First drone?

Set a budget – First and foremost prior to buying anything people need to set a specific budget and the same applies to drone as well, otherwise you will have an empty bank before you know it. The drone industry today provides an assorted range of unmanned aircrafts right from industrial grade to toys. As with just any new purchase, establishing a budget range and sticking with the same is crucial as whistles and bells may look cool yet will quickly add up. Not to mention you could end up with more kit than you need…

Know the purpose – To determine which drone model will best suffice one’s needs will rest on a couple of factors of which the most important is in recognising the purpose for which it is needed. Is it for a drone selfie on holiday? Occasional backyard spin? Surveying? Farming? Live streaming video right inside of a burning building or something out of the box? Once the purpose is recognised the process to select the right drone will become easy. Be realistic.

Gain knowledge – Akin to any vocation or a new hobby, to learn how to fly a drone needs the right skill that in turn needs education. Be it a thorough conversation with a professional, such as us or reading forums? Some training is required, be it through a 1-1 session with us or watching YouTube videos. Luckily the increase in the demand of drones has initiated lots of learning sessions hence educating oneself on drones is not difficult. It is important to not disregard the Drone Code ‘because you’re a hobbyist’. Disobeying these rules can have huge repercussions.

Have a maintenance arrangement – At the end of the day, drones are aircraft. They fly in every kind of climate and through every type of wind shear. An accident eventually will take place, it will be a mayday circumstance when a drone will kiss a terra firma hard. It is during such circumstances when one will learn how unskilled or skilled they may be when it comes to drone repair. Hence the need of the hour is prior to this taking place, having a proper plan in place indeed will send one’s drone off for maintenance and repair. Prior to start flying buy extra propellers and a propeller guard.

Keeping a log of your maintenance can help keep a record on things. Regular updates, visual hull inspections, prop changes and test flights after each bit of work. Identify a couple of established repairers for your kit.

Flight Time – Are you buying it for a quick little fly whilst on holiday or need to sustain a period of time on site? These points have been briefly covered in a previous point, but it is important to consider. As you will more than likely need to get spare.

Spares – If that sad day comes where your drone fails, you’ll need spares. Find a shop and keep them in mind. If you’re going to operate commercially, you will need to have a stash of equipment. You can get yours through us at our shop.