Flying a drone can be tricky sometimes. Beginner pilots as well as experienced pilots, both tend to make mistakes at times.
Here are the top 10 tips that will help you fly safely in the sky:
- Preflight checklist: Calibration of the compass and IMU is essential for safety. You must keep a preflight checklist handy when going to fly. Going through it will keep you and your drone safe.
- Weather and site safety check: Beforehand check the weather conditions during the flight period. Don’t fly in rain, fog, snow or wind. Cold temperatures can impact your battery performance. If flying in winters preheat your battery to 20 degree Celsius.
- Set return to home(RTH): In the RTH mode your drone will fly to the preset altitude and then return to home point automatically. This should always be done before takeoff.
- Check GPS signal: A strong GPS signal is crucial for a safe flight. At least 10 satellites should be found and the GPS signal should be followed by more than 4 bars.
- Check for no-fly zones and controlled airspaces: Every country has some regulations regarding drone flights. It’s always important to check the flying zones before flying anywhere. You can use simple apps like ‘UAV forecast’ and ‘hover’ to get all the information.
- Remove the camera gimbal guard before switching on the drone: You should never forget to remove the gimbal guard before you power your drone else you may damage it. Some pilots often attach a tag or thread to remember removing the guard before flying.
- Switch on the remote controller before drone: The remote controller should be the first thing to switch on and last thing to switch off. This is because when the remote controller is off, the drone might receive rogue WiFi signals that it might interpret as a control signal and you can probably lose your drone this way.
- Always have an idea of the orientation of drone: You must avoid flying in reverse direction as you can easily lose track of the orientation of drone this way and it may collide with an obstacle.
- Understand functionality of remote control: Read the user manual completely and watch tutorial videos before you fly. Be familiar with drone controls and practice basic flying controls via flight simulator.
- Do not fly under the influence: Drone flying demands intense concentration. Intoxication can cause impairment in coordination and judgment. You never know what damage or harm a second of distraction can do to you, your drone or anyone around.
Pay heed to these pieces of advice, these might someday save you from burning a hole in your pocket.