Flying drones has become an incredibly popular activity for many people looking to make some extra cash on the side. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not everyone knows how to fly a drone properly.
Take-off, hovering, and rotating are essential skills that every drone pilot should learn. Once you have these basics down, you can move on to more fun techniques at drone pilot school.
Take-off
The first step in drone flight training is to get comfortable taking off and landing your drone. You can start working on other skills once you’ve mastered these two basic functions.
Take-off is accomplished by pushing the right stick on your controller to fly the drone upwards or forward. Once you’re airborne, push the left stick to move it backwards or downwards. This is a crucial part of the process, as it will help you learn how to control your drone and avoid flying into things. If you accidentally fly your drone into something, it could damage the propellers or even cause injury to someone. To avoid this, make sure to practice your technique on land and not in the air.
Once you’ve become comfortable hovering, it’s time to try moving your drone around. Practice flying the drone in the shape of a circle, square, or side-to-side, so you can get used to the different movements involved. You’ll also want to practice your ability to rotate the drone (yaw), which is done by pushing the right stick to the left or to the right.
During this step, it’s important to always keep your drone in sight. It’s easy to lose track of where your drone is, especially if you’re new to piloting. To prevent this, practice flying your drone in an open field or on a clear day. Also, be sure to prepare a pre-flight checklist and go through it before every flight. This will ensure you aren’t forgetting anything crucial, like checking the battery, and will help you stay safe while you’re flying.
DroneUp has a number of courses to help you learn how to pilot a drone safely and efficiently. Whether you’re looking to start a career as an FAA-licensed drone pilot or just want to add another skill to your portfolio, our comprehensive online courses will provide the necessary knowledge and guidance. We teach both multi-rotor and fixed-wing drone flight systems, maintenance, registration, certification requirements, safety, insurance, industry applications, featured systems (DJI, Yuneec, etc.), and emerging technologies. We also offer an Intro to Drones for Commercial Users course covering all the information a business needs to use drone technology to improve efficiency and increase profitability.
Hovering
As a beginner drone pilot, you’ll likely hover most of your time. Once you’ve mastered hovering, practicing your other drone flight skills will be much easier. During your training, make sure to use an area free from power lines and other obstructions. Also, avoid flying near large crowds or private property.
If you want to capture high-quality aerial photos and videos, you’ll need to learn how to control your drone while it is in the air and when composing your shot. You’ll also need to know how to set your drone camera to the best settings for your specific scenario. Finally, you’ll need to understand how your drone captures video and photo files, what file types they are stored as, and where on your computer or mobile device to view them.
Once you’ve mastered the basics of drone flight, you can begin to experiment with more advanced features. For example, if you want to record a live stream of an event, you’ll need to know how to fly in a way that allows your drone to follow the action. This can be challenging for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to capture amazing footage and share your story with the world.
While you can self-study for the FAA Part 107 drone pilot license exam, you’ll need hands-on training to become proficient in drone operations. This is similar to getting a driver’s license and taking specialized courses within your industry before you can drive on a construction site or inspect a cell tower.
To train your drone team, consider partnering with a trusted drone training provider like DroneUp. They offer a comprehensive online course that teaches you everything from basic drone flight to advanced photography and videography. They also provide an extensive test prep course and access to a drone simulator for practicing for the FAA part 107 knowledge test. In addition, they can help you acquire a drone for your training and teach you how to take care of it between flights.
Rotating
Once you are comfortable with getting your drone off the ground and hovering, you can begin to move it around. Practice flying the drone forward and backward, then try moving it in a circle or square shape. As you do this, pay attention to how the drone moves and what adjustments you need to make to keep it flying in the desired direction. Getting familiar with the movement of your drone will help you learn what it takes to fly it continuously.
Drone training also helps you understand the parts of your drone and what each control does. For example, understanding how the four main drone controls – roll, pitch, yaw, and throttle – affect movement is important for your success as a drone pilot. This knowledge will help you fly the drone correctly and safely.
During a drone pilot training course, you will get hands-on experience with a variety of drones and learn about the specific capabilities of each one. This will give you a better idea of what the drone is capable of and allow you to pick the drone that is best for your organization’s business needs.
For example, if your organization is interested in using a drone for building inspections, you might want to choose a drone that has a wide-angle camera so that you can capture the entire interior of a structure without having to walk inside. You’ll also want to consider the weight of the drone and whether it can be flown in winds that would be too strong for a smaller model.
When choosing a drone for business use, it is essential to get the right training. Not only does it help you operate your drone more effectively, but it will also ensure that you are meeting all the legal requirements for commercial use. An FAA-approved drone training course will provide you with the information you need to pass the FAA’s knowledge test and become an FAA-certified drone pilot.
Focus on the fundamentals before advancing to more advanced skills as you move through your drone pilot training. Start with taking off the drone and landing, then work on flying left/right and forward/backward. Once you are comfortable with these basic movements, you can start to fly in a pattern and over distances.
Landing
All the theory in the world about flying a drone is worthless until you get it up in the air. To start, find an open area that is free of obstacles like trees, buildings, power lines, and anything else that can obstruct your line of sight. Before taking off, observe your surroundings and follow a preflight checklist to ensure your drone and controller are ready for flight.
You should fully grasp the four main drone controls – roll, pitch, yaw, and throttle. Practice flying forward, backward, left, right, and up and down. Remember to always keep your fingers away from the propellers so you don’t accidentally destroy your drone or injure yourself with fast-spinning blades.
Once you feel comfortable flying your drone, try landing it. To land, move the right stick (roll) all the way to the bottom and circle it back up to the original position. If you are having trouble, try pushing the right stick more toward the top of the right to engage more pitch and maneuver your drone in that direction. You can also adjust the yaw by pushing the left stick to the right or the left.
When you are ready to land, slow down the throttle and bring your drone back to a hover. If you are still having trouble, try bringing the drone down to about six or 10 feet above the ground and making small adjustments with the right stick until it stops moving.
As you continue to practice your drone skills, take it to different locations. Look up local drone laws to ensure you follow the proper procedures, and study maps to discover new places to fly. Remember to keep your drone at a safe distance from people and cars, and never fly over private property without permission. Always be aware of weather conditions – if the wind starts picking up, it is best to come down and wait until the breeze dies down. The last thing you want is to have your drone blow away in a gust of wind and crash into a tree or your house.
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