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  • Writer's pictureGerry

Don't Drone on ...


A few words of warning - or assistance from Joe...

“If you have a project planned using a drone, I thought it best to drop you the information on when drones can fly."

Most consumer drones are similar in limitations, so this applies to any drone pilot = not just me. Wind speed: the rough maximum for most drones is around 20mph to 25mph depending on the drone. Keep in mind this is just to fly it. You will not get a steady film from the drone at these speeds. So for the purpose of filming, both from the drone or using the drone as a prop, you will want the wind speed low, 10mph may up to 15mph. Rain is a no no - only very special and expensive drones are waterproof. Mist and fog can also be an issue with their moisture. Sunlight seems an odd one, but from a filming perspective the sun casts long shadows which really stand out from the air. Many of my photos have been ruined due to the sun being too bright and too low down, casting shadows. So a cloudy day is fantastic, it diffuses the light for you and you get the whole day to film. Otherwise, you can be stuck filming for 2 hours in the middle of the day when the sun is high creating short shadows.


A free website I use is www.windy.com to monitor the weather and wind speeds.

Also flight restrictions can be an issue. The national flight restrictions map can be studied at https://natsuk.ead-it.com/cms-nats/opencms/en/uas-restriction-zones/#Dronesafe_Map


Most new drones can fly for around 30 minutes per battery (I have 3). So somewhere to recharge is normally handy if you think you will need a drone flying longer than the number of batteries available. (They take twice as long to charge, so an hour charge is 30 minutes flight time roughly) Hope this all helps you to plan your project.

Regards,

Joe

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