Fly within the rules
This page explains what aviation authorities, model-aircraft associations, racing bodies and researchers publish. It is not legal advice and not a substitute for your aviation authority's own rules, a club safety officer or proper training.
What goggles are, as sources describe them
The FAI's F9U rules require every racing pilot to wear a "headset goggle" showing the live video from the model's on-board camera, and to fly from that picture. Wikipedia (a secondary source whose article carries warnings about missing citations and outdated content) describes the ground side of a basic analogue system as a video receiver tuned to the transmitter's frequency, viewed on goggles or a monitor. Digital systems pair goggles with the maker's own air unit, as the makers' claims below show. The research for this site recorded no regulator or standards body specification for FPV goggles.
The FAI's goggle rules (F9U, 2025 edition)
From the F9 Drone Sports volume, 2025 edition (effective 1 May 2025). The 2026 edition was not read; its effective date is reported as 1 January 2026 and as 1 June 2026, both from search summaries.
| Rule | What it says | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Goggles required | The pilot wears a headset goggle showing the on-board camera's live picture | Chapter C introduction |
| Mandatory helper | One helper stays beside each pilot for the whole flight, keeps the model in visual line of sight and may switch off the pilot's transmitter in an emergency to trigger the fail-safe | Chapter C introduction |
| Receiver and antenna | A competitor's own video receiver and antenna are mounted directly on the goggles, no more than 160 mm above the goggle antenna connector; personal receiving antennas on masts or stands are prohibited | C.1.5 |
| Organiser's receivers | Must handle analogue and digital transmitters and both left-hand and right-hand circular polarisation; the organiser's recording takes precedence in disputes | C.1.5 |
| After a crash | The pilot leaves the model on the ground with motors off, switches on pit mode and removes the goggles to show they are out | C.7.3 |
| Disqualification | Flying after removing the goggles, even briefly, is a ground for disqualification from the race | C.9.1 |
The FAI's 2024 World Drone Racing Championship Sporting Rules (June 2024) had the same two goggle rules, under articles 7.3 and 8.1. In an F9U race, taking the goggles off is a signal to officials, not a way to keep flying.
Makers' goggle claims
These are makers' statements about their own products, not tested for this site.
- DJI (O4 Air Unit specification page, read 30 October 2026) names Goggles 3, Goggles N3, Goggles 2 and Goggles Integra as the goggles that work with its O4 Air Unit, and claims its lowest latency figures with Goggles 3.
- Caddx (Walksnail Avatar blog post, 24 March 2023) claims its Avatar HD goggles have 0.49-inch OLED displays at 1920 by 1080, a 46-degree field of view, HDMI output and a microSD slot.
Which video systems an event accepts is set by its rules; the FAI's 2025 rule allows analogue and digital systems in the 5.8 GHz band only. More on video transmitters and cameras.
Goggles and the law, country by country
Each jurisdiction has its own rule on keeping a drone in sight when the pilot wears goggles, with its own exceptions and authorisations. One row per jurisdiction, never merged; the full rules, including club and association authorisations, are on flying with goggles and observers.
| Jurisdiction | Rule and date |
|---|---|
| United States | 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(3) (recreational flying): the aircraft stays in visual line of sight of the operator or of a visual observer "co-located and in direct communication" with the operator. For Part 107 flights, 14 CFR 107.31 sets the visual line of sight rule. Both read from Cornell LII copies, as faa.gov could not be opened |
| United Kingdom | CAA, The Drone and Model Aircraft Code, CAP2320 (March 2026), p.11 and p.12: direct sight means without electronic viewing equipment such as video goggles, and anyone flying FPV must have an observer beside them, able to talk to them at all times |
| European Union | Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 4(1)(d), as EASA explains in FAQ 116511 (14 October 2020): goggle flying in the Open category is allowed with an unmanned aircraft observer alongside the pilot. EASA FAQ 140038 (updated 25 June 2024), in an answer for non-racing FPV, says goggles do not give visual line of sight |
| Canada | Transport Canada, Aeronautical Information Manual, RPA chapter (effective 19 March 2026), section 3.2.26: a pilot using an FPV system that reduces their field of view must use visual observers |
| Australia | CASR 101.073 (as described in CASA's explanatory statement of 21 October 2024) requires visual line of sight without a CASA approval; CASA.RPAS.0572 (in force from 1 September 2022 to the end of August 2027; read from a copy hosted by the MAAA) approves MAAA affiliate members and listed visitor classes to fly FPV only at registered MAAA club fields or CASA-approved MAAA events, under the MAAA's policy MOP066 |
Association and racing rules, such as the FAI's mandatory helper above, sit on top of these and are not law.
Sources
- FAI Sporting Code Section 4, Volume F9 Drone Sports, 2025 edition (effective 1 May 2025)
- FAI, SC4 volume CIAM F9 Drone sports 2026 (listed; host did not resolve, not read)
- FAI, 2024 World Drone Racing Championship Sporting Rules (June 2024)
- Wikipedia, First-person view (radio control) (secondary)
- DJI, O4 Air Unit specifications
- Caddx, Walksnail Avatar system (maker blog, 24 March 2023)
- Cornell LII, 49 U.S.C. 44809
- Cornell LII, 14 CFR 107.31
- UK CAA, The Drone and Model Aircraft Code, CAP2320 (March 2026)
- EASA FAQ 116511, flying with goggles in the open category (14 October 2020)
- EASA FAQ 140038 (updated 25 June 2024)
- Transport Canada, Aeronautical Information Manual, RPA chapter (effective 19 March 2026)
- CASA, CASA.RPAS.0572 First Person View Operation (MAAA) Approval 2022 (copy hosted by the MAAA)
- Federal Register of Legislation, explanatory statement for CASA EX64/24 (21 October 2024)