A preflight checklist is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a codified list of items that you’re going through before each one of your drone flights.

This is something that manned aircraft pilots have been using for decades, and we are bringing this methodology and safety mindset into the unmanned aircraft world as drone pilots.

This is not something that takes a long time. But look, there are actually many small things we should be doing before each one of our flights, and this list helps to ensure we don’t forget anything.

To back up a bit, when you think about planning for and completing an sUAS mission, there are a few different workflows to consider, usually in this order:

• Airspace Planning: Researching airspace or regulatory approval and preflight mission planning
• Gear Preparation: Gathering gear, formatting SD cards, charging batteries, etc.
• Weather and On-the-Ground Checks: Checking weather conditions and local obstructions or flight considerations
• Preflight Inspection: Inspecting your system and following a preflight checklist
• Flight Mission: Capturing the right combination of photos, videos, and / or data for your mission
• Safe Landing: Landing, powering down, packing up, and properly storing your gear
• Post-production: Editing your photos, videos, or data

As you conduct more and more flight missions, you’ll get a better feel for your own processes, specifically when it comes to mission planning and airspace research.

But in this lesson, I want to offer some thoughts specifically on your preflight system inspection. To quote the Part 107 regulations, "A Remote Pilot In Command must conduct a preflight inspection to include specific aircraft and control station systems checks and to ensure the small UAS is in a condition for safe operation."

While there’s not one catch-all preflight checklist that’ll work for every pilot and every drone model, hopefully the below document helps you better understand the best practices around powering up your aircraft and taking it to the skies. First, let’s assume the following:

• You’ve done the appropriate airspace research and secured any authorizations, waivers, and / or local permissions, if needed.
• You have a list of shots and / or data you’re looking to capture and have thought through how you’re going to be spending time in the air.
• You’re mentally and physically fit to fly.
• Everything is fully charged, and your SD cards are formatted.
• Your system’s firmware is up to date.
• You’ve just rolled up to the site location and are getting out of your car.

Here’s a checklist of things to consider as part of your preflight ritual. Again, these are not exhaustive and might change depending on the specific model you’re operating and type of flight missions you’re conducting. To that end, the downloadable preflight checklist in this lesson is editable, so please download it and tweak it to your liking.

Okay, let’s dive in.

WEATHER & SITE SAFETY CHECK

• Chance of precipitation? How comfortable do I feel?
• Wind speed under 15 knots (less than 20 mph)
• Cloud base at least 500 feet
• Visibility at least 3 statute miles (SM)
• If flying at dawn / dusk, double-check civil twilight hours (anti-collision lights needed?)
• Establish takeoff, landing, and emergency hover zones
• Potential for electromagnetic interference?
• Look for towers, wires, buildings, trees, or other obstructions
• Look for pedestrians and / or animals and set up safety perimeter around the takeoff and landing spots, if needed
• Discuss flight mission with other crew members, if present

VISUAL AIRCRAFT / SYSTEM INSPECTION

• Registration number is displayed properly and is legible
• Look for abnormalities — aircraft frame, propellers, motors, undercarriage
• Look for abnormalities — gimbal, camera, transmitter, payloads, etc.
• Gimbal clamp and lens caps are removed
• Clean lens with microfiber cloth
• Attach propellers, battery / fuel source, and insert SD card and lens filters

POWERING UP

• Turn on transmitter / remote control (RC) and open up flight app
• Turn on aircraft
• Verify connection between RC and aircraft
• Position antennas on transmitter toward the sky
• Verify display panel or FPV screen is functioning properly
• Calibrate Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) as needed
• Calibrate compass as needed
• Verify battery levels on both RC and aircraft
• Verify GPS connection and that I hear "The Home Point has been updated" prior to taking off (on DJI drones)

TAKING OFF

• Take off and hover at an altitude of 10 feet for 10 seconds
• Look for any imbalances or irregularities
• Listen for abnormal sounds
• Pitch, roll, and yaw to test control response and sensitivity
• Check for electromagnetic interference or other software warnings
• Do one final check to secure safety of flight operations area
• Proceed with flight mission

Alright, I hope this checklist was helpful. Remember that you can download an editable version in this lesson, so you can customize these items to your own make and model of drone and intended flight operation.

I’ll see you in the next lesson!

Additional Resource

Feel free to download this Drone Pilot Preflight Checklist. It's an editable file that you can customize to your needs.