Every year more people,
companies and institutions are taking advantage of the advancements of drone technology.
As the number of drones is increasing, so are the number of laws, regulations
and recommendations to promote the good use of drones.
Businesses are using drones to
expand their services, institutions want to increase the quality of life of
their citizens (presumably), and people, generally, just want to have fun. Whatever is the reason, here are some recommendations
so you can use your drone in the safest possible way.
First I have a very unpopular recommendation: Read the
manual.
I know how hard it can be,
but once you have your drone you need to take it easy and not fly it right
away. This is a new technology and even if you are familiarized with drones you
cannot risk your investment just because you are too lazy to read the
instructions. It will take you only a few minutes to read at least what you
consider the most important parts so you can be sure that you fully understand
how to operate it.
Laws and regulations
Another important aspect is
to obey the laws and regulations of the zone in which you plan to fly your
drone. They vary depending on where you are, but in general terms they are very
much alike. Most of the regulations talk about how high your drone can go. The
FAA stipulates that a drone cannot go higher than 120m (400 feet).
A different limitation to
flying your drone is not how high but where you can take it. There are certain
areas where it is forbidden to fly a drone. An example is within 5 miles of an
airport. You cannot fly a drone over people or vehicles because this could be
considered as a risk for both and you will be responsible for any damage caused
for your drone. The smart way is to get informed about the regulations and the
zones where the drone is to be used.
Do not lose sight
Another important safety
advice (and a law as a matter of fact) is that you fly your drone only as far as
you can see it and no further than that. I don’t think that I should even
explain this, but just to be sure here it goes:
Losing sight of your drone can be really dangerous for people on the
ground as well as costly should you lose your drone completely. If you cannot
see your drone there’s a chance you can lose communication with the controller and
lose complete control. Although many drones have ‘return to safety’ capability
which allows them to return to their starting point, it is still advised not to
venture so far so that you lose sight of your drone.
When to fly?
Checking the weather can help
determine when’s a good or a bad time to fly them. Although some drones show no
problems to fly on cloudy days, others do show some deficiencies under these
conditions. Again, reading the manual is a good idea.
In the case when you not
only have cloudy days but also strong winds, no matter how good your drone is,
it is a bad idea to fly them. The winds can make it harder to maneuver the
drone and it can go anywhere. Again, it does not matter how good your drone is,
if it can happen to real size helicopters, it will happen to your drone too. On
days with strong winds, keep your drone at home.
Check components
So now that you have read
the manual and got all the information you need to fly your drone, you are
ready to have some fun with it, right? Well, not quite. Although you know the
theory, you still have to check that the drone is working properly. You need to
check that every component is in perfect condition. This includes propellers,
batteries, lights and everything attached to the drone. And this has to be done
every single time you are flying the drone. Every time that the drone is going
to be used it needs to be checked.
Use apps
A lot of companies offer an
app for smart phones that help pilots control their drones. If you have it,
then it is very likely that the app has an option to help you calibrate your
drone. This is a great tool to make sure that the parts are working correctly
and you can go flying your drone without any worries.
Get permission
Finally, if your drone has a
camera and is capable of taking pictures or videos, then you need to have
permission from the proper authorities to take a picture or a video, otherwise
it is illegal to do so.
So here you go, you have a starter
list of things to take into consideration before flying your drone. Many tips
mentioned are actually laws to protect the people around you and even yourself,
and they vary depending on where you are. Others are just for your own good.
All in all, they are meant to make your experience of drone flying a good one.
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