Fpv Drone Build Checklist
Shu Manwill
To eliminate any causes from your mobile device and drone, using the most updated software on your mobile device and firmware on your drone can resolve most known issues. A reboot of both devices can also help clear out any issues.
It did it again today! Have about 5 plans saved & was only able to fly one mission! To top it off the FPV screen did NOT come on the entire flight. So not good! All the other flights had a flashing circle on the way points with all other green lights checked.Mind you all flights said available offline too??? I have the latest version, restarted bird, RC, & tablet many times to no avail!
Our product team has been trying to reproduce this issue but we have not had any luck. Could you try using another mobile device to fly, to see if the problem follows?
We are still trying hard to reproduce the issue on our end. The above test will help us narrow down the issue.
A drone preflight checklist is used by drone pilots to ensure safe and legal drone operation. Drone preflight checklists also help them fulfill compliance with drone regulations, such as those by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
A drone preflight checklist is a critical exercise that helps ensure safe and legal operation of drones. From physical checks to validation of required documents, this checklist can be used by drone pilots to prepare everything before a drone takes flight. Drone preflight checklists help reduce the risk of physical damage to property, injuries, flyaways, and costly lawsuits.
Project managers utilize drones in construction to survey land more efficiently and collect real-time data on building projects. Agricultural drones help farmers acquire critical thermal imaging data for crops. E-commerce companies have also begun to develop logistics systems that use drone fleets to deliver goods to far-flung areas. Even some local government units use UAVs to improve mobility in enforcing the law.
It is evident that drones have enabled different sectors to improve productivity, research, and risk mitigation in their operations, which is why drone pilots should be more responsible in operating drones to continue reaping the benefits of drone technology.
Some of the things on this list may seem unnecessary. You may not need all of these things all the time but I have found every one of these things to be helpful at some point. There have been more than a few times where I wish I would have been more prepared.
You cannot have enough batteries. The more batteries you have, the longer you will be able to fly. I currently have five batteries for my Air 2s. Again, you want to make sure that the batteries are fully charged before you leave.
I also bring a charger with me so that I can charge my batteries when I am flying. I may burn through all five of my batteries, but by the time I am finishing my fifth battery, my first battery will be charged and ready to go again. You will want to have a charger that can charge batteries simultaneously. The standard chargers that come with most DJI drones will only charge one battery at a time.
This is something easily overlooked. I once arrived at a location only realize that my SD card was in my card reader connected to my computer in my home office. Fortunately, the Air 2s has a little internal memory and I was able to get a little bit of video.
Also, make sure all your previous videos and photographs have been saved to another location and format your card before leaving. Your card will not do much good if it is completely full of videos that have not been yet uploaded to your computer.
It is good to have a place to sit. I tend to stand when I fly. But I have found that it is good to relax and be comfortable. It also helps you fly longer when you can sit. This chair on Amazon looks comfy!
You may drive a half hour and experience different conditions than you experience in your backyard. Sometimes I have been flying along a body of water with a persistent wind coming off the water. It made it seem much colder than what it was. I have never regretted having an extra jacket or some gloves in the car. I have only regretted not having these things. Even if you think you will not need an extra layer, bring it anyways.
You never know when you might be approached by law enforcement. Make sure to have all your credentials, readily available. If you have not yet got your Trust Certificate or would like to get your Part 107 license, make sure to check out Pilot Institute.
So how about you? What did I miss on my drone pre-shoot planning checklist? What would you add? Is there anything that you have found that you wish you would have brought for your flight? Share in the comments below.
Here at Altitude, drone safety is always our number one priority, ensuring a safe flight from the ground up, and that all missions are flown in Part 107 Compliance. Our safety procedures and checklists for pilots include Pre-Flight (Offsite, before leaving the house or office), Pre-Flight (Onsite, before taking off onsite at your mission), In-Flight, and Post-Flight.
As we have stated before, our licensed drone operators here at Altitude University cannot stress enough how important it is to be Part 107 Licensed before conducting any commercial drone flight. Receiving a drone license will allow you to avoid large fines implemented by the FAA and will make you a MUCH safer pilot in order to acquire and retain clients in the future.
The Altitude University Online Part 107 Course is a test prep course aimed to help drone enthusiasts pass the exam and acquire their FAA Remote Pilot's Certificate (better known as Part 107 License) that will allow you to legally make money flying drones.
The program has been created by Brandon Trentalange who is one of the most popular entrepreneurs in the drone industry. He has over 6+ years of experience flying drones as a professional drone pilot, has consulted top corporations like NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Syngenta, and helped over 2,000+ drone operators start a career in the industry.
However, we are running into some issues with our Inspire 2 failing on preflight checklist. Ocassionally it runs right through the checklist and begins mission without issue, other times it spins on one of the checklist items and eventually errors or times out. There's not really any rhyme or reason that we are noticing as to when it passes through the checklist and when it doesn't. Our organization has a couple other drones and controllers that are able to run through the preflight checklist without any issue.
To me it seems like it's an issue of communication between the controller and the iPad. Radio connectivity is good, however, and we are able to use DJI Ground Station Pro without any problems. The issue seems to be specific to when trying to fly a mission in Site Scan.
I did find a setting within DJI GO 4 that allows for the controller to continuously charge the iPad (or phone) that it is connected to. This afternoon I enabled this option so that the iPad is continuously pulling power from the controller and was able to run straight through the preflight checklist without any issues. The connectivity during the flight seemed crisper as well with very little lag on the video feed from our Zenmuse X4S camera. I'm not sure that it's related, could purely be a coincidence, but was curious if anyone else who uses Site Scan and has issues passing preflight checklist, especially with an Inspire 2.
The Inspire 2 is usually an extremely reliable drone. You can view the status of your drone as reported by DJI in the upper right of the preflight systems check page.
I'm confident that the iPad charging setting you found in the DJI app is unrelated to your issue.
- Frequently format your SD card, especially if the Systems checks are failing on the Camera Checks.
If this doesn't work, I'd encourage you to contact Tech Support or your Customer Success Manager, and let them know what version of the app your are using. They'll help you extract app logs that will allow them to review exactly what is happening and provide you the best solution.
As mentioned, this article will only highlight the most important parts of the pre-flight inspection. It is up to you to come up with the most suitable checklist depending on the type of drone you are flying, your skill level, and whether you are flying professionally or recreationally.
Even if your flight area seems to be all clear based on sectional charts, you may still need to check active NOTAMs for any irregular restrictions. These can range from military exercises to crowd-drawing events.
If you have not staked out your flight area before, take a few minutes before taking off to identify and locate any potential hazards. This could include tall objects like trees and buildings, as well as ground-based hazards like bodies of water or any nearby crowd of bystanders. We recommend writing these down in your checklist, as well.
If you transported your drone in a carrying case, then it likely comes with a lens cover and gimbal clamp. Make sure to take these off. Running the drone initialization program with the clamp still installed risks damaging the gimbal.
Depending on the gimbal of your drone, you may have to test two or three axes of motion. Try and hit the physical boundaries for each axis, taking note if you are observing any abnormalities in how quickly they are responding.
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