Top 10 Tips For Getting Started With Your Drone

2.) Believe it or not the propellers are one of the most crucial components of your drone. Before each flight visually inspect the propellers to ensure they are not damaged and are securely connected. Any props that have been physically damaged should be thrown out right away. Hence it’s possible to fly at some point the centrifugal force will break them… resulting in a crash. Ensure that no pressure is applied to the propeller during transit. Propellers that are bent are likewise a no-go. Always have spare props with you.

3.) Fully charge your battery before each flight and always use an official DJI charger. Over-discharging might cause significant damage. To extend the life of your drone's battery, it's best to land it while it's 15 percent or more. If the battery level gets depleted beyond %15 recharge it as soon as possible. Do not put the battery on a charger right after a flight, give it some time to cool down. They should be utilized at temperatures ranging from -10 to 40 degrees Celsius and 32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, performance will be significantly reduced if used below -10°C. When flying in extremely cold conditions keep your batteries as warm as possible. I usually keep them in pockets close to my body rather than in a cold case. Never charge a battery that has swelled, is leaking, or has been damaged. Just like with any other electronic equipment,  there’s no such thing as having “enough batteries”. 3 is the minimum I’d recommend having. Investing in the Fly more combo packages offered by DJI is highly recommended.

4.) Having a reliable landing pad! I’m more of a hand-catching drone guy but take-off is a different story. If you’re planning to lift off from long grass or accident terrain the drone pad can certainly help to flatten out the area and ensure that no dust, snow, dirt, or debris comes in contact with the drone! I’d highly recommend our Rugged Drone landing pad since its thin, foldable design allows it to pack up and travel in any bag. Simply throw it down, set up your drone, and let it fly without worrying about the wind blowing it away.

5.) Strong GPS signal and RTH is crucial for a safe flight. Upon powering up your drone be sure that you’re connected to at least 8 satellites. RTH's return to home function is crucial in emergency situations and can only record the Home Point when the GPS signal is strong. With a press of a button, the aircraft returns to the last recorded Home Point. This feature might come in handy when you lose the video feed or lose the drone from your visual line of sight. I’d recommend setting the RTH altitude in the corresponding DJI app (Fly Go4) depending on your drone model to at least 50m. This will ensure that your drone won’t fly into any buildings/obstacles on its way back!

6.) When not to fly - Weather conditions. Drones are not waterproof. Hence they might survive light rain and snow these are not ideal conditions to fly. In my opinion, the most dangerous of all is propeller icing in cold, foggy Weather. High humidity and below-freezing temperature are a really bad combo. During flight a thin layer of ice can build up on the propeller's motors will be under a greater load which can result in a drone crash.

7.) VLOS – Keep your drone in a visual line of sight all the time! This allows you to control the flight path of your drone in relation to other aircraft, people, and obstacles for the purpose of avoiding collisions. Flying behind trees, buildings, or other obstacles may also result in a loss of signal and control of your drone. Having a spotter Visual Observer (VO) with you serves as a second pair of eyes giving you peace of mind.

8.) Bird attacks on drones are pretty common. Your drone can be attacked by birds because you might end up flying in an area they are either breeding, hunting, or defending/protecting their territory. If you want to ensure that both your precious drone and the bird survive pull up as fast as possible to increase your altitude. At first glance, this might sound like a stupid idea but the unexpected vertical movement alerts that the flying object they are attacking is not a bird. Switch to Sports mode to unleash the full speed of your drone and land as soon as possible.

9.) Invest in a good carrying case! Keeping your drone safe during the transportation is essential. You can’t just toss a drone into a bag and be sure that the gimbal protector is also always on. Fortunately, there is a handful of carrying options in our shop. The first bag which comes to my mind is our Rugged Sling. Both 6 and 10L versions are perfectly capable of protecting your drone, RC, batteries, etc. If you’d like something simple the rugged accessories case is the way to go!

10.) Screen / Avoid filming in direct sunlight and keep your phone out of the sun. As soon as your phone starts to overheat thermal cooling kicks in and your screen automatically gets dimmed to the point you can barely see a thing. A sunshade can drastically improve your flight experience. For the best experience, I’d strongly recommend investing in a DJI Smart controller. It supports the Mavic Air 2/2s Mavic 2 series and Mini 2.

Care Refresh

Is basically a protection plan that provides accidental damage coverage. Highly recommended for beginners and professional alike. It simply gives you a peace of mind knowing that it includes two replacements in a single year in case of a crash. Please note that you can purchase/activate care refresh for a brand new and un-activated product or if the drone has been activated within the last 48 hours.

I hope you found our tips helpful, and remember that we are available to book a Zoom call with you to go through setup, tips & tricks, general maintenance, and any other recommendations relevant to your gear. Drop us a line at hello@shopmoment.com and our Gear Guides will get in touch.