5 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE TAKING YOUR DRONE IN SUMMER
In summer, it's hot and vacation season around the world, perfect for flying drones. Before you take your favorite quadcopter out of storage, here are some tips on what to do before your first flight.
1. Check the Condition of the Batteries
The most important thing to inspect is the batteries. Any sign of swelling is a bad sign and could result in damage to your drone—or worse, to your home or someone else's property in the field. If you notice swelling, check if the batteries are under warranty and have them repaired or disposed of properly before flying. Order new ones if needed.
Even if you don't find any swelling, your drone app usually provides a tool to check the battery's health. Here's a great guide on DJI Intelligent Flight Batteries that can help. This will inform you about the number of cycles your battery has gone through and whether it will deliver its full capacity as it did when new.
2. Check for Firmware Updates
Now that we've covered having good batteries, let's go over some more routine tasks you should complete before flying.
Firmware updates should be easy to follow, as your drone app will keep notifying you until you update them. Keeping your drone up to date ensures that all safety and security features are current and gives you access to any new features released for your drone.
Look up how to update the firmware for your specific drone. For DJI and Autel drones, you should see a pop-up notification in the app as soon as you connect the drone.
3. Inspect and Clean Everything
Take this opportunity to inspect your drone for any damage that may have occurred during storage. Maybe one of the kids took it out and dropped it, or something fell on it. Who knows what might have happened over the winter? But you don't want to discover a cracked arm when you're 300 feet in the air.
Finally, give your drone a thorough cleaning. While the rotors will likely blow dust off the body, dust tends to stick to the lens. Use a microfiber cloth (9to5Mac has one, by the way) or compressed air to remove it. Use something like this to give a gentle puff of air—avoid using a can of compressed air—and for goodness' sake, DO NOT BLOW ON THE LENS.
If the lens is really dirty, use a damp wipe and then a dry microfiber cloth to ensure there are no streaks left behind.
4. Check Local Laws
This tip might not apply to everyone, but significant changes have been made to local drone laws. Whether or not you agree with these laws, it's important to be an informed drone pilot and familiarize yourself with all the regulations that apply to you. Remember, laws are changed in committee meetings and courts, not through arguments with law enforcement.
Contact the municipal clerk, county parks department, or local law enforcement to confirm that the area where you plan to fly doesn't prohibit the operation of unmanned vehicles or aircraft (a vague law in my city) or impose other specific restrictions, like taking off and landing from municipal property (as in New York City). Also, check if permits are required for commercially photographing those stunning lighthouses or other buildings you want to capture.
5. Take It Out for a Test Flight
Now that you've completed all the necessary steps at home to get your drone flight-ready, it's time to head out and fly. However, before taking it on a family vacation or to the beach, do a test flight.
Find an open field that isn't too crowded. Use this time to get back into the flying groove and ensure all your drone's systems are working properly. Take advantage of this opportunity to try out any new features introduced in the previously mentioned firmware update.
The most important thing to test is the SD card. During your flight, take a few test photos and videos to ensure the card is large enough to store substantial data, fast enough to support smooth recordings, and free of any defects. The last thing you want is to be out in the wild with incompatible SD cards or come home only to realize they failed.
Lastly, fly safely and share your experiences!