How to Care for Your Drone: Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Drone Soaring

Buying your first drone, or getting one as a Christmas Present can be exciting, but there’s so much more to drone care than taking it out of the box and flying it around. In this guide, we’ll go over some basics on how to care for your drone, including cleaning and maintenance tips as well as how to properly calibrate it and fly safely without hurting anyone or damaging property. With that, let’s jump in!

The biggest and best piece of advice anyone can give is READ THE MANUAL! This advice should take precedence over any drone hints or drone hacks out there.

Also, any hints or tips should not come at the expense of flying your drone legally in whatever territory you are in.

Check your drone regularly

It’s important to check your drone on a regular basis. You should also make sure you know how to fix any issues that might arise with your drone. Here are some maintenance tips that will help keep your drone soaring:

      • Inspect all propellers and motors before flying. Propellers are one of the first areas to get damaged and flying with a damaged prop is one of the easiest things to avoid.
      • Clean the propeller blades of dirt or mud after each use by wiping them gently with a dry cloth.
      • Replace props when necessary. It is always worth keeping hold of spare drone propellers! 
      • Check the battery, too. If it’s not fully charged, charge it fully before use. It is usually a good idea to have spare batteries in your kit. remember to keep them fully charged also so you can make the most of your flying time.

    Clean your drone

    To avoid the accumulation of dirt and debris on your drone, it is important to clean it regularly. You can do this with a soft cloth and some water or with a damp towel (if necessary). Be sure not to use any soap as this may damage the paint on your drone. Use the brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner if you have one, but be careful not to catch any loose parts in the bristles while doing so.

    DJI Drone being prepared for cleaning and calibration
    DJI Drone being prepared for cleaning and calibration

    Calibrate your drone

    Another simple step that will be in the manual is that you should do as instructed.

    When you first get your drone, make sure you calibrate it. This will ensure that the drone is operating properly. Calibration involves various actions, these should be detailed in the manual.

    They will include things like Compass calibration, Sensor Calibration, Accelerometer calibration and calibrations regarding the camera. If it moves you can probably calibrate it!

    Store your drone properly

    To protect your drone, store it in a protective case when not in use. Leaving the drone out can expose it to dirt or dust that might get into the sensitive electronics.

    Update your drone’s firmware

    Updating your firmware ensures that you have the most up-to-date features and fixes from the manufacturer. It also helps save time by not having to troubleshoot any problems with hardware or software.
    1) Visit the manufacturer’s website to find out which firmware version is currently installed on your drone.
    2) Download and install as instructed.
    3) It is a good idea to sign up to notifications of firmware and software updates and not ignore popups in the app about this.

     

    Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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    Brian

    Brian

    Brian Edwards. DJI Mavic Pro Enthusiast, Web Developer and Professional Geek Flying drones since circa 2018, but doesn't always have his head in the clouds