You must always keep your drone within your visual line-of-sight. This means you can see the drone with your own eyes, rather than through an electronic device, video screen or goggles.
Flying First Person View (FPV) makes use of an onboard camera that relays live video to goggles, mobile phone or tablet screen.
When you fly FPV, you can only see vision from the onboard camera. Flying FPV limits your situational awareness and may lead to disorientation. Flying FPV increases the risk of the drone colliding with trees, people, birds or even other aircraft. Without situational awareness, you may not be able to manoeuvre the drone in time to prevent a collision.
The dos and don’ts of flying FPV
You can fly FPV indoors for sport or recreation provided the drone can’t get out of the building. You do not need CASA approval.
If you want to fly FPV outdoors, you must either:
- be a member of a model aircraft association that has approval to fly FPV
- apply for CASA approval to fly FPV recreationally
- apply for CASA approval to fly extended visual line of sight (EVLOS) commercially
Model aircraft associations approved to fly FPV
The Model Aeronautical Association of Australia (MAAA) oversees the operation of model aircraft for its members, including FPV flying. Visit the MAAA website for more information on FPV flying.
6 Jan 2023