How to Use A Drone – Comprehensive Guidance for Beginners

How to Use A Drone – Comprehensive Guidance for Beginners

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Have you ever owned a drone?  Are you fascinated with an UAV, and would like to know how to use a drone? A drone or a flying robot is usually termed as an UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). It is also known as a quadcopters or a multirotor craft. It may either be remote or software-controlled in combination with GPS or onboard sensors. Due to this, it comes standard with high tech- flight features. A lot of tech is packed into its lightweight structure, even though it may look like a propeller. Its high level of autonomy makes it differ greatly from a remote controlled helicopter. It does not need a pilot to fly, navigate or hover.

Introduction

Drones were initially used in the military for anti-aircraft target training, gathering of intelligence and as a weapon platform. Currently, drones are used in a variety of civilian activities including photography, traffic monitoring, firefighting, videography agriculture and weather monitoring. A drone can be used for both recreation and business activities.

A drone enjoys fail-safes due to its multiple rotors. In-case of failure of one motor, it uses the remaining motors to stay aloft. An aircraft generates more lift depending on the number of rotors. This makes it possible to carry a heftier payload. More rotors allow designers to reduce the blade size, making them safer to use and manage. In order to spin, propellers need a power source. A drone comes standard with a 12 minute- flight-time removable battery. One can purchase extra batteries that can be upgraded to more than 20 minutes of flight. But extra power comes with additional weight. This is the reason these machines have little airtime .It would be great to have a drone that flies non-stop, but that will need a heavy battery that may end up grounding it.

A pilot needs a controller to fly a drone. The controller is used for launching, navigating and landing. Controllers range from tablets, gamepads to smartphones. They use radio waves to communicate with the drones. The smartphone technology makes it easier to use an internal aircraft GPS chip to relay the drone’s location to the controller. A drone is designed for automatic soft landing. A quick landing makes the drone sink into its propeller wash.

Drones can be used in a variety of ways. They have transformed themselves from radio controller gadgets to a must-have imaging kit for photographers. Before you decide on the kind of experience you want to have from your quadcopter, you should consider the following:

Learn how to operate a drone

Get a basic drone and start your initial flying lessons. Once you know how to maneuver this simple model, you can advance to higher models.

Arm yourself with different panning methods

To have a high quality video, master these panning approaches: Side sliding, fly-through, bird’s eye and orbiting. Specialists suggest time and skill as the most important ingredients of successful drone photography.

Know the local regulations

Familiarize yourself with your local drone laws and regulations. There are laws in each municipality that prohibits and regulates flying of drones near airports or state buildings. To keep yourself from having trouble with authorities, get to know the laws that regulate various recording devices on the airspace.

Use the correct equipment

There is specific equipment for each drone activity. Get proper drones, cameras and add-ons and tailor your UAV experience to fit your situation. Make sure your camera matches with your goals. Some drones perform very well in the wind, while others have superior time or flight distance.

Readjust your drone and camera appropriately

Properly configure your camera and drone settings. Getting great films and photos requires a proper attachment of your camera to the drone. For a great shot in each session, the camera settings and the maneuvering settings need constant testing and readjustment, to get the desired shot. Perfection comes with much practice.

Invest in add-ons

A camera-attached drone is great, but you will want to invest in gimbals, prop balancers and FPV (First-person view).Gimbals increase the number of shot angles you can use.

Prop balances enhance professional footage by evening out your flight’s experience. FPV gives you a real-time view of the happenings in the sky by conveying live video to your tablet, laptop or controller from your drone’s camera.

Arm yourself with this checklist

Are your systems working correctly? How much time will each shot take? Are there people in the vicinity?  Is theweather conducive for the flight? What is your flight route? Are there any obstacles or power lines? Having the answers to these questions may help you have a stress-free drone experience.

Be ready for any eventuality

Have extra batteries. What if the weather changes to an undesirable one? What about interruption from people? Have a fallback plan in case of any of the above eventualities. Planning for every likely scenario will pay out in the long run.

Fly your drone from the beginning to the end of the shooting exercise

Experts advise that you begin taking photos or films before reaching your intended site. To ensure a smooth outcome, continue capturing your images even after you pass through your intended location.

What is the battery life of your drone?

A Dead battery may make you miss a perfect shot. Knowing your battery life will save you time and embarrassment. Be aware of your remote’s, camera’s and drone’s battery life. This will ensure that you capture great shots or save you from losing the drone through a crash.

Consider Mother Nature

The weather is very pivotal your success or failure. Your drone can be knocked out of the sky by lightning. This may endanger your life. A drone can be thrown off course by wind gusts. Your footage can be ruined by a direct shot into the direction of the sun. This may render the shots unusable.

If you are experienced with the drone technology, launching a drone based business will definitely be a perfect idea. Knowing how to use a drone will give you a great advantage. Following the above tips will help you get the most out of your drone flight.