Avoid These Mistakes With Your First Drone

I’ve seen this quite a lot over the last few years. People who start out with their drone flying with a Mavic 3 or 4 pro instead of starting small with the Mini series and working their way up. 

Also, a lot of people aren’t paying attention to drone laws, local rules and airspace regulations. Some aren’t even registering their drones with their local authorities and flying without an accreditation, aviation reference number, ID’s or public liability insurance.

There are lots of drone pilots trying to operate in and around controlled airspace close to airports without remote pilots drone licenses or remote operators certificates issued by the aviation authorities. 

I first started out with a DJI Mavic Air. I bought it while is was in South Africa. I was trying to fly it during an overland tour of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. In the end I was unable to the get the thing off the ground, mostly due to a lack of preparation, and also not really understanding the drone laws that apply flying in national parks and actually not really knowing how to actually fly a drone, and the potential implications for flying an unregistered, uninsured drone in prohibited areas. 

I also probably paid way more than I should have. South Africa is not that expensive to shop but I wasn’t able to claim back the VAT at customs, so probably should have just waited. 

It was around 2 years before I actually managed to fly the drone properly. I was living in Saudi Arabia at the time. I managed to get the drone it to the country in my checked bag. The bag was actually delayed in transit so I had to collect it from customs a few days after I had landed. 

Saudi Arabia at the time had a total ban on all drones so I was really concerned about the situation and if they were to check my bags properly it probably would have been confiscated. Thanks fully that didn’t happen but it was a few years later that their aviation authorities GACA allowed the registration of drones for recreational flying. 

So I was able to register the Mavic Air and pay the fees thats when I started to think about where I could fly the drone. I had to be well away from all oil, gas and military operations. Also, well away from any residential, commercial and controlled airspace. Thankfully Saudi Arabia has almost endless amounts of desert areas where drones can be used. 

I do remember my first ever flight. I was an absolute nervous wreck, and after the flight I was actually pleased I didn’t fly this drone while on my trip in Southern Africa.

Who knows what could have happened! 

It does take a bit of time to get used to flying drones, understanding all the things necessary for safe flying such as the standard drone laws, local restrictions and regulations. Saudi Arabia was a particularly difficult place to fly and I really only attempted flights in rural areas well away from restricted or prohibited areas. 

Towards the end of the Covid 19 nightmare I was in Abu Dhabi at Yas Mall where I saw the DJI Mini 3 Pro for sale. It seemed like a good deal and being under 250g made for a great option for when travelling. I managed to once again sneak this drone in to Saudi Arabia after I had actually registered it with GACA.

I managed to fly this drone in various rural locations and got some great footage despite the small sensor. I also took this drone to Italy on a trip to Positano and Amalfi. However, it was confiscated when I had to declare it when arriving at Amman airport in Jordan. I didn’t have the necessary approvals in place to fly even for a sub 250g drone. It was held at customs for the duration of my trip and I managed to collect it before my return flight. 

I’ve taken it to the UK on several occasions and managed to get it in to Australia where it’s now registered and insured. 

Last year I purchased a used DJI Air 2S. I just felt like I needed something larger, safer and with a better camera and sensor. This was after I decided to get my Remote Pilots License here on the Gold Coast. The course was held over a few weeks, with plenty of practical flying during a two day period and then a type of theory test exam. There was a lot of information to absorb during the exam, the aviation authorities who set the exam basically treat any remotely piloted aircraft in the same category as an actually manned aircraft so there was a a lot of learning to do on subject covering the operation and physics behind aircrafts, weather conditions, etc.

After I passed the RePL I then decided to take the ReOC course. By having a Remote Operators Certificate allows you to actually communicate with the aircraft authorities to fly in and around restricted airspace. I live quite close to the Gold Coast airport so our airspace can be quite busy at times. It also just made sense if I wanted to be a local drone operator to actually have all the necessary certifications in place to be able to operator properly and legally within my area. Even though DJI allows you to unlock no fly zones through their FlySafe website, by stating recreational flying, that doesn’t actually mean you’re allowed to fly close to airports in controlled zone C, according to airport and aviation authorities. Technically you shouldn’t fly a drone within 4 nautical miles of any aerodrome. 

After around a year of operating the Air 2S and learning about my local area in more detail regarding the use of drones in and around restricted and controlled airspace I decided to more to to the Mavic 3 Pro. This was bought in used condition and is perfectly fine. You just need to make sure the drone was being un-bound by the previous user so you can actually add it to your own DJI account. 

It seemed like a good time to upgrade to the Mavic 3 Pro as I’m beginning to get more work and bookings and also flying in and around more residential areas. The flight obstacle sensors on the Mavic 3 are really good which helps to manoeuvre around telephone and electricity cables, trees and other buildings.  

I’ve also managed to quite a lot of whale watching over the last 5 months and by doing drone flights like this will really help you to learn and understand how to operate your drone properly. You’ll gain an enormous amount of experience and also be able to practice your flight control and learn different shots and manoeuvres just by frequently flying your drone. 

So basically avoid the temptation to dive straight in to a big expensive drone like the Mavic 3 Pro or Mavic 4 Pro. Start small with a DJI Mini Pro and gradually work your way up. By now there are so many drones available in used condition that can be bought very cheaply. Just make sure the previous owner has un-bound the drone from their DJI account. 

Take your time to learn how to operate a drone properly. Also, learn about your local area including restricted and prohibited zones, especially if you’re close to an airport. Familiarise yourself with the standard drone laws and rules which are now fairly universally excepted around the world. Make sure to register the drone with your local aviation authority and take out public liability insurance if you feel that it’s necessary. If you want to fly commercially then take the time to gain your remote pilots license and operators certificate. 

Above all, have fun, enjoy your drone flying and be a good pilot, meaning don’t be an idiot.  

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