Overview:

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that are controlled remotely or can fly autonomously using pre  programmed flight plans. They come in various shapes and sizes and are used in a wide range of industries   including photography   videography   agriculture   construction   and the military. Drones are equipped with various sensors and cameras that capture data and images   which can be analyzed to gather valuable insights. However   drones also raise privacy and safety concerns   especially when flown near airports or other restricted areas. Regulations and guidelines are in place to ensure that drones are used safely and responsibly.

Everything You Need to know About Drones

Greatly appreciated by some while others remain wary and question themselves… drones fascinate. What is more normal ? Being able to pilot a machine without being directly inside it was science fiction not so long ago. Reserved for military domains for almost 100 years   drones have been used for civilian purposes for about ten years.

From a simple toy to a powerful tool for aerial photography   drones are multiplying and diversifying. Innovation makes it possible to create useful drones in many fields : rescue   journalism   agriculture   etc.

If you want to learn more about these aircraft that are increasingly revolutionizing our daily lives and even some of our professions   you've come to the right place! We suggest that you read our dossier on drones so that they no longer have any secrets for you!

Definition of a drone   its different uses   learning to fly it   or even the regulations to respect: we tell you everything!

What is a drone?

So let is start at the beginning and see together what characterizes a drone.

Drone   UAV   RPAS: definitions

Drones refer to remotely piloted machines   whether flying   terrestrial or even amphibious.

In English   the terms used to describe drones are acronyms: UAV for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or UAS for Unmanned Aerial System when its equipment is on board. We can also speak of RPAS which is a synonym simply excluding autonomous vehicles. In short   do not panic if you come across these terms.

What is a drone made of?

To simplify as much as possible   a drone is made up of 3 main parts :

• A chassis.

• A propulsion system.

• A flight controller.

The chassis (or frame) is a bit like the skeleton of the drone. It can take different forms according to the models and according to its number of arms. Thus   there are tricopter   quadcopter   hexacopter   etc. drones. Aluminum   plastic   carbon fiber or even wood   the frame can really vary depending on the drone model.

The propulsion system is made up of motors   more precisely called rotors   propellers   electric speed controllers (ESC) and a battery.

The flight controller is used to manage the propulsion system based on onboard sensors and pilot commands.

RTF   BNF   PNF   ARF: how to find your way around?

If you've ever researched buying a drone   you may have come across these terms referring to a specific type of drone:

• RTF for Ready To Fly.

• BNF for Bind and Fly.

• PNF for Plug and Fly.

• ARF for Almost Ready to Fly.

RTF drone models are the ones that require the fewest steps before you can fly. They are therefore recommended for beginners. Everything is provided in the box when you buy an RTF drone   including the radio control. Only a few actions such as charging the batteries of the drone   its radio control and its possible immersion helmet will have to be carried out to be able to fly its drone.

BNF drone models are almost complete. Only the radio is not supplied with a drone of this type: practical for pilots who already have a radio control.

PNF drones are only supplied with their main structure more or less assembled   i.e. the propellers   motors and controllers. It will be necessary to obtain a radio receiver   a radio control   batteries and a charger to complete the drone.

Finally   ARF drones are the least provided drones   benefiting only from their basic structure. These models are appreciated by pilots wishing to customize the drone themselves in DIY.

Who invented the drone?

Who had this crazy idea   one day   to invent the first drone? It is that damn... Max Boucher ! On July 2   1917    a little over a century ago   he succeeded in getting a plane to take off over a distance of 1000 meters.

At that time   all the great powers were looking for a way to carry out air missions without having to risk the lives of their pilots. The roots of the drone are therefore deeply military before gradually extending to the civilian domain.

It will indeed be necessary to wait until the 2010s to see the first real leisure drones appear    largely driven by the arrival of action cams   these sports cameras capable of capturing the most extreme exploits. Combined with the chassis of the drone   pilots now have the possibility of photographing and filming from the air!

The capabilities of a drone

Drones have evolved a lot today and are capable of real feats. The capabilities of the most successful models are constantly improving.

Thus   a drone is capable of:

To reach a high flight height even if this cannot be verified in France since the maximum altitude is limited to 120 meters at best.

To have autonomy   that is to say a maximum flight time of about half an hour for the most efficient .

To reach amazing speeds. A record of 375 km/h was reached by the specialist in the genre   quadmovr!

The remaining points to work on are the carrying capacity and the wind resistance. Indeed   most drones can only carry objects of a few kilos with them   which still prevents the possibility of making substantial deliveries by drone.

Even if some models are very resistant to rain    the wind remains a problem especially on the lightest models.

The various functions of a drone

What can a drone be used for ? With the diversification of the primary function of the military drone   manufacturers have made it possible to develop very different models. Thus   the use and uses of drones in the world today are multiple.

Thanks to on  board cameras   drones can be used in particular:

• Journalists wishing to offer aerial views to their readers or viewers.

• To filmmakers in cinema and videographers.

• To tourist offices to promote a site or territory.

• To the police and emergency services to search for people.

• Farmers to monitor their fields   monitor the vines or monitor the herds .

Thus more and more people are using drone pilots to carry out aerial missions. Notice to people considering a professional retraining: drone pilot is a new specialty which makes it possible to enrich the practice of many trades!

Learn to fly a drone

Is it easy to fly a drone ? It is true that civilian drones are all the more popular as they do not require long training to take control of the device and be able to pilot it. Nevertheless   an apprenticeship and a few hours of training will be necessary in order to master a drone.

The first advice we could give you is to start on a scale model   a mini drone . Due to its small size   you will be able to handle it much more easily and you can also train indoors in a less cluttered room (see also: what to do with a mini drone? ).

Takeoff   landing   going forwards and backwards   turning: train yourself to perform increasingly complex manipulations so that you can always control your drone a little better. A precise landing or regaining control after turning the drone on itself will be a sign that you are no longer quite a beginner.

Finally   we can only advise you to participate in the community of passionate pilots. Whether on blogs   forums or on YouTube   there are many pilots who can inspire and advise you.

FPV: immersive flight

Have you heard of FPV Racing? The First Person View (first person view) is yet another use of the drone: that of immersion flight !

Equipped with specific glasses   a screen or a helmet   the pilots benefit from a view as if they were on board their drone. Which is cut for the race   capable of performing acrobatic figures: the thrills are then at the rendezvous. It is even possible to connect several headphones to the channel so that people other than the pilot can view what the drone captures using its on  board camera.

A real sport   there is even a drone world championship !

Regulations specific to drones in France

Using a drone in your garden    is it possible? Like any practice   piloting a drone is subject to French regulations. Indeed   to preserve everyone is safety   it is not possible to do anything with your drone. Thus   a drone pilot in France cannot:

Exceed a maximum altitude of 120 m . Beyond that   it would reenter the airspace.

Fly over public spaces in built  up areas   areas reserved for inhabited aviation (airport   aerodrome   etc.) and sensitive areas (nuclear power station   military base   etc.).

Perform flights at night.

Filming people without their consent.

It is good to remember that in case of damage   the pilot is responsibility will then be engaged. We therefore strongly advise you to check that your multi  risk insurance covers you if you want to start flying a drone   and take out one if necessary.

Drones over 800 grams must be registered on the official AlphaTango website and broadcast an electronic report remotely for the total duration of the flight.

The main brands of drones

The civilian drone market is growing more and more   and a few brands are now benchmarks. Let is take a look at the main drone manufacturers.

The first place goes unquestionably to the Chinese brand DJI . Mavic   Avata   Spark   Phantom: there are countless models that have stood out and won over pilots. The figures prove it quite well: 70% of the global drone market is dominated by the Chinese giant.

Of course   other brands offer quite remarkable drones like Autel Robotics    Yuneec   PowerVision   BetaFPV   Flywoo   T  Motor or Happymodel    to name a few.

The best drones so far

Difficult to make a classification   as the functions of each model depend on the desired use of the driver. Nevertheless   some models stand out and are greatly appreciated by the greatest number. If you are looking for a safe bet    you can therefore turn to:

• The DJI Mavic (and its variations).

• The DJI Avata and the DJI FPV

• BetaFPV is Pavo30

• BetaFPV is Cetus X