DJI FPV Explorer Combo Review: A Thrilling Immersive Flight Experience

First Flight impressions from a long time Phantom and Mavic pilot of the FPV drone. I've been flying a Phantom since getting a Phantom 2 back in 2014. I've flown extreme environments on the open ocean and from over 10,000 feet at the caldron of a volcano. I've become quite comfortable with using those DJI drones. I've gained trust in the DJI flight software and capabilities of the drones. Because of that, I've been able to capture some beautiful moments in my travels that I could never have imagined without drone photography. I learned to fly manual on toy drones in the beginning, but, quickly adapted to DJI's GPS technology. After 3 batteries today I find the FPV to be a familiar performing DJI drone, however, it demands respect. Extremely fast even in "Normal" mode, the FPV is very responsive compared to any Phantom or Mavic. Care should be taken, if like myself, you've never used Goggles and losing sight of the drone before takeoff is a little disconcerting. Your seeing everything through the Goggles that the drone see's, a'la, First Person View. The Goggles transmission is so crystal clear it's like your using your own eyes and suddenly your wondering why you can't move your head to see the drone? In the air it shoots to 62 mph in "Sport" in a thought. No buildup or lag, it's a Ferrari compared to Phantoms and Mavics. Be respectful of that acceleration and speed. I would recommend getting it a 100 feet or more above the tallest thing you might hit and fly it around. Bank it, dive and climb. The Goggles are so crystal clear you literally feel like a bird in the sky. It's so good some banks and turns gave me a twinge of motion sickness. The illusion of flight is real! Flight time was about 12 minutes for me with each of 3 batteries. Of course, I was flying in "Sport" as fast as it would go untill the battery level got low. There is no 30% warning default like a Phantom or Mavic of low battery. Keep a close eye on your battery before the FPV goes RTH on you for low battery. Good news is that my 1st battery was fully charged in 30 minutes from 20% and ready to use after my third battery was used up. Goggles are very impressive! WoW! So clear and immersive. The Ocusync 3.0 is really good. No interference or latency at over 6000 feet from my position. Really impressive range in any direction. This drone is not a marathon runner like a Mavic Pro or Phantom 4 Pro 2.0, but, it's not because it would lose connection. At all times the transmission of video from the drone to the Goggles was perfect! I saw a buzzard in the air riding the current and I got close, it seemed like it was really next to me. I'm blown away by these FPV Goggles! I also got to see the the ADS system in operation as it alerted me a aircraft was approaching. It's frightening when you 1st see it in your Goggles! I stopped the drone, never saw the aircraft and kept the FPV low. I'm not sure how far away a aircraft has to be before it's triggered but I never saw or heard a plane. The system definitely works, just don't panic when it happens and put your FPV in "Normal" mode and keep your altitude low. I know that FPV drone flight is like a art form for FPV pilots. It takes hours and months of practice and flying to become competent and only a few can fly like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. However, that's the trap you must avoid if like myself, you've only flown Phantoms and Mavics. The DJI FPV drone is familiar in alot of ways, just don't start thinking it's the same. It's not. It's very quick and fast with extremely responsive movement. I know I'm going to be using the DJI Fpv simulator for some time before I begin entertaining thoughts of putting my FPV in manual mode. And when I do, I'm hoping to fly above a field of marshmallows. Finally, my first day flying the DJI FPV drone was Epic! I haven't felt this excited about a drone or as anxious about what would happen since the first time I flew my Phantom 2. It's capabilities as a video centric camera is limited only by the pilots imagination and skill. Just remember the immortal words of the Instructor to Maverick in Top Gun, "Don't let your Ego write checks that your A** can't cash!" (and if you do, I hope you got Care Refresh)

I purchased this drone a couple of weeks ago. No issues with shipment. Great little drone for a beginner. I must emphasize that I am a complete beginner and so these are just my thoughts. It's so easy to use I had my kids flying it within 30 minutes. Tips/recommendations 1. Charge all your batteries prior to usage. 2. Firmware updates for Drone and Batteries. Try to do this at home prior to going out and flying cause this could cost you time and battery power. I initially tried to update the firmware and the update kept crashing on me. I had to reboot my iphone a couple of times to get the firmware properly loaded on the drone. It took approximately an hour to download an update. I found the process to be extremely frustrating. Also the intelligent batteries that you purchase will require firmware updates. It only took a minute to do it. 2. I'd recommend buying at least 2 more batteries. Flight time during cold temperatures (35 F and below) goes down to about 10 minutes flight time. Also once the batteries hit 30% it goes into RTH (Return To Home) Mode which I do not like. The drone will ascend and then you have to click on the Cancel option to cancel and fly back which is a little bit annoying. During warmer temperatures (75 F) flight time can go up to approximately 15 minutes. I wish they'd come up with a battery for this drone that would last about 30 minutes that would be awesome. 3. Training Download the DJI Virtual Flight app from the App store (Iphone). I thought the DJI Virtual Flight app was half way decent. It takes you through the motion of connecting the Goggles, Remote Controller and Iphone. You'll need an Iphone "Lightning to USB" Cable to connect the goggles to the Iphone. Managed to connect it to an Iphone 12. I started my flight training in "Normal" mode and there were a couple of things I had to get use to. Namely the angles at which you're flying at. Make sure you keep your head straight while flying otherwise your head will start spinning. I had to really focus on this while training. Train, train, train before you physically fly the drone. Once you're ready to physically fly pick a big open space and just fly the drone without the goggles, just to get use your surroundings. I had my kids fly it this way prior to putting the goggles on. Do some flight pattern training flying in a rectangle, square, S, circle etc and you should be good to go. I wish the DJI Virtual Flight app had some more training tips like how to fly around obstacles and more flight challenges etc. 4. Get a good case for storage. It becomes a bit of a pain to transport. I've been using a card board box. 5. Get micro SD cards for the goggles and the drone. 6. I also purchased DJI care refresh which cost about $212 with tax. So will see if I need it. 7. Incoming Aircraft Sensor - This works great. There were times I did'n't even see the aircraft and the sensor picked it up quite impressive.

Great size, easy to transport and produces stunning video footage. Battery life is average and still images it shoots are okay. Easy learning curve.

Muy divertido, súper rápido y muy buena caludad

Es el primer dron que eh comprado y ya superado mis expectativas. Tiene buenas funciones , la conectividad de las gafas y control es excelente y la calidad de los videos también es de calidad, no por nada es 4k 60 fps. Aunque solo lo eh usado en modo normal, ya me ha sorprendido bastante, solo hace falta más práctica para el modo sport y sobretodo en modo manual para surcar los cielos!

Fun toy ! Already had to do a replacement but you can take the DJI care package if you are looking to do some fun stuff. Get a backpack and bring it along you never know

I’ve crashed my DJI FPV into rocky sand three times, and it still flies like nothing happened. I expected at least a broken propeller, but even those only had minor scuffs. The durability of this drone is seriously impressive. It handles crashes better than I expected, and that gives me more confidence to push my limits while flying. If you're looking for a drone that can take a beating and keep going, this is it!