Writing this article is interesting, because largely the best FPV drones are those that are built and tuned by pilots that have been flying freestyle and whoop drones for years. However, the introduction and scaling of prebuilt FPV drones is helping to reduce the learning curve that comes with FPV drone flying by removing much of the engineering component from the process.
That is where I recommend every beginner starts with their FPV journey to avoid becoming discouraged right at the beginning and also get right into the best part of the experience — FLYING!
If you have been pondering the possibility of starting to fly more than just your traditional GPS photography drones, then I highly recommend you see this article through to the end. After reading, you will become familiarized with my outline of my top-5 picks for FPV drones for beginners in the year 2024.
5. iFlight Defender 20
Starting our list at the number-5 position is the iFlight Defender 20. This capable little drone is a great entry point for beginners who have already put 5-or-more hours into a virtual flight simulator and are looking to get a reliable aircraft in the air now. It is reliable and provides a true-to-form manual flight experience via an FPV interface.
Pros
- Great flight time for its 3S class at just shy of 8 minutes on average.
- Utilizes DJI O3 Air Unit, resulting in high-quality video feed for better visibility in-flight and the added bonus of high-quality footage right off the on-board camera.
- Battery is modular and charges via USB-C, making it convenient and easy compared to traditional FPV batteries.
- Features built-in, programmable RGB LED lights for enhanced visibility when flying line of sight.
Cons
- No variable flight modes to allow beginners leeway when learning. Time on a simulator is highly recommended before flying Defender 20.
- Batteries are proprietary technology developed by iFlight, limiting possible power options to one compared to a wide array for other FPV drones.
- Very pricey for its class with the DJI Plug-N-Play format coming in at $430 and the Express LRS format coming in at $446 for the drone only.
- Transmitter/radio and goggles are purchased separately.
While it may not be perfectly suited to true beginners with no virtual simulator or real-world experience, it is a neat little package that can help somebody getting the hang of manual flight. Still, while the iFlight Defender 20 is something I find impressive, we have a handful of other options that might suit the needs of a true beginner much better.
4. Emax Tinyhawk RTF Kit
The Emax Tinyhawk has been the standard for beginner FPV drones for quite some time. Along with the Tinyhawk FPV drone, buyers also receive a 6-channel gamepad-style transmitter and a set of 40-channel FPV goggles to allow you to interface with the drone in flight. Additionally, the value of the kit is the second-best on our list, giving end users a deep level of satisfaction as they endure the rigors of learning how to fly manually flown drones.
Pros
- Durable build quality featuring polypropylene plastic frame and propeller guards means little post-crash maintenance will be needed.
- Flight times of up to 4-minutes from a fully-charged 450mAh 1S battery provides plenty of flight time for a drone in this class.
- Drone comes pre-tuned by FPV experts with three different rate profiles for a variety of flight feels. Tuning and control settings are also customizable in OSD settings for further tuning and tinkering if preferred.
- While ideally flown indoors, motor beep function makes locating the drone easy when flying outside or in larger areas.
- Solid value for a full FPV kit at $190.
Cons
- No normal or sport flight modes, meaning time on a manual flight simulator prior to purchase is recommended for best experience.
- Takeoff weight of 42-grams means adverse air movement from ventilation systems or wind can compromise drone in flight.
- Racing drone build with top-speeds up to 35mph (56 kph) means the drone may be overpowered for most beginners and could pose control issues and frustrations.
The Emax Tinyhawk is a pillar of the FPV community in that it has been the gateway for thousands of pilots into the world of manual flight. While it does have some obvious cons in that it offers no “training-wheel” flight modes and is uber-lightweight, this powerful little tinywhoop drone can keep up with pilots as their skills improve through customizable settings and tuning. It can also take a heck of a beating, with drone pilots of all experience and skill levels reporting that despite crashing their Tinyhawk countless times as they learned to fly, it is still in one piece and completely flyable.
3. BETAFPV Cetus FPV Kit
Next is one of the best value drones on our list, coming in the form of the BETAFPV Cetus FPV Kit. The reason this delivers so much value is because it includes a LiteRadio 2 SE transmitter and VR02 FPV Goggles with your Cetus drone, which means you can get flying from the moment you open the box (well, after charging the included batteries anyway)!
Pros
- Comes with everything a pilot needs to get started flying including the Cetus brushed quadcopter, LiteRadio2 SE transmitter, VR02 FPV goggles, batteries, charger, and spare parts.
- Auxiliary flight functions including normal mode, sport mode, and manual mode make learning to fly FPV drones easier for beginners and encourage a gradual scaling of abilities and skills.
- Self-protection function initiates an automatic landing and power-down in the event the communication link between the transmitter/goggles and the drone is lost; a hard collision is detected; or when battery becomes critically low.
- Flight time is solid for a 1S battery, being rated at 4-5 minutes on average.
- Value is phenomenal with the total kit coming in at $160.
Cons
- Configuration options for firmware, rates, and settings within the kit are extremely limited due to proprietary nature of equipment and ecosystem.
- Takeoff weight is extremely light at a minute 35-grams (which includes the battery). This makes the drone extremely susceptible to adverse and variable airflows in the form of ventilation and winds.
A - Limited range of 80-meters means larger facilities and properties could be problematic when it comes to providing a reliable connection.
- Camera system lacks crispness in visual feed. Sufficient for training flights, but has a lot of room for improvement.
The Cetus is an absolute gamechanger when it comes to learning to fly at an obscenely great value. Touting multiple flight modes for a convenient set of “training wheels” to assist pilots of even the greenest nature and a handful of safety and recovery features, the Cetus is perfect for pilots to learn manual flight.
2. DJI Avata
Did you really think I would make a list and NOT include a DJI product if there was one that fit into the discussion? At number 2 on our list of the best FPV drones for beginners is the DJI Avata. This powerful cinewhoop platform combines the capabilities of a traditional cinewhoop with the convenience and ease of use of the DJI ecosystem. When considering that combination, it is no wonder that the Avata became the most-sold cinewhoop drone in history.
Pros
- DJI ecosystem makes interface a breeze by offering high-resolution and easily navigable menus within the UI.
- Multiple flight modes provide “training wheels” for pilots of all experience and skill levels. Flight modes include normal, sport, and manual.
- Ability to use DJI FPV Controller 2 or DJI Motion Controller (Version 2) for parity in flight interface and learning styles.
- Flight time is top-of-class at up to 18-minutes on average, meaning pilots can practice flying for incredible spans of time compared to other cinewhoops.
- Adjustable camera angle via the controller means in-flight adjustments can be made to change pacing of flight without landing the drone to manually make adjustments.
- Camera quality meets the typical DJI standard with a maximum resolution of 4K and a maximum framerate of 60 frames per second at that resolution.
- When using the DJI Goggles 2, video feed resolution is 1080p for premier visibility while in flight.
Cons
- While not completely dissimilar, the manual flight mode is not completely equivalent to a typical 3″ cinewhoop drone. Propeller wash is severe and drone is not as nimble as other options in the same category.
- Plastic body is not as durable as other drones in its class, posing problems when impacting hard surfaces.
- Known issues that have not received long-term or reliable fixes include the battery being susceptible to ejecting after a hard impact and a violent loss of position and orientation when flying too aggressively.
- Price is outrageously high compared to other options on this list and other drones in the same class. The Avata alone retails for $630, not including spare batteries, a transmitter, and goggles, which bring the total price of the kit to around $1,300 depending upon the hardware versions purchased.
While the DJI Avata checks nearly all of the boxes (and even checks boxes that it drew in itself), there are a few places it falls short that cannot go unnoticed. It is fragile, sometimes unreliable, does not deliver a 100-percent accurate manual flight experience, and is far more expensive than many other products in its class. Still, it remains undeniable that DJI delivers an incredibly convenient and immersive experience in yet another drone platform and the Avata is a fantastic choice for FPV beginners to learn the ropes.
However, all of that said, the Avata still did not manage to top this list…
1. BETAFPV Aquila16 FPV Kit
Coming in at number 1 is yet another product by BETAFPV in the form of the Aquila16 FPV Kit. Combining all of the best elements of other options included on this list, the Aquila16 is an FPV beginner’s dream. An all-in-one kit at a great value and featuring many brilliant flight features, there is no better FPV drone for beginners.
Pros
- Comes with everything a pilot needs to get started flying including the Aquila16 brushless quadcopter, LiteRadio 2 SE transmitter, VR03 FPV goggles, batteries, charger, and spare parts.
- Auxiliary flight functions including normal mode, sport mode, and manual mode as well as three different flight speeds including slow, mid, and fast. This variability in modes and speeds makes learning to fly FPV drones easier for beginners and encourages a gradual scaling of abilities and skills.
- Increased transmission range provides a more reliable connection to the drone during flight, meaning smoother flights in a wider variety of environments and scenarios.
- Self-protection function initiates an automatic landing and power-down in the event the communication link between the transmitter/goggles and the drone is lost; a hard collision is detected; or when battery becomes critically low.
- Two different batteries allow for parity in flight experience. A 650mAh version allows for up to 5 minutes of flight in manual mode and an 1100mAh version allows for up to 8 minutes of flight in normal and sport modes.
- Transmitter is simulator-compatible via USB-C connection to your PC, laptop, or tablet.
- Value is rock-solid with the total kit coming in at $250.
Cons
- Configuration options for firmware, rates, and settings within the kit are still extremely limited due to proprietary nature of equipment and ecosystem.
- Camera system still lacks crispness in visual feed. Sufficient for training flights, but has a lot of room for improvement.
The BETAFPV Aquila16 FPV Kit is the top-dog on this list for good reason. It delivers the best balance of quality, performance, and value which means any pilot looking to get started in FPV flying can depend on it to make the learning curve bearable and the entire experience fun. There are plenty of other flavors of beginner FPV drones, but I think you will find the Aquila16 the most widely palatable.
As we wind down yet another riveting read from me, I would like to bring to your attention something you may have already noticed — all of the options on this list are considered a part of the “cinewhoop” family of FPV drones.
I believe there are always exceptions to any rule, but largely people looking to learn their way around manual flight of FPV drones will be best served by starting on a cinewhoop platform. The propeller guards or ducts provide a layer of protection to the propellers and the larger fuselage of the drone, which allows pilots to keep flying in spite of crashing. Additionally, cinewhoops are usually equipped with more manageable motors power-wise and rates that are geared towards more cinematic and controlled flying, which serves pilots just learning to fly much better.
No matter if you choose a drone from this list or find an option that fits your needs better, I strongly suggest and encourage you to look at cinewhoops first.
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