Top Tips to Help You Travel with a Drone

Whether you’re just considering getting a drone for the first time or you're a long-time drone veteran the prospect of flying with a drone can be a little intimidating. There are a huge number of things that could potentially go wrong and depend on what you intend to do with your drone there are many preparations that need to be made.

Invest in the Right Gear

The considerations you should keep in mind while travelling with a drone ideally starts before you even get the drone. Choosing a portable drone is essential if you plan to be taking the drone to a variety of places, and not all drones are created equal in this regard. The DJI Phantom 4, for example, is a great drone, but it is bulky and not very portable. The Mavic, however, has folding arms and propellers making it much more portable while still retaining effectively every bit of the functionality that made the Phantom so popular.

Likewise, having an appropriate case or backpack in which to carry your drone and all the related equipment can be the difference between a trip with your drone going smoothly or being a nightmare. Many drones come with their own cases but some do not and can be too bulky or sensitive to just be thrown into a backpack. Depending on how you plan to travel you might need to have a designated suitcase that you can check for a flight or throw (gently) into the trunk of a car. Just keep in mind drones and their batteries can be sensitive to temperature extremes so leaving it in a car on a hot or cold day could lead to undesirable results. In any case, you will want to do the research and find which drones are easiest to travel with.

Bring Extra Batteries

Extra batteries are huge if you plan to take a drone anywhere and fly for a long time. Many tops of the line drones only have a battery life of fewer than thirty minutes while some lesser drones can only stay in the air for less than ten minutes at a time. This limited battery life makes taking a long trip with your drone a less than promising prospect if you have to drive or fly for hours before even reaching your destination. Again, it is important from the very beginning to take this into consideration since some drones don't even have swappable batteries but have the batteries built into them. Make sure to purchase a drone whose batteries can be easily taken out and replaced with a fresh one.

In a similar vein, it might even be worth investing in some way to recharge the batteries on the go. There are converters that can charge most batteries from a car charger, or alternatively there are battery banks that can interface with some types of drone batteries or LiPo packs to recharge them very quickly allowing for your drone to be back in the air shortly after your second or third batteries are dead. There is a great in-depth post about this here that shows how to easily and safely recharge LiPo batteries in the field.

Know the Local Laws

Recently state laws have been sprouting up that restrict where and how you can fly a drone. Many of these laws differ from state to state and it is always best to do your research before embarking on any drone endeavour in your home state or in a foreign land.

Overall, it's best to avoid flying near airports as these areas normally have even more restrictive rules and will often prohibit drone flight in a certain radius around their airspace to allow planes to safely takeoff and land. Some states now also have laws against flying your drone out of your line of site. This means that even if your top of the line drone can keep flying when it's four miles away you must keep your eyes on the drone and cannot control it remotely through a camera feed. Just remember to check with state laws before flying your drone and you'll have a great time.

Be Familiar with Local Weather

Despite how resilient some drones are these days they are not waterproof and are susceptible to being thrown around by intense winds. Because of this, it's important to be familiar with the weather in the area you plan to be flying your drone in. If the weather is prone to changing suddenly then it's important to have a plan in place in case that happens. Checking the weather is a good first step but knowing about general weather patterns is an even better way to stay ahead of the curve when in the field. It's also good to know if it rains in the area for short periods and usually clears up quickly.

Wind and temperature are just as important to keep in mind as precipitation. The batteries in drones can be sensitive to temperature, especially the cold. If a battery gets too cold the drone can sometimes perceive it as simply being out of power and plummet right out of the sky. To avoid this, make sure that you know what the conditions are not only on the ground but also at the altitude you intend to be using your drone at. Likewise, the winds might be calm on the ground but might be very choppy only a hundred feet up. The aviation weather centre is a great way to get some insight into what the air above you is like before you go flying your drone in it.

Have a Repair Kit

Getting dinged up is just a day in the life of a drone, and most minor bumps won't put the drone entirely out of commission. However, without the right tools to fix it in the field, it might need to be taken back home to get back in working condition, which is the last thing you want happening on a trip. Having a repair kit ready to throw into your backpack and take with you is a great way to avoid having to deal with this hassle and keep your drone in the air for longer periods of time.

The most common field maintenance that will need to be performed is replacing a beaten-up propeller. The propellers are not only the fastest moving part of the drone but arguably also the most fragile since they are constructed out of thin plastic. They are also creating a vortex as they spin into which rocks and other debris off the ground can be sucked into, so bringing a small screwdriver and some extra propellers is always a good idea. Duct tape and the manual for your drone also make great additions to quick troubleshooting and fixes.

Expect to Grab Attention

Depending on where you plan to be and what kind of drone you have the loud buzzing and incredibly aerial sights can attract a lot of attention. This is something many people aren't prepared for but is a very common experience for new drone pilots. If you're inexperienced it may be best to get some practice in with your drone in more private areas where you can focus on getting the finesse of piloting down before you risk your drone in front of tons of people.

Drones can also attract the wrong kind of attention because of their value. It's always important to keep an eye on your things while piloting your drone and not leave them behind you or out of sight while you're flying, as having your focus on the drone leaves your valuables vulnerable. Being aware of your surroundings is crucial while piloting a drone, and it's always recommended to taking a buddy can make the experience safer, and more fun.