Easy to Use Foldable Pocket Selfie Drone

While we try to bring about news and issues relating to the growing drone industry, we also like to share cool stuff with you. This drone is looks like it is easy to use for beginners but has the capacity for an expert to really utilize it's benefits too. I like this drone all around because it does have easy use functions but it also has portability, compactness and is very smart. It will safely land itself if it is overheating and you can easily use it to self record photos and videos for any use. Above all, it is also rather inexpensive for all it's perks. If you have a very specific need, it is justifiable to get a high end drone but for the average person something user and budget friendly like this is ideal.

Happy Flying!

Requirements and Steps to Becoming a Drone Pilot (Part 1- preparing for the written knowledge test)

There are countless reasons someone might want to get licensed to fly a drone. Maybe just for fun, or for racing, but anyone that wants to fly a drone outside of the limited restrictions of their location or as their job will need to get their drone pilot license, or 'remote pilot license'. To do this, you WILL want to study because just having great hand-eye coordination will not be sufficient to pass the tests. I say tests plural because much like when you get a drivers license, first you must take the written knowledge test to get to the main test later where the hand-eye coordination will be more handy.

For starters, what are the requirements to get licensed as a remote/drone pilot in the USA?:

• Be at least 16 years of age and,
• Be able to read, write, speak and understand English, 
• Be of sound mind and body legally speaking, 
• Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge exam at an F.A.A. approved testing facility

See, it that last step that is going to require studying. They will be testing on a number of subject areas including weather & micro meteorology, drone flight regulations as well as drone laws and FAA regulations, NAS National Airspace Systems and small UAS loading and performance. The written test consist of 60 multiple choice questions in these topics. The MINIMUM passing score requires the student to get at least 42 of the 60 questions, 70% correct within the 2 hours allotted to take the test. Here is how much of the test is in each topic (approximations):

1. Regulations  - 15-25%
2. Airspace and Requirements - 15-25%
3. Weather & Micro meteorology - 11-16%
4. Loading & Performance - 7-11%
5. Operations - 35-45%

There ARE tons of free study guides out there and maybe you have the time (and trust) that each of them were created by well meaning people with all the correct (not to mention current) answers. However, I have learned in life that there is a reason for free vs paid options and usually the free ones are not as inclusive or reliable and you often have to scour dozens to get the big picture so since i don't have tons of time to waste digging through dozens, I suggest books such as these to best prepare someone for the knowledge part. 

Consider the fact that the test itself will cost $150. Sure, if you fail you can retake it 14 days later, but you will have to pay the $150 again too AND the failure has to be reported still when you proceed... I would want to be able to ace it the first time for cost alone!

OK, so you have the study guide, now what... Next you look up the locations you can take the test at. Depending on where you are, you may have multiple options. There are 2 companies that provide the test, CATS and LaserGrade. When looking up facilities that administer the written test, the prefix to their ID code will tell you which company each location is affiliated with. For instance, the prefix 'ABS' indicates CATS while 'LAS'. If the facility you choose is CATS, the number to call to begin the process to schedule your test is 800-947-4228. If it begins with LAS you would call LaserGrade at 800-211-2753. A list of testing centers can be found here (last updated 10/2017).

Another helpful resource can be found at Airmen Certification Standards FAQ(pdf).

Again, this is the preliminary knowledge test. Once you take and pass this test, then you will start preparing for the final step. This part is actually even trickier than you might think. The test prep for the written test will have been tough because with all the study guides out there, you will still encounter questions you could not have studied for. That is why after you pass the knowledge test many people out there suggests that you find a mentor of sorts to help you through preparing for the final test to get certified as a remote/drone pilot. There are schools out there for this but they still seem to hold back a bit so if you can find a flight instructor you can spend some 1 on 1 time with to help you better understand how and what you need to be ready to pass the final test.

From all I have seen in gathering this information, one of the most important things to keep in mind for the written test is to allocate enough time to study before your test. I'm sure you want to take the earliest date to get started ASAP but remember you will wait even longer if you take the test before you are fully prepared and wind up failing. So consider the amount of time you actually have in a day to study and how much you can actually cover in a day. Also think about the fact that some days you will skip due to illness or emergency or just not feeling it, some things you might have to go over several times to really get it and as always, some of the most boring, hard to read much less remember stuff is likely to be the most important and will be needed.

If you haven't already done so, try to connect with others who are also into drones and/or are studying for this license. If nothing else you might make a few new friends but you will probably learn a bit from it so always helpful.

The links in this post are included on our resources page for easy access. More to come in Part 2 of this post regarding the final test for the remote drone pilot license. Follow us for everything drones. Thanks! Happy Flying!

A Few More Toolkits For Drone Mechanics...

So while working on another project for this blog, I came across a few things worth posting. I did post a great drone toolkit a little while back but since then in my own tinkering, I have found the need for a soldering kit to be just as necessary. Our very first drone has been benched for a few weeks over the need for this tool because the remote was cutting out. As I checked further, I found that the wiring was holding on by a thread, literally. I have been able to repair it now that a friend gave me their old soldering kit. It just needed to be reattached to it's original stuff by soldering and back in the air, YAY! So, if you are building your own or just repairing one, these mini tools and things are quite helpful. Here are some of the toolkits we like because they are not specific to one brand.

Jumping Drone, Yes JUMPING!

Well while we thing of drones in any number of situations, usually flying, there are drones in all shapes and sizes. This one actually JUMPS! Included here are a few variations of jumping drones...

Let's be honest- with a drone like this, it's really all about the fun or cool factor... That is after all how it starts anyway. The upside to this is that drones ARE being used in business in a variety of industries so "playing" with things like this might actually be training for a career later. Work will always be work but when you can do something you enjoy, it sure makes work a lot easier... So check these bad boys out. Thanks for stopping by!

Coming Soon! The Wishlist & Bonuses

Hi folks- First off, let me apologize for the radio silence the past couple days. We had major technical problems with our provider and I told you so moments lose their value when you are still screwed whilst being right... Anyway, as you know we are still setting things up/under construction so what you see so far is not what you get. The Resources page is always growing but I am working on a few additional pages (photos/videos, wishlist, and more). The photos and videos page requires little explanation but the Wishlist is going to be a collection of items from drones to tools to accessories to clothing and more. Any items we feature in our blog will also be found in one place for ease of access. Rather than trying to remember which post you saw something in or searching the blog, you can go right to the Wishlist and see all of them together... 

Also we are going to incorporate a free download study guide for following us. This study guide is to help prepare you for the FAA drone pilot license. This is also going to be the topic of the next post is all about the requirements and steps to getting licensed as a drone pilot.

Thank You all for your patience. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working endlessly to get everything situated as quickly as possible. We look forward to more fun with drones and your stories too!

Understanding The Different Sizes & Types of RTF(Ready To Fly) Drones and Their Uses

Drones come in many styles, sizes and even more variables depending on their applications. Everything from toys to industrial or government machines and everywhere in between. Before you begin price checking them, you might want to figure out what you will be using it for primarily.

First of all, size matters. Depending on the size drone you select, you may HAVE to register it with the FAA. All drones that weigh at least .55 pounds(250 grams) up to 55 pounds MUST be registered with the FAA! That weight is including anything attached or 'on board' the vessel at the time of take off. If you are unsure if your drone requires registration, you can check the list through the FAA's site here (this link is also on our resources  page). However, if you tweak your drone or build your own, be mindful of these guidelines.

Drone Sizes:

• Nano - LESS than 25 grams
• Micro - 25-75 grams
• Mini - 75-500 grams, up to 250 mm frame, motor to opposite motor- most common for racing
• Large - 250-300 mm frame, 750 grams or more
• Extra Large - Any frame larger than 300 mm and 750 grams

Now, the size guidelines above are based on the USDRA (US Drone Racing Association). Other sources don't have as much clarity on the sizes. The frame size is calculated by measuring the distance between opposite motors.

The frame of the drone falls into simpler categories, usually defined by the number of motors/propellers it has. There are:

• Single Rotor
• Fixed Wing
• Multi Rotor (Tricopter, Quadcopter, Hexacopter, Octocopter)

Single rotor drones, AKA RC Helicopters, have a single rotor on top to fly while a smaller motor is used for direction. These kinds are great for carrying things and can endure better (especially ones that run on gas power) but they can be more difficult to control.

Example:

As a civilian drone pilot, you may not encounter as many fixed wing drones but they are basically planes, gliders really. They rely heavily on gliding as they cannot hover like multi rotor drones. These kind of drones are most often used in commercial applications such as agriculture, surveillance, inspecting, construction and more. 

Example:

Lastly, the most common is the multirotor drones having 3, 4, 6 or 8 motors and can hover as long as the battery lasts making them a common choice for photography/videography. These types are the easiest and smoothest to operate and are very stable. 

Example:

Finally, the most important part is the type of drone. For average consumers there are:

• Trick drones for stunts
• Racing drones
• Photography and videography drones
• Beginner or training drones

Trick drones are most often used for fun. They are small and lightweight with abilities like barrel rolls and other tricks.

Racing drones come in many sizes as they race in their size class but are always as fast and agile as they can be. Like trick drones, they are lightweight in order to keep them as fast as possible. Racing drones are also usually paired with VR Headsets for the race.

Drones used for photography and videography come in all kinds and sizes depending on the quality and use. Of all the drones equipped with cameras, not all of them are able to record sound. Anyone intending to use a drone for photos/videos would need to also consider the cameras quality and functions equally as the drone itself.

Beginner or training drones are usually very user friendly with as many automatic functions as possible. These drones help newbies to learn their way around with more safety features to help them get started. 

This quadcopter is a very popular starter drone

Coming soon will be a glossary of terms relating to drones as well as tips to fix common problems. Until then, keep flying safe! Please like and share. 

Great Starter Drone for Beginners

OK- so we've gone over a few laws and things and shown you several items but I realized, if you haven't gotten yourself a drone yet you might find yourself where we were a while ago. You search drones for sale and there are so many with so many different qualities you might have a hard time figuring out where to start. Sure the really expensive ones with all the bells and whistles might be tempting but then you remember you have never even flown a drone before, what if you lose it, break it, etc? So the smart move is to buy a lower price drone that is user friendly. You want as many auto options as you can get until you understand how each option affects the flight. As we learned to fly, the variables wrecked havoc and forced me to become very good at drone mechanics also!

There are MANY great options for newbies. One of the best sellers is the Holy Stone HS170 Predator Mini RC Helicopter:

Besides being a great buy, it is designed for drone training and is a very good choice to start out with. Although, maybe you can afford something more but still want a good training drone, theres also the DROCON X708W also an excellent option:

Both of these are very good drones, especially for learning. Please remember to check your local laws before you fly. See the resources page for links regarding laws.

Tomorrows post will explain the different sizes, types and uses for drones. The resources page has been added and is frequently being updated. Please like us and share with friends. Thank You!

Happy Easter droNErds!!!

Happy Easter to all you droNErds out there! We hope all of you out there are having a GREAT day this Easter. No long post today, just spending quality time with quality people, and missing others not celebrating with us right now... So, enjoy your day, I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks!