How to Building Your First FPV Drone

At the Atom Aviation R&D Lab, we spend thousands of hours testing unmanned systems—optimizing link budgets, stressing frames to failure, and analyzing motor response curves. While our daily work often involves industrial platforms and autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, the question I get asked most often is simple: “I want to fly FPV. How do I build my first drone?”   

Building your first 5-inch FPV quadcopter is not just a hobby; it’s an applied engineering crash course (sometimes literally) in aerodynamics, electronics, and radio frequency. Today, I’m going to walk you through the exact Bill of Materials (BOM) I recommend for a beginner who wants a machine that flies like a pro but is durable enough to survive the learning process.

All components listed below are available directly from our partners at Mall of Aviation.

List of Components for a beginner Level Fpv Drone!

• FPV Frame
• FPV Motors
• FPV Propellers
• Battery for FPV
• Flight Controller for FPV
• ESC for FPV
• VTX
• Goggles
• VRX
• ELRS
• RC for FPV
• FPV Camera

1. The FPV Frame: Structural Rigidity

The frame is your chassis. For a first build, you want a “freestyle” geometry. We need thick arms (5mm) to withstand high-velocity impacts with concrete or trees.

• Engineering Choice: Mark4 5-inch 225mm Carbon Fiber Frame

  • Why? It uses a “Squashed X” geometry which keeps props out of your camera view, and the 5mm arms are incredibly stiff, reducing resonance noise reaching the gyro.   

  • Check Price & Availability: Mark4 5-inch Frame

2. The Powertrain: Motors & Propellers

For a 5-inch drone, we use a 6S high-voltage system. Higher voltage means lower current for the same power, resulting in cooler electronics and less voltage sag.

• The Motors: EMAX ECO II 2207 1700KV

  FPV Propellers 10x5x3 glass fiber tri-blade

  • Why? The 1700KV rating is optimized for 6S voltage (22.2V). The “Arc Magnets” in the ECO II reduce the air gap, providing instant torque when you snap the throttle.

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/emax-eco-ii-motor-2207-1700kv/)

• The Propellers: Gemfan 51499 Hurricane

  • Why? A durable polycarbonate tri-blade prop that offers a great grip in the air. The “51499” geometry is aggressive enough for freestyle but smooth enough for cinematic footage.

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/gemfan-51499-hurricane-pc-3-blade-clear-2-pairs/)

3. The Avionics: Flight Controller & ESC

This is the brain and muscle of the drone. We want a “Stack” where the Flight Controller (FC) and Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) are designed to plug into each other without messy wiring.

• The Stack: GEPRC TAKER F405 BLS 60A

  

  • Why? The F405 processor easily handles the 8kHz PID loop frequency we run in Betaflight. The 60A ESC is overkill (in a good way) for our motors, ensuring you never burn out a MOSFET during a full-throttle punch-out.   

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/brand/geprc/)

4. The Vision System: Camera & VTX

FPV is all about the video link. We are using an Analog system here because it has zero variable latency—crucial for developing muscle memory.

• The Camera: Caddx Ratel 2

  • Why? It uses a 1/1.8″ Starlight sensor. This large sensor size gives it incredible dynamic range, allowing you to see clearly even when flying from bright sunlight into dark shadows.   

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/caddx-ratel-2-fpv-camera/)

• The Video Transmitter (VTX): FLYTO VTX-F2-72 (3W)
  

  • Why? Penetration. This industrial-grade unit pumps out up to 3000mW of power. It will punch a signal through brick walls and dense trees where standard transmitters would fail. Note: Ensure you have adequate airflow to cool this beast!   

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/flyto-3w-fpv-video-transmitter-vtx-f2-72/)

• The Goggles: EV800D Diversity Goggles

  

  • Why? The best entry-level goggles on the market. They feature “Diversity” receivers, meaning they constantly switch between two antennas to give you the best picture.

5. Command & Control: The Radio Link

You need a radio that speaks ExpressLRS (ELRS). At Atom Aviation, we’ve moved almost all our fleet to ELRS because of its incredible range and refresh rate.   

• The Controller: Radiomaster Pocket (ELRS Version)

  Emax ECO II motor 2207 1700KV

  • Why? It’s portable, has Hall Effect gimbals (which never wear out), and runs the powerful EdgeTX operating system. It’s hands-down the best value radio for beginners.

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/radiomaster-pocket-radio-controller-elrs-charcoal/)

• The Receiver: Radiomaster XR1 Nano

  • Why? A tiny receiver that wires directly to your Flight Controller to receive commands and send telemetry (battery voltage) back to your remote.

6. Power & Charging

Don’t overlook the support gear. You need high-performance fuel and a safe way to refill it.

• The Charger: HOTA D6 Pro

  • Why? A dual-channel charger that plugs directly into the wall (AC). It can charge your flight batteries and your goggle battery simultaneously. It even has wireless charging for your phone!   

  • (https://mallofaviation.com/product/hota-d6-pro-325w-1-6s-dual-channel-ac-dc-wireless-charging-15/)

Engineer’s Note on Assembly

Building this drone requires soldering. Here is my advice from the lab bench:

1. Use Flux: Solder doesn’t stick to dirty copper. Flux cleans the oxides.

2. Practice First: Don’t let your first solder joint be on your expensive Flight Controller. Practice on an old circuit board.

3. Smoke Stopper: Always use a short-circuit protection device the first time you plug in a battery.

Ready to start building? Head over to Mall of Aviation to grab these parts, and check out our(https://mallofaviation.com/how-to-flash-and-update-betaflight-firmware-the-complete-guide-by-mall-of-aviation/) once you’re ready to configure your software.   

Fly safe, and welcome to the skies!