FPV spot checklist: 10 things before your first flight
A new spot often looks perfect on the map – and on site there is a power line across the field. This checklist helps you find the usual surprises in advance. The first five points you can check at home, the other five at the spot.
As of October 2026. Not legal advice – the rules themselves are in Where can I fly FPV in Germany?.
At home
1. Zones checked? Look at the whole flight area on the dipul map, not just the take-off point. Nature reserves, airfields, railways and roads are the usual stumbling blocks.
2. 150 metres from residential and recreational areas? Mandatory for quads from 250 g (subcategory A3) – and parks, sports grounds and allotments count as recreational areas.
3. When is it quiet there? A farm track is empty on a Tuesday morning and busy on a Sunday afternoon. Plan the time too – the finder’s time profile accounts for it.
4. Weather? Wind at flight height and gusts matter more for small quads than rain. From about 30 km/h of gusts it gets uncomfortable. And plan for sunset: your observer has to be able to see the drone.
5. Satellite image checked? Maps are sometimes out of date. An aerial image shows new buildings, felled forest or a car park missing from the map data.
At the spot
6. People nearby? If walkers, riders or children turn up: keep your distance, land if necessary. In the open category uninvolved people must not be endangered.
7. Power lines and pylons? The most dangerous obstacles in FPV, because thin wires are almost invisible in the video feed. Scan the whole area with the naked eye once.
8. Take-off and emergency landing spot? A flat, clear area to take off and land, and an idea where you would put down in an emergency. Tall crops, water and forest are poor emergency landing spots.
9. Radio and sight? Hills, forest and buildings block video and control. Stay in areas your observer can see into – that also keeps the link stable.
10. Observer briefed? They stand right next to you, keep the drone in sight and tell you at once when someone comes or something is in the way. Agree on a clear word for “land now”.
Where do I start?
The FPV Spot Finder takes much of the first three points off your hands: it searches your area for spots with few people, blocks points in protected areas and too close to residential areas, warns about power lines and shows the flight weather for the next hours at every spot. The rest of the list you do on site.