Like a lot of drone enthusiasts, I started using drones for photography. It wasn’t until a few years later that I came across race drones and became hooked on the hobby. Drone racing is not a case of just using your regular DJI UAV to compete, race drones are purpose built to go incredibly fast, take sharp turns at speed and handle inevitable crashes. It’s also a great way to meet other drone pilots and share the experience with friends and family.
How are race drones different to FPV and Camera Drones
The key difference between racing drones, camera drones and FPV drones is that racing drones are built for speed above all else. This includes the battery use, propellor style, durability, camera type and controller style.
Camera Drones vs Race Drones
Camera drones are what most drone enthusiasts use. On the cheaper end of the market is brands like DEERC Drones, Holy Stone and Skyline. Exo Drones and Roku sell low to mid-price range drones. However, the most well-known and most expensive camera drone manufacturer is DJI.
These camera drones are built for capturing cinematic footage viewed on a phone, tablet or inbuilt controller screen. They are also generally much more fragile than race drones.
Start Up Costs
Camera drones are the most commonly bought type of uav. They’re great for beginners because they come with everything you need to get started straight out of the box which can also be more affordable than getting started with race drones (I go through some of the best camera drones for beginners from $50-500 here).
Beginners in the racing drone niche need to buy FPV goggles, batteries, a charger, a radio controller and the drone which can cost more to get started.
However, because all these components are usually bought separately, flying race drones is more affordable in the long run. When you want to upgrade your racing drone, you don’t need to buy new FPV goggles or a new controller. As long as you stick with one system (digital or analogue) the new drone will pair with your existing equipment. Although, as a beginner, you can get started with just a controller and a drone racing simulator for very cheap.
When camera drone enthusiasts want to upgrade they have to buy a whole new kit; the batteries, charger and controller aren’t interchangeable between drone types.
Flight Time and Battery
Good quality camera drones have a flight time of around 30 minutes on average. This is very different to racing drones which are designed to extract as much power from the battery as fast as possible. Most drone races go for less than 5 minutes.
OSD (On Screen Display)
Camera drones typically have a LCD screen built into the controller or rely on a mobile device to display the flight metrics. Racing drones, however, don’t display a lot of stats on the screen or FPV goggles because the pilots main focus is paying attention to objects while flying as fast as possible. They don’t have time during racing to check any metrics like battery status or signal strength.
Design
Race drones are built to be more robust than camera drones. Race drones typically have a carbon fibre frame that can withstand knocks, collisions and crashes.
The frame shape for race drones is also a bit different to camera drones. Camera drones need to have the propellers positioned completely out of the field of view. However, getting a nice view isn’t the main objective for race drones.
There are two frame types for race drones, deadcat and x-frame. X-frame has symmetrical arms, the angle of the arms on the front of the drone mirrors the back. Deadcat is the term used for race drone frames that have the front arms at a wider angle so that the props don’t intrude too much on the camera view.
FPV Drones vs Race Drones
The term race drone is often used interchangeably with FPV drones but the two are not the same. FPV and racing drones look the same but the main differences are the propellor design, camera and throttle.
Camera
FPV drones (also known as freestyle drones) are designed to have modular cameras (e.g go-pros) attached and also do impressive stunts like flips and funnels. The weight of a camera attachment on any drone will slow it down.
Racing drones have a very small camera built-in which is solely designed for the pilot to view the live stream while racing. FPV drones are designed to give an amazing, stunt filled aerial experience with smooth cinematic footage.
Propellors & Motors
FPV drones look a lot like racing drones at first glance but there are some key differences in the design.
Propellors for racing have a steeper pitch to push more air to go faster. The aggressive racing propellors also produce more vibration which you don’t want when you’re flying for the FPV ‘freestyle experience’. You’ll see the shake in the camera footage.
The strong, higher KV motors in racing drones also add to vibrations through the drone and produce more noise. Some FPV drones have soft mount motors to combat this for smoother and quieter footage.
Throttle
The performance of the throttle is different when it comes to racing drones and FPV drones. When drone racing, the throttle is designed to make the drone fly in the fastest range of possible speeds. When flying freestyle you need a greater range of speed control from the throttle. Having a greater range of speed in FPV drones on the slower end of the spectrum means you can capture slow, smooth cinematic footage. The throttle on racing drone controllers makes the drone accelerate quickly from take-off.
OSD (On Screen Display)
The OSD for race drones has far less information than a freestyle FPV drone. When racing, your main focus is on avoiding objects and going as fast as possible around the course for 2-5 minutes. The OSD for racing drones doesn’t show many stats because the pilot doesn’t have time or the need to check these while racing.
The OSD for FPV drones, on the other hand, displays useful metrics like signal strength, battery and distance.
How to get into drone racing
The learning curve for drone racing is much steeper than flying camera drones if you’ve never flown a UAV before. This is partially because you’re wearing goggles and can’t look at the controller but flying racing drones is just more complicated overall.
Drone Racing Simulators
I recommend starting with a drone racing simulator or a cheap racing drone. By starting with a simulator, you only need to purchase a controller to get started. The goggles, drone and accessories can be purchased later. A couple of good options are the DRL (Drone Racing League) Simulator and the DJI Flight Simulator.
Drone racing simulators are a very cheap way to get started with drone racing, the software cost ranges from completely free to about $15.
There are many different race types with a range of difficulty to practice with before unleashing your skills on a real drone. The simulated drone races can be played as multiplayer with other people, bots or your shadow from a previous race.
Buying a Race Drone
Before buying a racing drone, there are a couple of options you need to decide on. The first is choosing digital or analogue, the second decision is choosing the type of racing drone.
Analogue vs Digital Race Drones
Deciding between analogue and digital is an important first step because all of the gear you buy (drones, goggles and controller) need to be the same system to talk to each other.
Analogue has been around a lot longer so there is more choice of brands, products and price range. Digital systems are rare for drone racing because they have more latency (image lag) than analogue systems. Digital is more expensive but is preferred by some drone pilots because the image is much smoother. If you want more info on this check out the analogue vs digital drone comparison table here.
Types of Race Drones
There are 4 different types of race drones. The ‘type’ is defined by how much assembly is required and what components are included in the package.
- RTF (ready to fly): no assembly is required, all the components you need are included and you will be ready to start flying straight out of the box.
- BNF (bind and fly): The drone is assembled but the controller is not included. This is a good option if you’ve already purchased a good radio. All you need to do is bind (connect) the drone to the controller.
- Race Drone Kits: Drone kits refer to bundles that require assembly. Don’t start with a kit if you’re a beginner because the level of difficulty varies.
- DIY Race Drones: DIY is the most advanced option for race drones. This is where you hand-pick all the components.
If you are new to drones and robotics then I recommend starting with RTF or BNF. You can move onto buying kits and DIY once you’re familiar with the components.
The Wrap Up on Race Drones
Drone racing is an addictive hobby. While the start-up costs to get all the components can be more expensive than camera drones, the cost is much cheaper in the long run. The option to start with a race drone simulator is also a very affordable way to get started.
Once you’ve invested in a good controller and have honed your skills on a simulator, I recommend you check out Flywoo Firefly drones. They’re a well-established drone manufacturer with a strong following. I go through two of their micro-drones which are pretty affordable to get started with, the Flywoo Firely Hex and Nano Baby.
Related posts:
iFlight: The Top FPV Drones of 2023 Reviewed
Tiny Hawk: The Perfect Beginner to Expert FPV Drone?
The Top 5 FPV Racing Drones To Take You From Beginner To Expert
Buying A Cheap FPV Drone: What To Look Out For
Buying Guide for FPV Goggles: What to look for
Flywoo Firefly Drones [Which Model is Best?]