Peter Karanja

While FPV drones are designed to be used with goggles, some situations require you to fly them without them. I have seen this happen when one doesn’t have a spotter, eyesight issues, motion sickness, and can’t stand the goggles. But can you fly an FPV drone without goggles? It’s possible to fly an FPV drone without goggles. It’s even ideal to practice flying a drone without the goggles, like on a simulator, but this is just for training. Flying an FPV drone without the goggles can be very limiting in real-world applications. As a licensed drone pilot, I sometimes get ask this type of question so in this post I will discuss why you must use Goggles when flying the FPV drone, the cons associated with them, and more. What Are FPV Goggles? FPV (First-Person View) goggles are a unique set of glasses FPV drone pilots use to see what the drone sees. They capture and display the video live feeds in real-time, giving you an exceptional flying experience. If you want to learn more about what FPV drones are then make sure to read my other guide by clicking here. Can You Fly an FPV Drone Without Goggles Though you can fly FPV drones without using the goggles, they make the whole experience more captivating and save you a lot of headaches, and here’s why. FPV goggles give you an immersive and explicitly clear view of live feeds from the drone’s camera. Also, the FPV goggles help to determine the drone’s direction, which is why they’re a vital part of flying drones. Applications like drone racing require high precision, as one second could cost you if the drone crashes or injures somebody. Imagine trying to maneuver the drone through the racing course by looking at it or looking at an external screen. Sadly, without the FPV goggles, it’s impossible to have precision when maneuvering and flying the drone at a high speed. Using goggles also comes in handy when flying in areas with a lot of sunlight that may hinder using a screen. Why You May Need to Fly Without Goggles For some, though, they may want to avoid these over-the-eyes viewing devices when flying their FPV drones. As mentioned earlier, one main reason would be when you don’t have a spotter. That’s because, per the law in most regions, you need a spotter when flying in first-person view. Why? While goggles give you a bird’s eye view, the camera feed may not always allow you to assess the areas you are flying in accurately. It’s also not always possible to have complete situational awareness when flying FPV. In such a case, a trained observer must guide you as you fly. Other people also have personal issues or preferences that may prevent them from using goggles. What options are there for such drone enthusiasts?  Find out below. Other Ways of Flying FPV Drones Without Goggles If you do not want to use the FPV goggles when flying your drone, you could use FPV Monitors, a smartphone, or a tablet. Let me discuss further below. FPV Monitors FPV monitors give a better view of what the drone sees than smartphones and tablets because of their large screen. So, mount the FPV monitor on the drone’s controller to keep the screen in view mode. Sadly, like tablets and smartphones, their screens may not be visible properly during a sunny day, making seeing and controlling the drone challenging. Yet, still, they don’t offer a fascinating experience like the FPV goggles do. Besides, even with monitors, you still need to have your goggles with you since you must transfer the feed from the goggles to the controller. Tablets or Smartphones Your smartphone or tablet can act as the screen in place of the FPV goggles. You can see the drone’s camera live feed on your smartphone or tablet using the recommended App, just as you could see when using the FPV goggles. While tablets and smartphones are viable options, there may be some cons. For example, using a smartphone or tablet on a sunny day makes seeing the screen tricky. That could make it hard to control your drone, and you could get in trouble if it landed in the wrong place. Another nuisance about using smartphones or tablets instead of FPV goggles is that there could be some delay or lag; hence, live feeds may not be real-time. As a result, you might have to slow down the drone, which could make the whole experience boring. Besides, it only takes a few seconds to crash an FPV drone since it lacks the safety features you will find on a camera drone. Risks of Not Using Goggles When Flying the FPV Drones Some experts prefer to fly the FPV drones without the goggles, which could be safe or dangerous, based on the prevailing circumstances. For example, goggles make it possible to lose sight of your FPV drone physically. This is why, for safety reasons, spotters should be there when flying the drone in open areas. On the other hand, more disadvantages are associated with flying the FPV drone without the goggles, as seen below. Difficulty in Maintaining the Line of Sight Flying your drone without the FPV goggles makes maintaining the visual line of sight difficult. Consequently, you must be extra careful lest your drone hits obstacles and crashes. Not using the goggles makes you look like you’re blindly flying the drone. Better said, you lack complete control of it. As a result, it becomes easy for your drone to hit trees, other drones, or buildings. Still, your FPV drone could fly away to restricted areas, causing you to get into trouble with the authorities. Going against what FPV Drones were made for FPV drones are designed to be used with goggles. This is because, in this sport, speed, performance, and agility are all crucial. Hence, FPV goggles are a must-have to ensure that you have a clear and real-time view of

DJ has been manufacturing the best quality consumer, prosumer, and enterprise drones. Their drones are famous for their automated flight modes, excellent cameras, and applicability in various industries, from filming to construction, mining, and agriculture. However, one of the issues that hinder drone operations is precipitation. Some drones are advertised as waterproof or water-resistant, which makes them usable even in adverse conditions. But are DJI drones waterproof? DJI drones are not waterproof. Flying them on a rainy day could make them inoperable because the motors, cameras, and batteries could get damaged by water.  However, DJI has made some of their drones water resistant, allowing them to withstand rain, snow, and submersion in water bodies, but how resistant a drone will be will depend on the task it’s made for and its IP rating.  There are also effective measures, as we shall see later, that can help protect the drone, for example, installing full-body shells or silicone coatings to protect delicate drone components. Having used some of their enterprise drones, such as the DJI M30T, Phantom 4, DJI M300 RTK, and the Agras T30 spraying drone, as well as their consumer drones, such as the Mavic and the Mini series drones, I have seen how DJI drones can hold up when exposed to water. Read on to learn more about how waterproof or water-resistant DJI drones can be based on my experiences. The Difference Between Water-Resistant and Waterproof Drones “Water-resistant” and “waterproof” are often used interchangeably but have different meanings. Let’s clear up the confusion.  A water-resistant Drone: Partially resists water penetration into the drone’s electrical components. Such drones are usable on slightly rainy days and cannot be damaged by water splashes. Though its components can be damaged by immersion in water, water penetration to the delicate parts is slow. However, avoid using this type of drone during heavy rains.  A waterproof drone: This type is watertight and cannot be damaged by water. Waterproof drones’ components have airlocked bodies that safeguard some components, such as the cameras and engines, from water. How To Know Your Drone’s Protection Against Water Damage You can determine if your drone is waterproof or water-resistant by measuring its protection against water using an Ingress Protection (IP) rating. Also known as the International Protection Rating, the Ingress Protection rating refers to your drone’s protective casing against substances such as water and dust that could cause damage to its interiors. While the first number indicates the protection rate of the device against solid materials, the 2nd one indicates the device’s protection against water. This second number ranges from 0 to 8, while the first digit ranges from 0 to 6. For example, IP68 (8 is the highest, which means the drone’s protection against water is high, and 0 is the lowest, which means the drone’s protection is low). A drone rated IP67 or IP68 is generally waterproof. Below is a chart that shows the various and most common IP ratings and what they mean; Image retrieved from https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/IPNumbers.htm NOTE – A drone without an IP rating is not water resistant or waterproof and should not be used in wet conditions. You will realize a lot of DJI consumer drones, including the 3-camera Mavic 3 Pro, don’t have an IP rating. Are DJI Drones Waterproof? No, none of the DJI drones are waterproof, but most are water-resistant. Such drones can be used underwater up to one meter or in rain or snow for a short period. These drones are great for search and rescue missions during deadly floods, fishing, boating, spraying, spreading, and surfing. Some DJI drones intended for industrial and commercial uses, such as the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, can be used for tasks like Bathymetric surveys where they get close to water bodies. However, they are still not water resistant enough to be submerged in water for long periods. I first experienced flying a DJI drone in the rain when using the M30T to track elephants in a local forest. The weather forecast app, the UAV Forecast, did say that there would be rain, but it rained a few hours earlier than expected. So when it started raining, the drone was at least three kilometers from the home point.  This drone survived at least 5 minutes of heavy downpours and strong winds, but I managed to land it safely. The only issue I noted after landing was that the RGB and infrared cameras appeared foggy or misty for a while. However, after drying the drone and letting it rest for a few hours, everything was back to normal, and the drone is still functional today. Some of the highest-rated DJI drones for waterproofing include spraying drones such as the DJI Agras T30, which has an IP rating of up to IP67, making it washable and corrosion-resistant, which is ideal for spraying.  The latest release, the DJI Agras T40, is rated IPX6X, which means it can withstand water sprays at high pressures. I haven’t had much experience with the newer T40, but I have used the T30 extensively for spraying projects, and with proper maintenance, it can survive rain and high-pressure sprays. But what more would you expect from a drone designed to spray liquids? Below is a table showing some of the DJI drones resistance to water. Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. DJI Drone Model IP Rating Explanation DJI AGRAS T40 IPX6X It can withstand rain and snow for a longer period and can withstand high-pressure water sprays. DJI AGRAS T30 IP67 It is washable and resistant to corrosion in addition to withstanding precipitation. DJI Matrice 350 RTK IP55 Protected against sprays of water from all directions. It can be flown under heavy rain, not over 100mm/24hr. Dust protected, too. DJI Matrice 30 and 30T IP55 Protected against sprays of water from all directions. It can

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