Mark Lafay - Drones for Dummies

Drones For Dummies

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014956257

ISBN: 978-1-119-04978-4; ISBN: 9781119049814 (ePDF); ISBN: 9781119049784 (ePub)

1. Table of Contents

They go by several names unmanned aerial vehicle, remotely piloted vehicle, and remote controlled aircraft but the one youve probably heard the most is drone. Drones have become a household name first due to their use in warzones around the world, and then more so because of their use for domestic and international spying. Now drones are becoming deeply embedded into pop culture because advancements in technology have made it possible for the average Joe like you and me to buy or build a small unmanned aircraft, or drone.

In the early days of remote-controlled flight, you had only the option of one type of aircraft, the model airplane. This was due largely to the limitations of the technology of the day. Today, thanks to the advancements made in smartphones, the technology needed to make advanced aircraft like quadcopters exists. The computers and sensors that make smartphones detect orientation and motion are used in quadcopters, and other drones, to allow them to take-off vertically, hover in place, move side to side, and do all sorts of aerial maneuvers.

Although the technology has advanced quite a bit since the early days of remote flying, you still need to have a level of skill to enjoyably and successfully pilot a drone. This book gives you the background and information you need, in a somewhat lighthearted approach, to purchase your own drone and set off into the wild blue yonder.

Like most of the For Dummies books, this book is not intended necessarily to be read beginning to end. Each chapter is written in a way that you could jump around from chapter to chapter without being confused. That said, it would be smart for you to at least start with the first few chapters so that you can get a feel for drones by first taking a glimpse at their history and how they are being used by governments around the world today. Jump from the evolution of model aircraft into modern day drones and how hobby flyers like yourself are using them for work and play today.

The goal for this book is to get you all the information you need to get airborne safely. Sample chapters in this book include:

• Getting familiar with drones
• Picking the drone that is right for you
• Picking the camera that best fits your needs
• Setting up your drone
• Staying safe with your drone
• Knowing the law
• Controlling your drone
• Flight basics
• Capturing beautiful stills and video

Treat this book as a reference piece. If you are writing a report for school on drones, this book will be wildly helpful. If you need a handy field guide when you go out to fly your drone, this books is for you. While I would like to think that my writing could make any subject matter as intriguing as the Harry Potter series, I am not one to kid myself. Read this book in chunks and refer to it often. This book is to help you get airborne with your drone, but the only way you will be an expert pilot is by practicing.

When writing this book, I tried to not make any silly assumptions that you, the reader, would have existing knowledge of drones. For that reason this book covers a lot of ground starting with the history of drones and quickly navigating into now. I also didnt assume that you already purchased a drone, and therefore this book covers how to shop online.

If you have done any research on drones, you may have noticed that there is an expanding marketplace of different drones, and not just aerial drones. This book does not assume that you own any one particular drone, and therefore, it is written in a manner that considers several different types of drones. The book focuses mainly on what are currently the most popular brands and models of drones available today.