Articles & Books From Drones

Drone Piloting For Dummies
The know-how you need to become a pro drone pilot and market your skill Licensed and skilled drone pilots are in huge demand. Drone Piloting For Dummies teaches you how to make a career out of it. From real estate to construction to inspection to mapping to delivery, the need for drone photography and videography is everywhere.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-13-2024
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.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-21-2022
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.
Article / Updated 01-23-2017
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.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Drones can’t just fly themselves. Well, actually, they can. But the whole point of flying your drone is actually flying it! Controlling a drone can happen in a number of ways. First and foremost, you must understand how flight controls work. At the basic level, your drone is equipped with a receiver. The receiver receives information that tells it what to do.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you plan to fly a drone, you need to understand how it is controlled. For an object that is heavier-than-air to get airborne, you must create lift. Lift is a force that pushes an object upward into the air and is created by varying the air pressure above and below an aircraft. Airplanes create lift by moving air above and below a wing.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
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.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
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.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
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.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Pre-flight checklists are a great way to ensure you have all the necessary gear for flying your drone and that you are taking all the proper precautions to ensure you, your drone, and the people around you stay safe while you fly. Flight date: Flight location: Weather conditions: Check Item Notes Is the location clear of people, power lines, and other objects?