1. Functioning Drone
Before leaving for the field, inspect your drone for damage and ensure it is ready to fly. It is also a good idea to look over all drone batteries and ensure all are in good order. Ensure your drone's compass is recently calibrated and that your GPS connectivity is working correctly.
2. Charged Remote Controller & Batteries
Ensure your drone's remote controller is fully charged before leaving. This will ensure you can fly as long as needed to complete your mission(s).
3. Charged Batteries
While you should always have at least one fully charged battery for your flight, we recommend having one or two spare batteries for longer flights.
4. Charged Mobile Device with the Latest Versions of the DroneDeploy & DJI Apps
Ensure your mobile device is fully charged and your DroneDeploy app and DJI app are up to date. The latest version of DroneDeploy can be found here.
Do you need to confirm your mobile device is supported with DroneDeploy? Check out our Supported Devices Page to confirm!
5. Latest Firmware
You will want to make sure the firmware on your drone is updated to the latest for the smoothest operation possible. Review Upgrading Firmware on DJI for any firmware-related questions.
6. SD Card with Adequate Space for your Images
Always format your SD card before leaving for the field and ensure you have enough storage space for your images to avoid complications with image capture. Reformatting your SD card can be done within the drone settings on your remote controller.
7. USB Cable for Your Mobile Phone or Tablet
You'll need this to connect your mobile device or tablet to the drone and remote controller.
8. Extra Propellers for Your Drone
Carrying additional propellers for your drone can help ensure you can keep flying should any propellers get damaged during your flight.
9. Understanding of Your Field Connectivity
If you are flying in an area without cellphone service, please perform Desktop Planning of your flight path before entering the field. If you are still getting familiar with the data coverage of the area you will be flying, you can use resources like OpenSignal to review the coverage area.
10. Confirm Weather Conditions
You can use websites like Weather.com to ensure that the area you fly in has good weather conditions for flight. It is advised to avoid flying your drone if high winds, low clouds, extreme temperatures, or precipitation are present.
11. Confirm Airspace is Clear
To ensure that the area you will be flying is cleared for drone use, visit our in-app LAANC Authorization to review any airspace restrictions.
12. Confirm Take-Off Area Is Clear
Your take-off area should be clear of people and cars. We advise you to take off away from power lines and buildings as they can interfere with the compass of a drone. Ensure conditions in the field are safe for take-off and landing.
Having Trouble In The Field? Try the Following:
- Restart all devices.
- Unplug and replug the USB cable upon failure indication
- Toggle mode switch on the controller
- Check the DJI app: Multiple flight mode = on. Beginner mode = off
- Test using another mobile device