It's not all fun

Almost a year ago, I built up a Pavo20 Pro with the DJI O4 Pro. I paired it with the DJI Integra goggles and a RadioMaster Pocket.

3D printed TPU VTX mount.

Since building the drone I’ve flown a couple dozen times, mainly in the garden and once in the living room (never again). I’m struggling to enjoy this drone anywhere near as much as my Mini 3 Pro or Air 2S. I think this is in part down to the full-manual mode constantly requiring my attention and input to prevent a catastrophic disaster. I’ve become very accustomed over the years, to letting go of the sticks and knowing it’ll stay in one place, or even just that it’ll stay in the sky.

The other part I’m struggling to enjoy is the batteries… charging the day before flying, making sure to bring them all back to storage levels - whether I use them or not. With 6 batteries this is time-consuming and my wife dislikes the clutter on the kitchen worktop :smiley: .

I do like the drone; once it’s up in the air and I have the goggles on it’s a fab sensation - the feeling of being up in the sky. Though the British weather does batter me around a fair bit, unless it’s perfectly calm.

I think I ran before I could walk.

I’ve just bought a DJI Avata 2 combo, with an FPV 2 controller - so I can continue to use the Integra goggles I already have. I’m hoping this will rekindle that passion for FPV (taking some of the hassle and grief away) and maybe I’ll revisit the Pavo later on in the year.

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“Real” FPV (unassisted flight control and basic LiPos) is definitely a high maintenance hobby. And, yes, the battery management is a PITA - many of us have dozens of batteries that need coddling. But the rewards are great once you get into the flow.

The Avatas are a good bridge between FPV and Camera Drone and I’m seriously considering giving one a go myself, precisely because of all the faff surrounding self-builds. :laughing:

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To be honest, if you had gone avata route first it wouldn’t have been long before you went full on fpv anyway. And i think most people that do, soon stop flying their avata’s apart from when feeling guilty for not flying it.
The maintenance of the batteries soon become second nature, and less of a chore.

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The new Betaflight version has some new modes that could help for those times when you cannot focus on the flying so much (altitude hold / position hold) - would need you to add a GPS but that’s not difficult

You might be right - I certainly do hope to “want” to fly the Pavo again. I originally built it for light commercial use that never landed (pun intended). It’s been a year and the batteries are still a pain - I’ve also had two spontaneously fail.

I did consider adding a GPS, even got a few recommendations from the folks here. I’m certainly tempted to add one during the downtime, though it doesn’t sort out the battery faff :smiley: . I’ve recently welcomed a second child into my life, so battery management isn’t something I can spend time on.

I’ve gone the other way, added an Avata 2 to my Neo 2 first, then ordered a BetaFPV Meteor 2 Pro O4 (waiting for it to be delivered). Liftoff helped me a lot to learn flying manual. Like you, I love the immersion you get with FPV. Flying the Avata manually gives you the advantage to quickly switch to N or S if things get sticky.

I’m really looking forward to the Meteor 2 now. And yes I do realise the Lipos will be a pain to charge/discharge.

hmmm - no batteries :thinking:
found it - it has been done before :wink:

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