Investing in a new drone can be a nerve wracking experience. On one hand you’re excited because you’re getting a new toy, or potentially a piece of business gear, depending on what you’re involved in. But on the other hand you want to treat it gently because it most likely cost you a great deal of money. Protecting that new investment must be one of your top priorities.
1. Drone Simulators
Whether you’re flying FPV style using goggles and a racing setup, or flying line of sight and working hard to grow your new drone business, you want to be sure you know how to fly and you keep your muscle memory honed to perfection. That’s where Drone Simulators come into play like DroneSim Pro. These simulators are a great way to practice flying your drone in a realistic environment, using your drone controller, when you don’t have the time or if the weather isn’t permitting you to get outside and fly. I know I live in Nebraska and during the winter it’s nearly impossible to get outside to spend some quality time flying my Phantom. I use simulation as one of the methods that keep me up to date and ready for the next time I put that $1500.00 quadcopter into the air.
2. A Drone Parachute?
Recently I found a new way to protect my drone. A company called ParaZero is releasing a drone parachute for your hobby drone and will soon be following it up with parachutes for industrial and agricultural drones as well. This type of protection is a no brainer if you’ve spent more than a couple hundred dollars on your drone. The parachute expands in less than 1 second and can protect your drone from falls even at very low altitude. The fall rate after the parachute is deployed is only 6 meters / second, which will keep your drone safe when falling to whatever surface.
3. Drone Flyaways
Protecting your gear in the event of a drone flyaway is a very difficult process. I use the Flytrex 3g Tracker which connects your drone to the internet using a 3g connection, no matter where it falls you can track it with an app on your phone. This is a much safer option than beeping alarms, or just crossing your fingers and hoping your going to find your quadcopter when it drops out of sight.
4. Protect When Travelling
Beyond just protecting your drone when you’re actually using it, you need to be careful of travelling with your drone and batteries. I use protective gear from Lowepro. They provide an extensive array of travel gear to protect your drone and camera, as well as provide easy access to parts when you need to make repairs on the go. These carrying bags can be a bit more expensive than your standard gear, but I find that spending a little extra to insure the safety of my tech is worth it.
Purchasing new gear is exciting, but make sure you take the time to learn how to fly it properly, keep your flying skills up to date and do whatever else you possibly can to protect your new investment!
Mike Plambeck
Owner and writer at Dronethusiast.com.
