Best of Bandos FPV

Abandoned buildings and other sites - "Bandos" - have long been a favored flying location for first person view (FPV) pilots.  This compilation video draws from the best of the "Bandos by FPV" collection, including epic footage from the abandoned town of Pripyat in Ukraine and a ghost town on the island of Sicily.  

Interested in sponsoring the Bando collection?  The sponsorship package includes re-branding of this compilation video with the sponsor's name and logo, which can then be used on the sponsor's website and social media pages. 

Top AirVuz contributor and commercial first person view (FPV) drone pilot Cinelifter brings us this fascinating FPV video from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in northwestern Ukraine, which was filmed just prior to the Russian invasion of that country in the late winter of 2022.   The Exclusion Zone was set up in the wake of the 1986 explosion of the nearby nuclear power plant, which spread a radioactive cloud over large stretches of Europe and rendered the town of Pripyat and its immediate surroundings uninhabitable.  

One of the world's top first person view (FPV) pilots, JohnnyFPV went to South Korea and happened upon this massive building complex bando.  As seen in this freestyle footage, there are quite a few vacancies in this spot.  He glides smoothly from floor to floor, and building to building in his classically juicy style full of perfectly executed flips, dives, and rolls...classic JohnnyFPV.  This video was voted a winner of the first annual AirVuz Drone Video Awards in the Freestyle category in 2017.

Since the advent of first person view (FPV) flight, pilots have sought out "bando's" - abandoned locations - to fly their mini-quads in a challenging yet safe environment.  In this amazing piece by AirVuz contributor MuschioFPV, you'll be treated to an FPV bando in a truly epic spot - the Italian town of Craco.  Set in the hills of the southern province of Matera, the town was pummeled by landslides and earthquakes and was abandoned in the late 20th century.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in October, 2021.  

Since the dawn of drone racing, many of the best first person view (FPV) drone videos have been filmed in (and around and over) abandoned properties of various shapes and sizes.  While early "bandos" focused on closed factories and commercial buildings, FPV pilots have become more and more creative in terms of accessing unusual sites.  Enter former DRL Champion Nurkfpv.  One of the great FPV pioneers, he managed to get access to an offshore oil and gas platform to create this highly cinematic and entertaining video.

This bando location is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Brought to us by pilot Sobrevolando Patagonia, Villa Epecuén was a village in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina on the eastern shore of Laguna Epecuén. At its height in the 1950’s to 1970’s the tourist town saw around 25,000 visitors. Its founder claimed the lake had healing properties to lure people to the town. In 1985 a dam broke nearby, flooding the town and making it uninhabitable for all but one resident who return in 2009 after the waters receded.   

What once was a lazy river has now become a race track for both mini quads and go-karts. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot WestPsydeFPV takes us to Lake Delores Waterpark, an abandoned waterpark off Interstate 15 in the Mojave Desert. The park was built in 1962 and had been renamed multiple times becoming Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark and Discovery Waterpark until it was closed in 2004. This bando flight earned WestPsydeFPV a spot on our FPV Pilots to Watch list in February of 2019. 

It’s not that out of the ordinary to hear of large real estate investment gone bad. One piece of the intricate puzzle deceives another and the whole deal falls apart. That’s supposedly what happened with the massive complex in this video from Russia. Bummer for the developers, awesome news for local first person view (FPV) pilot and AirVuz contributor craig_dt and his crew! They ripped up the abandoned complex, ironically once named “Legendary,” in this bando flight.

Check out this aptly named bando first person view (FPV) flight by Parasite FPV. He’ll hit up a graffiti-covered, below-street level walkway, then swiftly fly his mini quad to a building with plenty of jail cell-like beams for him to work on his technical flying. Finally diving the tall, cement tower nearby to the song with the same title by band AWOLNATION. This video isn’t full of flow or beauty, it’s not cinematic, it is a bando, technical rush.  It was also a selection for the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in May of 2019. 

The Andaman Sea is part of the eastern Indian Ocean and covers a total of 231,700 square miles. The Sea touches the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Breueh Island just north of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. FPV pilot Trinco found one of the many islands that is located in the sea to rip through, but this is not your average island video. This island is home to what once was a pristine resort that looks recently abandoned making it prime realestate for an awesome flight.

See the former United States Army post, Fort Ord, in this FPV freestyle video by pilot InspireFPV.  The old post in Monterey Bay, California closed in 1994 due to a Base Realignment and Closure action and is now a national monument. Built in 1940, the land around the fort used to be a field-artillery target range and was thereafter considered one of the more attractive bases to be assigned to due to the proximity to the ocean and the calm California weather.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2019. 

These bando silos have an interesting history. Located at the Port of San Francisco’s Pier 92, these grain silos on Islais Creek were used to store the grain that was delivered by railway then loaded on to the ships for export. Since abandoned, they are now home to the Bayview Rise mural you see in this bando video by FPV pilot InspireFPV. He’ll dive and explore the urban location, giving us views of the bay and the beautiful murals all at once.  This video earned our contributor a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in June of 2019.

Taking her quad out and living like an Avenger for a day, that’s where you’ll find megmichaels3. She went out with NurkFPV and BauerOutage to a graffiti-filled bando that was used in a scene with Black Widow. She flies the scene with her FPV mini quad, then takes a ground camera inside to the exact location where the scene was filmed. If you’ve never seen the movie, fear not Meg included it in this edit.

The abandoned location is next level. The size and scope of the area is massive and intimidating, the location may have been a small manufacturing community with the amount of buildings that are there. It’s also hardly standing, just the concrete framing and scrap metal remain. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot IronicGti absolutely shreds the area with a group of other pilots (you won’t believe the gaps he hits), earning himself an AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch nod in March of 2019.

Bandos definitely make for the best location for several reasons. One, you can pretty safely say you won’t run into any one. Two, the wide open spaces, oftentimes filled with colorful graffiti, allow for some sick trick flying. Three, every time you go back you discover something new. That was definitely the case during this flight by LivyuFPV. Flying through a 100-year-old abandoned brewery, he recorded a 4K quality flight we certainly enjoyed watching.  This was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April, 2019.

This has to be one of the largest bandos we’ve ever seen. Brought to us by the talented AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot IronicGti, he’s found an abandoned hospital complex that is now filled with over grown trees and broken windows. What makes this video even better is the lighting, he’s flying during Golden Hour so the orange sun is glittering off what is left of the hospital’s glass windows. IronicGti earned his spot on our AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in November of 2019. 

Brace yourself for some unreal flying in a pretty sweet bando.  The talented pilot Escape FPV used a fantastic Naval bando (what a find!) to break into the New Year, and the proof is in his flying.  He climbs those graffiti-filled walls, rolls and dives through the open spaces, and maintains his smooth-steady lines throughout.  Check out his whole profile full of FPV goodies and you'll understand why this guy has a growing Insta following, a healthy list of FPV sponsors, and an easy slide onto our FPV Pilots to Watch list in January 2020.

Since the dawn of first person view (FPV) racing quad flight, pilots have been attracted to abandoned building ("bando") sites.  The best bando's offer lots of opportunity to show off technical flying skills, hit gaps, and to experience the joys of FPV in comparative seclusion.  FPV pilot COLA found a gem of a bando site in an abandoned concrete factory, which offered a treasure trove of vertical dive possibilities, tight gaps, and hidden caverns.  For his efforts, he was awarded a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in May of 2019.

Now this is something we haven't seen much of, but it definitely looks like a blast! Check out what FPV pilot craig_dt created here...he attached some live roman candles and other firewworks to his racing drone as he cruised around a bando in the Moscow region of Russia. This novel idea definitely gives a Star Wars battle scene like view to the flight, and we think it looks like a blast. So much so, in fact we had to recognize this creativity by adding him to the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April 2020.

Taking us through an ornate, intricate, and beautiful but abandoned space, first person view (FPV) pilot PikaFPV has really taken it up a notch with this flight. The building is a massive, French home that was clearly once owned by a wealthy family. The freestyle pilot reverses it through the estate, make the flight all the more intriguing for both FPV fans and anyone with an appreciation for beautiful architecture.  A great example of a Bando FPV video, this was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in November, 2020. 

The bando featured in this FPV video is in pretty rough shape, but you can tell it once was a party-filled space. Flown through by pilot Tiago.Guano, the space was called Discoteca Green Hill. It was a night club in For do Arelho, Portugal and, according to Tiago.Guano, was a busy dance hall until it closed in 2013. You can see what used to be stages for dancing and bars for party goers, now falling a part throughout the flight. This video earned him a spot on our FPV Pilots to Watch list in February of 2019. 

Bandos are given a whole new sense of purpose when they are discovered by FPV pilots like Ayzen FPV.  In this capitivating video, we're given a careful but quick guided tour through the gaps and channels in this former coal mine in Forbach, France, near the border with Germany.  Watch carefully as he chases along the mine's train tracks, dives along the outer walls, and reminds us that *at this moment* all the action is definitely above ground.  This video landed Ayzen FPV our Pilots to Watch list in January 2020.  Bravo, Ayzen!

On AirVuz, we've known Sharpwest to deliver some pretty great cinewhoop flights, but this flight has taken off in a different direction...like over a pretty sweet bando he discovered.  He told us it was from a hotel that was abandoned over 40 years ago, and the remaining shell and outside features provided plenty of spaces for him to show off his flying skills.  Watch as he skims the outer walls, flies upside down and through the gazebo, and give us all plenty of reasons to add him to the FPV Pilots to Watch list in Marco 2020. So we did!

Nobody does bando like top AirVuz contributor and first person Tomz FPV does bando. He’s the reigning AirVuz Drone Video Award winner for our FPV Freestyle Technical category because of the insane speed and tricks he pulled in his “Kill the Spot” flight. This one may be even faster. Ripping through the open windows, doors and gaps only an abandoned space can provide, he’ll give us the full tour. Don’t blink or you might miss something.  This was picked for the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2019.

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Tomz FPV is a Team AirVūz pilot who's constantly pushing the sport of Freestyle FPV. In this edit, he pilots the most thrilling lines at a very unique and appealing bando making this arguably one of his sickest flights of all time. Proximity? Check. Dives? Check. Speed? Check, check!  With this flight he's rolled, power-looped, and driven himself into the winners' circle at the second annual Drone Video Awards in the FPV Freestyle Technical category.

FPV pilot Henri_Petrutis is getting some inspiration from the Star Wars universe in this Pilots to Watch flight. He’s taken his mini quad out to an old hydroelectric power plant in Estonia to replicate one of the trench runs seen in the franchise's movie “A New Hope.” The scene also inspired a video game called “Star Wars: Trench Run” that is set specifically during Episode IV during the rescue of Princess Leia, the Battle of Yavin, and Luke Skywalker’s run to destroy the Death Star. 

Can’t say we’ve ever seen a bando quite as dope as this one. Fincky refers to it as the “infamous abandoned waterpark” between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The old waterpark is almost fully covered by graffiti making it a visual jungle for an FPV quad to flow through. But, that’s not all there is to see in this flight; Fincky follows a skateboarder through the concrete jungle ebbing and flowing through its endless perfect edges. This video earned him a Pilots to Watch nod in March of 2019.

Check out this highly cinematic "bando" first person view (FPV) piece by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Lukasz Lewenda.  In contrast to most bandos, which are often used to display technical freestyle flying skills, this one is smooth, relatively slow and inside.  The location, which is undisclosed, is rather haunting.  This very creative piece was picked as a Finalist for the New York City Drone Film Festival.  It was also picked for the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in September of 2018.

Some of the earliest spots for freestyle first person view (FPV) flights were abandoned factories.  These sites offer countless opportunities to show off technical flying skills, be it dives, hitting gaps, hard turns, and other tricks of the trade.  In this outstanding piece, AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Gespar goes full on beastmode in this bando in China, ripping it up inside and out.  His dives, proximity, and speed earned him a nomination in our 2nd Annual Drone Video Awards for FPV Freestyle Technical. 

Pilot coolguy.fpv has found the Tintic Standard Reduction Mill in Genola, Utah to make this epic FPV video, which was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in November, 2020. Also known as the Harold Mill, it was built in 1920 to process metals like copper, gold, silver and lead. The only American mill that used the Augustin process at the time, it closed only 5 years later when the process became outdated. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, all that remains is the now-ruined equipment.

Ever seen a field of crumbling, gigantic, 18-foot statues molded to look like the heads of the first 43 Presidents of the United States of America? We hadn’t either. See them for yourself in Williamsburg, Virginia, or you can just sit back and view them from the comfort of your own home thanks to this epic flight by TwansFPV. He’ll rip around the massive, crumbling busts taking a special interest in America’s first president Mr. George Washington himself. This epic location landed him on our FPV Pilots to Watch list.

No other major American city ever grew as quickly or shrank so dramatically as Detroit.  From its peak around 1950, the population within the city limits has declined by well over 60%.  Among other things, it's resulted in thousands upon thousands of abandoned buildings - upwards of 70,000 by some counts.  If there is a bit of a silver lining here, it's become a bando heaven for first person view (FPV) pilots.  You'll get a taste of this phenomenon in this excellent "bando tour" by FPV pilot KittFPV.    

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Ruben Caser takes you on an epic Bando flight in this piece, which was shot at an abandoned gold mine in Australia.  It's the Berry No. 1 Deep Lead Gold Mine in the one-time gold mining village of Lawrence in the state of Victoria.  Just a few minutes north of Ballarat (about 70 mi. or 120 km northwest of Melbourne), this was the heart of the great Victoria gold mining boom which began in the 1850's and was comparable in many respects to the California Gold Rush of the same period.  

First person view (FPV) pilot Livyu FPV found an ideal place to fly his racing quad: an abandoned town on the giant Italian island of Sicily.  According to the pilot, the area was abandoned after an earthquake in the 1960’s.  It has very restricted access since the site is so fragile, but he walked right in when the gates to the area were open. Once spotted by security he asked if it would be ok to fly.  As you’ll see he was able to secure his five minutes of freestyle, bando heaven.

You never know what kind of treasures you’ll find while searching for an abandoned place to fly through. Look at the location that first person view (FPV) pilot Quincy Drones found while out on the hunt. Set in the woods, the location includes a newer looking home that he says looked abandoned as well as a very, old school which clearly hadn’t been used in years. His creepy location and flying skills make this one great video.  It's a great example of how abandoned ("bando") locations can come to life with skilled FPV pilots.  

The spooky, abandoned location and smooth flying are made all the better by the sound effects that contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Mr Eight put behind the flight in this awesome FPV bando video. He’ll explore an old hostel, flying in and out of the graffiti-filled rooms and through the tight gaps the old furniture and crawling vines provide, all set to a creepy, haunting soundtrack.  Well edited, the video is cinematic enough that you'll be able to get a good feel for the location. 

We’ve seen a lot of "bando" first person view (FPV) mini-quad videos, but nothing quite like this. This closed golf course in Orlando, Florida serves as the perfect location for a slow, mellow flight brought to you by top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot ImpactFPV. He flew his custom long-range quad to grab most of the shots you’ll see in this video, built around an Armattan Chameleon 5 inch frame with TBS Mr. Steel 2345KV Silk motors.  The video features super-smooth, highly cinematic FPV footage. 

First person view (FPV) pilot elbuhofpv brings us this rather haunting FPV tour of what was once the world's largest mental hospital: the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center on Long Island, east of New York City.  At its peak after War II, the facility had nearly 14,000 residents.  Now mostly abandoned, the facility was a filming location for the 1985 movie Murder by Reason of Insanity and it was referenced in Allen Ginsburg's classic poem, Howl.  This Freestyle FPV flight put elbuhofpv on our AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in November of 2019. 

An abandoned and desecrated orphanage, that is where you’ll find AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) mini quad pilot BlinKFPV.  Set on spectacular, wooded grounds this place is absolutely massive, some might say it’s a shame to see such a place go to waste. Luckily for us, BlinKFPV is bringing the complex to new heights and new life, diving the towers while barreling down the lines of the building’s straightaways. It’s a wild ride that may be worth revisiting come Halloween.

Check out this awesome first person view (FPV) "bando" (FPV slang for an abandoned building or site) video in France by AirVuz contributor and pilot Jlucidar. The talented content creator says it's time to get back to his roots and start ripping bandos more often. The site is a gem of an abandoned complex in Northern France to which he says he plans to return soon; based on this video, we hope he does. This spot earned him a place on the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in December of 2019. 

What. A. Spot. This smoked up, graffitied out, bando to end all bandos was absolutely ripped up by top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot ShaggyFPV and his crew. Total Drone Xperience made the rip session possible at their “Loads” location. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to move at an incredible speed through a race course, then look no further than this smoke show by one of the world's top FPV drone racing pilots.   Trust us, this one is well worth a watch.  

Just when we think we've seen the coolest bando for FPV, pilots like former Drone Video Award winner TomzFPV go ahead and really rewrite the script.  Check out this amazing freestyle flight around the abandoned cast iron factory known as the Lorraines Foundries and Steelworks in northeastern France.  It's been out of use since 1991 and decaying ever since, but its giant blast furnaces have been preserved for prosperity.  With his epic flight that hits all the gaps, this video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in March, 2020.  

Located in Volterra, Italy the now derelict Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra was founded in 1888 as a “ward for the demented”; in 21st century lingo, it was a mental hospital.  By the 1950’s and 1960’s it was one of the largest asylums in Italy with over 6,000 patients, until it was closed in 1978. The psychiatric hospital was known for its brutal treatment of the inmates. This first person view (FPV) drone bando flight by Mr Eight FPV shows the decaying and ominous building from inside to out. 

This bando first person view (FPV) flight is one to remember. Brought to us by top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot IronicGti, he’s found a construction site in Croatia filled with incredible glass windows, plenty of steel beams, and open spaces. The building was clearly meant for big things before, what we assume was bankruptcy, halted the project’s progress. The icing on the cake in this video? Golden hour sunset reflecting off the building’s glass.  This video was tapped for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in January, 2019. 

As a general rule, first person view (FPV) drone pilots are naturally curious people. They take a small, flying object and tinker with it until it works the way they’d like. Then, they take it out to locations they’re curious about and take in the perspective from a bird’s eye view. ImpactFPV was on a train recently and had to check out this sweet bando tower, only to be caught by security. However, his footage survived the interaction making it so we all get to see the place that spiked his curiosity. 

Bando spots for first person view (FPV) flights come in all shapes and sizes, but this one is definitely one of the coolest we've seen.  AirVuz contributor Buzzin' G FPV adventured to northern Italy to film this amazing piece, which was shot in a ghost town called Bussana Vecchia in northern Italy.  Located in the region of Liguria near the French border, the town was abandoned following a deadly earthquake in the late 1800's and has only partly been resettled.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in October, 2020.  

One of the remarkable aspects of high quality first person view (FPV) videos is their ability to create a compelling visual perspective of otherwise ordinary-looking scenes.  That's part of the reason why FPV pilots were initially attracted to abandoned sites - "bandos" for short.  As bando videos follow the general FPV trend toward increasingly cinematic shots, the genre is being elevated into a new art form.  Case in point is this fantastic bando FPV by top contributor craig_dt, which made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in May, 2021.   

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) Pilot eVolvE FPV is taking us for one wild ride through an empty mall. He’ll open with a dive down the side of the glass-sided building, then zoom straight in through a dark opening. Once the camera iris adjusts to the new space, you’ll see the massive, abandoned mall from an FPV perspective, but don’t blink or you might miss it. He's just that fast. One of our favorite moments comes about two minutes in when slides in through an automatic door. 

First person view (FPV) videos of abandoned buildings and sites ("Bandos") were originally mostly about showing off a pilot's technical flying skills - using the features of the bando to execute complex gap-flying, dives, flips, and other tricks, and in a (usually) secluded location where nobody is likely to be hit by an errant quad.  Increasingly though, bando pieces are following the general FPV trend towards more cinematic content.  This piece from jet fpv is a great example of a the cinematic bando; it's an abandoned jungle hospital.

Built in the 19th century, Valgros Castle is just outside of Bram, France. The castle has an incredibly beautiful facade, but not much else since it was abandoned due to a fire in 2005. Originally known as the Chateau de Valgros, it was sold to a Dutch company that had planned to make the estate into luxury apartments with a golf course and tennis courts around the property. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) quad pilot HellninoFPV takes us through the interesting site in this fantastic FPV video. 

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When your city closes your childhood-favorite waterpark, you go back and make a sick bando video using a first person view (FPV) racing drone. Firing up his quad, AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Wons FPV takes all of us on a little adventure through the closed park, flowing down and power-looping around the colorful slides and "diving" into the empty pool. It’s a little eerie, yes, but definitely cool, earning him a feature on our social media pages.

Bandos (short for "abandoned buildings") are some of the best first person view (FPV) locations to rip up. Usually it is just one building or just one job sight, but this video by Greco FPV has a lot more to offer. He found an entire abandoned and ancient town to shred. Dehuni was an old traditional settlement of Achaia that was abandoned in the early 1970’s. The townspeople joined other locals from neighboring villages to build a new city instead. It's a fun, visually enticing flight that we're positive you'll enjoy!

For a second upload to AirVuz, contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot SegaFPV brings us this incredible "bando" FPV piece from the Caucasus region, which divides Europe and Asia.  The video was filmed at an abandoned industrial site in Abkhazia, a state which is generally recognized as being part of Georgia.  The territory, which is recognized as an independent state by Russia as well as certain Russian allies, lies in the western Caucasus.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in June of 2021. 

We’ve seen plenty of bando videos from the FPV perspective around the globe. However, we’ve never seen a bando being taken down like we do in this demolition video by craig_dt! The pilot is capturing the destruction of an abandoned dockyard in Moscow that has been in operation since 1936, building massive ships. The flips, dives, and gap hitting he does while evading the flying debris and moving destruction crane are so impressive and crazy entertaining.  This video was tapped for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in March of 2019.

Over the past couple of decades, much of the world has made an astounding shift away from coal-fired electric power.  This has caused the closure of hundreds of giant coal-fired power plants, particularly in Europe and North America.  In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution, the trend has given talented first person view (FPV) pilots some epic spots to fly and film.  Witness this outstanding FPV video by by Droneruk, who filmed the giant 1950's era Willington Power Station in the English Midlands.

First person view (FPV) videos of abandoned sites and buildings ("Bandos") are largely about gaps - hitting those impossiby tight spots that these locations are famous for.  For some truly epic bando gap-flying, check out this piece by top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Tomz FPV.  A winner at the second Annual Drone Video Awards, he is one of the top technical FPV freestyle fliers in the world.  Ripping the tiny space next to a train is pretty cool, but what makes this video is the gap shot at the :25 mark - truly unbelievable! 

This long-range first-person view (FPV) flight by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot Pepone will have you fixing to find your own rocky location to take flight. Soaring along the ridges of the rocky crevices, the view of the water in the horizon leaves you feeling all kinds of relaxed - until you find out the location is an abandoned military fort. We'd be willing to guess the location wasn't always as serene as Pepone is making it seem. This bando earned Pepone an AirVuz Pilots to Watch nod in January of 2019.

AirVuz sponsored first person view (FPV) pilot and former Drone Racing League Champion Nurkfpv spotted an abandoned power plant, set on the banks of the Mississippi River, and got out is FPV mini-quad for an epc rip session.  Abandoned power plants have long been favorites for skilled FPV pilots: they have classic "bando" features like lots of tight gaps and plenty of room to pick up speed, but most power plant bandos also have another important feature:  giant chimney stacks, perfect for FPV diving.  

In this video, top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot nikofilms takes us on an epic FPV ride through an abandoned shipyard. This is no "ordinary bando" though: it's an epic chase scene as he plays "follow the leader" through some very tricky obstacles.  The video features some of the longest continuous formation flying shots we've seen, some of which get VERY close.  It's testament to his considerable piloting skills that he's able to keep the "target" in frame as the two quads thread their way through the site.

See the old La Forestal campus in Villa Ana, Argentina in this FPV video by pilot PabloAL85. La Forestal was a producer of tannin, the use of oak and other bark in tanning animal hides to leather. It came to Argentina in the 19th century, opening shops in 40 villages with 30 factories. When the company left in the 1960’s it left having cut down almost 90% of forests in the areas it had set up shop in, causing about $3 billion in ecological damage. This was one such abandoned factory. 

Known locally as “The Umbrella” due to its unusual shape, Hovrinskaya Hospital was an abandoned, unfinished Russian hospital in Moscow. Originally a Soviet project that began in 1980, the builders failed to deliver a finished building after five years of working on the project. Many locals considered the building haunted, however it was still a place urban explorers took to visiting. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot craig_dt was there on the day crews began demolishing the nearly 40 year old building. 

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Paschalis Doumanis brings us this excellent FPV tour of an abandoned village in Greece.  It's called Ampelakia, and it's located in the municipality of Tempi in the Larissa regional unit of Thessaly.  The village had an official population of about 60 people as of 2011, but as the title suggests there is currently no sign of life here.  The eerie piece was filmed with a DJI Avata FPV drone.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in early February of 2023.  

This first person view (FPV) "bando" by AirVuz contributor Incognito is definitely not your typical abandoned factory or hotel site.  Rather, it's an old anti-ballistic missile (ABM) installation outside of Moscow, Russia.  The A-35 system was built in the 1950's-60's to protect the capital of the erstwhile Soviet Union from a nuclear missile attack by NATO.  It was the only such system which was permitted under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which was signed by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and US President Richard Nixon.  

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Torinowone found the perfect desert bando spot to show off his impressive FPV piloting skills.  The site is perfect to the task - lots of tight gaps, graffiti, and obstacles of various shapes, sizes, and orientations to navigate.  The video ends with a great fly-through of a large concrete construction ring.  A great display of technical flying skills in an excellent bando spot, this video earned him a spot on the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list at the end of August, 2020.  

This first person view (FPV) video is eerie, technically challenging, and totally unique. AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot craig_dt took his freestyle technical skills to an old nuclear reactor plant in Crimea (a region of southern Russia), weaving his way through the old reactors that were never actually in use. Our pilot says the plant was supposed to start running in 1989, but was never completed after the Chernobyl accident. See the atomic power station from a bird’s eye view in this piece.

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot IconicGti brings us this classic bando piece.  It's a classic location, with countless gaps to fly, tall structures to dive, and room to pick up serious speed.  It's a great reminder of why FPV pilots have long gravitated to these types of sites - they provide an ideal canvas on which to paint some serious technical FPV freestyling skills.  Some of the best shots are flying through a very tight triangular shaped lattice structure at the top of the building.  

Want to know the coolest thing about ripping through bandos? The pilot is making what was old new again - recycling at its most basic. Domi_FPV definitely earned that green star with this run through an old, abandoned home and the eerie woods that surrounds it. The editing tricks only make the piece that much better. See other videos like this one in our Best of Bandos FPV collection below. 

Maybe the coal industry isn't quite going to see its revival any time soon but at least its fallen facilities provide for some intense FPV freestyle flights!  FPV pilot Fincky flies through the heavily graffitied skeleton of a former petro and coal plant.  His maneuvers are so quick you can barely tell which side is up and which is down — making this one epic bando flight!

In this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video, shamkhal_fpv will give you a unique perspective of a famous spot in the Ukraine: the abandoned town of Pripyat.   This once-closed town was the home of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, whose No. 4 reactor exploded in April, 1986.  Still considered the worst nuclear power accident in history, the explosion sent radioactive contamination across Europe.  The town, which was once home to 50,000, is completely abandoned.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April, 2021.