Drones are incredibly popular, everybody wants to have a drone these days. And I support you, they are fun to play with, you'll shoot great photographs and footage, go get one! But when you get a drone, you'll also need a variety of drone equipment in order to make your overall drone experience better. Extra drone accessories are wide ranging and also have diverse functions from acquiring more stable air travel or smoother camera control to protecting it from accidents or finding it when it flys away. Additional accessories can rеаllу hеlр in improving and іnсrеаѕіng thе еnthuѕіаѕm оf the drones. If you are lucky enough to own one of the best drones available today; Parrot Bebop 2, Yuneec Typhoon 4k or DJI's latest drone Phantom 4 Pro, you will soon realise the default accessories that come with the package can be improved or replaced.
Batteries would be at the top of my list to extend your flight time. A consumer level drone comes with around 20 to 25 minutes flight time on a single battery. Once you get the hang of your drone, you will certainly want to fly for more than 25 minutes, unless you want to wait around for an hour or so in between flights to charge the battery, have a few extra batteries. There are lots of highly effective electric batteries in the market for all drone models. If you plan to drone for an extended period, a quality 12v to 110v vehicle inverter may help you out with charging your drone from your car lighter.
Image Credit: Drone Tube
To get a good view while maintaining your drone through the remote controller, you'll need an Apple iPad, iPad mini or any android device that you can install the DJI Go app on. If you decide to use your smartphone for live video feed, you'll realise the screen is too small to have a distinctive look at what is going on up there and it's very uncomfortable, to say the least. Nvidia Shield K1, iPad Air 2 and Samsung Tablets give good results because of their high-speed processors. This will be the screen that'll provide you with what the digital camera is "seeing live" to get the video or picture angle you desire. You'll need the cellular type of iPad to make use of follow me function and to update your home position if you move around with the RC. It is not necessary to get a cellular contract for these functions to work, but the non-cellular iPad types don't have GPS chip included, which is the only thing required for follow me functionality.
ND filters are helpful to allow for lowering the shutter speed without turning up the F/#. Easy- twist variable ND2-4-8-16-32, and adjustable circular polarizer filters are great for adjusting according to sunlight. Drone filters are light-weight and most ND filters are protected with twelve layers of scratch and water-resistant coatings. Simple to mount, remove, and adjust.
Image Credit: author's own
Drone GPS trackers help you out with some of the biggest troubles a drone pilot goes trough; drone taking off and never coming back, and fatal crashes. Many drone pilots have watched their drone take off and never come back. If your drone loses connection with the RC, loses power or if you accidently drop it, a GPS tracker attached to your drone and a GPS tracking APP that works on your smartphone can guide you to your drone.
Getting hit or cut by a fan blade hurts a lot, and to be honest drone propellers are just large, high-tech fan blades. To avoid getting hurt propeller guards may help with protecting both you from the drone and the drone from minor accidents. Having propeller security guards available could also help make sure your UAV doesn't get caught on a tree branch or it doesn't lose orientation in case you bump it on a wall. Propeller guards are absolutely essential if you're in the beginning stages. But even expert UAV Pilots can crash their drones and then they'll have to buy new propellers. The thing is you don't actually know when will you crash your drone, and I hope you don't but you probably will.
Image Credit: author's own
Why spend up to £1,000-£1,500 on the drone but not protect it with a carry bag? Drones are delicate tech gadgets and it's easier than you think to break a drone. It'll be a big mistake if you go ahead and put your drone in your backpack or any other regular travelling bag. A good drone case should include some sort of foam cut-out cushion specifically for your model. Make sure it includes an adjustable pull handle for easy transport.
If you are just starting out; make a pre-flight checklist, check out the surface of the drone, the motors and the props, if they have any damage or cracks along the surface area the centre or the threads, if they do toss them and buy a new set.
Safe Flights!
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