How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes that Drone Pilots Make

Losing your drone or drone footage is the most common fear that pilots have, and yet, the majority of crashes are pilot errors that can be easily avoided. Drone expert and YouTuber DansTube.TV explains how he’s managed to avoid crashing a single drone in over 12 years of flying.

top-drone-mistakes-diana-macesanu
Photo Credits to Diana Măceşanu   

Since launching his channel in 2009, Dan has evolved from reviewing tech across a number of industries to finding his niche and becoming a leader within the Australian drone industry.

“In 2021 I became Australia’s number one drone YouTuber, putting all my energy into quality drone reviews, comparisons, tips and settings videos, giveaways and more,” says Dan.

Looking back, Dan says the first drone he flew was the Call of Duty: Black Ops drone in 2012. Whilst almost unusable, it got him really excited about drones and sparked a passion that has propelled his career.

“It wasn’t until 2016 that I decided to buy my very own drone. After the announcement of the folding Mavic Pro from DJI, I decided that the technology had reached a point where I could trust it and the price was affordable enough for me to enter the market. I still remember my first flight, I was terrified!”

Since then, Dan has massively grown his channel DansTube.TV, reaching 1.2 million drone enthusiasts in 2021. It was this content that caught the attention of local drone school Ace Aviation where he trained to become a licensed drone operator.

“Since then I have helped other drone schools develop their curriculum, and last year I launched my own ultimate online drone course, Fearless Drone Academy.”

Dan divulges some of his tips to combat the most common mistakes that drone pilots make, and how you can apply them to fail-safe your own drone.

BATTERY CARE

Dan says one of the most important things you can do for your drone is to monitor the health of its battery.

“I recommend taking a photo of your brand new battery and inspecting it for any ruptures in the body, cosmetic damage or battery bulging.”

If the battery doesn’t slot into a drone freely then that may be a sign the battery is damaged.

“If you do notice any significant damage to the body of the battery or the battery bulging, then you need to replace it immediately and take it to a drone repair shop for further inspection,” he says.

So how can you prevent this damage in the first place? Dan says using battery safe bags, storing your drone in a cool, dark place out of sunlight and avoiding third party chargers/battery hubs can help prolong battery life.

WIND DIRECTION

A common mistake that drone pilots make is not accounting for wind direction. We’ve all heard countless stories of pilots flying too far away, and then having to compete with the wind to fly back before the battery dies.

Dan recommends pilots download apps such as “Wind Compass” which will help you identify wind speed, gust speed and wind direction.

“In general I would recommend not flying on extremely windy days, flying close by if it is windy and testing how quickly you can return back to the take-off point.”

As battery life starts to dwindle, the drone will try to return automatically at the predetermined Return To Home (RTH) setting, usually at 20 or 30%.

“When the battery life starts to dwindle in windy conditions, make sure to fly the drone close to the landing point and set your RTH warning to 30% so you can immediately fly back safely.”

IDENTIFYING AERODROMES / NO-FLY ZONES

Perhaps one of the most crucial things you need to be aware of as a drone pilot is the location of heliports, airports and army bases operating in your local area.

“It is essential that you download a reliable app that can display the no-fly zones and help you discover your airspace,” says Dan.

Whilst DJI drones have geofencing built into the software that limits them from taking off in no-fly zones, there is still a chance that a helicopter or low-flying fixed wing could still be operating in the area.

“If you see any aviation activity in your area then you need to cease operation immediately. I would recommend downloading apps such as AirMap for Drones, Drone Buddy and OpenSky to give you a clear picture of your surroundings.”

“If you get caught flying in prohibited areas or your drone is interfering with aircrafts, you can face large fines and even imprisonment.”

FLY UPWARDS TO AVOID BIRDS

The last thing that drone pilots need when they are trying to focus on capturing the perfect shot is the interference of birds.

“Birds seem to be the arch nemesis of drones, they want to dance around it, attack it and even befriend the drone sometimes,” says Dan.

“One tip that has saved my drone countless times is increasing the altitude of my drone/flying upwards – you will notice that the birds will struggle to match the thrust that your drone can produce.”

“If you decrease your altitude then the birds can easily catch your drone. If the birds continue to pester you then it’s probably best to find a new location.”

APPS THAT YOU NEED

It can be overwhelming when you start flying a drone and if you’re struggling to know where to begin, Dan recommends arming yourself with valuable apps that can help you find your way.

“UAV Forecast is a powerful app with a customisable tile layout – easy at a glance information for pilots on the go such as weather forecast, GPS satellites, solar activity, no-fly zones and more.”

“Downloading a Rain Radar app can also stop you from being caught off guard – some weather apps can be unreliable but rain radars normally give you immediate rain information at a glance.”

“I also like to use the Drone Buddy app for up to date drone news, no-fly zones and accurate wind and weather information.”

MOST CRASHES ARE PILOT ERRORS

So, the million dollar question is just how many drones has Dan crashed? Amazingly enough, his answer was none!

“I have a strict routine before I fly my drones and regularly go through a pre-flight checklist which is available for free at Fearless Drone Academy, followed by a risk assessment for each location.”

“Ask yourself questions before each flight: Have you done your pre-flight checklist? Have you scouted out the area? Have you inspected your drone/batteries for any faults or visible damage?”

“Once you take-off, monitor the behaviour of your drone and the responsiveness from the controller. These are easy procedures that not enough drone pilots do. You can avoid crashing your drone in most situations, most crashes are pilot errors and could be avoided.”

DansTube.TV

Drone Pilot

Australia's #1 drone pilot and YouTuber, bringing you the latest drone news, reviews, comparisons and tips. He aims to help people unlock their creative potential with technology through producing high-quality content, unique video experiences and drone courses for beginner drone pilots.

SHARE THIS POST

RELATED ARTICLES

Back to top

Are you sure you want to log out?

COMPETITION WINNER:

Franky Tsang

20230201-JessicaMichael-PW-0196-768x960

COMPETITION WINNER:

Prithvi Bhattacharya

DJI_0794-5-scaled

COMPETITION WINNER:

DIANA ABELEDA

diana_winningimage

COMPETITION WINNER:

NICK THAKE

nick thake

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

NGOC TAI NGO

ngoc.tai.ngo (1)

COMPETITION WINNER:

LEE RAPER

Lee Raper - Man On Rock

FIRST 300 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
WilliamLy
BrittanyLong
MaxThum
StephanieBinder
GeoffreyVillarosa
JoeHupp
MatthewHarris
JamesDent
AngieOCallaghan
JaneTan
AnnLee
BradleyPurcell-Fitt
AdiRex
ElyasDaud
MarcusVisic
AnitaMclennan
JohnathanDevereux
TessKanschat
gerrylu
DavidAcheson
OjuShah
MaireKivec
MaheshGanganarasaiah
WesleyPearson
GregMounsey
MarnieSilke
ArienneMaclean
GlenJenkins
NicoleHeyes
SamanthaShih
AGConway
ElmarAkhmetov
SharvinRagoobeer
GeraldinePadua
GeePadua
JosephUng
BrodyMarsh
MichelleGade
BenLocke
NeilHelmore
ClintColombin
DavidMurphy
AndrewPike
JaySmith
ClarenSo
MarkRamet
YiFanZhong
ChrisKopinto
LeighAnderson
AnilShahi
MichaelMcNeill
MichaelTan
TravisWhitehead
HeatherBarpalias
MichelleCheung
AlainAlford
LeoSantos
EleishaTurner
RegJanetzki
PatriciaMazur
MarisaPoulos
SarahCornford
KenWilles
BishalBista
ShawnCrowther
AnthonyMessina
RebeccaHansen
JamialArnol
RyanMathieson
AlannaMatthews
ArunaaRamakrishnan
AldrinRedolme
ShaunRichens
AmandaPhillips
DonnaTrickey
JoeyScollo
EliStrange
TristanWinter
KarlDu Preez
RyleyCrabbe
CassieDenney
LeanneKendall
BelindaThompson
StephenRetzlaff
ShawnaJames
JasmineMaguire
BrendanD’Silva
IanGeorge
NorzaChan
AnnWong
AaronCounsell
  
JiteshJayaraman
GregnApril
BarbaraMarshall
DeeDee
DIANAOZELIS
ErnieDonato
Paul-Leccaculo
Stronzo-Colosimo
PenelopeIssa
AmyClissold
KohenForrest
LeanneDodd
TanakornThongfuang
claudiaprice
HarleyWeston
MagdaleneSoh
JacquelineDodd
EddieUnal
JonDonovan
RobertMarriott
MatthewTang
CathieTranent
JulesParker
LeanneJay
JingZhang
OllieNguyen
JamesLam
DavidLee
JaswinderSingh
MichaelCasha
PatrickZahn
KayvanMirabel
PenelopeRieschiek
Jennypatrizio
PaulCavanagh
TracyMILLARD
JamesDong
TerenceKwong
SuleymanMaamari
ZahliBiggs
GregParker
SusanThorp
MykkyLuong
PaulPowell
MarkD
DerekTse
BrianSharp
RemyJi
SteveHarpley
ScottRose
JoshuaAllsop
GregRobinson
LuLu
anantsrivastava
JessicaChhai
jinjianwu
LuanaMoreno
HeathLow
LOUISE-ANNEPILSBURY
DillonQuintieri
Ying HaoAu
AdenMcKinley
MatthewIp
JoshuaAkers
BaljinderDhillon
EddyYang
ChristopherWalker
JustinCheung
StephenWebb
JimmyT
MichaelShaw
TrevorSpringate
AndrewGeorge
NaingLinn
johnni
LouBarwick
MohammedHammoud
RogerSun
rishinaik
JCCheak
GlennSanders
StazaSherlock
DeeReddy
FreddiTan
LloydHird
MatthewHill
TyJusten
GuyJackson
FelixChong
JenRobinson
StephenHoward
ScottLewicki
MickGillies
BenMcPhee
DavidHermit
davidcraker
DavidPham
AndrewCarlson
LoiHuynh
AshleySelf
KrishnaTripathee
IvanLazarus
BrendanLambourne
TaniaMarshall
JacquilineLaw
NathenSieben
JordynMontague
KirstyCollister
HannahJeffs
LisaGough
WilliamDillon
BenElliott
IvannaHo
JessPearson
AlanJennison
KelleyForrester
GaaneshPrasad
LawrenceDMello
AndreaCherie
SamanthaBainrot
MichaelKeenan
RijoshShrestha
jademerrilees
ElitaSo
IanHeywood
NeilMenezes
JayneCorrie
HowardChien
JaiMag
BrucePatching
MichelleAnstey
BenjaminShih
IainFoster
DanielLinnet
HashiliMuhammed Kunju Abdul
BrianHancock
JustinCannon
EiriniAlligiannis
JonathanFurlong
AidanLindsay
Su YiLow
MitchellPescud
EyreMamintada
RobertCooper
BoryKrouch
ShaneGrocke
DesmondWong
JanetWilliams
AlexDarius
ZiyiHuang
KylieMiller
BrianClark
MarkAlsop
KeithOgden
TerryLuo
BeauWalker
DuncanCadman
MateuszKrysztofiak
EugeneMeany
LynnGill
KevinThornhill
PaulineWong
NelsonRodriguez
JaysonRalston
SimoneKurtz
JaradGreenshields
ParadisePictures
StuartCoutts
JessicaBain
NickBasiliou
JasminVassallo
JagroopSingh
DarrenWoodward
Hsiang-MinLIU
CarolineLowe
LeanneVogt
Dasun NirmalaMalaarachchi
JosephCasserly
VanceErdmann
ROBLOXRoblox
RileyReynolds
SandhuSingh
KaydenCollins
ChannaHatharasinghe
HudsonMcGrath
vireshNatha
MaxJames
TranKim
TomTegel
AndrewRenton
FranMussared
WilliamTrang
NoeLegasto
MarkRamsden
BCOrchard
MaritzaLegasto
RamiRabba
KimNguyen
LucasDaly
SunnWynn
CianO’Reilly
ilyasesa
ZacharyHill
GavinLee
JewelHolly
ShaunHarvey
ScottStramyk

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

DAVID BRAYBROOKE

david

FIRST 200 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
MelanieMacleod
RodneyOlsen
ChristianCube
AnneLee
JohnLee
milantutic
VickiLaurie
PeteMorgan
MichelleHarty
DooksHan
FelipeMerola
LauraClarke
Ai Ping 
LeylaChoueiri
KarenMashford
JanelleVassallo
JamesWatts
DeborahOstler
SandraWall
MichelleFay
TaniaZheng
ShellHoughton
RichardMorton
TJWebb
JakePaint
ClaudioFagnano
JudithFoyster
SueWilson
DominiqueFouet
SophieElliott
MouryaDave
RebbeccaWatkins
NeilPhillips
JonNeaves
JMatheson
WallyJaskolski
MickGillies
TerryMaki
KarenHodson
LawrenceGapuz
Ann MareeSculley
AUDRAGADE
PeterBiggs
Marniesilke
AdamCarver
findlaystevenson
JieZheng
CalvinWard
JunDai
JulieMorgan
BlairHeading
Jasonknight
NicholasDorbie
IanConnon
RayRuhland
SunilShrestha
JohnMay
NgaNguyen
KashyapMarfatia
MichaelChaumont
JanetteChaumont
AllanShostak
SoniaLaws
BenWatson
MikeGiltrow
SaminaHasan
LynnRoberts
CarolynFoy
AlanBastick
GlenysLilley
JohnChubb
ParryCoker
MeganBrain
NatashaNguyen
roserose
NeilRough
TaminaPratt
RemyMoreland
JamesStrachan
JohnBourd
MargaretChafer
GraemeLane
DanielFernandes
WendyFernandes
NatashaMcDonald
MickMcMaster
ShaunLo-Ma
JohnHe
Daivik 
ApoorvKashyap
BrentLoy
SixianHuang
KennyDuong
EdwardWolfe
manojKumar
AndyChen
Kheriwala 
NuaymBudiman
GlebeZhivoglyadov
DayuLiu
RithikK
AnthonyDe Vincentis
PunitSingh
GarethPerry
RidhamShah
PeterHaynes
XIAOSULIAO
GaryLo
AndrewVo
DomLu
AlanBu
SujayShah
KelaSen
TerryLuo
WingChung
ArthurAung
KyleTan
TedLi
JimmyLim
VickyWu
JonathanTruong
JayChan
TianO
WeijianWang
Yuan weiFan
MahipJoshi
AndyChen
JosephWang
LeslieWong
JessicaMueller
JosephWang
HigorSilva
WayneLy
SamL
ChristopherSurendra
DanielLutz
YuLee
TommyGunawan
FreeSample
JoeFire
Kenny 
DerekYang
Justin 
KwongKiu
Sau ChunHo
JonathanTaleski
NeilJain
ZhengZhi
WinsSt
JulesF
Hok SumYu
SatishAitha
bruce 
DalbirSingh
JonathanBaptiste
Shanshan 
VinnieGulati
AdrianLee
LukeToohey
Phillip 
Jacky 
Mas199google
MichaelWong
NickoC
Hok YuKou
AsadM
StuartCOATES
ggsdgs 
JiaC
Lee 
MarkLockwood
HimanshuGoyal
HuiTeh
FrankDing
PaulScroce
HMing 
lucasJanson
LeoHadi
RohanSingh Kalkat
TegbirSingh
Dan 
ZoranMircevic
T.Y.Chua
LiangLiang
RakeshBalakrishnan
EllenorDay
RobertWong
AndrewTeoh
TullyB
ShanePerrott
KapilYewale
DavidClapper
AamirSheikh
DennisLam
DjunaediHadiwidjaja
JordanMessenger
Dao 
VisitOz
AndrewNg
SimonWong

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

TONY CHIK

FIRST 400 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
OwenDyson
CarlosCarrión
PerajeevPuleanthiran
AnthonyLee
VlastislavŠevčík
EmmaYuile
Yau-KwangHan
TodSheaves
JohnTraynor
MarkHarrison
DuncanDodd
FionaBirt
NarelleCrozier
FionaBirt
CharlesStinchcomb
ILLONATOBIN
StanleyAryanto
InaJ Photography
LynOsborne
ZoeMcGrath
JoLyons
MiaSpan
CristalCachia
KendalO’Reilly
ErinKing
KellyBarker
VickyWaistell
MickiWells
ErinSchwartzkopf
DaniMusicka
BarbaraBrady-Smith
PeterSharp
CarolineTelfer
JanineDavies
GarryGenova
LynnRoberts
DillonQuintieri
DaveFarringdon
ManalAmzal
TravisHope
UlrichMoshammer
RichardMillar
ManjilRanjit
BrettKelly
UgyenWangchuk
TylerXia
Frankpatterson
ChrisDillon
SabiShah
DipeenDahal
JonathanCousins
KevinWong
WesleyUng
AlexFarani
StefanusTambun
BrentonTripley
  
DanielCai
HarrisonSchaler
AaronMcKay
MikeGlazier
BirenThakali
KimKuhlman
GaryRoberts
KimMcAvoy
ValRoche
VincentLo
DavidMcKay
AhmadKhan
GerryDwyer
ShaneRichardson
SkyeForster
LeeSchatkowski
MattHassan
DanielGuymer
NealaGillespie
CraigGreer
SherryPfeiffer
TonyMcDonough
KaneYeomans
GustavoAcero
AlexChao
JasonWilliams
JayHall
EmmaLitchfield
DarrylDean
JoshNortheast
ScottBroad
ShonaRobinson
MalcolmEllis
MarkGarvey
AndrewLindner
SachaWalker
AliceMitchell
ChristinaLungo
DavidBraybrooke
DavidTurnbull
MatejPribelsky
WonjoonKim
GregBates
AdamGardner
DavidCarley
AlexChan
SeanDarcy
KevinWong
MichaelPotter
LaurenDean
ShaneBroadbent
JatinAnand
SumeetKumar
TamaraDaniels
Michael 
ShannanThyer
AngusPeady
ChristopherTung
AnneDavies
GeorgiaStone
JoshuaPalmer
JordanMitchell
AnthonyChung
TuLe
GaugeKrahe
BradMarlow
JosiahYounes
SherieKennedy
DavidHuynh
CyrilAu
MichaelLewandowski
jamessellwood
LucasMunday
DeanMackie
RemyHarmon
DemiKhong
Jhin JiacWong
AshleyHinds
BenjaminYates
ASAMIWEAVER
Se HongJeon
VijaySoundrapandian
ThomasHouse
BradleySwanson
AlexBoyd
JessicaHouse
RichardHuynh
JadeO’Shea
DesleyGeeves
IanHaigh
DanielO’Brien
BeauWyngarde
ArmandoGiaccotto
MarcoPham
JevonGuymer
KyleDavies
WilliamMurdock
SimonPotts
AngelaCox
PatrickMcMahon
PeteCochran
ScottGrant
AnthonyBennett
CoreyLee
MickHalls
AndrewLocke
MichaelPeng
SohanSilva
wingchan
BenBosanac
BaileyRowland
RodneyLindner
JulieCrisp
LanceMillan
RachelFerlazzo
danielapapalia
MargaretPritchard
AbdunMahmood
NaziaAhmed
JohnChubb
MikeXu
StevenCook
warrengirdlestone
MinaG
AndrewSparrow
JamesSharpe
tashawalker
TabathaMcCarthy
AndrewCai
TRAVISCaruana
XiaoLin
ShobhanaBommireddipalli
KenChiou
BradleyMichelbach
OliverDela Cruz
MartySparhawk
ChrisDaumann
PaulMiles
AdrianKonkol
RobertBarbarossa
ChrisLay
JoshDi Vincenzo
AaronWoodland
AlisterCurtain
KeithBuss
LaurenRuneckles
SonjaHolness
AlisonLee
jamesgartner
EmilyBallard
JoelManners
MathewGilgen
MichaelDulihanty
HandiSutanto
YongYe
ForestLin
Virgil Duane
Van Schoonhoven
MarkBacci
ChrisGotse
JamesTanzil
LesBartley
StevenTonkin
SimonDigregorio
LiamHumphreys
NicholasRuiz
BodenMatthews
KaushikaMihiran
RicoHohne
JeffHar
JasonWilson
lynsamuel
NigelWesley
PaulAgussol
WayneAhgow
StewartYates
MalcolmJoosse
RichardHarrison
IanChennell
CallumSimpson
BenjaminByrd
MarkMason
DarrenEarley
AndrewBailey
IanJaggard
AndrewBrown
KateClark
DannyChau
WarrenFischer
KieranFlynn
ScottCruse
PeterFertykowski
DanielBlack
YuenChan
JohnMelling
FordKilleen
RobertGorial
AdamRucinski
TonyCook
MarkMales
NathanCarra
JohnKruger
RayChan
BinLiu
RobertLoomans
StevenSokiasoglou
DylanPrava
MichaelLamrock
GregO’Brien
deanfooote
PerezArvidson
AdrianMifsudq
DominicThomas
SteveBonnici
PatrickBasister
GerardGrundy
RobertHudson
ChinChen
GeorgeAngelogiannos
JeffSandford
TheoKatzeff
BrianBurston
GoughLui
FrederickMiley
LindaHynson
KeirRoyle
LukeTregloan
TonyBellis
JoseLin
ThomasGush
BrianO’Keefe
ZacharyTomlin
GlenisOKeefe
RickyTirta
NealDownward
GeoffLucas
GarryMarshall
StephenDruce
JohnCarter
GauravVasdeva
scotbarker
Suzanne RonaBermudez
AndrewMcGuire
JasonMcClellan
LloydCastillo
PhillipCoxsedge
OrkunOlcer
PaulineStewart
PaulMonks
MarkPiekarz
BradSpeechley
RileyPerger
johnni
JeffPortlock
JohnPlavins
DMarr
KhaledNasser
ManojShapally
nangao
GregGreet
SabeehHussain
LucasMcAuliffe
DirkMcCrossin
ChristopherTownsend
IsmaelNunez
AndrewGoodman-Jones
AndrewHargreaves
GarySearle
DanLawrence
DeanElliott
BryantKoh
DenzelMok
allanmilnes
KeithLewis
DennisVeneruzzo
BryceCoxhead
nathanaeljames
AndrewSaffer
RobinDouglas
DaviSoesilo
MatthewDellios
LukeMalby
AlexQuartararo
MatthewDames
Kyung YoonPark
DavidBlight
IsaacWinter
PaulKoczwara
BenWu
ScottyTidey
LachlanKennedy Clark
ColinJones
AnitaChan
BenTravia
DavidBagini
GrantWard
LachlanPeters
DavidLe
GrahameKelaher
youngbeck
AngeloPeca
MartinBawden
ScottJewell
BB
MatthewHunter
DanielKaplon
ShaneMolnar
TonyChik
EthanLe
MikeFuller
JordanLovelle
MichaelRutherford
PeterCho
DolchaiJaroensudjai
StephenBarnes
AnthonyLai
PradeepHewavitharana
PeterCheang
NelsonBacorro
BruceStreeter
JohnYu
MatthewHenson
symosymo
Ying YingTan
KrisRossow
ThomasWilliams
AllanRutter
JoelSmith
MichaelThomas
NigelTaylor
RichardCash
DavidCornell
robertbates
StephenSchulz
FredMustica
RamalaChrystal
EdwardDekkers
JimNgoh
AlanRutherford
MarkArdagh
ClarkMei
DallasPlatt
ScottAtkinson
JinuSeok