Maybe i was a little harsh... 

I'm one of the new folks! Been into it for only 3-4 months and I am super excited. Your content is fun man. Thanks for the good vibes.

I was strung out on meth and my oldest son got me a little amazon drone and that little thing changed my life for the better. Shortly after I broke that drone I got a believe it or not a Hubsan x4 storm lol. I thought that thing was the shit 😅. I then saved and got my 1st 5 inch and proud to say I have been clean ever since that first flight.

"As long as you don't get strung out like a F*ck'n Chump." Favorite quote EVER

Never had a reason to leave my room, till I found FPV, get to explore the world from drones eye view, never gets old, and gives me sunlight

Hahah... BotgrinderFPV pivots to become "The Happiness Channel".. YEAH!... I like it.

2 years AF today. You're right fpv gave me something to obsess about and spend time and money on. Took that time away from alcohol and sadness. You're an inspiration bot. Keep doing what you do

My wife and I were just talking about you yesterday and how FPV probably saved you and allowed your addictive personality to find a productive focus. I just got back to watching you in the last two weeks and I pulled my 3" AcroBrats out for the first time in 3 years last week. This video couldn't be more timely in my life and I'm glad you and I are a bit synchronous today. Rock on Bot. I think I'm gonna go join your Patreon today just because you are a very true and pure human. And my tech corporate job can afford me the ability to keep you rolling. Rock on, buddy.

I used to be F-up on drugs, now I’m F-up on FPV! And Bot Grinder! Thanks Bot! Really dig ya man..

i'm contacting my lawyers right now

Great video. What i would love to see is FPV events reaching the level of heli events. The majority of the heli events start Friday, end Sunday and people are flying from sunrise till 2am (they set up light towers after dark)

Thanks for this! FPV is what helped me get through my post cancer depression. The building, crashing, repeating for some reason gave me a purpose and your are right when your in the goggles all those troubles go away.

DJ, you are freaking killing it lately. You were always awesome, and one of my favorite FPV YTers, but you're found a voice here with your commentary. I just want to encourage you to keep it up, you're awesome homie.

I’m a DJI guy that’s jumped into FPV, and now jumping into analog so I can fly whoops. Your whoop videos got me hooked on the them.

Sooo right!! I have had an extreme love hate relationship with fvp for a solid 2 years now, but that 3ish minutes of mental freedom always keeps me coming back. ✌🏻❤️🤘🏼

"None of this means anything and I hate existing." (things that don't happen during powerloops)

FPV is amazing, all these hobbies are amazing for overcoming demons. Bikes, skating, motorcycles, hiking, FPV and if you combine them its even better haha. Nothing like mixing some FPV with a bit of a ride, some hiking then just ripping a nice natural spot on that high from the journey. Enjoy all and forever grateful for the smaller community Bot created. Honestly i dont engage online as much anymore but always stay active within this lil community of legends. Peace and love y'all, thanks for all the words and advice through discord.

I recall 2016, with my Hobby King Quanam V2 DIY goggles and a ZMR250. Everything broke and it took time to get parts. It is so much easier now than it used to be. Especially with so much information more readily available. In the past, content was about flying or how to build. With the bulk of products now being function-complete and ready to fly, we tend to get unboxing review videos. Your content is refreshing and entertaining,. Great video!

Glad you made this video. I just got into fpv this year, and you became my favorite youtuber. But your last few videos got me feeling kind of depressed, like I made a thousand dollar mistake.

I've never come across someone flying fpv, but not being super addicted😂 it's insane

They could write a book called the 12 steps of FPV. It didn’t save my life but it definitely helped me through the first 3 years of withdrawals. 😬. There was so much to learn. It kept my mind off the dope and the booze. I really was obsessed, but I still have all of the FPV stuff from 2018. All I got left from my using days is a criminal record, a divorce, damaged health, 30 years of bad memories, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, dead friends, and a distant relationship with my kids.

Thanks for making this! I've been in fpv for a year now and I had this thought during your last few videos. They did make me feel like I missed the good parts of fpv, but at the same time I'm here having a blast flying. The community is one of the tightest in any hobby I've been in and met a bunch of friends already through fpv. It might have been the good ole days a few years ago but the days still feel pretty good to me now. Probably because it's still all new to me. Just like when you think back how it felt when you first got into drones, that's how some of us feel now. All the other stuff doesn't make a difference to us.

Bot! I always find your videos blunt and refreshing and I enjoy the heck outta watching you do your thing. For a talking video, you don't disappoint. That's not true for everyone who talks. Keep it up. I'm just days away from posting to my new FPV-related RU-vid channel and every bit of inspiration... from interesting sources (and you're definitely one of them) really helps. Congrats on cleaning up. I've heard you mention it a few times now and can only imagine what your journey must've been like. Keep on inspiring.

Well said Bot, it was great to meet you at the race. It's never a bad time to fly and hang with decent people. All walks of life welcome, Just be a good human ;)

FPV is a religion, we use it to fly closer to god

Wow, 5 years since you quit drinking. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. Glad to see it.

While it definitely is growing, I do think it’s easier to *feel* like it’s getting mainstream when that’s the bubble we live in and follow every day. We see every little advancement so we notice more detail in that growth. But it’s important to step back a few steps and see that it’s *definitely* still a niche. But the growth is NECESSARY if you want cooler and better shit to come out. So embrace the increase in reach that FPV is getting, and really, don’t worry about it “going mainstream.” There’s still a lot of space to fill before it’s no longer a small niche. Also, to Bot, I’m multi-years clean too, I could tell you were from the very first time I ever saw your videos. People in recovery or who have been through “that kind of shit” and who are doing well now just have a special kind of energy and humility that people (especially other addicts) pick up on right away. I just love that shit. I’m in love with FPV. I was in love with drugs, but I just cannot do them anymore and stay alive. The former, though, I am very much strung tf out on. 🚁🔥

Good for you! LOL FWIW I am a retired RC lifer. Well, just barely retired, I'm not that old!! I think you are a true original, a force in the FPV community, so when you lash out it is great fun but this positive message is the yin to that yang. Be proud of all your work but especially this video. I've never had any "problems" personally where I needed to change my addictions to stay sane and healthy, but I have drifted in and out of the FPV world and flying FPV has always been great fun and a totally absorbing experience that leaves "whatever" in the dust. And I agree, todays drones are the best they have ever been, and I don't own any DJI ;)

Ive only been in FPV for a little over a year, but i dove in head first. I too am an addict in recover, got a decade away from heroin last june. I found FPV during a time where i was feeling very lost in life. The incredibly friendly and welcoming community made me really feel like i have finally found my people.

FPV is a tech-assisted out-of-body experience. It's a waking flying dream. There's no other experience like it, especially now that I know what I'm doing. I got over 1,000 hours on my thumbs so far, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. Everyone who can, should try FPV.

I love FPV. I’ve got a family, and a stressful job. Your words about flying and having none of those worries on your mind was spot on dude.

Yo Bot great job bud on this video! FPV really has changed my life for the better and also keeps my mind and hand eye coordination sharp! Thanks homie!

Great dose of positivity for the day, love it! ❤

I've been in hobby for 10 Years, it is sooo much easier to get started now, used to have to use all kinds of software, like for osd, every different flight controller, that drove me mad... But once i finally get in the air all my problems melt away... Definitely helped my mental health, now i go fly on the weekends or work on fixing something up if its raining, instead of going to the bar!

Right on BG! I For me the hobby is where imagination propels, not just with props but being in that community with all it's quirkyness...resonates my drone and mind to a next level of fun.and just flying!

Love the essays, your honest, open approach is always entertaining and interesting, wish i could afford to get stateside to meet your community, y'all seem awesome fun

Bot, you are getting more and more impressive with your "vlogs". Enjoying the introspection and analysis.

Thank You! I really appreaciate your candor and the "real" person you seem to be. 63 here and just got my first FPV (Meteor 65 Pro)to try out and learn with, as my thumbs are about all that I have for usefull or painfree mobility. This was good content.😃

As someone fairly new to FPV, right now is my golden age. I'm happy and having a blast. I get the old vs now, but I also really enjoy how it's not a struggle to fly :)

I'm new into the hobby just about 4 months and it's good to still see people like you being real keep it up man!

Watching you each Saturday is therapy for me. I think you make great content and are always real! I haven't ever been to an FPV meet-up, one day I hope to meet some local folks that know spots... it's hard to just find a cool spot with no drama... and I don't like always flying solo.

I just remembered getting a TBS VTX it had built-in OSD and thinking it could never get better than that

Lazy DJI fpv pilot here: 4 months ago I bought Integras and a BNF Nazgul with the O3, but two weeks ago I also got analog goggles in order to fly tiny whoops ahahah

Awe man do I ever need one of those giant neon green Bot signs for my living room

Great video/vlog Bot. I really enjoyed it!

"fpv is the therapist alot of us are too proud to go see" -bot 2024 i'm makin a neon sign outta that one!

Fpv is for me beein like my dog = Enjoy and live the moment

A lot of truth and experience in the drone/quad copter world.

Botzi, the last few vidz have been fantastic! I think when you focus on a topic you do a great job editorializing! I've been watching you for a Looong time and you kinda lost me there for a bit, but these new vidz have brought me back to the fold! Keep up the great work keepin' it real!

You are part of this Bot. I get more from your content than any other creator. ❤ been on your bandwagon for a long time. Don't ever stop. :)

Straight in the feels, love you Bot, may you always be blessed :]

I have a bunch of new friends through FPV we hang out doing non FPV stuff too, and I'm in my mid fifties. Making friends after 30 is kind of rare so that's one of my favorite things with the community. Also you've become much more professional and your videos are so much better in the last year or so, you have really leveled up. If it weren't for the tattoos I'd think you were Nurk in disguise, that's how pro you are now. 😂

Another well articulated video botgrinder. Stories like yours are an inspiration for other human beings who are in bad situations. Keep up the good work ❤

That doom shirt though!!

Wait!? Bot did a reverse heal turn!? Noooooo

I think that for anyone who's done something for an extended period of time there is a nostalgic longing. Most of that comes from our inability (or unwillingness) to remember that the good old days were just like these - good and bad. You've been in this game long enough to think back fondly on your beginnings, and it makes today seem bleak by comparison, but to people who don't have that reference today's state of FPV might look pretty great. So it's always good to interact with newbies, if for no other reason than to remind you of how fun it can be in the beginning.

Botgrinder, congrats on the clean time, I have a few days myself. I started with Flite Test in about 2014, then heard about FPV, started to build my own when I found out you had to have a Technician Class Ham Radio license. Well got my ticket, then drifted back to FPV. Now I'm trying to learn how to do less crashing, and more flying, but life is a journey, not a destination, so I keep moving forward. Thanks for the video, and your channel, it gives me motivation to do better. Have a good day, and thanks again.

FPV is therapy! Lets talk about that shirt though!!! 🔥🔥

Thanks Bot!!! Thought full video. FPV helped me through a lot too. I mostly fly alone but I really love it 💜

Another good video. Definitely liked all the positivity in this one. That’s not the same you always negative. But it was just a nice uplifting video which I think we all need sometimes. I think all of us tend to focus on negativity and it’s hard to break out of that sometimes

I got a good career meeting people through drones. I still meet and teach people to fly because it doesn’t cost me anything and most people who are into flying drones after I teach them really appreciate it.

Doug, I like the positive vibes a lot! Do more videos like this! And, I'm delighted you are staying clean! More power to you!

it's true, i do have a analog setup just for the whoops .. rest is 100% DJI even have a second set of googles to have the haters have a look or the cops, this does almost always de-escalate any hateful situations, when they actually see what you are doing, plus there is a chance they may start getting into FPV themselfs ;)

Man, this new style of videos that you do just ROCK. It's amazing how well you can condense a topic us pilots can all resonate with. I loved your videos before as well of course, but this is lext level shit - please keep em coming!

Glad you nuanced the DJI hating. Good preach video Drone Baby Jesús

just out here droning for burgers

I've been flying since 2016 and man it has changed my life so damn much. Really liking this kind of videos Bot, keep it up

My first done was the hubsan x4 also. I still have it in perfect condition.

FPV changed my pants. and my life! thanks for the positive vibes video, i know it's important for me to remember to see the bright side too as much as I can even as I'm being subsumed by the dark

Hey Bot, I've been flying FPV since fricking 1985 and yes, it has absolutely changed. I've FPV'ed cars, boats, helium blimps, helicopters, monster trucks, planes, and even a rocket glider. I started out with a Schluter .60 Champion RC heli in 1985. The system was hand built by engineers at a rather famous company in central Florida for ride maintenance at a certain park. The one I was given was broken and mounted in a stuffed bear, don't ask. The receiver was in a Radio Shack project box and the transmitter was attached to the camera...which was only 380 lines and B&W. The idea was to hover the heli, just learning to do so, and record the video for fun. After I watched the playback on the TV/VCR, I realized that I could tell when the heli was drifting and what direction. I decided to try hovering while watching the monitor and after the third tank of nitro, I was able to sorta keep it off the ground without having to land to avoid hitting things. Fortunately it was a small driveway... I did stop FPV once I progressed to forward flight because the range really sucked , about 300 ft, and the signal turned to crap with any real movement. The setup was then moved to a MRC Frog and worked well within the short track. I started back flying once goggles became a thing and the range got a lot better in the mid 90's. It's crazy but I still have most of that old stuff buried in the mancave out back.

Nice Bot . Fpv is definitely a therapeutic hobby. I freaking love it . Fpv definitely saved me from addiction 👍🏻👊🏻

BOT, this is such a great video. We all have to step back sometimes and just look at the positive aspects of life... you are killing it bro!! your the man.

Good people are just good people.. keep these post going.. THANKYOU for hard work !

Ito not just a job it's an adventure!! 😂 No real shit awesome video bro!

Nice video Mr.Bot, your insite is always positive and you definitely put the joy back into the hobby!

When people ask 'what's it like?" I always say 'it's the most fun you can have with your pants on!"

I could never quit my tech job to fly drones.. unless i could make more with the drones.. but i doubt it.

Damn it Bot! Stop inspiring me to be a better me! Keep doing you my guy! I seriously am so happy to see how far you have come. I can't remember how I found FPV, but I do remember you being there a lot. XD It's been just over a year. The ride has been frustrating and rewarding. I have ADHD HARD and this is one of the only things I have kept at for so long and continue to enjoy and find a passion for. Thank you!

GAPiT! Man I swear your content alone brought me back into FPV. Just bought a Mobula8 and can't wait to go out and rip it lol Glad your covering past FPV enthusiasts, brings back memories.

This is great man! Well done!

Got to see a vid like this Bot. FPV has helped me a lot with my injury and depression.

Thanks! This was so motivating, i am getting back ino FPV and was about to drop it again with all the negative news lately

I love it when you go positivity, brother! I think people tend to gravitate to negativity too often these days as a way to vent. I, like you, found that achieving FLOW while flying FPV was such a profound, life-changing, experience that I try to stay positive even when I see things I don't agree with. Overall, the hobby is amazing and we should try to attract more people into it. The more people involved, the more advancements and the more public acceptance of it as a regular sport. I really enjoyed this video, so thanks for making it!

Good Stuff Bot, I kinda like the positive Bot Keep up the good work

You the man Bot. Big thanks from Germany.

We just had one like that. St QuadTricks day was $1000 to first prize this year

Every time I get pissed off after breaking all my gear and want to quit, I watch Botgrinder videos till I feel better. Then I buy more drone crap, put it all together, and rip till I break all my crap again. It is my therapy. I am an bad alcoholic except now I don't drink I drone. Thanks for this video Bot.

Great vlog Bot! Stay cool!

Another Awesome Vid from The Bot!!! 2017 I broke my back and had a heart attack! Took them a year to operate on my back and I ended up spending nearly 3 years in a single room. Gained Agrophobia from it as well as other problems lol But watching your videos, charpo, steele, stinger and the rest whilst flat on my back told me to buy a QAV250 off of banggood and I've been flying ever since, The community helped me get back into society and get over (mostly) the agrophobia. It also helps me stay dry as well (alcoholic - dry since 2014) as I can't afford beer and drone parts lol I now fly anything that'll get off the ground! Quads, planes, heli's, after the qav250 I could even fly a brick! 🤣😂🤣😂

another great video! amazing content lately

Fpv is great. I had to take a break for a couple of years but as soon as I fired up the micro and simulator I was instantly hooked again. Time to repair the 5” and 3” drones. Good seeing Botgrinder still passionate about the hobby of fpv. Good shit homie!

You're one of the good ones, Bot. It's so easy to focus on the negatives and forget about the positive stuff. Always helps to be reminded it's not all bad.

Fpv has directly impacted my life for the better! You definitely hit the nail on the head with this video! The community is amazing and it's an endless rabbit hole of knowledge to obtain that directly helps you in real life ❤

been a epic ride watching you grow since you announced yourself to the hobby bro

It's mind-blowing to see how many people got clean or started fighting back against depression with FPV. I started FPV just a few months after I stopped drinking. It's been almost 2 years now!

Dude - that was a proper speech there - inspirational stuff and reminded me how much flying quadcopters has helped my brain in the past and that I need to give myself a kick in the ass and get back out flying again soon. The last year for me (and the last few months especially) has been shite and while I'm in a rut now, I do know how to get out of it and flying again will be a part of that. Cheers man 😁

Absolutely love this. Just might be your best video yet.

This has been a fantastic video, thank you! 🙌

Man I really loved how you described fpv as therapy so poetic and so true.

Awesome video man, n i agree!! Also the comments on youtube really builds a bond with the viewers!

I started around the same time as you, here's what i LOVE about FPV. After always seeing our world from the ground and on foot we suddenly had another perspective....my first thought was "Damn no wonder airline pilots love their jobs!" FPV helped me understand why birds sometimes fly the way they fly...you ever notice when your driving around a bird will suddenly fly right past your windscreen at the last moment? I NEVER gave that any thought as to why they do that...after FPV why hell i know exactly what those dare devil birds were up to...y'all know what I'm talking about. No one had ever mentioned the TETHER...the invisible tether that binds us to the craft to the point you have eyes in the back of your drone..but it's not the eyes it's the feeling of proximity despite you not seeing it..but you know it's there, i developed that flying through tree's it's a crazy feeling. Who else had dreams of flying low over the ground before we even heard of FPV? So when flying i was like no way i dreamt of this. I'm rambling on...