Do you want to fly a drone in the Chinese New Year? First you need to avoid these pitfalls

The Chinese New Year is approaching, many people are planning to take a drone trip, take family photos or shoot some beautiful scenery, but there're few things need to be noticed before travelling.

The first point: The flyers can go back to hometown but the drones won’t be able to.

If you are planning to fly home or if you want to take advantage of this holiday to fly out for a bit of tourism, then the first problem you need to solve is how to take a drone on board? Or you can say how to get a drone on board safely and smoothly.

At present, most domestic flights have clear regulations on carrying batteries: 1. Passengers are not allowed to carry lithium batteries in their checked baggage on board, but they can carry them with them; 2. The limit of batteries that can be carried with them is 100Wh, and they can be carried on board without declaration; 3. Batteries larger than 160Wh cannot be brought on board, so if you must use them, you can contact a courier company to have them delivered in advance. Be sure to choose a larger and reliable courier company and discharge the lithium battery before posting to prevent spontaneous combustion.

What if the drone remote control cannot be checked in? If, at the time of check-in, the security officer points out that the remote control of the aircraft contains lithium batteries that cannot be checked in, there are two ways to deal with this: 1. take out the remote control and bring it on board; 2. ask the security staff to call the senior leader of the security office and explain to the senior leader that the remote control battery is built-in and cannot be removed, and that the remote control will be checked for safety, which can usually be done smoothly.

Of course, the rules may vary slightly from airport to airport, so it is advisable to check online or call the airline directly before departure to avoid stepping on the wrong side of the line.

The second point: good choice of location, less hassle for aerial photography

First of all, when choosing a location for aerial photography, don't just focus on the beauty of the scenery and the small number of people, you also need to check whether the flight location is in a no-fly zone or a restricted flight zone. Also, during the Chinese New Year holidays, there will inevitably be people around, especially children, so when choosing a take-off or landing site, we must pay attention to the surrounding crowd to avoid paddle scratches.

The Chinese New Year is of course a time for fireworks and drones can be used to great effect, but there are a number of areas that need attention when filming. First of all, you need to make sure that the shooting location is open and that the GPS signal of the drone is sufficient, otherwise the drone will have problems and be uncontrolled, which will easily cause accidents. Lastly, don't get too close to the fireworks for the sake of photo shooting or it won’t be worth it if the fireworks blow up.

The third point: Prepare early for rain, snow and cold weather

Pay special attention to the temperature of the battery when flying the drone in winter. Remember to always fully charge the battery before use to ensure it is at a high voltage. If possible use a battery preheater to fully preheat the battery to above 20 degrees to reduce the internal resistance of the battery. Alternatively, keep the aircraft hovering for a minute or so after take-off to allow the battery to use internal heat to warm itself up sufficiently. In severe cold weather, avoid long flight times and keep a close eye on the battery during the flight. This is because cold temperatures will reduce the efficiency of the battery and the range will be reduced.

Of course it is obvious that drones are not suitable for flying in rain, snow and hail. So when you are ready to take off and there is only a scattering of drizzle, do not risk taking off, check the weather forecast and pay attention to the probability of precipitation and the intensity of precipitation therein, or wait in place for a few moments before making a decision. If you encounter strong rain or snow during the flight, return immediately to protect the drone and wait for the weather to clear before taking off.

All in all, wish you all the best of luck and prosperity during the coming Chinese New Year holidays.