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Hobby

FPV Racing Drone Building

Mid-2010s, around my daughter's birth

It started small - a little indoor toy quadcopter from a store. That spiraled into building a full FPV racing drone, early in the FPV-drone days, right around when my daughter was born. I sourced every component individually: a carbon fiber frame, brushless motors, a flight controller, a small camera wired to an FM transmitter for the video feed, and a pair of Fatshark goggles to watch it live.

I flew it with a high-end FrSky Taranis radio - overkill for the little toy quad sitting next to it in the parts pile, but exactly what the racing build needed. Once it was finished, it got its own hard case, custom-cut foam and all.

A bare carbon fiber X-frame for the racing drone, fresh out of the packaging
The bare carbon fiber frame, fresh out of the packaging.
The racing drone frame under construction on a desk, with motors, a flight controller, and wiring, next to a laptop running configuration software
The build in progress - frame, motors, flight controller, and configuration software on the laptop.
The fully assembled racing drone with an FPV camera mounted, Lumenier motors, next to the Fat Shark goggles case
Assembled and flight-ready, with the Fat Shark goggles case alongside.
Drone parts laid out on a table: an FrSky Taranis radio, a Fatshark goggles case, a small toy quadcopter, LiPo batteries, propellers, and a partially assembled racing frame
The full parts flat-lay - FrSky Taranis radio, Fatshark goggles case, the little toy quad that started it all, and the racing frame taking shape.
A hard case with custom-cut foam holding the finished drone, the FrSky Taranis radio, and tools
The finished kit, packed into its own hard case.