
Learn safe drone flight fundamentals for new pilots, from pre-flight planning and selecting safe flight locations to essential controller settings, insurance, and hands-on practice.
Understand why a safe drone flight course matters for liability and safety, covering bodily safety, proper setup, procedures and checklists, civil liability, insurance, and FAA rules including Part 107.
Adhere to the rules each flight: stay under 400 feet, keep line of sight within half a mile, and use uav forecasts. Keep license, drone registration, and logbook ready.
Compare part 107 professionals and hobbyists under FAA rules, detailing the nine rules, line of sight, controlled airspace authorization, and safety practices for lawful drone flight.
Learn to fly safely with a toy drone like Ryze Tello, indoors with prop guards and no GPS. Practice with a GameSir T1RD controller before moving to real drones.
Keep your FAA Part 107 drone license and registration with you at all times, download and carry paper copies from the drone zone, and renew registrations every three years.
pack a professional flight bag with all non-drone essentials, including a landing pad, logbook, registration cards, license, cords, sd cards, and a waterproof case to boost credibility.
Choose a reliable micro sd card, ideally a ufs 3 card, and establish a postflight workflow to transfer and back up footage, not relying on drone backups.
Learn online pre-flight planning using ArcGIS airspace maps to determine where to fly and when to seek Lance authorization, while estimating line-of-sight range with base maps and rulers.
Request LAANC authorization using the ALOFT app, set location, altitude up to 300 feet, schedule times, and receive pre-approval up to 90 days under FAA rules.
Use the UAV forecast app to plan flights with wind gusts, visibility, sunrise and sunset, nearby airports, and a color-coded status guiding flight decisions.
Identify and understand your drone's controller switches and flight modes, from sport to tripod and program modes, and learn how GPS and ADI affect safe flight.
Configure return-to-home altitude to 30 meters and enable beginner mode in the DJI go for app, keeping the drone under 100 feet with a 122-meter max.
Conduct a pre-flight virtual survey using Google Earth Pro and Google Maps to measure distances, assess line of sight, trees, power lines, and nearby airspace and property constraints.
Assess a flight site for safe drone operation by noting bailout spots, trees and shrubs, a grassy area, garden, and a road, with no power lines and no nearby house.
Land the drone politely when a law enforcement officer arrives, present your license and registration, show homeowner permission or public-land status, and calmly explain your recorded footage.
Practice structured flight exercises to master drone control, orientation, and camera moves, using FAA checklists, GPS-to-attitude mode drills, and progressive box and circle maneuvers.
Understand how a loss of signal triggers a drone to return to its home point, ascend to a set height, and land autonomously when it loses contact with the controller.
Learn how wind can cause a blow away for lightweight drones and how to avoid it by flying downwind, limiting range, and keeping battery power for recovery.
Explore drone insurance options, including physical damage protection and flight liability, with on-demand quotes and scalable plans for one to ten drones.
Explore DJI care refresh and Sky Audio care plans, activate within 48 hours of purchase, and choose one-year or two-year coverage for drone replacements, including lost drone options.
Continue your drone journey with FAA Part 107 test prep. Explore QGIS digital mapping and GIS for drone pilots to deliver professional maps and data-backed results.
Despite what some drone manufacturer marketing materials may claim, flying a drone is a complicated thing. While drones may be able to "fly themselves" using Artificial Intelligence and collision avoidance sensors, relying on them to keep you and those around you safe is a poor strategy. Experienced drone pilots understand the many variables that flying entails. There is no substitute for experience, but we need to walk before we run (or fly). Mastering these drone skills takes time and thought, and that is where this course comes in.
I have been a licensed drone pilot since September of 2016. I have been teaching drone courses at the University level for 5 years. I have logged hundreds of flight hours, both recreationally and professionally. In short, I'm an experienced drone pilot who loves the technology and thoroughly enjoys the technical and creative nature of the game.
In this course, we walk through the basics of flying your drone with a focus on safety. As noted above, there is no substitute for experience. Yet we are all inexperienced pilots when we first begin. This doesn't mean that we are being reckless or are doomed to crash our new drones a few times. However, it does mean that we need to rely on planning, research and patience more than we normally might. This class is designed to give you a lot to think about and introduce you to concepts that you might not have otherwise considered. It's better to think about common situations prior to a flight than during a flight, even more so when things get hairy (and they will eventually).
My aim here is to teach you to hone your craft as you go down the road to becoming a professional drone pilot. Through careful planning, intentional practice and sticking to proper procedures, you will be flying high in no time!