As someone inexperienced with drones and anything related to robotics, I was reluctant to fly the big drone before experimenting with Brandon’s pocket drone quad copter first. For this reason, I documented the flights of other group members using images and video. Mindy’s flight, embedded at the bottom of the post, was how I envisioned mine would play out; needless to say I’m not skilled in this dimension.
When flying the drone upstairs, Fred was eager to supply the group with safety information while demonstrating how to use the remote control. Once the safety checks were completed, the drone operator declared “clear prop” before taking off in order to ensure everyone was aware of the flight and would not enter the drone’s path.
After listening to Fred, I felt more comfortable with where the project was headed, and I left with a checklist and detailed precautions in my notebook. I learned that if you haven’t flown the drone in a while, you should complete checks regarding the power module, battery, propellers, micro USB, flight conditions, and wires.
At the end of class, I was able to take Brandon’s pocket drone into the back room of the lab to see the little green guy work its magic. Getting the drone in the air was the easy part, but keeping a steady movement and height in such a small space was challenging.
The hand-on experience taught me more about UAVs as a whole, as well. Trial and error is the key to a successful flight. Sometimes the drone needs recalibration, and other times it needs a compass dance where it’s turned on all six sides for alignment. If the drone’s plate has vibrations, the propellers are unbalanced and can be tightened with tweezers.
The next steps for our group include purchasing the materials, waiting for them to arrive, and beginning construction of the drone.
By Taylor Kahny