What belongs in a pre-flight check?

Most incidents can be prevented on the ground. A pre-flight check takes five minutes and consists of three stages.

Before travelling: Planning

• Check the operating location in the dipul map – geographical zones, airfields and nature conservation areas.
• Obtain the necessary permits and authorisations, and take the confirmations with you.
• Check the weather for the planned time window, not for the whole day.
• Clarify consent for the take-off and landing site.
• Charge the batteries, clear the memory cards and check the firmware version – do not update on the day of operation.

At the operating location: Equipment and surroundings

• Visual inspection: check the propellers for notches and cracks and ensure they are firmly seated; inspect the housing and cables, ensure the gimbal moves freely and remove the protective cover.
• Battery securely locked in place, with sufficient charge on both the drone and remote controller.
• Check the compass and IMU status – especially if you have travelled a long distance or are standing near metal structures.
• Wait for satellite reception before taking off.
• Take-off and landing areas clear; barriers or an assistant in place.
• Check the surroundings: overhead power lines, masts, trees, people nearby and the direction of escape in an emergency.

Immediately before take-off: Settings

• Set the return-to-home altitude to the highest obstacle in the area plus a safety margin. The most common avoidable accident occurs when the drone climbs into a tree during an automatic return.
• Check the behaviour in the event of signal loss and critical battery level – see Failsafe.
• Home point set and plausible.
• Obstacle detection activated or deliberately deactivated as appropriate for the operation.
• Brief hover test at two metres: Does the drone respond correctly on all axes?

Anyone who flies regularly should print out this checklist or keep it as a template in the flight log. We practise these exact procedures in our practical training sessions – using your equipment and in your operating environment.