DRONES

The world seems to have gone drone mad. It all seemed to happen so quickly, but when Amazon announced in 2013 that they were going to incorporate drones into their delivery method, it seemed to create a ripple effect worldwide.

They have a variety of uses and are becoming so popular that it is difficult to know what drone you might need to suit your needs. Often used by film makers, photographers and site assessors, drones are now becoming a hobby also.

Drones are well known for being quite costly, so here is a guide to buying your first drone.

Before buying a drone, it is important that you research what paperwork and drone licence you would need. Since the drone incident at Gatwick, December 2020, it is illegal to fly a drone without the proper paperwork across the UK and Europe. This includes some smaller drones that were previously ok to fly without a licence. In most cases, you will need to obtain an operator ID and a UK flyer ID.

Depending on what you want to get out of your drone, you can prioritise some factors over the other.

Flying time is something to bear in mind, and this will differ from drone BNF drones come without a radio. to drone. This is important to take into account, so if you know you will be filming for a long time bring a supply of batteries. Averagely, beginner drones will have a flight time of 5-10 minutes where as some professional drones have a flight time of 20-30 minutes.

Range is the distance that your drone can fly. For example some professional drones can fly up to 2km. By law you should keep your drone in sight, and also for your piece of mind as they can be pricey bits of kit.

Camera quality will range dramatically depending on how much you want to pay. It is all depending on how you use the drone, if you are just using it as a hobby then this is an aspect of the drone you can afford to skimp on a bit.

Here are some well known abbreviations that are well known in the drone world:

BNF- This means bind and fly. BNF drones come without a radio. You can purchase this separately

RTF - Ready to fly. This basically means that the drone requires little or no assembly once taken out of the box.

PNP- Plug in and play. This means that the drone comes fully assembled, but without a radio system: the receiver and transmitter.

ARF - Almost ready to fly. Simply put this drone will require some assembly, and perhaps additional equipment.

DINGERS DRONE

Dinger has begun the journey to solo rowing the North Atlantic. After being diverted to Antigua on his flight to St Lucia due to an erupting volcano, Dinger is in St Lucia self-isolating. This is before he travels to New York to begin his 3118 mile solo row of the North Atlantic ocean to Falmouth,UK.

He has brought his drone that was very kindly donated from Tim Harris, from RUAS. The drone will be able to be flown from Dinger’s boat ‘Billy No Mates’. He will be able to gather aerial footage that will highlight how isolated and alone he will be, battling the elements and the North Atlantic ocean.