FPV drones

Grounded

— frame arm broken 2026-05-16 (signal loss crash, Raadi Lennuväli). Replacement frame + VTX antenna ordered. Active build: [build-2-source-one-v5](builds/build-2-source-one-v5.yaml) (planned). See [open incident](incidents/2026-05-16-arm-break-signal-loss.yaml).

The FPV drone after the signal-loss crash — After the 2026-05-16 signal-loss crash. Click to enlarge.

Builds

Build 1: APEX 5-inch 6S freestyle

retired

2026-XX-XX → 2026-05-16

FrameAPEX (5-inch)

Flight controllerSpeedyBee F405 V4 (30.5x30.5)

MotorsEMAX ECO II 2207 1700KV × 4

PropellersHurricane 51466

BatteriesCNHL 6S 1300mAh 100C

ReceiverHappyModel EP1 TCXO (ELRS)

VideoWalksnail Avatar HD Kit V2

First documented build. Components (FC, motors, VTX, camera, RX, batteries) carried forward into build-2 on Source One v5 frame. See incidents/2026-05-16-arm-break-signal-loss.yaml for crash details.

Frame arm broken on 2026-05-16 (Raadi Lennuväli, flight 5, signal loss crash). Frame migration to TBS Source One v5 — see builds/build-2-source-one-v5.yaml.

Build 2: TBS Source One v5 5-inch 6S freestyle

planned

FrameTBS Source One v5 (5-inch)

Flight controllerSpeedyBee F405 V4 (30.5x30.5)

MotorsEMAX ECO II 2207 1700KV × 4

PropellersHurricane 51466

BatteriesCNHL 6S 1300mAh 100C

ReceiverHappyModel EP1 TCXO (ELRS)

VideoWalksnail Avatar HD Kit V2

Rebuild after build-1 APEX frame failure. Most components migrated from build-1: FC, motors, propellers, batteries, RX, camera, VTX (board only). New: TBS Source One v5 frame, replacement VTX antenna. Awaiting parts delivery + rebuild. Antenna note: initial order was MMCX (TBS Triumph Pro). Walksnail Avatar V2 VTX uses U.FL connector → connector mismatch. Resolution pending (pigtail adapter or antenna exchange).

Flight log

5 inch FPV - 16.05.2026 - Raadi Lennuväli

5 flights

2026-05-16·Raadi Lennuväli·5-inch FPV

Flight	Duration	Max dist	Signal avg	Low signal %	Delay avg
#1	00:11	4m	3.58	12.6%	30ms
#2	00:09	2m	3.84	0%	30ms
#3	00:08	2m	4.00	0%	30ms
#4	02:36	125m	2.85	37.8%	33ms
#5	03:18	178m	2.62	45.5%	33ms

First session at Raadi Lennuväli. Session ended on flight 5 crash due to video signal loss — see incident report.

Incidents

2026-05-16-arm-break-signal-loss

medium

repairing

2026-05-16·Raadi Lennuväli

Summary

Video signal loss during flight 5. Lost orientation / unable to recover visually, drone went down. One frame arm broken on impact. Crash itself not captured on video — recording stopped before impact.

Cause

visual_signal_loss · low_signal_pct_45_5, delay_spike_96ms, max_distance_178m, vtx_antenna_pre_damaged

Flight 5 telemetry flagged degraded link: avg signal 2.62, 45.5% samples at signal <=2, delay peaked at 96ms (vs ~27ms normal). Likely combined cause: pre-existing damaged VTX antenna housing (taped) reducing gain at range + 9dBi patches possibly mis-aimed during pass. Healthy Walksnail Avatar V2 should comfortably reach 500m+ LoS; failure at 178m indicates significant antenna degradation.

Damage

frame_arm (APEX 5-inch arm) — broken

Resolution plan

frame_replacement + vtx_antenna_replacement

order Source One v5 frame + Triumph Pro antenna (done 2026-05-17)
await delivery (1-2 working days, Omniva)
strip electronics from APEX (FC stack, motors, VTX, camera, RX)
inspect all electronics for hidden crash damage
mount on Source One v5 (compatible: 30.5x30.5 FC, 16x16 motors, 19mm cam)
install Triumph Pro antenna (verify LHCP polarization on arrival)
bench power test before flight
retune in Betaflight on new frame
low-altitude hover test, then progressive range test

Data sourced from the personal fpv repo and synced into this site at build time. See scripts/sync-fpv.ts.