Lessons Learned From Flying Law Enforcement Drones

1. It is a lot of work

Very few agencies will have a standalone UAS division. Most will consist of officers from a wide range of assignments, specially trained to be a UAS pilot. This may even include the Chief Pilot who has a primary position, and has had the responsibilities of the UAS unit added to their day to day work.

The requirements for a well run UAS unit is very similar to that of a full time manned aviation unit. When possible, try to spread the work out amongst the unit members so that no one member is inundated or overwhelmed with responsibility.

2. Learn to like paperwork

Mission reports, maintenance reports, crash reports and investigations, training documentation, policy, directives, monthly inspection reports and monthly operations reports to administration. A public safety agency runs on paperwork and documentation. A well written policy will provide guidance on what and when documentation is required.

3. Selecting your pilots

Pilot selection is an item that requires careful consideration. Safely operating a UAS in the public safety environment requires good judgement, technical knowledge, and hand eye coordination. Always take advantage of anyone that has any manned or R/C aviation experience, but this can be a rare skill set to find in agencies that do not have a manned aviation program.

Most agencies use seniority when selecting applicants for specialized units. With UAS being a relatively new technology, it can be an excellent opportunity to look at your younger officers who have been raised in a technological environment.

Lastly, I have seen agencies that intend to train their first line supervisors, Sergeants, to be the primary UAS operators. On the surface this looks promising as these individuals typically have a well developed skill set of judgement and responsibility, but I do not recommend utilizing these positions as your primary UAS operators. The issue arises that for many incidents where the UAS is going to be deployed, the supervisor is most likely going to be part of the incident command structure. This does not allow them to devote proper attention to the flight operation. Having a subordinate as a UAS operator allows the supervisor to delegate the mission requirements and have relevant intelligence gathered, while concentrating on the incident at hand.

4. Training, training, and more training

Anyone working in public safety is used to training. It has been long established that in stressful situations you will fall back to your level of training. Depending on the level of experience of your selected pilots, you may need to simply apply previous experience in aviation or R/C aviation to public safety mission requirements, or you may be starting from scratch with trainee pilots with no previous experience at all.

No matter the experience level, it is important to have a standardized training program, both for knowledge and flying skills. This training does not stop once the pilot is cleared and authorized for operations. I like to have one training event each month for all of my pilots to review previous skills, work on new techniques, and practice scenario based missions.

5. Educate your administration and supervisors

Most agencies will have policy written that outlines who is able to request or authorize the use of the UAS. These responsibilities will usually lie with an administrator or supervisor. Your pilots have completed the training program and now possess a solid knowledge of regulations and UAS capabilities and limitations, but what about the person requesting the UAS?

As a UAS pilot, it is ingrained that as the pilot-in-command, you hold ultimate responsibility for the flight operation. The difficulty comes when supervisors, tasked with requesting or authorizing the use of the UAS, makes a request that unknowing to them would violate FAA regulations, local and state legislation, or aircraft capability.

A simple solution is to provide an abbreviated course designed for your administration and supervisors. Teach them the basic FAA regulations or COA requirements, inform them of current and pending legislation, and then take them out for a first hand experience with the UAS. The more that your administrators and supervisors understand these factors, the more efficient your operations will become.

6. The media, the good, the bad, and the ugly

The use of a UAS is a high profile event. Even for simple training events, you may be contacted by the media to provide a story. With this high profile coverage comes the responsibility to always show the use of UAS in a positive light with well trained pilots, an organized operation, and a respect for citizens rights.

In addition to the training of your administration and supervisors, as mentioned above, also provide some training to your Public Information Officer (PIO). The PIO is the face of the agency and their performance reflects on the agency as a whole. Some PIO’s will be more comfortable allowing a member of the UAS unit to answer technical questions, but a basic knowledge goes a long way.

7. Involve your community

UAS technology is new and exciting. Many people have a limited first hand experience, and are very curious. Bringing the UAS to public events is an excellent opportunity to educate the public on UAS technology, and transparency in how the agency is using that technology.

8. Engage with other local agencies

Along with educating the general public, other agencies in your area may also be curious about UAS technology, but have not taken the step yet to integrate them into their own agency. Many agencies work closely under mutual aid on a regular basis. Depending on your agency policy, the UAS may be available for mutual aid for other agencies. It is important for the other agencies to have an understanding of when they can request the use of the UAS, and what the UAS capabilities and limitations are.

9. Make a legacy

Some agencies are lucky and will have an individual on staff with aviation experience, or simply the motivation to form a UAS unit. These individuals may bring extensive knowledge and experience, making their job of being a Chief Pilot much easier. As a Chief Pilot, they will be highly successful in supervising the unit, flying operationally, documentation, being involved in the UAS industry, and following current and upcoming regulations and legislation. But what happens when that person retires or leaves the agency? It is critical that knowledge and experience is passed down to others in the unit. Always have a contingency plan that if any one person leaves the unit, that the unit will continue on and be successful.

10. Steal, beg, and borrow

Currently, there are a relatively small number of public safety agencies with an active UAS unit. But this number is growing every day. I always take the time to reach out to other agencies to provide knowledge and experience, and also learn what has been successful or failed for them. Many components, such as policies, forms, and training programs, do not require reinventing the wheel. Networking, and sharing of knowledge and experience makes us all better.

Moving forward

The use of UAS in public safety is only going to grow, and those agencies that are now integrating the technology into their operations are truly the pioneers. UAS public safety aviation is not a replacement for manned aviation units, but an augmentation that provides unique capabilities that are being developed every day. UAS is not an evolution of aviation, it is a revolution of why we fly.

About the Author

Mike Uleski is the Chief Public Safety Flight Instructor at DARTdrones and an active Sergeant with a public safety department in Florida, where he is cross trained as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT. He has extensive aviation expertise with a degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry-Riddle, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings, and 17 years of experience building and flying remote controlled aircraft. Mike has trained dozens of public safety departments through DARTdrones and actively flies sUAS for his department. DARTdrones was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank in February 2017.

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The hurricane season of 2017 showed the advantages of utilizing UAS for public safety missions during large scale events. A large number of volunteer drone operators deployed to Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico to provide any assistance they could offer. The results were positive and demonstrated the benefits of utilizing UAS technology during a large scale event.

However, no matter the size of the incident, it is essential for drone operators to understand public safety command methods in order to be an effective role for a given mission. 

Incident Command System (ICS)

The Incident Command System (ICS) consists of a standard management hierarchy and procedures used during temporary incidents. Due to its scalability, incorporation of an ICS in incidents vary from a simple traffic crash to a major terrorist event. The concept of an ICS developed in 1968 to aid in combating wildfires in California and Arizona. Studies showed that before establishing an ICS, there were issues created by management such as communications deficiencies. This resulted in significant loss of property and lives even when enough resources were available.

The ICS was created to provide a regulated management framework and include a systemized aid response. When required, the ICS can apply to an incident of any size.

The ICS includes several key factors:

• Unity of Command – Every participating individual only reports to one supervisor
• Common Terminology – Reduces confusion resulting from different meanings used by separate agencies
• Management by Objective – An Incident operation that is managed to reach a specific goal(s)
• Flexible and Modular – Allows the system to be scalable and adaptable to fit specific needs
• Span of Control – Limits the number of responsibilities and resources being managed by any individual

Anyone interested in flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) missions for public safety must be familiar with the principles of the ICS in order to safely integrate into incident operations and be efficient in their mission goals.

Introduction of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Utilizing the principles of the ICS, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) went into effect in February 2003 under Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5. The reason for creating this system was based on the reactions to the September 11th, 2001 event. The goal was to standardize incident management approaches for federal, state, local agencies, private industry, and critical infrastructure operators when responding to incidents of any size, place, or complexity.

Prior to the development of a NIMS, individual agencies created their own policies and procedures related to management and operations based upon the ICS. However, there were slight changes in the execution of the ICS that occurred from agency to agency. This resulted in a patchwork that made mutual aid difficult due to different management styles, training, and operational capabilities.

NIMS is based on the following five key components:

1. Command and management (ICS)
2. Preparedness
3. Resource management
4. Communications/information management
5. Ongoing management and maintenance

By having all participants in the incident familiar with the NIMS, drone pilots will have a better understanding of their role; which will result in more effective coordination with other resources and effective response.

Training

Your first step is to become familiar with both the ICS and NIMS by earning certifications issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The following courses are available to anyone online without a fee and can be completed on your own time:

• IS-100.B: Introduction to Incident Command System
• IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.A: National Incident Management System, An Introduction
• IS-800.B: National Response Framework, An Introduction

After successfully completing each of these courses you are awarded a certificate showing proof of your training. Once completed you will have a much greater understanding of how public safety incidents are effectively managed. 

For more specific training, DARTdrones offers an online disaster response drone training course which teaches drone operators how to be of assistance with a sUAS in a disaster or emergency while ensuring compliance with federal, state and local restrictions. The multi-section online course covers everything you need to know to properly deploy your sUAS in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster.

A Tale of Two Incidents

So how does this affect an independent drone operator? Here are two scenarios involving a small-scale incident and how understanding the ICS can make a critical difference in being helpful or a hazard.

Scenario 1: You are driving home and see a column of smoke rising from a local business district. You have your drone with you in the vehicle and wish to help by capturing aerial imagery of the incident. You park a certain distance from the scene and launch from the street. After takeoff, you fly over to the fire scene and begin capturing video and photographs. A firefighter notices your drone overhead and reports it to his lieutenant. The lieutenant becomes concerned, not knowing where the drone came from, its intentions, and having concerns about the safety of responding staff. The lieutenant notifies the incident commander of the drone. The incident commander now has a new factor to be concerned about during his planning and could request a police officer, who is trying to control traffic in the area, to attempt to find the pilot, utilizing yet another resource from the fire scene. After a short while, you return the drone to your landing area and retrieve the SD card, intending on providing it to the fire department afterward.

In this scenario, even the best of intentions can be misconstrued. The drone operators action caused an unnecessary distraction during a critical phase of operations and a reallocation of resources to respond outside of their most useful duties for the incident. The data collected could have been of significant value to the fire department, but could have been even more useful to the incident commander in real-time for fire operations planning as the incident was evolving.

Scenario 2: Again, you are driving home and see a column of smoke rising from the business district. You still have your drone in the car and wish to help, if able. You drive to the edge of the perimeter and make contact with a police officer handling traffic control. You tell him that you have a possible resource for the fire and would like to assist. The law enforcement officer relays your message to the incident commander who invites you to meet him at the command post. After a brief explanation of your capabilities, he advises you to set up a landing area a short distance away. He requests for you to give an overwatch of the building as his concern of the fire spread and the thick smoke is making visibility of the roof difficult. You launch your drone and fly to a place overhead. The incident commander is able to look over your shoulder and use the video displayed to make command decisions to help his fire crews working the fire while keeping your drone out of the immediate area of his crews for safety. The incident commander directs you to different vantage points as required to make planning decisions. After the fire, he asks if you could provide the video to the department for training purposes.

Although this scenario began the same way, the outcome is very different. Rather than being a distraction to the staff involved, you became a true asset that provided critical intelligence used in command decisions.

Knowledge is Power

Flying public safety missions can be dynamic, exciting, and very rewarding. However, it requires a significant amount of knowledge in order to be safe and effective. Having insight of the “hows” and “whys” when flying for these operations goes a long way to being seen as an asset and not a hazard.

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DJI Mavic Pro Accessories

The Mavic Pro offers great capabilities for commercial drone use. The compactness of the unmanned aerial vehicle allows pilots to take it just about anywhere, which is great for completing multiple drone jobs. For pilots looking to enter the commercial UAV industry and conduct flights for commercial drone use, the Mavic Pro can fulfill many different roles and functions at a very reasonable price. As with any drone, there are accessories that increase the performance and utility of the aircraft whether you are utilizing it for drone pilot training like Mike Uleski, or using for recreational, government, or other business purposes. In this article we will discuss 12 of Mike’s favorite accessories that he uses with his Mavic Pro, both recreationally and professionally.

1) Stick Protector

The design of the Mavic Pro transmitter makes it very easy to throw in a backpack and head out the door. The mobile device holders fold in to the body of the transmitter, along with the antennas. However, the control sticks are left exposed and can be damaged if not protected. Several designs are available that stabilize the control sticks, protect the transmitter screen, and also allow you to secure your mobile device cord to the transmitter so that you cannot forget to take it along.

2) Mobile Device Holder

The Mavic Pro Transmitter was designed to unfold the lower position and secure the mobile device that you are using as a display. However, many have found that larger devices, such as the iPhone Plus Series, especially when placed into a protective case, do not easily fit. The largest device that the Mavic Pro transmitter can fit is a bare iPad Mini 4. If you do want to use a larger device, there are holders designed to allow for the use of a standard mobile device holder. The lower portion fits into the transmitter as designed, but has an elevated mobile device holder that can fit just about any size mobile device. In addition, they allow for the attachment of a lanyard that allows the transmitter to be worn around the neck to prevent dropping it.

3) Compact Mobile Device Sunshade

Everything with the Mavic Pro is designed to be compact and easy to take with you anywhere. But a sunshade is an indispensable item for a drone pilot as most mobile devices can be difficult, or impossible, to see in bright conditions. This accessory is great to bring along for commercial drone use cases. Some sunshades can be quite bulky and reduce the convenience provided by the Mavic Pro. One of my favorite sunshades, made by PYGtech, is very lightweight and attaches easily with silicone rubber loops on each end. When folded, the sunshade is almost flat and can be easily stored in your travel bag.

4) Antenna Signal Attenuators

The Mavic Pro uses the DJI Occusync transmission technology that provides incredible signal reliability and range. Some areas still can present a challenge with interference from other radio signal sources. This can cause signal lag, video signal breakup, or possible control signal loss. An antenna attenuator allows for the transmitter to send and receive a stronger signal simply by directing the signal to the standard Mavic Pro antennas. If you happen to experience signal interference, slide the attenuator over the antennas and point the transmitter at the Mavic Pro. It’s important to note that these attenuators do make your transmitter more directional and the operator should keep the transmitter directly pointed at the aircraft during flight for best performance.

5) DJI 4-way Charge Hub

It is hard to take the Mavic Pro out and only fly one battery (~27 minutes). The batteries do not take long to charge, however, a good solution to having to constantly monitor and change the charging battery is the 4-way charging hub. The standard version uses the 50 watt charger included with the Mavic Pro. It does not charge the four batteries simultaneously, but will sense the battery with the highest charge and fully charge that battery before beginning to charge the next highest charged battery, until all four are fully charged. It is a very handy accessory to allow all four batteries to charge hands free after a long day of flying and be ready for the next day. An advanced charging hub is available and allows you to use the charger included with the Phantom 4 for faster charging. As with any LiPo battery charger, always monitor the batteries and charger during the charge cycle for safety.

6) Mini Landing Pad

The Mavic Pro sits on low profile landing gear. This keeps the aircraft very compact, but does lead to some negatives. When turning on the Mavic Pro, the camera gimbal will begin a calibration cycle. It is very important that the gimbal not be restricted during this calibration. When sitting on the landing gear the camera is very low to the ground and can easily make contact with the ground or grass. Also, when starting the motors, dirt, dust, and grit is blown up around the aircraft. This material can enter the gimbal system and cause calibration and stabilization failures. A collapsible landing pad can negate both of these issues, and also provides a high visibility landing area. Specific commercial drone use versions are available, but a collapsible auto window shade is capable of performing just as well.

7) Camera Filter Set

Professional photographers and videographers know that even though your lens does most of the work when capturing the image, filters can be just as important for that perfect shot. They may reduce glare, allow the camera to slow the video shutter speed for a more cinematic video, or increase photo contrast.

Typically, a filter set will include a UV filter, circular polarizing filter, and neutral density (ND) filters of various strengths. They are a great addition to your flight bag and will allow you to explore what your camera can do. The filters for the Mavic Pro are a friction fit to the camera barrel. It is recommended to leave the rear gimbal lock in place when installing or removing the filter to stabilize the camera gimbal and not place stress on the rubber vibration dampeners.

8) DJI Goggles

“I originally entered the world of multi-rotors building FPV race quads. Since that time I have had the ability to use a wide variety of FPV goggles ranging from analog transmitters/receivers, to connex HD setups. I recently added to my collection the DJI goggles. The goggle activation was straightforward and wirelessly linked to the Mavic Pro without any issues by following the DJI tutorial. Upon my first flight tests I was very impressed with the image. The resolution was spectacular and I experienced no video lag or signal drop out during the flight. Adding in the head tracking function truly completes the immersive flight experience. Flying in fixed-wing mode was a true joy with the drone effortlessly cruising along and banking in the turns as if being in the cockpit. The addition of the touch pad interface is a great feature that allows setting and function changes without having to remove the goggles. Even for commercial drone use, the ability to fully concentrate on your subject can provide a better idea of the shot that you are attempting to capture. Remember, you must have a visual observer/spotter when flying to satisfy FAA drone rules, part 107.33, and to comply with AMA FPV document #550 if flying recreationally when wearing these goggles”, said Chief Public Safety Instructor of DARTdrones Drone Academy, Mike Uleski.

9) Prop Guards or Cages

The Mavic Pro is a great platform to use for real estate videos, both outdoors, and indoors. The tripod flight mode and vision positioning system allows the Mavic Pro to be flown precisely in very close quarter locations, and function as an aerial tripod. But even the most experienced UAV pilots can have a moment of control loss that could lead to a crash of the aircraft, and potentially damage property. The DJI snap on propeller guards do a phenomenal job of protecting the Mavic Pro when making light contact with objects such as walls or furniture. These propeller guards also fold, keeping with the compact nature of the Mavic Pro. For more hazardous environments, DJI has recently released a set of propeller cages that completely surround the propellers, including top and bottom, making it very difficult to crash due to the collision with an object.

10) Polar Pro Katana

A very popular commercial drone use is shooting real estate videos. When shooting real estate, you not only want to include the dramatic aerial views, but also the ground level and interior shots. The Mavic Pro has a wonderful camera that is more than capable of capturing these videos or images while in flight, but sometimes it is easier to use the Mavic Pro in a hand held configuration. The Katana makes using your Mavic Pro as a hand held gimbal camera effortless as it provides handles to hold and your mobile device in a central location for both framing your shot and easy access to the shutter/record controls. It is a great accessory that opens up many more opportunities to use your Mavic Pro to capture amazing photos and videos.

11) Landing Gear Extensions

The Mavic Pro was designed to be low profile, and it fits the bill very well in that regard. One downside, however, is the lack of ground clearance during takeoff and landing. This can cause issues on rough terrain, or for allowing the camera to properly go through the initialization cycle without binding. Landing gear extensions allow you to maintain the compact storage that the Mavic Pro is known for, while providing the ability to add a few inches of ground clearance under the aircraft. Most designs are a slip-on or snap-on design that do not require any alterations to the airframe and fit neatly in your travel bag when not installed.

12) Travel Bag

If you purchased the Fly More Combo Bundle, you received the shoulder bag designed for the Mavic Pro. But, as you add some of these accessories and extra batteries, you will require a slightly larger bag to transport everything. A smaller camera bag designed for a DSLR camera works beautifully to carry everything that you would need for commercial drone use, or for a full day of recreational flying. Other than the DJI Goggles that have their own carrying case, all of the accessories featured in this article fit into, or clipped onto, the small camera bag pictured here.

The Mavic Pro broke the mold when it was introduced to the market and is a powerhouse in a small package. It combines professional quality drone features capable for commercial drone use, drone pilot training, as well as recreational flights, with an airframe that is able to fold and easily be taken with you to capture amazing shots on-the-go! It’s important to note that in order to utilize some of the accessories mentioned above, it’s crucial to know and understand all FAA drone rules for commercial drone use.

About Mike Uleski

Mike Uleski holds the title of Chief Public Safety Instructor of DARTdrones Drone Academy. Along with teaching drone pilot training, FAA drone rules and regulations courses, and advanced public safety UAV training across the U.S., Mike is an active Sergeant with a public safety department in Florida, where he is cross trained as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT. Mike has extensive aviation expertise with a degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry-Riddle, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings, and 17 years of experience building and flying remote controlled aircraft.

About DARTdrones Drone Academy

Our drone academy has trained thousands of UAV pilots in 40+ cities across the country. As the nation’s leading drone academy, we pride ourselves on our professional curriculum for commercial drone use, government use, and recreational drone pilot training. We offer in-person and online courses on FAA drone rules and Part 107 test prep to pass the Airman Knowledge Test in order to legally use an aircraft for commercial drone use. We also host hands-on drone pilot training courses to get you launched in this growing industry and to learn to fly a drone. Visit www.dartdrones.com or call us at 800.264.3907 to learn more about our drone academy!

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Who is Considered a Government Entity?

• Police Departments
• Fire Departments
• Local Municipalities
• Publicly Funded Universities
• Public Schools
• Law Enforcement Agencies
• Federal or State Government Agencies

UAS Rules for Government Entities

Government entities interested in launching an UAS must follow all rules under Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) or apply for and be granted a Public Use Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) for UAS operations.

Part 107

The FAA published a new set of regulations in June 2016 known as Part 107. This new set of Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) were the FAA’s first official rules governing the commercial use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). In addition to outlining the operational limitations of sUAS, Part 107 also provided requirements for the issuance of a commercial Remote Pilot Certificate with a sUAS rating for commercial drone pilots. Part 107 is intended to be the first step towards full integration for the use of drones into the National Airspace System (NAS). Often times, organizations operating drones under Part 107 find that some of the regulations restrict them from performing certain operations. However, many sections of Part 107 do allow requests for waivers. The most common requests for waivers and authorizations are the following:

• Flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)
• Flights over people
• Night flights
• Flying in controlled airspace (near airports)

If the government entity foresees these limitations to be a continuous set back to the specific operations that will be performed by the UAS, it can be beneficial to opt for a Public Use COA.

Public Use COA

The Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) for Public Aircraft Operations gives a good amount of flexibility to the organization who holds the COA. After the FAA and the applicable Air Traffic Control facilities authorize a COA, the government entity can benefit from the below:

• Operators can routinely fly within applicable regions of controlled airspace within their respective jurisdictions
• Operators can fly under the special provisions named in their COA
• Upon your COA being authorized, the night waiver portion can be included in the operations term of the COA without added documentation
• In the event of certain emergency situations, the UAS may also be authorized to fly over people in support of the mission as long as appropriate safety protocols are in place

A government entity operating under a COA can also “self-certify” its drone operators provided that they develop and obtain FAA approval for a comprehensive, internal training program. The entity would have to accept the liability for the UAS training of pilots and any operations of the aircraft. Although a COA can provide the government users with a great level of flexibility, interested departments must first obtain a Letter of Declaration, usually from their public attorney, and petition the FAA for access to the online COA request portal. Once granted, the department must prepare and submit their request for a COA, which involves an extensive amount of detailed proposed operational information. So, while a COA does provide flexibility, it’s a longer and much more difficult process than obtaining a Part 107 certificate.

Bottom Line

A government entity must follow all UAS rules under the approved COA as written and authorized by the FAA, or only operate under Part 107 regulations and apply for FAA waivers as needed. DARTdrones offers government UAS training, Part 107 test prep, online UAS courses, UAS consulting, and the service of applying for COAs, waivers, and airspace authorizations for organizations. For more information and resources about obtaining a COA or Part 107 certificate, visit www.dartdrones.com or call us at 800-264-3907!

About the Author

Mike Uleski is the Chief Public Safety Flight Instructor at DARTdrones and an active Sergeant with a public safety department in Florida, where he is cross trained as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT. He has extensive aviation expertise with a degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry-Riddle, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings, and 17 years of experience building and flying remote controlled aircraft. Mike has trained dozens of public safety departments through DARTdrones and actively flies sUAS for his department. DARTdrones was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank in February 2017.

DARTdrones is the nation’s leader in drone training, program development and consultation, offering online and in-person courses in 40+ cities across the United States. DARTdrones takes pride in their comprehensive curriculum, developed by a former US Navy Helicopter pilot, as well as their 40+ flight instructors who are all manned and unmanned aircraft pilots. Visit us online at www.dartdrones.com, call 800-264-3907 or email the DARTdrones Team at info@dartdrones.com to learn more.

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Determine Your Agency’s Needs

The first step is to sit down and objectively determine your agency’s needs. Every agency will be different. Some agencies are very large, cover a large geographic area, have hundreds of officers. Agencies like that deploy law enforcement drones daily. Others might be small town departments with only a few officers. They might fly a UAV a few times in any given month. Agencies of all sizes deal with many of the same calls for service in which a UAV could be an important tool to have available. With the myriad options in today’s UAV marketplace, almost any agency can use a UAV as a resource.

The Right Drone Model Based on Your Location

The geography of your jurisdiction is the first factor to consider. You might consider a fixed-wing UAV as an option if your agency covers large areas of rural land. In a more urban/suburban environment, a multirotor with vertical takeoff and landing capability, quick deployment, and stabilized station-keeping ability, would be more useful. For some agencies, a combination of fixed wing and multirotor UAVs can be used together to accomplish the mission.

Also, take into consideration the local environmental conditions. An area that has a constant breeze might require a larger aircraft, with more power available, than a location where the wind is usually calm. A higher elevation location might also influence your aircraft selection because of performance limitations.

Fixed-wing UAV operations are typically more complicated than multirotors, but they can provide some distinct advantages. Do not rule them out if your agency could effectively use them.

What Are the Uses for Law Enforcement Drones?

Typically, when you begin talking with others regarding law enforcement drones, even when they have no previous drone experience, they will begin to think of many ways where a UAV would be a useful tool. This is a great way to brainstorm out-of-the-box ideas to increase the usefulness of the UAV unit.

Talk to other divisions, and specialty units, regarding where they could use a UAV in their day-to-day operations. This may open up possibilities you never considered and help other units be more effective. A detective division may want an aircraft that has the capability of extended flight time, quiet operation and a zoom camera for surveillance work. A SWAT team may be able to use a micro UAV for checking a house during a barricaded suspect call. Patrol may be best suited with an aircraft with forward looking infrared (FLIR) capability for night operations.

Your agency’s crime analyst, or records specialist, is a great resource. The information they record and track can give an idea of: what types of calls are common? When do they happen? Where do they happen? With this information you can begin to tailor the law enforcement drone program to your agency’s specific needs.

What Experience Is There Within Your Agency?

Developing a UAV unit is a very technical assignment. It requires knowledge of FAA drone regulations, aircraft performance, sensor operation, ground and flight training, budgeting, agency policy, and local, or state, laws regarding the use of UAVs. The development of the law enforcement drone unit is best served by a team of individuals that can bring different knowledge and skill sets to the table.

Next, find out if anyone in the department has manned aviation experience. A UAV unit will operate very similarly to that of a manned aviation unit. It is very helpful to have someone well versed in airspace, weather, and FAA regulations.

You may find a remote controlled aviation hobbyist. They can be a great resource for the operation of the UAV, and have knowledge specific to remote controlled aviation.

Talk with your agency’s finance department. They can assist with information about budgeting, or might have experience with writing grants. A good grant writer can be worth their weight in gold when it comes time to purchase equipment.

It’s always a good practice to speak with your legal department as well. Public safety use of UAVs is a very new territory. Few case law examples currently exist to clearly define these laws. Your legal department protects the agency and may be able to clarify the legalities of your intended operations.

If the experience within your agency is limited, contact other agencies that are developing their own UAV units. Even better, find one that already established an operational law enforcement drone unit. I haven’t come across anyone who wasn’t more than willing to share information. Even if you have a large amount of experience available, networking with other agencies is still a very worthwhile exercise.

Every Journey Begins with a Single Step

Your goal at this stage is not to know the exact destination, but to develop a general direction of where to go and how to get there. Outlining the factors involved provides a great insight to what the general direction needs to be. This is only the beginning stage, and the road will have some bumps, but the preparation that you are able to accomplish now, will make the road much smoother.

Continuing Education

This is the fourth part of a series that looks at implementing a police drone program for your institution. For more information on launching a drone program or getting your Part 107, visit us at www.dartdrones.com or call us at 800-264-3907!

Mike Uleski is one of DARTdrones many expert drone pilot instructors and also a public safety officer. He has written extensively about police drone programs and more for DARTdrones about how police can use UAVs. He wrote this post about law enforcement drones.

The post Law Enforcement Drones – What affect’s your drone program? appeared first on DARTdrones.

As the audience grew, it was obvious that the majority were already certified remote pilots, or operated under a 333 exemption. So Mr. Malecha offered to do a round table discussion, rather than a review of part 107. I’m passing along some of the takeaways from this great opportunity.

How the FAA Views the Regulation of UAS

One of the main points that the FAA wants to make clear is that UAV’s are no longer just a part of the toy or hobby industries. They are part of the aviation industry. We are now considered “pilots,” and the machines we fly are “aircrafts.” With this designation comes many growing pains. Malecha recommended reading the preamble to part 107. These paragraphs lay out the concerns of the FAA with the exponential increase in the use of UAS, but with the intent to be flexible and allow the technology to evolve.

One quote that stuck with me from Malecha was, “The creation of part 107 was not an evolution of existing aviation regulations to include UAS, it is a revolution for the world of aviation as a whole.”

Airspace Authorizations 

He knew this subject would come up, and expected it to come with torches and pitchforks from angry remote pilots who want a streamlined protocol to receive airspace authorizations in real time. The FAA’s first goal is creating an environment of safety, not to cause frustration or squash the hopes and dreams of drone entrepreneurs.

With the soon to be published grid maps, remote pilots will be able to more easily design their airspace authorizations when submitting them through the online portal. Requests that conform to the requirements of the grid maps for the locations you wish to operate in will be returned much faster. Operations that would be outside of the grid map requirements, such as a higher altitude than the grid map is listed for, could still be approved, but will undergo additional scrutiny for risk mitigation.

This is also the precursor to the mobile/online app that will allow for instantaneous airspace authorizations. The FAA is working on this, and hopes to have it roll out later this year.

Special Government Interest (SGI) Authorizations

Entities that operate as a public aircraft operation with a certificate of authorization (COA) have been able to receive emergency airspace authorizations for the interest of life, safety or preservation of property. However, the popularity of the COA’s for public safety agencies has been waning, with many more now operating under part 107 regulations. This can cause an issue when an agency has to operate for an emergency need in controlled airspace that requires an authorization. If the agency has not received prior authorization, they must go through the online portal which cannot provide expedited authorizations.

They are working on a stop gap measure that will allow public safety agencies to receive these expedited authorizations and take advantage of the emergency airspace authorizations that are available to agencies operating under a COA.

FPV and FAA Drone Regulations

This is one area where the FAA and Academy of Model Aircraft do clash, much to the angst of the FPV race drone community. The AMA document No. 550 has provided safety recommendations when the pilot is operating FPV, and is not flying the aircraft by line-of-sight. This includes the requirement for a spotter.

The FAA’s opinion is that the AMA is for flying recreationally, with visual line of sight, and by a pilot that is directly looking at the aircraft to control it.

Previously, the FAA did not pay much attention to FPV pilots who were operating under AMA safety recommendations, but this is expected to change as FPV will be viewed with more scrutiny by the FAA. It was recommended that if you wish to fly by FPV, to do so as a certificated remote pilot under part 107.

Waivers from FAA Drone Regulations

Many sections of part 107 allow for waivers if the operator is able to provide a safety plan to mitigate risk. The waiver request must address the performance based standards as provided by the FAA. Most commonly, operators are requesting waivers for:

• Flight at night
• Flying over people
• Flight beyond visual line of sight
• Flying from a moving vehicle
• Flight at altitudes above 400 ft. AGL

The FAA has found that most of these waiver requests meet the performance based standards. We don’t want FAA resources tied up in reviewing and approving these waivers. So the FAA will write performance-based standards into the regulations. This will allow for these operations to be conducted without the need of writing a specific safety plan. The operation must be within the scope of the regulation as written. If you wish to still operate in a manner outside of the FAA drone regulations, you will then submit a waiver with your safety plan and risk mitigation for review.

333 Exemption

Will 333 exemptions be renewed now that part 107 is in effect? Simple answer. Possibly yes … and possibly no. Prior to part 107, the 333 exemption was the primary option UAS operators had to fly commercially.

The renewal of a 333 exemption will depend on the specific operations that the requester wrote into their 333 exemption. If the FAA determines you can operate under part 107, it will allow your 333 exemption to expire and a renewal request will be denied. But, if you have an operation that would be outside of part 107, your 333 exemption may be approved. This will be a purely situational decision.

Remember, you cannot mix and match your 333 exemption with part 107 regulations. Pilots must conduct each flight under one or the other for the entirety of the flight.

Commercial UAV registration and FAA Drone Regulations

All UAVs over 0.55 pounds require a registration, either for recreation, or commercial uses. The difference is that as a hobbiest, or flying for recreation, you register yourself. All of your aircraft will carry the same identification that the FAA issued to the owner. For the commercial UAV, each will have a unique registration number connected to the specific UAV make, model, and serial number (if available).

One issue is when you replace your commercial UAV because of a warranty issue, malfunction, or crash. To expedite the return of your UAV, most manufacturers will return a new, or refurbished, unit to you. The new UAV will have a different serial number than the aircraft you sent in for replacement or repair. If you receive a UAV back that is not the specific UAV you sent in, it must be registered. And yes, you have to pay another $5.

The other issue is that if the UAV that you originally sent in is sold as a refurbished unit. Then the new owner cannot re-register it as a commercial UAV until the original owner has it deregistered. This process is also required if you sell your aircraft to another person. And no, they don’t refund your $5.

Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and FAA Drone Laws

The FAA is very aware that flying beyond visual line of sight is the holy grail for the UAS industry. The technology has proven that the capability is there. The FAA drone regulations just want to make sure pilots do it safely. Currently, the FAA has approved a few operations for BVLOS. The FAA holds this area to a very high standard. However, it will become more common in the coming years. The FAA will get a better handle on the safety issues related to BVLOS flight, and advancing technologies will become available for the UAS operator to see and avoid other aircraft and hazards.

Moving forward

You know that a seminar was worthwhile when there is an air show going on outside, but you’re willing to sit for 90 minutes talking about drone regulations. I hope this information shows that there is no slowing down of the UAS industry in the eyes of the FAA. They are doing everything they can to allow these new technologies to develop, while maintaining an environment of safety for all of us that are sharing the national airspace.

I want to thank Jim Malecha for taking the time to speak with us about FAA drone regulations. The information provided was invaluable to those of us wanting to keep the UAS industry moving forward. Malecha said something I’ve said before, “remember, we are only seven months into this. Imagine where we will be next year.”

Mike Uleski is one of DARTdrones’ expert pilot instructors. He has written extensively for the blog at DARTdrones.com. He wrote this post on FAA drone regulations.

The post FAA Drone Regulations Recap appeared first on DARTdrones.

Public safety agencies live and breathe on their policies and directives. Some policies cover state statute requirements, accreditation standards, or even how to avoid problems that should be obvious. No matter why the policy was created, they must be followed.

Writing a Law Enforcement UAV Policy

When beginning to write the policy for your law enforcement UAV program, the agencies you contacted while building support can provide you with the policies that they have developed for their own UAV units. Once you begin reviewing the policies of other agencies, you will find certain items are repeated in many of them, and others are very specific to the operating agency. After reviewing these policies, take the portions that are useful to you and add them into your own policy.

This is an important step as you lay out the ways the department can operate a police UAV and list its restrictions. Be careful of writing a portion of the policy that could be easily violated during your normal operations, or prevent the UAV from being used effectively. If your policy is written “Flight at night is prohibited” during the early stage of the UAV unit development, then flight at night is prohibited with no exceptions. The chances are slim of getting the policy amended at 3 a.m. when you desperately need it to fly at night. Make sure to create a balance that both promotes a safe operating environment, and also allows effective UAV usage. You don’t want to paint yourself into a corner that would require rewriting a policy or even worse, having your UAV policies and program fail.

After your policy is written, contact your agency’s legal department to have them review it for any issues that may arise from the way that something is worded.

What to Put Into the Policy?

When writing your policy, you want to answer certain questions; who, what, where, when, and how.

Who? This portion is going to determine the different positions within the unit. These typically include:

• Supervisor
• Pilots, and air crew members
• Instructor pilots
• Visual observers
• Maintenance officers
• Safety officers

Lay out each of these positions with their required qualifications and respective job responsibilities.

What? This section lays out the mission of the UAV unit. For some policies, this may be a simple mission statement. Others may want to provide more information as to what the goal of the unit is.

Where? Lay out which locations the law enforcement UAV may be flown in. This may consider controlled airspace, critical infrastructure, or local hazards. Also, keep in mind that other agencies may request mutual aid, and how you will deal with those areas outside of your primary jurisdiction, especially if you have an issue with controlled airspace that would require an authorization to operate in that geographical location.

When? Determine when the department can and will deploy the UAV. This topic can include not only the reasons for the deployment, but also the time of day and weather conditions. Some agencies may want to have a fairly open policy where the on-duty supervisor and remote pilot-in-command are given a wide latitude when deciding to utilize the UAV. Others might make more restrictive requirements.

How? This section can include many topics. How will the UAV be stored and how will flight time and maintenance be documented? How will evidence be handled and how will training be conducted? This is the section where you can add agency specific requirements.

Once you have outlined the answers for these five areas, you will have a good idea of what you will require in your law enforcement UAV policy and agency directives.

Stay tuned for our next post in this series, which will focus on local and state UAV laws. 

Meet the Author

Mike Uleski is one of DARTdrones many expert pilot instructors and also a public safety officer. He has written extensively for DARTdrones about how police can use UAVs. He wrote this post about law enforcement UAV programs.

The post Law Enforcement UAV Policies and Directives appeared first on DARTdrones.

Police UAV: Unit Successes and Failures

Right now, departments that utilize drones are few and far between. Agencies that use them often — and effectively — are even more rare. But with an exploding commercial market, the question must be answered as to why such an effective tool might be pushed to the wayside by public safety agencies.

While doing research during the development of my own agency’s UAV program, I spoke with a number of departments. Some tried UAV technology and then put it on the shelf. Others had the program expand, and now have extensive operational experience. Let’s concentrate on the reasons that programs become underutilized, or fall apart completely.

Even though each department was unique, similar hurdles seemed to trip up the ones whose UAV programs failed. The deciding factor for many of these agencies was how much determination they had to make the program succeed. As with any new technology development, the learning curve is steep. The following are some brief summaries of hurdles for UAV program developers, and solutions to overcome them.

1. Lack of Vision

For people who are not familiar with advanced drone technology, UAVs are simply a fun flying toy for your backyard; they’re not a tool with myriad practical uses. This lack of understanding wasn’t the only problem with a department’s vision.

Some are just resistant to change.

You will find people who are comfortable with the way things are done and will strive to keep anything from changing. Try to set up a demonstration day for your agency so that everyone is on board with the program and can also voice their concerns. The goal is to make officers more efficient and provide a safer working environment.

2. Cost of a Police UAV

In 2014, I attended a class about law enforcement drones. The presenter was knowledgeable, but the average price tag of the UAV examples he used was $100,000!

The prices floored me. I  build my own fixed wing aircraft and multirotors for under $1,000, with similar capabilities and payloads. Several of the agencies I contacted completely passed over the “prosumer” drones that have become the mainstay of the commercial drone market, believing that they were too simplistic to be used as an effective, professional, tool. They instead concentrated on “public safety” specific drones. Many with the extremely high price tag to go along with the title.

There is no reason that a police UAV program cannot be successful with off-the-shelf prosumer drones from companies such as DJI, or Yuneec. You can find a drone to match just about any budget.

3. Lack of Community Support for Police UAV

One of the most important aspects of a successful UAV program is the support from the agency’s administration, the local government, and the citizens you serve.

The media has painted drones as a tool for intrusive surveillance, or dangerous machines that are destined to destroy life and property.

Many departments cast aside their UAV programs after public outcry regarding privacy. Some agencies developed their UAV program without informing the public, then faced severe criticism when the public saw the drones in use. Agencies that succeeded did so because they developed the program with transparency, and involvement of the public.

If your department is involved in city events, take the initiative and introduce the UAV program to the public in person.

4. Fear of the Unknown

The knowledge needed to operate a UAS can intimidate many people without an aviation background. Therefore, the certificate of authorization (COA) process stopped many departments from investing the time and resources into program development.

The COA can still be a good option for agencies, but with the introduction of part 107, many agencies have begun to revisit their UAV program. There is no easy way around it, the knowledge required is technical and extensive, but it is not impossible to learn by any means. Drone flight school, including DARTdrones, have created courses that can help a drone pilot get their Part 107 certificate with about 20 hours of studying.

5. Insufficient Case Law Precedent

The speed with which drones have been adapted for commercial uses is staggering. But with these increased capabilities comes the requirements to regulate the technology. Sadly, many legislators, from small town city council members to federal congress members, have very little practical interaction with drones.

As stated earlier, many of the past stories produced by the media have painted drones in a negative light. Thankfully, this misconception changes as people see drones as a practical tool. But, with this lack of knowledge comes regulations created more by emotion than by logic. It can be difficult, if not impossible to find case law precedent regarding drone use, and the respective regulations. This will improve with time as drone use become more commonplace.

6. Liability Concerns for a Police UAV

Liability is typically at the top of the worry list for any agency. That’s justifiable.

Ask any crowd of people how many have flown a drone. Then out of that group, ask how many have crashed a drone. The number will typically be approximately 80 percent.

The question is, why is that number so high? Easy answer: lack of training.

Aviation has the safety record it has for one reason: extensive training, along with ongoing education, required at all levels. Many new UAV pilots have very little hands-on experience flying drones. And with the new drone technologies, taking off can be as easy as a finger swipe. And return home can be as easy as pushing a button. Does that really make that person a safe pilot? Even today’s prosumer drones are sophisticated aircraft. Quality training is not an option, but a requirement. DARTdrones offers drone training custom tailored for police and fire departments.

Never Quit

Many agencies use the mantra of “never quit” for defensive tactics training. The same phrase can easily apply to your UAV program development.

You will run up against obstacles. A lot of learning must be done. Departmental and governmental hurdles have to be to overcome.  And people will be out there who don’t want you to succeed.

But the reasons to utilize UAVs for public safety — saving and protecting life — outweigh all of these negatives. Although your program development might not move forward as smoothly as you would like, never quit. Someday, someone’s life might hang in the balance, and your UAV and pilot are the difference between life and death. That will be what makes all the hard work worthwhile.

This article is part of a series designed to help police departments launch a police UAV program. Read our other articles here:

• Launching a Police Drone Program: The Chief Wants One, Now What?
• Law Enforcement Drones Can Address an Agency’s Need

Mike Uleski is one of DARTdrones many expert pilot instructors and also a public safety officer. He has written extensively for DARTdrones about how police can use UAVs. He wrote this post about police UAV programs.

The post The Top 6 Reasons Police UAV Programs Fail appeared first on DARTdrones.

The Inspire 1 controller features an HDMI output as standard equipment. But, if you have a Phantom 3 Advanced/Professional, or Phantom 4, and use a mobile device for FPV, you can enjoy the same immersive flying experience with FPV goggles.

FPV Quadcopter Basics

Most FPV race drones use analog signal transmitters in 1.3, 2.4 or 5.8GHz to transmit their video signal. These are stand-alone transmitters that anyone with a pair of googles tuned to the matching frequency can watch the same image as the pilot. The benefit of this type of video transmission is very little video signal latency, or lag. For a race drone pilot trying to fly through a gate at 50 miles per hour, even a 1/10 of a second video lag can mean the difference from clearing the gate and a crash.

The trade off of this limited latency is the video image is not as crystal clear HD as the digital signal that DJI Lightbridge technology is capable of. But a Phantom is not a race drone, and we can work around the latency issues to have an incredible, immersive, flight experience. Learn more about how to get into the drone racing industry.

The FPV Quadcopter Equipment Needed

First, we will set up our Phantom 3 Advanced/Professional or Phantom 4, so that we can use FPV goggles. Since the DJI Lightbridge signal is digital, we will be using an HDMI output. This can also be accomplished if your mobile device has HDMI output capability, but follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when using this feature. For this post, we will focus on having an HDMI output directly from your transmitter.

We do not have to make any modifications to the drone itself, but we will install a DJI HDMI module on the transmitter to output the video signal in 720P. DJI makes the HDMI module as an easy “plug and play” addition to your transmitter.

Here is a great video that shows how to install it:

After this module is installed, you can stream the transmitted video to any device with an HDMI input.

The FPV Quadcopter Goggles

DJI does its best to provide the clearest image transmission possible to the pilot. The HDMI output provides 720p video. We want to continue having the best image possible to view in FPV, and that will be the main consideration when purchasing a set of goggles.

Fat Shark Dominator HD3

The Fat Shark brand is synonymous with drone racing. Its goggles are hands down the most commonly used goggles for serious race drone pilots. The Dominator series have included a micro HDMI port since the Dominator V2, but have optimized the Dominator HD3 to display an HD image.

Fat Shark goggles use lenses to create one of the most immersive flying experiences possible.

Zeiss Cinemizer OLED Goggle

With the capability to display in 1080p HD, and also HDMI 3-D, the Cinimizer OLED goggle provides the best image possible. Extremely light weight, many consider it one of the most comfortable FPV goggles available.

One of the additional features is stereo audio output. These googles can be connected to any device with an HDMI output. It allows you to watch videos and movies in HDMI quality.

Headplay HD FPV Goggles

My wife says it looks like I am wearing a toaster on my head when I use these. But the image is worth the ridicule. Unlike the Fat Shark Dominator HD3, and Zeiss Cinemizer goggles, the Headplay HD uses a single screen with a very wide viewing angle. It is akin to sitting a few feet from a big screen TV. You have to look around the screen to take in the entire image. An analog 40 channel video receiver is also installed so you can also use these with any analog FPV transmitter.

They may look ungainly, but once the customizable foam is cut to your facial contour, they are actually quite comfortable to wear. People that wear glasses typically have an easier time adapting to this type of goggle rather than adding diopter lenses to the other goggles mentioned above. These are my personal favorite to use with my Phantom 3 Advanced, and also the most affordable option.

Setting up the DJI Go App for HDMI output

After installing the DJI HDMI module, you will find some new settings in the DJI Go app available.

Start on the main settings page:

Open the “HD” tab:

Now, you’ll see a few new settings are available since you installed the HDMI module. I highly recommend turning on the “Simultaneous image output to app and HDMI.” This will allow you to quickly takeoff the goggles if needed, and still have your normal mobile device display.

“Display OSD on HDMI Output” is the second option. OSD stands for “on-screen display.”

When the video is sent to your goggles, you can decide to see only the video image transmitted from the drone, or with the addition of flight information on the top and bottom edges of the view screen. An attitude indicator in the center of the screen and a diamond that helps locate the drone’s set home location are also available.

Your next setting option sets the units displayed on your OSD. This selection defaults to metric until it is changed by the user.

The last setting option is the transmission frequency. Video transmission is NTSC (60Hz) in the United States, or PAL (50Hz) in Europe. If the display in your goggles has distortion, try changing this setting to see if the image improves.

FPV Quadcopter Safety

Now you are all set up and ready to fly your FPV Quadcopter. But there are a few added considerations when flying “under the hood.”

Always Have a Visual Observer for FPV Flights! 

Even with your immersive view, you will lose some situational awareness. Both the AMA rules for hobbyists, and  Part 107 for commercial operators require a visual observer when flying FPV.

Always maintain a high level of situational awareness of where the aircraft is located.

It is easy to become lost flying over an area that you are not familiar with seeing from the air. It is even possible to become disoriented over your own neighborhood. The goggles will not transmit the map view as available on your mobile device. If you get lost, do not hesitate to take the goggles off. Use your mobile device display and map view, along with your own vision, to recover your drone.

Always be prepared to transition back to visual line-of-sight, or your mobile device display.

The reasons can range from your goggles failing to you becoming disoriented about where your drone is. If your UAV is still in GPS mode, let go of both sticks and maintain a stabilized hover while taking off your FPV goggles. Simultaneously transition back to your mobile device display and visual line-of-sight. Maintain good communication with your visual observer as it can take a few seconds for you to reorient yourself after taking off your goggles.

Look for latency and lag in your video feed.

The digital signal transmitted will typically have a very short lag time. But, if you encounter interference during your flight that effects your transmitted video image, you may be flying blind until the video signal is re established. This is extremely important if you are flying in proximity to obstacles, or buildings.

Time To Go Fly Your FPV Quadcopter!

You will find it doesn’t take long to become fully immersed in the view right in front of your eyes. There is nothing quite like flying from the cockpit and enjoying the view. Fly safe.

Mike Uleski is one of DARTdrones’ many expert pilot instructors and also a public safety officer who has written extensively for DARTdrones, including a post on how an agency can develop an UAV program. He wrote this post about FPV Quadcopters.

The post How to Add FPV Quadcopter Goggles to Your DJI Drone appeared first on DARTdrones.

Guidelines for Your First Drone Flight

There are two rules that must be stressed.

• Always remove the propellers when turning on the drone for any reason other than when it is ready to take off.
• Never handle a drone when its motors are armed or spinning.

Here are a few other tips that will helpful when you first learn how to fly a drone:

• 30-Foot Buffer – Keep a safe distance from your takeoff/landing location and the area that you intend to maneuver your drone.
• 10-Foot Minimum Altitude – Many RC pilots use the term “three mistakes high.” You want to operate at an altitude that will keep your drone safe in the event of an operator error incident, but not out of reach.
• Be Aware of Radio Interference – Depending on the radio system that your drone uses, you can encounter interference in certain locations. If your drone begins to show any odd behavior, immediately assess if there is an issue with radio interference. Avoid areas that have power lines and radio towers close by.
• Wind – Wind can significantly affect your first drone flight and those after. Try to learn how to fly a drone on a day with light wind and be aware of turbulence caused by nearby buildings and trees.
• Prop Guards – These accessories are a very good investment. Having a propeller damaged in flight can not only be an inconvenience, it can cause a crash. Prop guards are available for most drones even if they do not come with the drone initially.

Basic Aerodynamics and Control

We’ll keep this part of how to fly a drone simple. Drones fly thanks to a very complicated process involving electronic sensors, micro computers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and radio waves. However, they are designed to be simple to operate and user friendly. Keep in mind, though, that a drone is a complicated system that requires knowledge and care to operate safely.

Simply, a drone takes off when the spinning propellers produce downward thrust that is more than the weight of the drone itself. More motor power means more thrust from a faster spinning propeller, and the faster the drone will climb. For a GPS or position sensor-equipped drone, the left stick typically stays in the center. Pulling it back decreases power and makes the drone descend. Pushing it forward increases power and will cause the drone to climb. Releasing the stick to the center will allow the drone to maintain the altitude it is at. The flight controller and sensors are doing the work of keeping the drone at the altitude you specified.

For a drone using a basic attitude or rate mode, the left stick will start at the bottom. Pushing it forward causes the motors to spin the propellers, generating thrust. The farther forward you push the stick, the more power the motors provide. Typically, a drone will not take off until the stick reaches the center position, or just beyond. Pulling the stick to the rear, behind the center, will make the drone descend. Making the drone go up and down is as simple as adding or subtracting power.

For maneuvering, a drone uses differential thrust. If your drone is in a stable hover and you want to go forward, you push the right stick forward. This will increase the power to the rear motors causing the drone to tilt forward. The drone will continue to tilt and move forward until you release the right stick to the center causing all of the motors to return to the same power output and the drone to a level altitude.

We call this tilting “pitch,” and it is controlled by moving the right stick forward and backwards. The same differential thrust occurs side to side as well in the “roll” axis. Moving the right stick left and right will cause the drone to move laterally left and right. The last axis is “yaw.” This is accomplished by using the torque of opposing motors to rotate the drone as if it were balanced on a pin. The control used for yaw is moving the left stick left and right.

Each axis can be controlled individually, but to become an accomplished drone pilot you must learn to coordinate them together. Practice is required to hone these skills. Even with a drone that is GPS equipped, I recommended as you learn how to fly a drone to become familiar with how it flies when in attitude mode.

To learn more about what a drone is and the history for drones, check out this article.

Ready for Your First Drone Flight Takeoff

Find a large area, clear of obstacles and people. Start above grass as it can be more forgiving than a hard, concrete surface. It is always a good idea to use a portable landing pad, such as a piece of foam or cardboard, to decrease the amount of debris kicked up from the drone’s rotor wash. 

Drones with GPS

If your drone is GPS equipped, it might have an automatic takeoff option. This will start the motors spinning and have the drone climb to a low altitude and maintain a hover. If you are performing a manual takeoff, start the motors using the required stick command, then push the left stick forward slightly until the drone lifts off of the ground and climbs to a safe altitude of a few feet. Once at your desired altitude, center the left stick to maintain a hover.

Drones Without GPS

If your drone does not have GPS or a positioning system, raise the left stick until the drone lifts off of the ground and begins to climb. Once at your desired altitude slightly pull back on the left stick to maintain a hover. You will have to make constant adjustments to maintain your altitude, so keep a close eye on your drone. Learning how to fly a drone is much easier with a GPS equipped drone. 

Ground Effect

As you prepare for your first drone flight and learn how to fly a drone, now is also a good time to discuss ground effect. When the drone is close to the ground, the downward rotor wash hits the ground and causes turbulent air close to the surface. If the drone stays in this level of turbulent air it may have difficulty maintaining a stable hover. Make sure when taking off,  climb straight up until you are able to hover several feet above the ground so that ground effect is avoided. 

Now that you’ve gotten in the air, let’s keep learning how to fly a drone.

Forward and Back, Left and Right

The first maneuvering flight we are going to work on is moving the drone forward and backwards, and to the left and right.

Once you have taken off and the drone is in a stable hover, make sure your practice area is clear. We are first going to practice forward and backwards movement. During this exercise the drone will always face away from you. Push the right stick forward to make the drone move forward. The farther the stick moves, the faster the drone will fly. If your drone is GPS equipped, releasing the stick should stop the forward movement and maintain a stable hover. If your drone is attitude mode only you will have to pull back slightly to stop your forward movement and return to a hover. Now pull the right stick to the rear to have the drone return to you. Practice this a few times to get a feel for how your drone flies.

Return to your landing spot and now push the right stick to the left and right. The drone will fly side to side. Practice this as well a few times to get the hang of it.

Now that you are comfortable with forwards and backwards, left and right, let’s put it together to fly a square. Start from your landing spot and in a stable hover, push the right stick to the left and fly a few feet. Release the stick to return to a hover. Push the right stick forward to fly forward a few feet, releasing the stick again when you are ready. Push the right stick to the right before releasing it. Try to be in line with your takeoff/landing spot when you stop. Lastly, pull the right stick to the rear and have the drone back up and return to the takeoff/landing spot. Practice this by starting the square both to the left and right, and try to minimize the time you stop at each corner.

Congrats! You’ve just passed your next milestone of maneuvering your drone in a square. Now it is time to increase the challenge.

Staying Oriented

As we discussed, many pilots crash because of a loss of orientation when learning how to fly a drone. It can take a significant amount of practice 

before you are comfortable when flying your drone, and it is not facing away from you. It can be difficult to distinguish the front and back of your drone as most are mostly symmetrical all the way around. A good way for new pilots is to mark the front arms with some colored tape, or purchase prop guards with a different color for the front of the drone. This will make it much easier to tell which end is forward.

For this exercise we are going to go back to the forwards and backwards, left and right. The difference is that we are going to point the front of the aircraft in different directions while performing the exercise.

Start as before over your takeoff/landing point in a stable hover. Push the left stick to the left. The drone will spin in place to the 

left. This is the yaw control. Now that the drone is facing to the left, perform the same practice maneuvers as before. The difference is that now the right stick, instead of pushing forward or backwards to make the drone fly towards or away from you, the right stick will be moved left and right to perform the same function. You are now using the roll control to move forward and away from you. Moving left and right of your position will now be done by moving the right stick, or pitch control, forwards and backwards. Practice this movement for a while before returning your drone over the takeoff/landing point. Use the left stick again to turn the nose of the drone to the right. Repeat the same exercise until you are comfortable with the movement.

Return your drone to the takeoff/landing location and use the left stick to point the nose of the drone directly at you. This is known as “nose-in” hovering. The functions of the right stick have somewhat returned to normal where pushing forwards and backwards will make the drone fly toward or away from you, and pushing left and right will make the drone move left and right, however, the controls are now reversed! As before, take your time and practice the same forwards and backwards, left and right exercise to become comfortable with this change of orientation. Once you are ready, use the left stick to turn the drone away from you again and return to the takeoff/landing spot in a stable hover.  Now we are going to put these motions together in a square pattern.

From the takeoff/landing spot, use the left stick to turn the nose of the drone to the left. Now push forward on the right stick to cause the drone to fly forward a few feet before stopping. Now use the left stick to turn the nose of the drone away from you. Push the right stick forward to fly away from you a few feet. Left stick again to turn to the right before pushing the right stick forward to fly until you are back in line with your takeoff/landing spot. Use the left stick to turn the nose of the drone directly towards the takeoff/landing spot. Push forward on the right stick to fly to the takeoff/landing spot and return to a stable hover once you reach it.

As with the first square exercise, practice this starting off both to the left and right. Try and keep the square side as equal as you can. If at any time you lose orientation, use the left stick to turn the drone until it faces away from you and return it to your desired position. Learning orientation and muscle memory is a skill that takes dedicated practice to master. Take your time during this stage as it is the most important skill that you will need to safely fly your drone.

How To Fly a Drone for Beginners: Getting Coordinated

Up to this stage you have been using one control at a time to maneuver your drone. To be an accomplished drone pilot, you must learn to use all of the controls together, throttle/pitch/roll/yaw in a coordinated manner.

Fly at a slow speed when learning these maneuvers. This will make it easier to add corrections without losing control.

We are going to go back to the second square exercise where you were turning the drone at each corner using the left stick yaw control. Our goal is to start rounding off the corners of the square and work towards flying a circle in with a coordinated turn. For a coordinated turn we want to have the nose of the drone constantly pointing in the direction of travel. But since the drone is turning, the direction of forward flight is constantly changing. We are going to use the left stick yaw control in coordination with the right stick pitch and roll control to accomplish this. Let’s start with a right-hand square pattern. Start by rounding out the corners slowly, then work your way to wider turns. 

When approaching the corner of your square you will be pushing forward on the right stick to move forward. To begin the turn you will move both the left and right sticks to the right at the same time. You will see the drones nose begin to turn to the right while it also rolls to the right. This is similar to how it looks when an airplane performs a coordinated turn. Continue to hold the left and right stick to the right until you are ready to stop the turn. Slowly return both the left and right sticks to the center but continue to push forward on the right stick so that you are still flying forward. Continue to the next corner of your square and repeat the same procedure.

The goal is to eventually round the corners of the square off to the point that you are now flying a constant circle with the nose  of the drone always pointing in the direction of flight. Make sure to practice this maneuver to both the left and right. After some practice, you should be able to make a complete circle in a constant run. 

Learning to make coordinated flight is a major milestone and you should be very proud of your accomplishment. You’re mastering how to fly a drone. Let’s take one final step.

How To Fly a Drone for Beginners: Figuring Out the 8’s

To challenge yourself further you will put together two 360 degree coordinated turns in opposite directions to fly a figure 8. These turns will be exactly like you practiced earlier in one direction at a time, and should have a good handle on. To fly this maneuver you will begin flying a circle, let’s start to the left. Once the drone reaches the point in the  turn where it is facing you, move both the left and right sticks from the left side to the right side. This will change the direction of the turn from left to right. The goal is to have two equal sized circles directly next to each other. As you practice and advance your circles will become more round, of equal size, and you can accomplish  a smooth transition from turn to turn. The “8” can also be done with the circles to the left and right of you, but also towards and away from you.

Mistakes Happen

Learning how to fly a drone for beginners can be fun. But it’s not without complications. As you can tell, there is a lot that goes into operating your drone beyond turning on a transmitter and hooking up the battery. Here are a few mistakes commonly seen in new pilots who are learning how to fly a drone for beginners:

• Not knowing or following the laws and regulations
• Loss of signal
• Fly aways
• Running out of battery power
• Forgetting equipment
• Poor judgment
• Incorrectly setting up your drone
• Not updating firmware
• Flying too fast
• Flying too high
• Panic when encountering an unexpected control response

Crashes happen, but it important to do everything possible to avoid them. All of these factors are easily eliminated by taking the time to learn about theses topics and practice flying your drone in small steps.

The Bird is Definitely Out of the Nest

By this time, you have gained quite a bit of knowledge and skill associated with how to fly a drone.

 Typically your practice sessions are more limited by how many batteries that you brought rather than getting tired of flying. And as with manned aircraft flying, always be learning. You’re learning how to fly a drone as a beginner, but good pilots never stop learning. Use the internet to research different flying techniques and information, read industry magazines to keep c

urrent, and take in-person drone training classes to hone your skills. Also, if you plan to fly for commercial purposes, you will need to get a drone license by taking the Part 107 Airman Knowledge Exam. The technology that has been developed in the past few years has been incredible, and is getting better every day. Fly smart, fly safe.

Mike Uleski has been a pilot since he was 18 and is a patrol division sergeant with a public safety department in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mike wrote this post about how to fly a drone.

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