How to become a reckless UAV pilot: tips from an instructor

What qualities should UAV pilots possess? Why is recklessness good for FPV drone operators and boring for scouts? But does age affect the choice of a profession in the world of UAVs? ArmiyaInform journalist talked about all this with UAV instructor Serhiy.

— What qualities should a UAV operator have?

— Let’s start with the fact that UAVs are different. The main division is copters and “wings”. And, for example, the skills and psychological stability of the FPV strike drone pilots and wing operators are exactly the opposite.

Because, relatively speaking, if a person is determined to shoot a video for TikTok, a scouting board is not an option for him, because there will never be any interesting stories. To shoot such videos, you need to be either an FPV shooter or a fixer. And these are different professions.

A scout actually needs a certain amount of boredom and a normal education. That is, if a person does not understand how radio waves work, he will not be able to fly an airplane. It is also necessary to understand that he will not have any spectacular heroism, but will stupidly and methodically perform the same work every day.

And not everyone can stand it. I know that people have tried to switch from reconnaissance boards to percussion, or tried to transfer to artillery by correctors. This also has to be done by someone, and if it is more suitable for a person’s character, it is the right decision.

— What qualities does an FPV drone operator need?

— FPV drone operator is probably one of the most difficult professions in terms of training. A pilot needs a certain recklessness. They are closer than anyone to the front line.

It is necessary to dig a lot, to be able to quickly collect and assemble your household, to haul it, because this is a question of their survival, and you need to calmly treat the sight of human bodies torn to pieces. In fact, they are almost the last fighters in modern warfare who look the enemy in the eye before his death. And I know that many people dream about it at night.

— What should a person who wants to become a reconnaissance drone operator know?

— The cadet should know that he will receive, as a rule, the task of reconnaissance of a specific area. That is, either to walk along such and such landings, or to explore such and such a settlement, or simply to conduct preliminary reconnaissance. Here, for example, we know that at such and such coordinates something was or can be. You fly over everything again and find out – it is still there, or it has gone from there, or in this place where it was empty, something has appeared, or to confirm the defeat of the target. In other words, we know that there was a REB, but you take off and find out why it turned off — either he’s dead or he’s gone or he’s just silent.

For his part, the “wings” operator must know the entire terrain of his unit to the depth, actually, of reconnaissance, and another 20-30 percent, must clearly know the map in order to tie himself up at any moment and understand where he is. Simply because Western fantasies that we will fight for GPS do not correspond to reality in any way.

You must understand where you place your point so that, firstly, you are found at the latest, and secondly, so that you have time to leave this point in time. In other words, the scout does not sit in one place, unlike the adjuster. The scout’s task is to arrive, lay down, and it’s good if there is a shelter nearby, but if there is no and there is no way to prepare it in advance, which, unfortunately, happens often, then he started from the ground, worked out, quickly gathered and changed the location. It is preferable to make the second departure in a day from another place.

– So you teach all this to your cadets?

– Yes, that’s exactly it. Here, for example, is the question of how to choose a position for an airplane. It should have many factors, in contrast to boards with vertical take-off – the type of “quadrocopters”. You are tied not only to how to place the antennas, not only to how to place yourself so that you are not killed. You are still tied to how you will raise and lower your plane depending on today’s wind. The position may be perfect for everyone, but you either can’t raise the plane or you can’t lower it.

— What other qualities do cadets need?

— Let me remind you that “wing” scouts need perseverance and attention, and FPV-schneiders need recklessness. These are incompatible qualities, so we divide the cadets immediately. Well, you need the ability to turn nuts, solder circuits, glue, etc. That’s why people of working specialties who can fix something, if necessary, show themselves best in training. If a person still has some imagination to come up with a field upgrade on the plane, this is also a plus, because the shortcomings of the boards are compensated solely by the skills of the crew.

— What percentage of cadets drop out during training?

— There is a general rule: the cheaper and simpler the board, the more difficult it is to learn to fly. The number of people who could not finish the course is quite large among the same FPV-schneiders, there are very difficult piloting skills. That is, what in more expensive boards is partially taken over by automation, you do everything yourself. The complexity of management is about the same as that of fighters of the Second World War. But in general – not very much.

— What age restrictions exist for cadets?

– I will say so. For “wings”, age is not a critical factor. For FPV, this is actually more critical, because, let me remind you again, there is no automation, and the speed of reaction is very important. That is why people often do not pull due to their age, people with contusions do not pull, people with a bad vestibular apparatus do not pull. Simply because when you look at this screen, where everything swings in your full height, it can really make you sick and vomit.

– How long does training take?

– It’s been a month and a half now. During this period, a person can be trained from scratch to a pilot who will perform the task, and it is almost always successful.