If you have just bought your first drone, congratulations! You are going to have tons of fun or even start a business with that small device. However, before you can do any of that, you will need to learn to safely fly it.

In this article, we are going to give you some tips on how to fly your new drone safely. You will also learn how to use your drone for photography, follow your state’s rules and regulations for the use of drones, and avoid crashes.

Follow the drone laws in your state

Before you start flying your drone around, make sure to read all the rules and regulations in your state. When it comes to aerial photography, you will need to be very careful when you snap a photo because in most states, it is illegal to take aerial pictures of private properties.

The good news is that for sweeping aerial photos, you no longer have to buy complex aircraft or pieces of equipment. You will only need a high-quality DSLR drone. So, check out this post on the best drone for DSLR photography if you still have no clue about what to look for in such UAVs. There you will find five of the best DSLR drones, specs, flight times, and Amazon ratings.

It is worth noting that owning a drone comes with great responsibility. Although you can have a lot of fun with it, make sure that you are not breaking any rules. You can take pictures inside your home first to see how the drone works.

Avoid obstacles

Another important thing you should keep in mind is that the risk of crashing your drone increases when you fly it in a crowded place or in a location with lots of obstacles. Avoid trees, powerlines, people, and other obstacles especially when you are a beginner. You can also read the EASA’s first formal Opinion on how to fly small drones safely in Europe. The document includes a section with the do’s and don’ts of flying the quadcopters.

Also, make sure that you don’t fly your drone under a bridge because they tend to lose signal and they will go into home-return mode which might cause a crash.

Choose good weather

If you want to fly the drone outside, it is best to wait until it is a dry and there are no strong winds. It is extremely difficult to fly a drone on a windy day. Even professional drones have some problems keeping their stability when the wind is too strong.

Rain is a totally different problem. Always avoid wet days. It doesn’t matter if the rain has just stopped. The moisture in the atmosphere can ruin your drone. For a better flying experience, we recommend a dry and sunny day with no wind (if possible). This way, you will have better control of your quadcopter.

Stay away from certain places

There are a few places that you should steer clear of. One of those places is the airport. If you have an airport nearby and you want to take photos of airplanes, we recommend taking them from a distance, with a regular camera. Drones are not allowed near airports because they can get in the way of airplanes.

Also, never go near a military base with your drone because the U.S. Department of Defense has authorized military base leaders to shoot down any drones that fly over the bases.

Maintain visual line of sight of the drone

While you have to keep the drone within its range (50m-1km), you will also have to keep it within your visual line of sight. If you can no longer see, you should at least see the obstacle(s) between you and the drone. When the drone is too far, you can lose signal, or the battery can run out of juice, and that is when crashes happen.

Conclusion

These are just some tips on how to fly your drone safely and avoid any incidents. Before you actually start to fly your drone, we recommend reading the instruction manual. There you will also find FQA which can help you when you have a minor problem with the quadcopter.

Remember to always keep the drone near you and never fly it near airports or military bases. Also, another important thing is the privacy of others. Don’t fly the small unmanned aircraft over the house of your neighbors or over other people unless you have permission to do so.