Don’t Let These 7 Common Drone Errors Ground Your Flying Fun
Let’s say that the weather’s nice, your drone is charged and ready to fly, and you’ve brought it all the way to the point of take-off, ready to finally capture those kaleidoscopic views from three or maybe four times higher than the Empire State Building. You throw the switch, lift off — then suddenly the drone wobbles and starts to lose control, or crashes and burns altogether. Talk about down.
It can be a blast to fly drones, but when you don’t pay attention, things can go from flying high to crashing down in no time. The good news? You can almost always prevent the majority of drone mishaps and disasters. Whether you’re a seasoned pilot or a newbie, avoiding these seven most common drone mishaps can help you have an awesome flight or help you avoid a bad day altogether. Read on to find out how you can avoid these seven most common drone mishaps.
1. Neglecting Pre-Flight Checks
If you’re driving a car that hasn’t got wheels and an engine, can you be surprised if it doesn’t perform like the one that does? A pre-flight checklist is the easiest way to avoid this potentially dangerous mistake.
Solution:
Give your drone a quick inspection before every flight. Check your battery level is good, that your props are secure, and that your GPS signal is strong. A quick inspection could save you from a preventable crash.
‘But hurry up!’ — throughout, Nick Harman admits to losing the battle to make his flights brief By this point you’re likely to be leaping about the airfield members salaam-ing anything with wings and getting fretful I’ll point out again: this is a safe, crash-proof flight at the end of it. It’s a bit like having breakfast; it only costs you half an hour but forgetting it means your brain switching off somewhere over the French coast.
2. Flying in Restricted Areas
There’s nothing like ruining a flight, especially a hands-on, autonomous one like piloting an airplane, and finding yourself in some sort of restricted airspace. Not just any airspace: restricted airspace, the especially hairy kind, the kind that will put you in jail! Whether it’s over an airport or a military base, whether it’s over a national park or within some 170 different areas in the split-second realm around the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Class B, ‘Bravo’ airspace is a dangerous place to fly. It’s also illegal.
Solution:
Before you fly, always check airspace regulations to make sure you are flying legally. Apps such as AirMap and B4UFLY are excellent guides to where you can and can’t fly. Keep in mind that ignorance of the law will not bail you out of trouble if you get caught flying in a restricted area.
So, what is it like when you fly your Quad outside of the drone-restricted zones? Well, let’s just say you don’t want to find out. Fines for airspace infringement are steep, and the drone could be taken away from you.
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3. Overestimating Battery Life
It’s the feeling we’ve all had: you’re midway through taking a video, your drone’s already shot off some impressive stock blips and beeps, and suddenly, your craft halts in the sky. The battery, the drone alerts you via robotic tones, is low.
Solution:
Always plan your flight so that you have plenty of battery life left — as a guideline, that means you begin your return when your battery is at 30 per cent left — so you can fly back with plenty of comfort and make sure that you’re never at risk of plummeting to the floor in a last minute panic. And always have a spare battery when flying for longer periods.
‘But I want to make the battery last!’ How many times have I told myself this, knowing that drones do not fly like airplanes. Each drone battery has an amount of energy stored in its tight LiPo packs, and when this energy is depleted, the drone will simply drop from the sky. It is better to let it drop on purpose, still hanging from the end of the line, than to risk coming out of a nosedive and tearing your drone to pieces on an unfortunate branch.
4. Ignoring Weather Conditions
The most skilled drones fall prey to Mother Nature. Too much wind, or even rain, or even high humidity can make it dangerous to take to the skies.
Solution:
Look up the weather before you fly. Don’t fly in rain, wind or extreme temperatures. And if you’re practicing, it’s better to turn back before the weather gets sketchy than to risk losing control of your drone.
Cold weather flying? We’ll look at that in a moment — there are a few things you need to pay attention to when you’re flying in a cold environment.
5. Flying Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS)
It is very easy to get caught in the airborne spirit of flying and lose your drone from sight, but flying out of your Line Of Sight (LOS) is risky and, within most drone rules, illegal.
Solution:
Keep your drone in sight at all times; for longer distances, consider staying in range with a spotter. Whatever you do, pay attention to where you fly. Trees grow. Clouds pass. Buildings fall.
But the drone can see — I can see through the drone’s camera!’ It’s true that cameras have limited fields of view, and don’t necessarily register depth and distance the way that the human eye does, but in the event of an accident it’s better to err on the side of your own eyes.
6. Not Updating Firmware
Drone manufacturers regularly issue firmware updates to improve performance and iron out bugs, and ignoring them could undermine your machine’s integrity.
Solution:
So, make it a habit to check for each flight. It should only take you a couple of minutes each time — and it might spare you the odd headache. Almost all drones have apps that tell you when an update is available — don’t ignore them.
You think an update is a simple bug fix? Think again. Firmware updates can give you new features and new battery life. You want to miss on that one?
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7. Flying Indoors Without Proper Precautions
Fly your drone indoors when you enjoy posing threats to your drone’s survival, because flying in the house is riskier: less room to avoid obstacles like furniture, which is competing for space, much less time to decide between safe environments like corners and the ceiling, and near-impossible detection of human intruders, who you’re much more likely to come into contact with while flying indoors.
Solution:
Propeller guards will help prevent your drone from crashing into yourselves or your furniture, and it’s best to keep the flight very steady until you’re more comfortable with your skills. Always fly away from people, too — tight spaces indoors limit your manoeuvrability, and if you lose control, the drone could become an expensive weapon. Fly outside wherever possible, as it’s just much easier.
But it’s too windy out there!’ Or they may have been encouraged to try flying indoors, which is a big no-no (unless you have a really, really big, open space) as the dangers generally outweigh the benefits. Too breezy outside? Wait for a better day!
Conclusion:
Drone flying really should be about a fun adrenalin rush — not one akin to banging your head against a wall. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can use your drone to get a great shot and have as much fun as possible. Happy flying! It’s all about getting prepared and being cautious. With a little care, you can keep your drone in flight and keep the fun going.
Therefore, here is a little reminder, in case you need it, before your next flight. Your drone — and your sanity — will thank you! Fly safe!
