Drones, drones, these toys give us the freedom to go where birds go, with much of the same exhilarating speed and transportability. Whether you are a filmmaker, a land surveyor, an aerial videographer or even a hobbyist, the main challenge is deciding which drone to buy.
Applications of drones have spread into various industries. While the aerial vehicle has been used for years in various sectors, it’s wide spread application especially in the Agricultural sector became prevalent in 2015.
Drones come in different shapes, sizes and specifications such as speed, camera capabilities, battery power among others. The choice of purchase will primarily depend on its use, followed by regulations and some other important things to be put into consideration.
Fortunately, there are guidelines that can help you decide correctly and the guys at Gidi Drone, an online ecommerce platform that sells drone in Nigeria have done a good job to highlight some important tips to consider before buying a drone. Those points are shared below:
Educate yourself first – As a new drone pilot you should educate yourself on the airspace regulations of your country, and the general rules of safe flying. This is like the most important thing to do before getting a drone.
Specs are not the most important thing – Sometimes you can compare specs on different drones and think that one is the better value, but specs are not the only or even the most important thing to consider for a new pilot. You must consider what purpose the drone will serve (just for hobby flying or film making, anything at all), how approachable the drone is for a new pilot, how easy it is to handle in the air, and how reliable it is. None of these can be determined by looking at a spec sheet.
Check Youtube – Youtube is the best place you can check for great resources especially if you are in doubt.
Cheaper doesn’t mean easier to fly – Often it’s actually the opposite which can make the decision difficult for a new pilot who wants a good experience at a low cost. More expensive drones often come with advanced options that a new pilot may not be ready to dive into, but they are also usually steadier in the air and more reliable. The more money you spend, the more features you get that make flying easier.
You are going to spend some extra cash – so you just spent about N500,000 for a drone, congratulations! But you need to know that you will spend more on extra batteries, spare propellers and maybe a quick charger, so you will not wait hours to fly again.
Not all drones are ready to fly – when checking for drones, you’d see some acronyms like RTF, BNF, ARF.
RTF means Ready-To-Fly. Usually an RTF quadcopter doesn’t require any assembly or setup, but you may have to do some simple things like charge up the battery, install the propellers or bind the controller to the quadcopter.
BNF means Bind-And-Fly. A BNF quadcopter usually comes completely assembled, but without a controller. With BNF models, you’ll have to use the controller that you already have (if it’s compatible) or find a controller sold separately. One thing you should know is that, just because a transmitter and receiver are on the same frequency that doesn’t mean that they’ll work together. Even If your transmitter and receiver are on the same channel, they must use the same manufacture protocol in order to talk to each other. So check to make sure that your controller will work with your drone before buying it.
ARF stands for Almost-ready-to-fly. ARF quadcopters are usually like quadcopter kits. They usually don’t come with a transmitter or receiver and might require partial assembly. An ARF drone kit might also leave out components like motors, ESCs, or even the flight controller and battery. The definition of an ARF drone kit is very broad, so whenever you see ARF in the title, you should read the description thoroughly.
Talk to a dealer – Let your dealer know that you do not have experience and tell them what you are looking for and they can help you.
Choose your seller carefully – There are basically three kinds of sellers of drones:
No Service Sellers – Many of these sellers are on Amazon or eBay and some of the online stores. They will sell the drone to you, but receiving any help or service after that is unlikely. Potentially more troubling is their potentially inability to help you should need to file a warranty claim. If the seller is not an authorized dealer, you may be out of luck.
MAP Pricing – All manufactures give authorized dealers a minimum price at which they can advertise their products. To be eligible for warranty services a dealer must follow this pricing. If most dealers lists the drone at one price and somebody else is below that price it likely means they are not an authorized dealer. You are getting a good price, but you probably are not getting a warranty.
Large Dealers – These are legitimate businesses that you can trust. There are no worries over their legitimacy, but it is also unlikely you will have much of a relationship with anyone there to help you on your drone journey.
First Time Flyers, Note this – Start without the gimbal and camera. Crashes are most likely at the beginning when you are just learning. You will want to take video right away, but try to fly at least three times without the gimbal and camera on your drone. These parts are generally pretty expensive and leaving them off at the beginning reduces your financial risk. Once you feel comfortable flying, put them on and start taking video. – Your first flights should be in a location free of obstacles like trees, houses, and so on. This is to reduce your risk of crashing it.
Gidi Drone also facilitates online drone training certifications where owners of drones or drone pilots can get drone training flight proficiency certificate
You can check visit gididrone.com to order your choice drone and get it delivered within few days.