Ask Drone U

UK-Based Research Agency Highlights the Growing Acceptance of Law Enforcement Drones, Renault’s Flying Car Retails at a Whopping 4 Million Euros, Dronut – the Drone Without Propellers Our first story is a heartening one for drone enthusiasts. It's about law enforcement drones. A research report by a leading UK-based agency highlighted a startling 68% acceptance rate for the usage of drones in law...

Learn the Nuances of Setting Up and Managing a Successful Drone Business Today’s show is about setting up and managing a successful drone business WITHOUT quitting your day job. Our caller for Billy is keen on setting up his drone business. However, he does not want to quit his full-time, W-2 job till he has established himself in the industry and built up a steady stream of work. To help Billy ou...

Drone U Producer - Editor, Steve Delasantos, on livin' the drone life. In this Black Friday - Cyber Monday special episode we have a discussion with Drone U's Producer - Editor Steve Delasantos on his experience flying drones, his work with Drone U and how pilots can achieve success in the drone world. We start off discussing Steve's encounter with a fellow drone pilot on showcasing the best pract...

Mac or Windows? Laptops or Desktops? What are some of the best options for drone pilots? Today’s show is about the best computer options available for drone pilots. Our caller for today, Cody is, of course, a drone pilot who is scouting for the best and most affordable computer system. So, what are some of the main things that Cody should consider when buying a computer for his drone business? How...

Hyundai makes some major strides Urban Air Mobility, Space Tourism receives a fillip, Who are the top drone manufacturers in the world and so much more…. This week’s drone news is about all the latest developments in the drone industry, from urban air mobility to racing leagues. In this week’s drone news show, our first story is on urban air mobility. With automobile major, Hyundai announcing thei...

Which are the best drones for flying over people? What are the drone laws for flying over people? Today’s show is about flying drones over people. Specifically, our caller for today, Bryan would like to know if there are any drones available in the market that comply with all the regulatory requirements for flying over people. Great question, Bryan. And certainly, not a straightforward one. We sta...

Working “On” Your Drone Business, Getting Clients from the Internet, and How to Overcome Your Fear of Cold Calling Our caller for today, Cristian is worried about the impact of the upcoming winter on his drone business. With solar inspection and mapping jobs likely to dry up, Cristian is wondering how he can sustain his business in this “lean period”. On today’s show, you will learn the importance...

DJI Mavic 3 Sneak Peek – Why this New DJI Drone Fails to Impress, and the Fallout of the Failed Drone Attack on US Power Grid This week’s drone news is about the DJI Mavic 3. Will DJI continue its stellar run with this new drone? We take a good, hard look at this new DJI offering, share some latest updates, and discuss how some missing, critical features might stave off many potential buyers. Spec...

Drone Battery Maintenance | Expert Tips for Improving Drone Battery Life Today’s show is about drone battery maintenance. What are some best practices for using your drone batteries and prolonging life? Our caller for today, Todd works in a fire department and manages a large fleet of drones. Todd’s question is about drone battery maintenance. Owing to the nature of his job, Todd needs to make sur...

Autonomous Drones and the Pressing Need to Revamp Drone Laws, Skydio Updates, Working Upcoming Drone Conference in Houston, DJI News In this week's drone news show, we focus on autonomous drones, and the pressing need to introduce new drone laws that are in alignment with the rapid technological strides. In our first story, we discuss the recommendations made by a UK-based research agency to monit...

How to Create More Accurate Drone Maps and Models Today’s show is about drone mapping. Our caller for today, Eduardo wishes to specifically know if using a GNSS rover and marking GCP points can improve the accuracy of his drone mapping deliverables. To help Eduardo out, we first clear up some fundamentals of drone mapping. Topics discussed here include the difference between relative accuracy and...

How Can Drone U Help You Learn Accident Reconstruction? Our caller for today, Marcus has come up with an interesting question that has not been asked on Ask Drone U before. Marcus’s question is about drone accident reconstruction. Specifically, Marcus wishes to know how Drone U can help him master this specific skill set? On today’s show, we share some interesting details about our PROPS program....

Happy Halloween, folks! But today's show is not about trick or treating or putting on your scariest costumes. We have an important update to share today. A massive solar storm is expected to hit the United States anytime now. Now, if you are like most people, you are probably wondering, "How can that possibly affect me as a drone pilot?" Valid question. This solar storm may impact GPS signals whic...

Drone U Members! Don’t miss this special, Members-Only show with long-time DU member and advanced drone pilot, Tom Powers. The main topics for today’s show are pricing and strategies for maximizing business revenues. It is difficult to get real-world, accurate insights about these topics. And so, we are grateful to Tom for helping the community. Specifically, this is what you will learn today: Wha...

New MacBook Pro – A Boon for Content Makers, FCC Places Greater Restrictions on DJI, Heavy-Lift Drones Our first story is about the latest Macbook Pro launch by Apple and if the new laptop will suit content makers with its latest features and updates. Our second news story is about the ongoing tussle between DJI and the US government. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the agency should take steps...

New Additions to Blue sUAS List Gives a Fillip to American Drone Manufacturers, Police Drones – Chula Vista PD to use AirData, Drone Delivery Updates Our first story is particularly heartening for American drone manufacturers. Will the addition of 5 new manufacturers to the Blue sUAS list ease up availability and boost the American drone market? Our next story is about police drones. To ensure tra...

Drone Rules and Regulations - How to Interpret Them and Effectively Communicate with Law Enforcement Officers Today's show is about drone rules and regulations, and how to correctly interpret them. Our caller for today, Donald if in a fix. He wants to be a responsible, law-abiding drone pilot. But like many, he is confused by the airspace regulation language that is open to multiple interpretation...

How to Land Your Dream Contracts and Cash in MASSIVE profits from your Drone Business On today's show, we have Drone U student, Kevin Lederer who shares with us his exact success formula using which he landed his dream drone job with Amazon. Some years back, Kevin was sitting where you are right now - flying drones on the weekend, and doing a full-time job that he did not exactly love. He did not...

How to Prevent Data Loss and Recover Lost Pointcloud Data in Pix4D Today's show is about processing your drone mapping data. Specifically, we talk about recovering pointcloud data in Pix4D. Our caller for today, Martin, is unable to recover pointcloud data in Pix4D, and would like to know the best way forward.  We reveal the exact Pix4D workflow to help Martin out. If you are a drone mapper frustr...

Drone U Instructor, Tom Powers Opens Up His Business Playbook - Tune in to Learn How to Grow and Scale Your Drone Business by Executing Incredibly Lucrative Residential Mapping Projects Today’s show is a special one as we have Drone U Instructor, Tom Powers sharing with us his distilled wisdom on drone mapping, and growing and scaling a drone business. You will learn how demand for drone mapping h...

Drone Mapping Software Recommendations - Pix4D vs. Maps Made Easy Today's show is about different drone mapping software alternatives.  Pix4D is widely considered the gold standard of drone mapping. But, are there any other options that are equally good yet more affordable? Our caller for today, Christian is wondering if there are any affordable alternatives to Pix4D. To help him out, we discuss a...

Getting Started in Drone Mapping, Recommended Mapping Workflows, Pix4D vs. DroneDeploy vs. CaptureReality Today's show is about starting and scaling a drone mapping business even if you are a limited budget.  Our caller for today, Brandon wishes to move to drone mapping - an industry vertical which can be incredibly lucrative for drone pilots possessing the right skillsets. But, Brandon wishes to...

Drone Business Secrets REVEALED - Interview with Drone U Student, Glenn Labay Today's show is a special one as we interview Glenn Labay of Aerial Camera Services LLC who shares with us his distilled wisdom on growing and scaling a drone business. Glenn, a Drone U student owns a thriving aerial photography and videography business. He reflects back on his entrepreneurial journey and reveals some of...

How to Unlock Your DJI Drone, Get Necessary Flight Waivers (Without Hacking or LAANC) Today's show is about getting flight approvals without going through DJI's application system or LAANC. Our caller for today, Jared, would like to custom hack his DJI drone so that he does not have to deal with DJI red zones. On today's show, we reveal various alternatives to help Jared out. Specifically, you wil...

How to Buy the Best Enterprise-Level Drone for Mapping and Inspections Without Overshooting Your Budget Today's show is about purchasing the right drone for your business. Can you find a capable enterprise-level drone even if you are a tight budget? Our caller for today, Cody needs help purchasing a good drone for inspections, thermal imaging, and 3D mapping.  He wants to create exceptional delive...