5 Tips to Prevent DRONE FLYAWAYS

First off, what is a drone flyaway?

Well, if you have a smaller drone like a DJI Mavic Mini or Mini 2, you are more vulnerable for a flyway, but it can happen with any drone. However, if you follow the tips in this article (or video above), the chances of it happening are very slim. Let’s define flyaway: a flyaway is when the drone has a mind of its own and goes flying off and you lose control of the drone. It can go in any direction, and either crashes or flies off into the distance and you don't know where it is. There could be many reasons for this - usually loss of signal, there could be some interference, or the mode that you are flying the drone can cause the drone to do all different things. This will make a lot more sense with my tips, so let’s jump into it!

TIP #1: Update Firmware

My first tip is to update all your firmware - both on your device and then on your drone. You need to do it with everything. Let's say you got the Mavic Mini. You need to update the firmware on the actual Mavic Mini aircraft. Then you need to update the firmware on each battery. Then update the firmware on the remote controller. All three of those things, plus your device or phone. They all need firmware updates, and I would suggest that you update all your firmware before you leave the house. It is always a good idea to fully charge these items before performing firmware updates.

TIP #2: Compass Calibration

My next tip is to check your sensors, both with your compass and your IMU. There are different settings where it says good or excellent. You want it to say at least good or excellent. If it is anything worse than good or excellent, then you have a problem. By default, your IMU should be calibrated. Before each flight, however, I would recommend doing a compass calibration as this is one of the most important steps to prevent drone flyaways.

TIP #3: Return-to-Home Height

My next tip is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent drone flyaways. In the DJI Fly app (or DJI GO 4 app if you have an older DJI drone), click on the three dots in the upper righthand corner in the app. Under Safety, scroll down to Auto RTH Altitude, and adjust the return to home height with your finger. Make sure that the return-to-home height you set is higher than the highest obstacle, building, tree, etc. where you are flying because the drone will rise up to the height you set first, and then fly to the home point.

TIP #4: Wind Speed

Before taking off, check the wind speed, and make sure it is not faster than the maximum speed that the drone can fly. Keep in mind that in general, the higher your altitude, the faster the wind speed, and the faster the wind gusts. Wind gusts are sudden bursts of wind that difficult to predict. This happened to me, so I am going to tell my story so that you understand it better, and you do not make the same mistake. I wanted to get a quick shot with my Mavic Mini as the sun was going down. I did not have much time and I did not have time to charge my batteries, which was another mistake that I could have easily avoided. My battery was about 60 percent full, so I took off and the wind was about 29 miles per hour at about 200 feet up. I could have gone to UAV Forecast, an app on my phone, and just looked and seen that the wind profile at 200 feet was 30 miles an hour, or about the same speed that the Mavic Mini can fly in sport mode (max speed). I flew with the wind and I got the shot I wanted with about 45 percent battery left. I was a half mile away. I could barely see the drone, which was another mistake, but again I was rushing and these are typical mistakes when you start rushing. So I got the shot, and needed to turn my drone back. But now I was coming back into the wind. Because the Mavic Mini is so light and it only flies 29 miles per hour and the wind was blowing 29 miles per hour, even trying to flay at full speed, my drone was just staying in place. It was not moving. That is when I felt a sigh of panic. The battery was draining because it was going into the wind. I could not lower my drone because there were some trees around, and it would have hit those trees. So I had to keep my drone at that height in order to not hit those trees. So this was my other problem - I could not lower it down where the wind was not quite as fast because there were trees and roads next to it, both problematic. However, I noticed that near the edge of the road, it was someone's yard. So I lowered the drone down because it got so low, around 20 percent battery left and the sun was going down and it would be dark soon. I landed on this little piece of grass next to the road, maybe a couple feet over so I knew exactly where I landed my drone. Then I looked at my map and went over there and retrieved my drone. Thankfully, there was no problem. However, that could have been disastrous had the wind been a little faster. So long story short, know the maximum speed that your drone can fly, and know the wind speed for that day. If your drone flies maximum 29 miles per hour, make sure the wind speed is much lower - about 20 mph or less, 25 mph max. And remember that going back into the wind, your drone’s battery is going to drain much faster. Thus, make sure you have enough battery life to return home.

TIP #5: Battery Life Above 50% When RTH

My next tip is to make sure that you have 50 percent or more battery life when returning home. Sometimes, especially if you are flying really far, you could have difficulty returning home. It could be a drone with long range. For example, the Mavic Air 2S. You are flying two miles away. I know I said before keep it in the line-of-sight, but sometimes it is still within the line of sight, it is just really hard to see that far. But let’s say you are in this scenario. Then you need to fly it back, but the wind changed direction and you have to fly back into the wind, which will drain your battery. In addition, there is a lot of lakes and water around. You were not prepared and now you have a situation here. So just make sure that your battery is at least 50 percent when returning home, especially when flying far. Use the use the app that I mentioned before - UAV Forecast. This app will tell you the wind profile at different altitudes, and this will help you a lot to avoid getting in the situation just described.

FREE Drone Training

I hope you found these tips helpful. Whether you fly with the Mavic Mini, the Mavic Air 2S, or whatever drone you fly - knowledge is more important than the actual drone. The skills that you have are more important that the gear you have. So if you want to fly with more confidence, or you want to become a professional drone pilot, I created a course called DJI Drone Pro that will teach you everything you need - from picking the right drone, to all the accessories, to all my secrets and little tips like those in this article, but obviously much more in-depth, with nearly 40 videos and growing, with updated videos each month. I also show you how to find the right music, how to color grade your footage, and various other things that will help you fly with confidence, and turn your drone into a career if you choose to do so.

If you want to get a taste of this course, I created a FREE 30-minute training that reveals my Top 7 Secrets for Flying DJI Drones. You can access that by clicking here. Whether you want to watch that free training or join the full course - in the course, I also include 5 more tips for preventing flyaways, so there is much more information in the actual course.

Fly Like a Pro!

~ Brett