A good day was had by all up-skilling on drones used as a hobby whilst also instilling knowledge and confidence.
Misuse, sometimes deliberate, but very often unintentional due to a lack of awareness of the rules and laws, can lead to individuals getting into trouble with the Police. There's little doubt that drones have been a very popular hobby and have led some into further employment opportunities over the past decade. With youths also flying drones, including some of those at Hedzup, it's a good time to increase their knowledge and flying skills to ensure safe and legal use of these awesome little devices.
The legal use of drones was discussed, rules explained and CAA Flyer ID's obtained. With the rules in place a flying session was held with the pilots first showing their current flying skills and then gaining tips and tricks to eliminate bad habits, short cuts and general flying skills to make them all-round better pilots. Think of it as a driving refresher if you haven't been near a car or bike for a long time.
In our next session we'll be getting the pilots into a risk management mindset introducing additional skills including what do to in an emergency or if there is a sudden problem with the drone whilst flying. We'll also be looking at basic maintenance and battery management, two crucial elements to flying.
Meanwhile, fly safe...