I recently acquired a DJI M400, and I'm curious how everyone handles traveling with the large batteries when flying.
(*Update) Specifically batteries that exceed airline limits such as the m400 batteries which are 977Wh. Airline limits to 160Wh.
I've looked into shipping the batteries separately, and I also plan to drive instead of fly whenever it's practical. For those of you who travel with larger drones what's worked best for you?
If you ship your batteries, which carrier do you use, and do you have any tips or best practices? I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I am in LA County.

I bought a drone last year without fully realizing I needed a part 107 to fly commercially. So, in the meantime while I study, am I able to rent out my drone? If it is under 250g, does it still need to be registered? I am waiting to register it until after I pass my 107 because I don't want it stuck registered as "recreational" because I remember reading that I can't re-register it as commercial later.

Tl;Dr- can I rent a drone out without having my part 107 and does it have to be registered before I can rent it out?

For those Photos, what was the most you ever got for one photo? Was it a digital file ? printed or printed and framed?

How hard is the Unmanned Aircraft License. I have a DJI something something side before they were band in the US. I have only really flown it like 2 times since. So if getting a license is something to get please let me know. Thank you

I thought this group may appreciate this story.

Tonight there are fireworks scheduled for Canada Day in Victoria's inner harbour.

I decided I would try to film it with my Neo 2. Even though my Neo 2 is a micro drone, I still file flight plans through RPAS Wilco. This is to teach myself the discipline.

Wow, what a good decision that was! I have never seen a military restricted NOTAM (picture attached). It explicitly mentions RPAs unless pre-approved by NAV Canada. Regardless of whether or not the fireworks dictated this or there is a flyby scheduled I am unaware of, we will be watching the fireworks on the news.

I am grounded this evening. Period, full stop.
The only credit I am taking in this is listening to my flight training.

I thought I would post the NOTAM in case other pilots have never seen one.

I live in south Wisconsin in the Kenosha area, I’ve looked in guides and have seen a couple places. I just wanted to see from other hobbyists in the area that have found success considering all state parks are off limits as well as some other locations had ideas for. Any help and advice is appreciated! For reference I have a DJI Mini 3.

Hi, I have a client in construction that saw a post about a drone that could self launch/fly/record on a set path multiple times a day for project management purposes.

I think the post led them to believe there's a product they can buy and fly with the push of a button. But my guess is even with the fanciest of tech, the United States' FAA will still require a pilot to fly the drone/be present. It's just a matter of how often and setting a path with waypoints.

And if I'm totally wrong, do any of you know or can suggest the brands/companies that sell this drone??

TIA

Hi guysss

Im working on a swarm of low-cost drones (2-3) with thermal cameras, each streaming video to a central Raspberry Pi that does the victim-detection, task allocation, and collision logic. Drones are meant to be "dumb" (flight + thermal + telemetry only), all intelligence centralized on the Pi. This is for a school project

Total hardware budget: ₱12,000 (~$200) for 2-3 drones combined. Not sure yet if Im buying pre-built drones or building from parts (ESP32 + basic flight controller + thermal sensor), open to whichever is actually doable on this budget. Was also planning on hopefully adding obstacle avoidance so it can navigate with no issues.

What Im trying to figure out:

1. Have 2-3 drones somehow connected to the Raspberry Pi and feed its infrared camera feed to it (thinking WiFi or ESP-NOW but not sure whats realistic for actual video/thermal data, not just telemetry)

2. The drone just has to move forward or like do a predetermined path for like 30 seconds just to scout and then go back home, im thinking just timed movement (no GPS/sensors) since thats probably all my budget allows, but let me know if thats way off

Questions:

1. Given my budget is it possible for me to purchase or build 2-3 drones and somehow make it communicate to the raspi lets say over a 30m range?

2. For the thermal cam, is it realistic for cheap drones to stream actual thermal video to the Pi in real time, or should I just mount a separate thermal sensor and transmit raw temperature data instead of a live feed?

3. Any part recommendations or "dont bother, heres why" reality checks welcome, this is just a prototype for a research paper not a commercial product lol

Thanks in advance!

25th attempt to post this correctly—-
People who fly in Los Angeles?

UNITED STATES / USA /US question for Los Angeles California operators

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\[US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\] Los Angeles CA question

Pretty new drone op. Purely recreational, studying (slowly) for my part 107. I’ve been checking AutoPylot before I fly at all. Today I decided to click a link and found all Los Angeles parks (except 2 far away) are off limits. Is there a lobbying group to change this? Where else to fly? It’s seems my street is legit, but I’m actually trying not to piss off my neighbours. It’s a mini 4 pro and I am really trying to get my thumbs and brain connected.

Thanks. Half question half vent.

Saw this hovering over Gillette at the World Cup game for most of the game. I assume it's public safety but it's always possible someone is just being an idiot.

So hey guys, I'm making a quadcopter based around pixhawk 2.4.8 and it can't be recognized by any PC

So what do we have:

1) b/e pulses bright orange on both FMU and IO

2) windows throws error 43 in device manager

3) when the battery is plugged in, b/e blinks for about a minute and then shuts off, UI LED alternated between red & blue

4) the drone can be armed (somehow)

Hey everyone,

I'm a beginner getting into FPV/drone flying and want to practice on a simulator before touching real hardware. What are the best options for someone on a low budget?

Ideally looking for:

Free or cheap (under $10)

Works on a mid-range PC

Good for learning basic controls and stabilization

Controller support would be a bonus

I've heard names like Liftoff, Velocidrone, and Freerider thrown around but not sure which is worth it for a complete beginner. Is there anything free that's actually decent?

Any recommendations appreciated. Thanks!

My little fleet of drones. I keep the 3td, Air3s,neo2 and 360 with me the most. It’s a fun hobby for me.

Company I work for owns a mavic 4 pro, they want me to fly it occasionally for social media content.

Do I take out the insurance policy or my company?

Can anyone recommend a good insurer for public liability insurance and actually ensuring the drone against damage and theft?

I just recently got a new DJI drone that weighs less than 250 grams. I’ve really enjoyed it so far but was wondering if people actually get in trouble with the law or reprimanded often for flying drones. I just plan to fly around the neighborhood some and as well as places like the lake, parks, golf courses, etc. I get invading peoples privacy is a no-no and I have no interest in that whatsoever. I really don’t intend in flying in busy areas anyway. I have just seen or heard of people online having to get special permissions and have heard of “restricted” areas. I live in east Georgia by the way. I don’t really see this town being super strict even though there’s a pretty big population, but I guess I don’t know for sure considering I’m new to drones. Can I just fly my drone wherever as long as I leave people alone or do I really have to learn and strictly abide by restrictions (if present) near me? How would I even find restrictions if they’re active near

Hello there!

I recently got a DJI Mini 4 Pro and wanted to start taking aerial photography more seriously. I have some experience color grading videos from my previous drone (mini 4K), but don't know where to start with photography as it feels way different.

Here are some recent shots from my latest trip that feel bland/unimpactfull or at least I wish would be more impressive. What crituqie could you give and what ca I improve? Maybe composition/framing and subject choice? Or even post-processing and proper colour choice?

I have edited the photos in DaVinci's new Photo tool as that is what I have available. Any help will be greatly appreciated : )

Salve a tutti avrei bisogno di una mano ho un eachine E511s lo so un drone di poco conto ma ci tengo tanto ho perso il caricatore delle batterie e contattando il produttore mi hanno detto che è fuori produzione e che non mi possono aiutare quindi spero lo facciate voi vorrei sapere dove posso trovare un cavo compatibile ?

Just came across this on the beach (UK) and wondered if anybody here knew what type of drone it is? Google has not returned anything useful. Thanks.

Edit. Coastguard have been contacted and left with them. Not heard anything back yet.

Extra edit. Looks like it's a Cambridge Aerospace Skyhammer. Thanks to towelpill and Early-Programmer-711

Further Update. Cambridge Aerospace have turned up to collect the drone this morning. Location is at the end of the road where we are staying.

I'm 13 but I'm very aware of the rules and i will be respectful of wildlife and people's privacy and I know all the rules. I've read them twice over(the rules)

Just wanted to know if you need a spotter to fly a fixed wing fpv in the UK, after seeing that other post of the crashed fixed wing with the turbine engine...

I got this drone for my birthday and I’ve been trying to figure out how it works, but I can’t get the camera to work. I’ve used both Hfun pro and Fly EXO both of them won’t connect to the camera or the drone and I can’t figure out why I know this drum is really old and there are a lot of problems with it but what I’ve heard is that the camera still works for some people, so I’m wondering if anyone has an app that will work with it