Technical Freestyle

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.

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.

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. 

With the sounds of quads in the air mixed with sounds of quad explosions, StingersSwarm takes us to an infamous office space. However, he’s just not feelin’ it today so we’ll quickly move on to a construction site with all the perfectly built in obstacles to dive and avoid. The Rotor Riot pilot has plenty of commentary before and after the flight with plenty of built action in the middle. Enjoy the fifteen-minutes of freestyle fun in this one, which was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2019.

The Lakhta Center, which was completed in 2018, stands nearly half a kilometer (460 meters, or about 1.5k ft.) above St. Petersburg, Russia.  It is, by a significant margin, the tallest building in Europe.  While it was being built, contributor and FPV pilot Controlflow took an epic dive down the building using a racing drone.  As you watch it that the drone is being flown via video goggles at ground level. The dive has made itself a nominee in our 2nd Annual Drone Video Awards FPV Freestyle Technical category.

See Hadong Country in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, by FPV drone in this awesome freestyle video by pilot RussellFPV. The county was called Dasachon  before being renamed and is famous for its green tea, holding a yearly green tea festival every spring. Nestled between the Seomjin river and Jiri mountain, Hadong is known for its stunning scenery. The beautiful area makes a perfect canvas for this talented FPV pilot to show off some impressive technical FPV flying skills; that's why it made the FPV Pilots to Watch list. 

Blue Owl FPV is representing female pilots well in this video, which was nominated in the Freestyle Flow category for the second annual Drone Video Awards. She says she decided to rip around a bit while waiting for skiing season to start in the French Alps. What she got was an inspiring flight barrel-rolling over the frozen ground, diving through the trees, power-looping around the side of the mountain, and smooth flying.   This was a DVOW Finalist and also a pick for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in December, 2018.    

First person view (FPV) drones allow pilots to get extremely dynamic footage that creates a fun, fully immersive experience for the viewer.  Team AirVūz sponsored pilot Red-FPV had the opportunity to chase a rollercoaster at the amusement park, for which he enthusiastically put his multi rotor in the air, resulting in one of the coolest FPV freestyle videos of all time (and by the sounds of it, one of his favorites too!).  Featured on AirVuz social media pages, this is a great example of the emerging art of Dynamic FPV flight. 

Ever wondered why your first person view (FPV) flights just don’t match up to those of the professional pilots like Wild Willy FPV? Yes, there is the “professional drone pilot” piece, but you also may just need to relax. That’s what Wild Willy FPV is doing during this flight. He’ll show you the point of view looking down at his hands on the sticks, his goggle footage, and (of course) the first person view from the quad that you'd expect in an FPV video.  This was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April, 2019. 

Looks like FPV pilot George FPV is a 'rebel just for kicks' in this freestyle flight around the perfect office park.  Watch as his rips it up around the empty playground and finds some pretty real flow with his dives and spins, and definitely finding his edge.  This talented pilot spends a lot of time in the air and he likes to mix up his projects, as you can see on his AirVuz profile. Since we can 'feel it still' after watching this vid, we put George FPV back on our FPV Pilots to Watch list in March 2020.

AirVūz pilot nurkfpv's most epic flight of 2017 was a winner in the 1st Annual AirVuzDrone Video Awards for the best Freestyle Drone Video, and it continues to pile on the views, comments, and deservedly, the accolades.  Like a train heist you see in a movie, he unexpectedly lands his quad on top of the moving train he's chasing. It's a jaw-dropping fllight you have to see, although you just may find yourself ducking and flinching as his quad makes these bold FPV maneuevers.  This flight has inspired many creative FPV flights.

In this epic first person view (FPV) drone video, top contributor and FPV pilot George FPV puts on an impressive display of technical freestyle flying skills.  It goes back to the roots of FPV freestyle flight, when the emphasis was on pure piloting skill rather than capturing smooth, cinematic footage.  The video features a nice mix of classic freestyle FPV maneuvers: dives, tree proximity flight, flips, rolls, and the like.  For its excellent display of flying skill, we put this video on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in May of 2019.

How close would you dare fly your first person view (FPV) racing quad near stadium lighting? RusselFPV gets real close to the lights surrounding the soccer stadium at Halla University in Wonju, South Korea. Power looping through the surrounding trees and diving nearby apartments, it's a perfect gap-hitting FPV playground for our talented content creator to practice his considerable technical freestyle flying skills.  This video earned RusselFPV a Pilots to Watch nod in February of 2019.

Watch these boss moves from AirVuz contributor and first-person view (FPV) drone pilot George FPV in this FPV flight around a docked giant cargo ship and bridge in the port of Veneto, Italy.  His FPV perspective gives us the chance to fully experience his quick work of these colossal objects by dancing high above the ship's masts and then skimming down the tower of the nearby suspension bridge.  This gem of a vid again earned his spot on our FPV Pilots to Watch list in January 2020.

It’s his four-hundredth FPV video upload to AirVuz and we couldn’t be more excited for AirVuz FPV Pilot KittFPV. His profile is a prime example of what hard work and persistence can do for your flying skills. This backyard rip session is classic KittFPV, floating with ease through the trees, wires, and other obstacles in his backyard. KittFPV used a Armattan Chameleon Ti frame with Rotor Riot Acro 2207 2450kv Hypertrain motors and a GoPro Hero 7 to create this Freestyle session, which made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in June, 2019.

Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It's known as an industrial and residential area that has skyrocketed in the last couple of decades. Speaking of skyrocketing, comradewang.fpv does just that while powerlooping a section of the historic district. This quick edit will leave you a little dizzy and a lot inspired to get on the sticks. This video is a Finalist in the FPV Freestyle Technical category for the second annual Drone Video Awards.

We’re really digging this combination of lifestyle meets freestyle first person view (FPV) flow video by drone pilot Muk. This killer piece takes you through the gamut of what makes a great FPV video: an epic location, catchy tune, reverse and slow-mo editing techniques, flow, risks, and shots of people having a great time. It’s a memorable piece that gives the viewer all the island vibes you could ask for and then some.  All good reasons for making the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in April, 2019.

Get out your notepads, folks. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot FFun FPV is giving lessons in technical FPV freestyle flying and editing with this quickie. He uses his FPV racing quad to run the gamut of many of the most popular technical freestyle tricks, flipping over water, bouncing over rocks, and rolling down skyscrapers in this short edit.  For this helpful visual demonstration of the tricks of the technical FPV freestyle trade, he earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in April of 2019. 

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot eVolvE FPV said it best: sometime a sash ends during the first pack. At least a really good session can end on the first pack. That is the case with this ball-to-the-walls rip through an empty amusement park. He’ll seriously add some fire as he flips, rolls, and grinds along the park’s rollercoaster, displaying some outstanding technical FPV freestyle flying skills. The session was so good it landed him on the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in April of 2019.

The Telkom Landmark Tower is probably the most widely recognized landmark of the great metropolis of Jakarta.  Standing 220 meters (720 feet) above the streets of the Indonesian capital, it is home to the main national telecommunications company.  While it isn't Jakarta's tallest building, it's very definitely the only one with a hypnotic LED display that runs the entire length of its exterior.  In this epic first pwerson view (FPV) flight, pilot om.antonfpv shows us his talents as he dives the skyscraper during the day and the night!

Now this would be a fun place to rip. AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) mini quad pilot InspireFPV headed out to an empty bowling alley to take in the lanes with some friends, even flying into the gutter and the end of the lane, giving us a unique view usually reserved for only employees. See more videos like this one in our Best of Bandos FPV collection. InspireFPV earned himself a spot on the coveted AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in January of 2019 for this flight. 

The Matty Flip is one of the most advanced maneuvers in technical first person view (FPV) freestyle flight.  Named for the legendary Canadian FPV pilot MattyStuntz, it's basically an outside powerloop, in which the pilot pitches the quad forward and uses its momentum at the bottom of the loop (where it's inverted) to carry it through back to an upright position.  Hard to describe, and of course much harder to actually execute.  If you check out this stunning piece by AirVuz contributor and pilot Ivan Marino, you'll see how it's done.  

Thanks to talented AirVuz contributor and first person view pilot Enes_Fpv, you can ride a roller coaster from the comfort of your own home. Filmed with a GoPro Hero 5 on his custom quad, this video shows off some very impressive technical flying skills - tracing the path of a rollercoaster with a racing quad requires some very precise maneuvering.  Filmed at the iconic Lunapark, his quad uses dips, dives, and loops created by the lines of the roller coaster, winning himself a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in November, 2018.

From empty parking lots to sunsets on the beach, epic fall foliage and ghost branches to tower dives, AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) racing drone pilot George FPV shows off the highlights of his first year in FPV.   The video features a broad range of technical FPV freestyle flying skills, all the more impressive for such a new pilot; we can't imagine what he will be doing in another year.  For these reasons, this flight earned George a spot on the AIrVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in November of 2018.

Top first-person view (FPV) pilot and drone racer JohnnyFPV, who travels the world making FPV freestyle videos, created this magnificent video from Mada'in Saleh, an archaeological site in northwestern Saudi Arabia.  With full permission from the requisite authorities, he gives us a unique view of one of the most iconic desert landscapes from the vantage of a quad-mounted GoPro. This was the winning video in the 2nd Annual Drone Video Awards in the Cinematic FPV category and was FPV Video of the Year.

What self-respecting first person view (FPV) pilot doesn't love a good hotel FPV rip? It's hard to say if this bad boy is abandoned or just under construction, but does it really matter if you can shred it like AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot RidiN951? Blasting through this Southern California property he'll hit some insanely tight gaps just missing those steel beams that could very easily destroy his quad at the speed he's flying. The powerloops, dives, and rolls are just as impressive. 

A non-descript office park somewhere in the Netherlands is the perfect backdrop for this very impressive first person view (FPV) drone video by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot JustlikeD.  The piece showcases some outstanding technical flying skills, including building-diving, power-loops, tree-proximity, and some epic gap-hitting.   The video does a great job of incorporating a "picture in picture" display of the pilots hands on the RC controls, which demonstrates the skill required to fly like this but is not at all distracting.  

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot NonexistentJay took to the skies above nearly-empty central Philadelphia as the state of Pensylvania was under quarantine during the Dovid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020.  The result is this epic and unique aerial perspective of the City of Brotherly Love.  It's all here: City Hall and the William Penn Statue, the Comcast Towers, the Eakins Oval.  At the;:15 mark, he even flies through (not under, through) a bridge on the Schuylkill River.

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Wild Willy FPV is one of the top professional FPV pilots in the world. In this edit, he shows off his true skills through the drone experiences he gathered in 2017.  All of the amazing places he was able to fly are compiled into this one drone video, including a demolished stadium, skyscrapers all over the world, vineyards, race tracks, and more!  As we can see in this vid, this acommplished freestyle and racing pilot captures the best in FPV 'footy.'

Is it really an obsession if you own up to it and you’re okay with it? After watching the tape and seeing roll after roll through holes or gaps, it was easy to see AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot JM FPV loved to work on this trick. He’s compiled some of his favorites in this very impressive bit of technical freestyle flight,  which is 100% devoted to hitting a gap and rolling through it.  Rolls are considered one of the main tools of the technical freestyle pilot, and this one has definitely mastered the move. 

Ride along for some "old fashioned" first person view (FPV) freestyle flight in this fantastic piece by top AirVuz content creator and FPV pilot RussellFPV.  Demonstrating some fantastic flying skills, the video was filmed in multiple spots in South Korea.  You'll start with some insane upside-down gap flying at a concrete bridge, dart through some trees, cruise over the ocean, and head (literally) into the clouds.  This video was picked by the AirVuz editors for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August of 2021. 

We’re talking Rubix Cubes today. No, not the 3D toy Rubik’s Cube, the FPV Rubix Cube trick. Harley Queen FPV is working on the sticks with her boyfriend, professional FPV pilot Wild Willy FPV, learning the up, roll, flip combo that makes the Rubix Cube the trick that it is. Note to humans, this doesn’t look easy, but our girl gets it down and so can you! This FPV power couple will tell you what to do, show you on the sticks, and show you what it looks like in the goggles. Give it a watch and learn a little from our FPV Pilot to Watch.

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot nezartash brings us a nice dose of good old FPV freestyle with an amazing (and very unique) backdrop - a giant oil and gas facility in Saudi Arabia!  It's as if the massive towers, storage tanks, loaders and other equipment from the world's largest oil exporter were somehow made for this.  This is technical FPV freestyle flying at its best, a throwback to the (not-so-long-ago) days when FPV videos were all about demonstrating flying skills.    

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot brings us some good old-fashioned freestyle flight, in which he demonstrates some impressive technical flying skills.  The site he picked to fly features a nice mix of trees and more wide-open spaces, which he uses to great effect.  In addition to some great shots flying through the trees, he uses them very well as a backdrop for various tricks and stunts.  This video earned our talented content contributor a return trip to the FPV Pilots to Watch list in July of 2020.  

When a quadcopter is upside-down, the forces of gravity and the drone's propulsion push in the same direction - straight down.   That's why the powerloop is one of the basic maneuvers of technical FPV freestyle flight.  In a powerloop, the pilot uses vertical speed to carry a quad into an inverted position and then uses its momentum to complete a loop.  It's not an easy trick, and it's infinitely more difficult if there is a something in the way - say a large building like a city hall.  That's exactly what KeleFPV did in this epic piece.  

The latest five inch and seven inch first person view (FPV) drones now generally run on 6S batteries providing nearly unlimited power, which is far more than really is ever needed for cinematic FPV filming.  Where unlimited power really does make a difference is in aggressive freestyle flight, like what you'll see here in this video by top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot George FPV.  Watch and you'll see what it means to have thrust-to-weight power in excess of 7-8:1, where gravity is just a light force by comparison!  

Spending a day out on the road just to find the perfect freestyle spot is the kind of commitment it takes to create a video like this. Shot in a lush, deciduous forest filled with deep green colors, AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Dragon FPV has found an abandoned, former railway bridge. The bando spot is unique in its location and structure - we often don’t see bando bridges with these types of views. His inspiration, MattyStuntz and his Matty Flip, can be seen throughout the piece. 

The Drone Nationals drone race on Governors Island in New York City was held in August of 2016.  The race was strictly invitation-only; the qualifiers were the winners of various regional events that had taken place in the months leading up to the big event.  One of the events was the Liberty Cup, which was held at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey just a week before the Nationals.  The winner of the Freestyle competition at the Liberty Cup was none other than top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot SFPV.  This was his winning run.  

Before the current trend towards cinematic first person view (FPV) flight, it was all about the flying - fast, hard, and with complex maneuvers that can induce nausea in the unitiated.  This amazing piece from AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot RussellFPV is definitely a throwback to the original attraction of FPV freestyle - a form of expression for pilots of their technical flying capabilities.  The filming locations also represent a throwback to the early days of FPV, when locations were picked for their flying challenges.  

When legendary first person view (FPV) pilot JohnnyFPV moved from Chicago to Atlanta, it sealed the reputation of the great southern city as the epicenter of the FPV freestyle world.  With its endless office parks and never-ending construction, the canvas of the Georgia city is perhaps not the most scenic but far closer to ideal in terms of the canvas for true freestyle FPV pilots.  In this video, one of Johnny's first upon moving to Atlanta, you'll see how he is able to use the Atlanta cityscape to show off his formidable flying skills.  

After a little break, FPV pilot George FPV is back in this air with this monster freestyle edit. He’ll test his quad’s limits with the power moves he’s throwing around. He’ll take us to an empty construction site powerlooping and diving a crane and getting ridiculously close to the dangerous sands around the crane. He’ll also invert and rip up a cornfield, bare after harvest. This 4K flight earned him a Pilots to Watch nod in February of 2019.

Top AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Ruben Caser demonstrates some impressive technical FPV flying skills in this excellent reel, which was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in January, 2021.  The video opens with an insane shot flying through a gap in a giant offshore rock formation.  Then you'll be taken on some stomach-turning aerial maneuvers in a park, including some great tree proximity sequences.  Other highlights include some insane waterfall shots, diving and then flying behind a gusher.  

Inspiration can come from anywhere; you never know when or where you’ll be moved to take out your quad and fly. For example, take this video by pilot InspireFPV. He was driving home on California’s I-5 from a drone race when he spotted these massive silos. Taken in by their size and position against the setting sun, he took our his quad for a little freestyle session. The place is nothing extraordinary, but what InspireFPV is able to bring with that use of his mini quad sure makes it look special. 

The very talented AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot Trinco claims this was the biggest and tallest abandoned building structure he's ever flown in.  What are the benefits of a big, bad bando when you're ready to launch your multi rotor for an epic flight?  Versatility, for starters.  In a FPV paradise like this you can race, freestyle, and dive without worrying about the limits and hazards other spots have. Plus, in an empty location like this, you get to be boss.  So go rip up that concrete Bandozilla!

For those who feel the steady movement toward more cinematic first person view (FPV) content has taken some of the excitement away from FPV flight, this piece by AirVuz contributor and pilot travelwithpatrick is for you.  Shot in a park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this video is all about showing off some very impressive technical flying skills.  Using a 6 inch Armattan Badger frame, he uses the backdrop of the park to pull off some impressive flight tricks, earning himself a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2020.