How do you convince people to undergo drone training? Drone Trainer podcast muses with The Drone Girl
“When I fly, I’m still scared. I’m appropriately scared. Because I know what could happen.”
That’s how I, The Drone Girl, feel every time I fly a drone. Drones now are so easy and safe to fly, but they weren’t always that way. I still remember the time I was flying a DJI Phantom 1 that didn’t have auto-locking propellers. I was flying at 5 a.m. over a field near my house — because I was too scared to fly near people — and the drone came crashing to the ground, out-of-the-blue. Thank goodness no one was around, but what if they were?
“I don’t want to scare listeners now, because now the Mavic drones have so many safety features, like auto-locking propellers.”
And that is the what-if. Drones are still only a few years old, but they’ve dramatically grown-up in terms of how safe they are.
“Still, I still fly as if there aren’t safeguards.”
That’s part of my discussion on this month’s episode of The Drone Trainer podcast, all focused on drone training. Should you learn how to fly line of sight with a drone? What safety features should you know about? Should drone training be mandatory?
On this month’s episode of The Drone Trainer podcast, I (The Drone Girl) and Drone Trainer Chris Anderson discuss our thoughts on all things drone training, such as Part 107 training courses that teach you content needed to pass the required written for commercial drone pilots in the United States.
Christ also offers his own series of drone training courses.
Listen to the full, 40-minute Drone Trainer podcast here.
“A lot of onus is placed on the pilot right now,” Drone Trainer Chris Anderson said on the podcast. “And usually, they’re only concerned about passing the test. The responsible drone pilot should be aware of training, and being willing and open to taking it — even refresher training.”
The good news is that, for commercial pilots in the U.S., refresher training is all-but mandatory. Passing a recurrent test is mandatory.
“Until it’s forced and mandatory, I don’t think a lot of people are going to jump into training unless they’re willing to take on that responsibility,” he said.
Our consensus on drone training? A lot of hobby pilots who get drones for Christmas to take on their vacations either don’t want to do drone training, or are overwhelmed and confused by it.
The good news: if you’re reading this, you’re likely above-average when it comes to drone training.
“The commercial pilots are fine,” we agreed, on this month’s episode. “They don’t want to lose their business. It’s the recreational pilots who make me nervous.”
Listen to our own conversation, and weigh in on your thoughts about drone training too! From there, are you looking for more drone discussion in your ears? See my list of the 8 best drone podcasts (which includes The Drone Trainer).