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FTInspector

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I'd like to start out by saying hello to everyone on this community and thanks for taking the time to read my introduction.

hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. I'm completely new to drones and I'm looking to do a little bit of research before I buy my first drone. I'll try to keep it simple.


I'm starting a side business as a home inspector, and I was thinking about purchasing a drone to help in the inspection of roofs I will not be able to get on (weather, safety, too steep, inaccessible height, etc.). So, this is what I was thinking I needed in a drone and what I didn't:

What I need/ prefer (in order of importance):
1. A drone that has good maneuvering capabilities and is easy to fly for a newbie. I don't foresee a need to land on the roof or get super close to any structure for that matter, but I would like to be able to get reasonably close if I find an imperfection and photograph it. A drone that can stay as still as possible while I'm trying to inspect something or take a picture is important to me.
2. A drone that is user friend/ easy for a newbie to learn and figure out.
3. Has a decent camera that can see detail and take good enough pictures of roofs and problems to show to customers. If the drone has a flashlight to see things/take pictures in the night would be a huge plus (if this is actually a thing).
4. A relatively durable drone that may survive a few "oopsies" when I inevitably do something dumb.
5. A drone that can handle rain.
6. Affordability - I know that if you're on a budget you have to "settle" for lack of a better word, but at this moment I'm on a budget. I haven't figured out what I can afford to put towards a drone, but I need to keep it reasonable. I'm a newbie and I don't want to make a costly mistake as I learn and destroy an expensive drone. For the time being, I'd like a drone that is good enough to do what I need it to do and when I get more comfortable, I can upgrade to a fancy, expensive one in the future.
7. Reasonable Portability - I don't want a massive drone taking too much space in my car.

What I don't need:
1. A fast drone.
2. Range - I'm going to keep it within the property.
3. Height - I'm inspecting residential houses, not tall commercial buildings.
4. Super long battery - The roof inspection part should not take longer than 30 minutes. I'd rather put money towards having a second battery if anything.
 
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Greetings from Birmingham Alabama.
Look at the DJI Air 3 or 3s
 
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I'll try to keep it simple.

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA

You need to determine your budget for the Drone and any accessories (extra batteries, carrying case, etc…), you will need to acquire a Part 107 Certification to use the drone in your business…

As an example, if your Dear, old Grandmother asks you to use your "Drone thingy" to fly over her roof and check her gutters, you could not even do that…

Until you acquire a Part 107 Certification, you will need a TRUST Certification, FREE everywhere on-line (see below…) just to fly a drone to get familiar with the controls and learn how to handle it in tight quarters, Roof Valleys, Ridges, Chimneys, nearby trees, etc…

The Part 107 Certification Exam costs $175 and if you fail, that is not refundable… A lot of folks use the free YouTube Videos and claim they pass. However I would recommend the Pilot Institute course. I took their course, it's lifetime enrollment and I passed the exam without problem, so factor in that cost (the exam and the cost of any course you might take…)

As for a choice of Drone, I would recommend a DJI drone in spite of all the hub-bub of it being a Chinese Drone…

GO on line, watch lots of YouTube Videos of folks doing home inspections…

If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…). If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds), and while you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone. If your Drone weighs more than 250-grams (0.55 pounds), and even while you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are required to register your Drone.

Link to the TRUST Certificate at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)


Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)


If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…


Since you live in Mass, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.


Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a puppy or kitten opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 6- feet (2-meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Fly On and Fly Safe…
 

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