The Basics of What you NEED TO KNOW
Drone flight is a great way to get exposure to aviation at its core. However, it can be intimidating and seem marginally unapproachable. Finding the right drone and investing in some basic education can save you several headaches.
The first thing to understand is what you intend to do with your drone. If you are looking for recreation, then great, buy a drone and practice with it in a safe and open area. If you intend to use any footage to publish online or want to monetize ANYTHING related to the flight of your drone, you absolutely must get the UAG pilot certificate under FAA part 107.
Entry Level:
Josh and I started off with some basic toy drones weighing less than the 249 gram FAA limit. We even went so far as to build our own micro drone which failed miserably and was impossible to control. We then settled on learning with the BetaFPV Cetus kit until we ran it in to moms hair and had to cut it out. She still holds a grudge for that one…
This DJI Drone is one of the perfect beginner drones because the controls are so user friendly. The software allows for the drone to auto hover, air brake, and return to home if it loses a connection. The goggles allow for an HD picture but the video recording from the drone is captured in 4k at 60 frames.
You literally just need to power it on and take off… Landing is essentially the same thing. Slow purposeful movements to line up on your landing zone and then just pull the throttle stick down and hold. It will approach the ground and do a quick safety stop before auto landing safely.
Logistics Before Flight
- Register the drone with the FAA (will cost you $5)
- Label your drone with the FAA registration number on the EXTERIOR of the drone
- Check your airspace requirements using LAANC or B4UFLY applications for your phone
- File your flight plan if in CONTROLLED airspace with either LAANC or on the FAA DroneZone website.
- Use the LAANC or B4UFLY app to NOTIFY of your intent to fly
- Pre-flight check the equipment/batteries/surrounding area etc.
- Enjoy the flight
Be Considerate
I would also encourage you to AVOID hovering over your neighbors houses. There isn’t really a law against it, but its just rude. You should be responsible enough to protect their privacy and anyone else who is involved.
If you are posting videos or photos on social media, do your best to consider the background. Scrub images for privacy of others. Black out address and license plate numbers as best you can. Again, there is no law against posting them but it is polite and the right thing to do whenever possible.
Equipment used in this blog:
The links below are the products I used. The companies do not pay me to advertise for their products. These are links to things I actually purchased and own. If you use these links and ultimately make a purchase, I may get a commission from the sale from Amazon.
