As much as I wax lyrical over the new DJI AVATA 360, the realist in me also says that paying over $1600 to get this drone with the goggles and motion controller is not exactly chump change.
So, is there another way to get the full on FPV experience? Yes, yes there is.
Now up front let me explain something first.
In Australia it is against the rulings set by CASA to fly outside with goggles, even if you have a spotter as the aircraft must be in the physical line of sight of the pilot (ie no goggles). The exception to this is unless you are at a designated and certified model aircraft airfield. But if you really must fly down at the local park or beach, on your head be it.
(Hey, I don’t make the rules OK?)
Flying inside is AOK, however.
If you want to know all the rules as they stand, I have quick 5 or so minute video you can view here. Look in the 5 Minute Tutorial Column.
Righto, back to the main story.
The DJI AVATA 360s little sibling, the NEO 2, also supports the use of N3 Goggles and the Motion Controller 3, so you can FPV your little heart out for under a grand if you so wish. This is what DJI call the DJI NEO 2 Motion Fly More Combo, or for about 50 bucks more, get the Ultimate Collection for the NEO 2 which adds a charger, landing pad and a set of Freewell filters for the lens.
I hasten to add I don’t sell this stuff, nor do DJI pay me to let you know about these things.
You can see my review of the NEO 2 here with a video of sample flight.
I don’t know if DJI dealers such as Camera House or JB Hi-fi do these sorts of combo packs, but certainly the online D1Store does and you can get all the info at https://d1store.com.au/
No matter which one you go for though – the AVATA 360 or the NEO 2, I strongly suggest you do lots of practice with an FPV simulator. DJI offers one called DJI Virtual Flight for iOS, and although it states there is no Android version (yet), I do know there is a Windows one (at least).
Other alternatives are:
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing (PC – very realistic physics)
DRL Simulator (great for competitive racing)
VelociDrone (popular among serious FPV pilots)
Do a Google search to find the latest versions and pricing of these.
When flying in general, another thing that is very important, is knowing where and when you can fly, and there are a number of recommended apps from CASA that assist in that area, and I’ll cover these in the very near future.