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Drone Preflight Checklist for Real Estate Photographers

Drone Preflight Checklist for Real Estate Photographers

As real estate photographers, including drone services can be a great addition to the quality of the services we offer our clients. However, operating a drone comes with a set of responsibilities and safety considerations.

Before every flight, it’s crucial to work through a drone preflight checklist to ensure that your drone is ready to fly and that you are prepared to operate it safely.

In this article, we provide a comprehensive drone preflight checklist specifically tailored for real estate photographers.

By following this checklist, you can minimize the risk of accidents and ensure that your drone captures the highest quality footage for your clients.

Table of Contents

drone preflight checklist

Why You Need a Drone Preflight Checklist for Real Estate Photography

There are 3 main reasons why it’s so important that you have a drone preflight checklist as a real estate photographer:

  1. Safety: Drones can pose a safety risk not only to you as the operator, but also to bystanders and property. By using and following a preflight checklist, you can ensure that your drone is in good working condition and that you are prepared to operate it safely. This can help to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries.
  2. Legal Compliance: Operating a drone for commercial purposes, which real estate photography falls under, requires obtaining proper certification and following local regulations. By conducting a preflight checklist, you can ensure that you are in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations before every flight.
  3. Quality of Footage: A drone preflight checklist can help to ensure that your drone is properly calibrated and ready to capture high-quality footage. By conducting a thorough preflight check, you can identify and troubleshoot any potential issues before they impact the quality of your footage.
It’s always so much easier to deal with any issues while your drone is still on the ground rather than in the air. A drone preflight checklist helps ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Drone Preflight Checklist for Real Estate Photographers

  1. Check the weather forecast and make sure conditions are safe for flying. Avoid flying in strong winds or heavy rain, and make sure there is enough visibility to safely operate the drone.
  2. Inspect the drone and make sure all components are in good working order. Check the battery, propellers, and any other parts that may need to be replaced or repaired.
  3. Check that the drone is properly calibrated and ready to fly. This may involve performing a compass calibration, setting the home point, and making any other necessary adjustments.
  4. Review the flight plan and make sure you understand the route and the photos/videos that need to be captured.
  5. Make sure you have all the necessary equipment, including extra batteries, spare propellers, and any other tools or accessories you may need.
  6. Check that you have the proper permissions and clearance to fly in the area, and make sure you are aware of any restrictions or regulations that may apply.
  7. Familiarize yourself with the controls and features of the drone, and make sure you are comfortable operating it before taking off.
  8. Perform a pre-flight check and make sure all systems are functioning properly. This may include a check of the battery level, GPS signal strength, and any other relevant parameters.
  9. Locate all trees, wires, and other obstacles that might be in your planned flight path. Plan out how you will avoid them while still capturing the photos that you need.
  10. Once everything is ready, take off and fly the drone according to the planned route and tasks, taking care to maintain a safe distance from obstacles and other objects.
  11. After completing the flight, perform a post-flight check to make sure the drone is functioning properly and all data has been recorded correctly. This may involve checking the battery level, reviewing the flight logs, and making any necessary adjustments.

Additional Resources

Check out our article 7 Best Drones for Real Estate Photography so see an up-to-date list of all the best drones currently on the market for real estate photography purposes.

Our article Pricing for Drone Real Estate Photography will help you make sure that you’re charing the proper rates for your drone services.

If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.

You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.

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About author
Matthew Digati is a professional Real Estate and Architectural Photographer. Matthew has worked as a Real Estate and Architectural Photographer since 2015 and has photographed properties and projects all over the United States.
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