FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a drone?
A drone is essentially an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that can be controlled remotely by a smartphone or separate remote control. In past years, the word "drone" was mainly used to refer to the quadcopters used by the military.
Currently, drones have become very popular among consumers. They have intelligent features including the ability to capture photos and videos, as well as carrying supplies to hard-to-reach places through the use of a payload release system.
What can drones do?
Commercial drones are extremely useful in applications such as search & rescue, construction, inspection, surveying, surveillance, government, utilities, and more. For example, a waterproof drone can fly in the rain and deliver supplies to victims of hurricanes. Construction workers can use drones equipped with infrared thermal cameras to inspect roofs for leaks, electrical problems, and more. Pandemic drones are being designed to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Drones for kids are simpler, but many can still capture HD photos and videos while performing stunts, flips, and tricks.
What kind of drone should I buy?
First, you will need to consider your skill level. If you are a beginner, look for a drone that is easy to fly. Most of our drones for kids are for beginners. If you have experience flying a drone, you might consider one that is built for professionals.
Next, decide how you plan to use it. Do you need a camera or will it only be used for racing or flips and tricks? If you need a camera, will it be for a professional video or movie? If so, we recommend checking out our 4k camera drones. New on the market are 6k and 8k drones. These have the best resolution and display well on a large screen. Other types of camera drones include HD, thermal, and multispectral. HD drones record in high definition, but the quality is not as good as 4k. Thermal camera drones are typically for commercial use for inspections, utility, government, search and rescue, surveying, surveillance, and construction. Multispectral cameras are mostly used in agriculture and farming.
What are some of the features that are available?
There are waterproof drones which are highly recommended if you're planning on using it near a body of water or in the rain.
Consider commercial drones which are stronger and capable of many tasks and applications, such as carrying supplies to hard-to-reach locations through the use of a payload release system.
RTF, or Ready-to-Fly, means that no assembly is required. These drones are ready as soon as you remove them from the box.
Follow Me, is an excellent feature for taking selfies as you run, bike, or drive a vehicle.
FPV, which stands for First Person View, is where the ground pilot is controlling the drone as if they were onboard, often with the use of FPV Goggles. Instead of looking up at the sky to fly the drone, you are flying by looking at the live broadcast that the drone camera provides on a smart controller, mobile device, or goggles.
A racing drone can be great fun, as these are built for speed.
Some drones for kids have cameras, and others do not. You can choose from durable drones or quadcopters that have no recording capability. The drones without cameras are primarily built for stunts, flips, and tricks.
Selfie drones are great for recreational use and perfect for taking selfie photos from a variety of vantage points. You can choose from a variety of different sizes or foldable options as well.
Many options are available with a wide variety of price ranges. Drones for kids start at $24.99, while commercial drones are typically more expensive, ranging from $1890 to more than $15k.
Is it difficult to fly a drone?
This depends greatly upon which drone you choose to buy. UAV's range from being fairly easy to fly, to somewhat difficult to fly.
Commercial drones and professional drones:
Many higher-end drones have excellent features that will assist you in flying your quadcopter. For example, some drones have automatic take-off and landing features, that enable you to simply touch a button on the remote or your mobile device to launch your drone or make it land in an open space below.
An extremely helpful feature is the drone's ability to hover in mid-air if you let go of the control. This means that if you are flying and you are confused or don't like the direction you're headed, simply let go of the control sticks and the UAV will float and stay in its place until you take control again.
Another feature of professional drones allows you to select automatic waypoints so the quadcopter will use GPS to navigate. In this case there is no need for you to control the UAV at all.
Lower-end consumer drones:
Some of the cheaper drones on the market can be more difficult to fly because they have fewer features. Therefore, these require more practice and more skill. We recommend you err on the side of caution, especially when you fly your drone for the first time.
Drones for kids:
Many drones for kids are designed for beginners, so these can be great for learning how to fly drones. Many are built to be durable and can withstand minor crashes. While these have very few features, the controls are simpler than professional drones. If you're looking into buying your first drone, there are many available for less than $100.
How long can drones fly?
Most drones for kids can fly for 5-15 minutes, while many drones by DJI can fly for up to 30 minutes. The Autel Evo II boasts up to 40 minutes of flight time. Often the drone bundles include 2 or 3 batteries, which can extend your flight time.
Do you need to have a pilot's license to fly a drone legally?
For most drones you do not need to have a pilot’s license in order to fly it legally. All you need is an FAA registration. If you plan on flying commercial drones, then you do need to have a pilot’s license.
What are the FAA regulations for flying drones?
As of January 2020, the FAA requires all new drone owners to register each drone that is purchased weighing between 0.55lbs to 55lbs. Click here to register your drone.
Is there any place where I am not allowed to fly my drone?
You cannot fly your drone above 400 feet, in national parks, at public events, over stadiums, within 5 miles of airports, near the White House, over people, or anywhere else that will endanger you or someone else.
Do you offer any accidental insurance?
Yes, we are an authorized CPS dealer (Consumer Priority Service). You can purchase extended warranties or accidental insurance to protect your drone from spills, drops, crashes, power surges, and damage from dust, heat, or humidity. CPS is the #1 ranked extended warranty service and offers protection for up to five years. If your unit cannot be repaired, it will be replaced. Contact us for more details.
Regarding DJI thermal drones for commercial applications:
Are you able to view, tilt, and pan the Boson FLIR camera while the drone is in flight?
No, for the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Zoom with a FLIR Boson Thermal Camera, you will need to pick the angle you want when you order the drone, as there is no gimbal with it. These custom thermal solutions take about 5 business days to prepare prior to shipment.
Do the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise and Mavic 2 Pro use the same batteries?
These batteries are interchangeable, but the operating temperature is different. The Enterprise Series batteries are self-heating. The Mavic 2 Pro (consumer series) batteries are not self-heating. So if you will be operating the enterprise drone in cold environments with Mavic 2 Pro batteries, you will need to run it for a few minutes to heat it up before sending it on a mission.
Are you able to view the FLIR thermal imaging on the DJI controller while airborne?
Yes. There is a separate screen where the system transmits the FLIR images. One screen is for your mobile device which shows feedback from the original gimbal, and the other screen shows the feedback for the thermal images.
