Well, I finally got an opportunity on the weekend to test my FPV equipment properly. I've been working on a construction site for the past couple months, and haven't been able to fly at all. But on a brief home visit this weekend, I finally got the chance to use some of the gear I've been putting together.

My Bixler arrived from HobbyKing a couple weeks ago, but it's still in its box. But I wasn't going to let that stop me - I velcro-mounted my FPV backpack to my trusty ME-163 Komet for some real-world testing of my camera, transmitter and receiver. The Komet is too fast and twitchy to attempt a proper FPV flight - instead, a friend took the plane for a couple of LOS laps while I "went for a ride" via the goggles.

I am thrilled to report that the entire setup worked perfectly - I had a clear picture in all directions at about 300m, with no interference from the ESC (I'm using the same battery for the plane and FPV gear) or radio control that I could discern. I saw a couple of flickers when the plane passed behind some nearby pine trees, but otherwise it was pretty much perfect.

I think I can also safely say that my flying buddies and I are hooked on FPV. They all clamoured for a "ride" and loved the experience.

My next steps are:
a) to get the Bixler built, so I have a suitable trainer platform for learning to fly exclusively from the camera.
b) make a pole to mount my receiver on - currently it's velcroed onto my goggles and the weight of all the cords drags the goggles down.
c) do some more careful range testing to find the oputer limits of my current setup. I will probably set up a buddy-box for this, so that my spotter can take over if necessary.