Drone piloting is for fun . . . and profit, if you want to go that route! It can start out as a hobby and become a side hustle or even a full-time job in a particular industry. From giving you tips about buying a drone, to flying it safely, to taking the Part 107 exam, to cranking up a freelance business, this cheat sheet can help you get your drone piloting goals off the ground.

Drones are high-technology devices that are constantly evolving thanks to a burgeoning community of enthusiastic technologists. Technology has made it possible for multi-rotor drones to be controlled by beginner pilots. But don’t be fooled; while modern drones are much easier to control, they are still dangerous and require the user to pay attention to even the smallest of details.

The term drone is thrown around in a haphazard manner these days. Originally, drone referred to an unmanned aircraft preprogrammed with a flight plan, in which the aircraft would fly in either a straight line or around in circles until the engine would run low on fuel, and then the drone would land. Credit: ©iStockphoto.

Before drone technology advanced to where it is today, getting cinematic-quality aerial video footage required expensive equipment and crew. Heck, a lot of the really great aerial shots are captured with helicopters or airplanes. That simply isn’t an option for the hobby videographer. Thankfully, expensive photo shoots are a thing of the past thanks to drones.

Some drones offer advanced flight controller applications that run on a smartphone or tablet. The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 works exclusively with their tablet application. Here is the Parrot AR drone control interface. Credit: Courtesy of Andrew AmatoParrot’s control interface is high-tech and slick! The DJI drones can work with an app in conjunction with an RC.

Flying your drone with a remote control (RC) transmitter means that you will be limited to flying line-of-sight, meaning you can’t fly what you can’t see! Flying with an RC transmitter also means that you won’t have the benefit of advanced communication that comes with smart devices like phones and tablets. Flying with an RC Check out this DJI transmitter.

One of the most common ways to ruin a drone is to get it wet, which is why you need to monitor the weather before you take your drone out flying. Knowing the water hazards A spontaneous downpour or even just prolonged flight in misty conditions can cause enough water to build up to short out the electronics in your drone.

All air traffic, including that of drones, in the United States is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Large businesses like Google, Amazon, and big oil companies, and small businesses and hobby enthusiasts, have been pushing for relaxed regulations that would allow for broad commercial uses of drone technology as well as fewer restrictions for hobby flying.