In short the answer to this question is yes, but with the wealth of resources and tools available it is now easier than ever to learn to fly drones in first person view (FPV).
When we started flying FPV in 2015 there were only a few sources of information in the guises of forums and YouTube channels providing tutorials for drones and RC. Once you had digested the information from these sources, you still had to learn the skills associated with building a FPV drone before setting out to fly one.
If you had any initiation into drone flying with conventional line-of-sight drones (LOS) then that only slightly helped with getting started with FPV, but where the best pilots today learned their piloting skills was from flying RC planes and helicopters. Starting out flying RC models in their youth, top pilots in the industry have nearly two decades worth of real life flying experience, with many having backgrounds in drone racing and FPV freestyle.
A lot has changed in a relatively short period of time, and it is now easier than ever to learn and practice FPV drone flying, even in the comfort of your own home. Drone simulators are now widely available for both PC and Mac and have well refined Physics engines to bring the flying experience in the simulator as close to real life as possible. Popular FPV drone simulators include Velocidrone, Uncrashed, and Lift Off. Velocidrone is great for learning to fly fast and for racing, whilst the other two simulators are more focused around exploration and freestyle flying. Most modern RC controllers have a USB port to hook them up to a computer.
Flying FPV drones is unlike other drones for two reasons. The first is that the drone pilot flies with the perspective of whichever way the drone is facing, whereas LOS requires flying whilst looking at the drone, with a higher latency video system to help frame shots. This also provides a narrower field of view from the camera when compared to a FPV drone specific video system.
The other reason (and the main reason for why FPV is deemed difficult) is that there is no automation on a FPV drone when flying in Acro mode (also referred to as manual mode). With a LOS drone, the drone will maintain its altitude and be able to hover in place easily. FPV drones don't have this feature inherently, and are typically designed to be much more responsive and dynamic. FPV pilots have full control over all ranges of motion, including throttle, which can be difficult to master.
Fine throttle control is what allows pilots to smoothly fly through indoor spaces and enables them to fly in close proximity to subjects like drift cars. Master throttle control and cinematic FPV flying will be a breeze.
Levelling up to freestyle and racing requires another level of expertise. Performing high speed manoeuvres requires excellent muscle memory and understanding of drone kinematics. This allows pilots to come out of turns at exactly the right moment, fly through tight spaces without breaking a sweat, and even fly upside down.
Many pilots new to FPV can quickly grasp cinematic FPV flying, but creating breath-taking FPV drone shots requires advanced skills. At Fly Flow Media we have a decade of flying experience and over 5 years of drone racing experience.
We live and breathe FPV drone flying so if you are looking to capture unique aerial footage for your next video project or film, then please reach to to dan@flyflowmedia.com
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