Altitude University Pre, During, & Post Drone Flight Checklist

Here at Altitude, drone safety is always our number one priority, ensuring a safe flight from the ground up, and that all missions are flown in Part 107 Compliance. Our safety procedures and checklists for pilots include Pre-Flight (Offsite, before leaving the house or office), Pre-Flight (Onsite, before taking off onsite at your mission), In-Flight, and Post-Flight.

Altitude Drone Pilot Pre-flight Checklist (Offsite)

1. Check sectional charts for any unexpected airspace authorizations that may be required.
2. Check for NOTAMs and TFRs that may affect flight.
3. Check the current and forecasted weather of the closest airport to the specific flight area.
4. Ensure you have your drone and inspect for any visible damage.
5. Ensure you have enough batteries for your fight and make sure they are all charged.
6. Ensure you have propellers and they are in working order.
7. Ensure you have at least two microSD cards with at least 10GB of free storage on each.
8. Ensure you the RC remote is present and charged.
9. Ensure iPad/iPhone is packed and fully charged.
10. Ensure you have functioning lightning to USB cable (iPhone/iPad charging cord) packed.
11. Check that firmware is up to date for drones, controllers, batteries and flight computers.
12. Complete final drone box check to ensure everything previously checked off is packed in box that is being taken to flight.
13. Ensure Drone Deploy is downloaded to your device you will be flying with. Make sure the appropriate flight path is ready to go.
14. Ensure Ground Control Points, as well as construction safety equipment, are in good condition and ready for the mission.

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Altitude Drone Pilot Pre-flight Checklist (Onsite)

1. Clear of all no-fly zones
2. Make note of flight obstructions
3. Establish a takeoff/landing area
4. Identify secondary landing zone
5. Clear bystanders
6. Check KP index and weather conditions
7. Confirm weather conditions permit a safe flight
8. Inspect drone for any damage or lose fasteners
9. Tablet/phone batteries charged
10. Controller battery charged
11. Drone battery charged
12. Props securely attached
13. Micro SD card formatted and inserted
14. Remove gimbal lock from drone
15. Place drone on clean level ground or landing pad
16. Connect tablet/phone to the controller
17. Power up controller and tablet/phone
18. Place tablet/phone into airplane mode
19. Turn volume up to maximum level on tablet/phone
20. Adjust controller antennas to ensure they are parallel
21. Start flight app
22. Power on battery/drone
23. Check the connection between controller and drone
24. Check the status of batteries
25. Check IMU calibration
26. Calibrate compass
27. Ensure "PAF" switch is set to "P" unless needed otherwise
28. Ensure GPS lock is active
29. Recheck flight path
30. Take-off with battery facing operator
31. Continue with the flight plan

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Altitude Drone Pilot Ground Control Point Guidelines (Onsite)

Count to the number of GCPs you have

1. For most flights 5 GCPs are sufficient
2. Place the first GCP
3. Place this GCP close the landing area

Activate the GCP

Altitude Drone Pilot In-flight Guidelines

1. Confirm the expected flight plan.
2. Safely start and takeoff UAS.
3. Hover close for 20 seconds - look/listen for UAS defects.
4. If a flight plan is autonomous ignore the hover but still look/listen for possible UAS defects
5. Keep UAS in Visual Line of Sight throughout the entire mission.
6. Visual line of sight must be maintained without visual aids e.g. binoculars
7. Monitor and keep track of battery levels throughout the entire mission.
8. Monitor signal strength throughout the entire mission.
9. Bring back UAS with a safe amount of battery life to return and land.

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Altitude Drone Pilot Post-flight Checklist

1. Turn off Aircraft
2. Remove and inspect Propellers
3. Remove and inspect propellers for defects & perform maintenance as necessary.
4. Check the hull for defects
5. Do a check of the hull for defects or issues after the flight. Identify areas for maintenance as needed.
6. Remove Battery and inspect
7. Remove Camera and inspect
8. Put aircraft, remote, and batteries back into the case.

As we have stated before, our licensed drone operators here at Altitude University cannot stress enough how important it is to be Part 107 Licensed before conducting any commercial drone flight. Receiving a drone license will allow you to avoid large fines implemented by the FAA and will make you a MUCH safer pilot in order to acquire and retain clients in the future.

High-Level Overview of AU's Online Part 107 Test Prep Course

Until August 29, 2016 the rules and regulations in the U.S. were mostly unstructured in terms of the legality of flying UAV’s. Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made many strides in making flying drones legal and far safer.

The Altitude University Online Part 107 Course is a test prep course aimed to help drone enthusiasts pass the exam and acquire their FAA Remote Pilot's Certificate (better known as Part 107 License) that will allow you to legally make money flying drones. 

Read the full review...

The program has been created by Brandon Trentalange who is one of the most popular entrepreneurs in the drone industry. He has over 6+ years of experience flying drones as a professional drone pilot, has consulted top corporations like NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Syngenta, and helped over 2,000+ drone operators start a career in the industry.

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Find more information about why you should become licensed in our blog post Drone License 101: Is Acquiring the Part Drone License Right For You? 

And if you are ready to take the exam to refer to our Step-By-Step Guide to Taking the Part 107 Drone License Exam. 

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