rather than invented hour limits: after a hard impact, after moisture, after a firmware change, when a new noise appears, or when fasteners and connectors show movement. Before returning to flight, inspect the repair and repeat the relevant props-off receiver, orientation, mode, warning and failsafe checks. Escalate damaged cells, uncertain power wiring or recurring hot electronics to a knowledgeable technician or club mentor.

Review the log monthly for repeated consumables and unresolved symptoms. It may show that one prop type is repeatedly damaged in indoor practice, that one pack consistently sags earlier, or that video trouble began with a specific impact. The log's job is not to make the hobby bureaucratic. It is to replace vague recollection with a small trail of decisions.