Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 1 — Assembly
Part 1: physical assembly of the quad — frame, motors, ESCs, FC, VTX, camera. The foundation everything else builds on.
YouTube tutorials
Learn FPV from the people who teach it best.
A curated, sorted collection of educational videos from Joshua Bardwell, Mr Steele, iFlight, and Rotor Riot — covering building, soldering, Betaflight, first flights, PID tuning, and troubleshooting.
Featured creators
The voices to follow
Joshua Bardwell
@JoshuaBardwell
The deepest-dive teacher in FPV — build, tune, repair, Betaflight.
Mr Steele
@MrSteeleFPV
Freestyle pioneer. Cinematic flow, tuning culture, build philosophy.
iFlight
@iFlight
Manufacturer tutorials for their frames, AIOs, and BNFs.
Rotor Riot
@RotorRiot
Builds, reviews, and weekly FPV culture from the OG store/crew.
UAVfutures
@UAVfutures
Honest gear reviews and beginner walkthroughs — the friend who tells you what to actually buy.
NURK FPV
@NURKFPV
The benchmark for cinematic and bando FPV — what to fly, how to compose, how to color.
Painless360
@Painless360
Patient, structured tutorials covering radios, GPS, ELRS, and long-range builds.
Tutorial library
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Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 2 — Smoke Check
Part 2: the first power-up. How to safely smoke-check the build before doing anything else.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 3 — Bind & Create Model
Part 3: binding the receiver to the radio and creating the model entry on your transmitter.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 4 — Install & Flash Betaflight
Part 4: installing the Betaflight Configurator and flashing fresh firmware to the FC.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 5 — Endpoints & Channel Mapping
Part 5: setting receiver channel order and endpoints so sticks map to the right control axes.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 6 — Set Up Aux Modes
Part 6: configuring AUX switches for arm, modes, beeper, and other in-flight toggles.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 7 — SmartAudio & vtxtables
Part 7: wiring SmartAudio and writing the VTX table so you can change channel/power from the OSD.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 8 — Adjusting Endpoints In Transmitter
Part 8: fine-tuning transmitter endpoints so 100% stick is 100% command at the FC.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 9 — BLHeli Motor Direction & Position
Part 9: using BLHeli to set motor rotation direction and confirm motor positions match the FC map.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 10 — Remaining Betaflight Setup
Part 10: modes, motor direction, OSD, voltage thresholds — the rest of what you must configure pre-flight.
Joshua BardwellIntermediateSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 11 — SoftSerial & Smartport Telemetry
Part 11: wiring Smartport telemetry over SoftSerial so the radio shows battery and RSSI in real time.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 12 — Final Assembly
Part 12: closing up the frame, mounting standoffs and top plate, and securing electronics for flight.
Joshua BardwellBeginnerSeries
Beginner Build $120 FPV Drone — Part 13 — First Flight
Part 13: the payoff — first hover and flight, plus what to watch for in the air on a brand-new build.
iFlightBeginner18m
iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V3 — Betaflight Setup Tutorial
Manufacturer walkthrough for the popular Evoque F5 V3 — what to check and configure on first power-up.
UAVfuturesBeginner30m
Build a PRO FPV Racing Drone for ONLY $99 — Full Guide
The classic UAVfutures budget build — proves you don't need premium gear to get airborne.
Rotor RiotIntermediate20m
Cinewhoop Build With DJI HD FPV (Featuring NURK)
How to build a ducted cinewhoop with DJI digital video — collaboration with NURK FPV.
Joshua BardwellBeginner28m
Most FPV Pilots Need To Watch This Soldering Tutorial
Iron temperature, tinning, joint inspection, and the most common mistakes that fry boards.
Joshua BardwellIntermediate22m
How I Upgraded To Betaflight 4.5 — Step By Step
Migration walkthrough from 4.4 to 4.5 — settings to check, new features, and what to leave alone.
Painless360Beginner14m
ExpressLRS Binding For Beginners — Common Problems Solved
Painless360's slow, clear walkthrough of ELRS binding and the mistakes that keep new pilots stuck.
Painless360Intermediate11m
Bind Multiple ELRS Receivers At The Same Time
How to bind several ExpressLRS receivers to one transmitter for huge channel counts and fleet management.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Welcome To The Series
Series intro: what you'll learn across Learn To FPV and the order to learn it in.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — The Best Way To Start FPV?
The actual smartest first move into FPV — simulator, BNF, or full build — explained.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Pre-Built Drones vs. Custom Built Drones
BNF/RTF vs. building your own — pros, cons, and which path fits which beginner.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — FPV Drone Component Breakdown
Tour of every part of an FPV drone: FC, ESC, motors, camera, VTX, frame — what each one does.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — FPV Gear On The Ground
The non-drone stuff you need on day one: radio, goggles, charger, LiPos, and accessories.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Which FPV Drone Simulator Is BEST For You? (Ep. 4)
Comparison of major FPV simulators with a recommendation for absolute beginners.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Setting Up An FPV Simulator
From radio plugged in to first lap — installing and configuring your chosen simulator.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — The First 3 FPV Drone Tricks To Master In The Sim
The exact three first tricks to practice in the sim so real flight feels familiar.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — SIM To Real Life (Ep. 6)
What changes when you take simulator skill outdoors — and what to practice so the hours transfer.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Tools & Supplies For FPV
Iron, solder, multimeter, hex drivers — the actual toolkit you'll use to build and fix quads.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Charging Batteries For FPV
How to safely charge LiPos: balance charging, storage voltage, and not burning your house down.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — FPV Goggles
What to look for in FPV goggles: analog vs. digital, FOV, resolution, DVR, comfort.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing Batteries For FPV
Cell count, capacity, C-rating, connector — how to read LiPo spec sheets and pick the right pack.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing Motors For FPV
Stator size, KV rating, magnets — what motor numbers actually mean and how to match motor to build.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing ESCs For FPV
Amp rating, BLHeli vs. AM32, 4-in-1 vs. single — how to pick ESCs and avoid magic smoke.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing Flight Controllers For FPV
MCU (F4/F7/H7), gyro, UART count, mounting size — picking an FC that fits your frame and goals.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing Cameras For FPV
Analog vs. digital, sensor size, latency — and which camera is right for your video system.
Rotor RiotBeginnerSeries
Learn To FPV — Choosing Video Transmitters (VTX) For FPV
Power output, frequency, SmartAudio — picking a VTX that's legal, performant, and easy to control.
Rotor RiotBeginner12m
The Best 3 Options To Getting Into FPV Drones
The three sensible paths to your first FPV setup, from prebuilt BNF to fully custom builds.
Rotor RiotBeginner10m
Every Beginner FPV Pilot Needs To Master These Three Tricks
Power loops, split-S, and rolls explained in a way that translates straight from sim to real life.
Mr SteeleIntermediate6m
Going With The Flow — FPV Freestyle
Mr Steele's recent flow piece — the visual lesson for what 'smooth' actually looks like on sticks.
Mr SteeleBeginner20m
Getting Into FPV The Right Way (Setup / LiPos / Sims)
Mr Steele's classic beginner roadmap — gear choices, simulator practice, and battery basics.
Rotor RiotBeginner10m
5 Mistakes EVERY FPV Pilot Makes
The crashes, settings, and decisions that derail new pilots — and how to avoid them on day one.
Joshua BardwellIntermediate1h 5m
PID Tuning Master Class — NYC Drone Film Festival
The definitive primer on what P, I, and D actually do to your quad — and how to tune each.
Joshua BardwellIntermediate18m
Betaflight Dynamic Filter — How To Tune
How dynamic notch filtering works and how to set it up so motors stay cool and the quad flies clean.
Joshua BardwellBeginner15m
Betaflight Won't Arm — RUNAWAY Arming Status Flags
The exact reasons Betaflight refuses to arm and how to read every arming-disable flag in the OSD.
Joshua BardwellIntermediate25m
How To Fix Any ESC — The MOSFET Driver
What a fried ESC looks like, how the MOSFET driver fails, and how to replace it with a soldering iron.
Joshua BardwellIntermediate20m
Bad Quadcopter Motor — Real World Blackbox Troubleshoot
Walk through reading blackbox logs to diagnose a motor problem and decide whether to repair or replace.
NURK FPVIntermediate14m
The Ultimate GoPro Settings For FPV
NURK's exact GoPro configuration for cinematic FPV — resolution, bitrate, color profile, and stabilization.
NURK FPVIntermediate5m
NURK — Cinematic FPV Showreel 2023+
What polished cinematic FPV looks like — study the framing, pacing, and movement vocabulary.
Painless360Intermediate12m
Flying Further — Why 6dB Is Needed For Twice The Range
The math behind RF range, antenna gain, and why doubling your range needs more than you'd expect.
UAVfuturesBeginner14m
Become A Better Pilot — Practice On An FPV Simulator (Velocidrone Review)
Why simulator hours translate, and a walk-through of Velocidrone as a beginner training tool.
UAVfuturesBeginner16m
RANKED — Best To Worst FPV Sims
Side-by-side ranking of the major FPV simulators — which one to install first for real-world skill.