“Don’t be afraid, break in!” The front line is held by drones, even those over 50 are becoming FPV drone pilots – interview with an instructor

— You often go to the front line. You said that it’s hard to watch when you see the front line moving, and it’s not moving in the direction we would like. Can you tell us a little about these impressions?

“Unfortunately, it is very unpleasant to see, the heart bleeds, when our enemies capture the cities in which you were recently. It is very difficult to look at it, especially since many of those cities have a lot to do with it. Somewhere there was PPD, somewhere with friends they just ate shawarma, grilled chicken, etc.

How often do I leave? Personally, the last time I was on combat duty was a little more than a month ago. And in general, our instructors are constantly traveling to gain combat experience and to be in the trend. Our subject matter is constantly developing and must always be in trend.

— Without combat experience, it is impossible to become an instructor in Yatagan, right?

— Theoretically, it is possible, but then the person will still go to gain combat experience. An instructor cannot teach people some application tactics (we have FPV), without being a fighter pilot or in the crew of a fighter pilot. Having never been on combat duty, it is very difficult to do this. You can learn the theory, in practice it works a little differently.

— Many cadets have already passed through you. And then they brag to the instructors, where did they hit?

– Yes, constantly. We have created a group that includes all our cadets and graduates. They exchange experience there, ask some technical questions, solve their own [проблеми]. But, of course, from time to time they send their outrageous impressions.

From the last one, I remembered exactly how my cadets descended in a small bomber (relatively small, in my opinion, it was 11-inch) low to the orc dugout and threw a huge bomb at them. When I asked what kind of material it was, they said: “We won’t tell you, come and we’ll teach you,” that’s how they joke.

That dugout blew up like this… There was a rather powerful dugout, with three rolls; and it happened so that those logs scattered like matches. At that moment, Mavik was broadcasting, a very entourage standout came out, cool.

Studying at the Yagatan school / Photo: Drone Force / Facebook

— Let’s talk about how a person can learn to be a pilot or be in the crew of an FPV drone pilot. I understand that there is a fundamental difference in how to fly scouts, bombers, FPV, how to fly a wing, quadcopter or hexacopter.

— In my opinion, FPV UAV is the most difficult to control among others. Because on the majority [БПЛА] there is stabilization — the drone itself stabilizes, maintains height, etc. This is not the case with FPV. Any movement, any action must be controlled, and it is performed by the pilot himself. Because of this, it is not easy to fly. Also, piloting is mostly done with glasses and people with a weak vestibular apparatus often feel bad, or…

– Can it stagger, annoy?

— Yes, unfortunately, there are such cases too. Not so often, but, unfortunately, there are such cases.

– Who is coming to you? Are there any statistics? It has to be a mathematician, an IT guy, someone like that? Who are these people?

– People are completely different. Now we have a cooperation with the Drone Force recruiting center, they send many of their cadets to us for training. Also, many boys and girls from combat brigades come to us. Some are just getting on the path of a UAV fighter, and some are already active UAV fighters, they need to get a military accounting specialty, that is, a profession. They come and get knowledge.

In my opinion, everyone, absolutely everyone, can learn and acquire this knowledge if a person has the desire. But there may be nuances. Everyone needs their own time: some have a little more time, some have a little less time. Of course, if a person is younger, constantly uses various gadgets, it is a little easier for him, because he already has developed finger motility, the brain is a little sharpened for this digitization. It is a little more difficult for people at a more mature age.

But I will emphasize that everyone can fly, learn all this. The main thing is desire.

For example, we had more than one cadet over the age of 50 — they became very effective pilots and now effectively perform their combat tasks. Therefore, I urge you: do not be afraid, now the future belongs to UAVs, and it is already modern, because the entire front line is supported by UAVs. Join if you are offered such positions. Do not be afraid, but break in!

— Do you somehow evaluate gamers individually or is it not important for you?

– Theoretically, it is not important. Of course, if a person comes to us with some experience, and, by the way, this happens more and more often now. Because our future cadets, choosing a profession, prepare in advance, fly on some simulators, take civilian courses, it is a little easier for them.

Regarding gaming. Of course, in this case it helps. But I am still a supporter of the position that everything should be in moderation, because too much is not healthy. More than once, I had cases when friends completely immersed themselves in a game, they were counted out (then we were still students) from the university. Or because of some banal tanks, families were destroyed, because they played non-stop, invested money there. I think it’s an addiction.

And if it’s purely for your own development, for the development of motor skills, logic, battle strategy, of course, it all helps. These are kind of simulators.

— About some technical features of what you teach. It’s one thing to see the FPV drone and its remote control, goggles, all the equipment a pilot needs. Another thing is if it is not just flying, but with something very dangerous, then this is also the work of people who know how to work with explosives and electronics. We have heard of cases when ours were injured or even killed due to some improper connections. Why do you teach, are there any taboos, prohibitions?

— We constantly explain to our cadets about safety techniques, how to handle a drone with an attached BC, how to turn it on correctly. But there are a lot of nuances in which BC we use, which initiators, means of cocking, detonation, there is a difference in this.

Photo: Drone Force / Facebook

It is in our specialty that there is no provision for studying the handling of explosives, but we have several lectures on this, where we explain to the cadets what and how it works. But we warn you to be careful.

Ideally, each crew should have a sapper engineer who prepares the explosive or ammunition, installs it and then takes the drone out, connecting, inserting the detonator. But, unfortunately, this is not always the case in these realities, pilots very often have to become sappers. But if you are careful and do not neglect the safety rules, everything will be fine.

— And a person with a mathematical or some technical education will better master the pilot profession? Do boys learn better than girls? I understand that this is mostly not true, but what can you say from your experience?

— I would not say that if someone has some mathematical education, then he flies better. Perhaps it would be better to give him a technical one [частина]or if before that he had experience working with some technical means, it will simply be more familiar to him, easier.

But just take a mathematician and some boxer, put them together on a simulator, I don’t think there will be any problem, they will both fly. And there is no such thing that mathematics can be given more easily than a boxer, no.

This is a purely human factor, I have talked about it many times, the main thing is desire and purpose. Then sooner or later you will get it.

— And a pilot who has learned will have his own handwriting in flight, his own style, tricks? Do you teach any secrets? How would you describe your handwriting as you fly in combat?

– As if there was some kind of handwriting, a highlight, perhaps it is the effect of speed and, as I call it, a microcontroller. Personally, I prefer a smooth flight, balanced, calm, controlled. Some fly at high speeds, but there are also nuances there, in that the battery drains faster there. Someone tries to immediately fly into the target from a height. I like to go down smoothly, see where I can hit.

We teach cadets, usually, different tactics of application, defeating targets, because the conditions are also different. One or another tactic very often has to be used for each goal. Sometimes it happens that these tactics are born directly in battle.

– FPV is a first person view. What enters the FPV camera is already reflected in the glasses. Describe what it’s like to fly up to a target – to a tank, an armored personnel carrier, a dugout? How does it look, feel?

– Personally, I feel it, probably, like excitement. When you are already flying, I start a small excursion with thoughts: “Yes, you must not mow.” Because it happens that somewhere I got a little nervous and did not manage to manage or something else, such cases also happen. Especially since FPV piloting is affected even by mood, weather, whether you slept or not, it all has a big impact. In FPV, excessive movement leads to excessive movement of the drone itself, you can fly to the wrong place. When I get close to the goal, maybe a small mandrake starts, but it’s a high-energy mandrake – excitement, I want to gasp.

— Does this excitement help or, on the contrary, do you need a calm mind, how do you decide?

– He helps me, it makes it easier, I want to do everything perfectly, so that everything is clear. Someone listens to music during the flight, calms down; someone just flies and smokes. Some guys fly if they set up a drone at a long distance, 20+ kilometers, and drink coffee and eat a sandwich at the same time.

Everyone calms down in their own way, the main thing is that the combat task is accomplished, more of the enemy is destroyed and the lives of our infantry and our military in general are saved.

– At what distances do you learn to fly? Is it something essential, a short distance, for this you simply need different units, different battery capacities? Does it depend on what?

— Yes, it primarily depends on the weight of the drone and battery capacity. We do not teach how to fly a certain distance. If a person knows how to fly several kilometers, then he can also fly 20. The most important thing is to preserve the horizon, as well as what means you fly, whether with a remote antenna or from a repeater. Here, too, you have to look at the terrain, where and how you can fly. If you have all the stars, you can fly endlessly.