Drone Flight Operations and Maintenance

This unit develops practical skills for safe drone assembly, preflight preparation, maintenance, and hands-on flight control including indoor operations, emergency procedures, and camera stabilization. Students will also learn battery safety, weight and payload considerations, and the regulatory basics for recreational and commercial use.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze common causes of drone crashes and component failures (including weight distribution and lithium polymer battery risks) and recommend at least three specific mitigation strategies for reducing risk during assembly and flight
• Apply standard assembly, preflight, repair, and maintenance procedures to prepare a multirotor drone for safe indoor and outdoor flight, including selecting appropriate video resolution and configuring gimbal stabilization
• Demonstrate manual and assisted directional control and flight maneuvers (standard mode and emergency recovery) and capture stable aerial imagery while meeting defined safety and performance criteria
• Evaluate domestic and international regulatory requirements for recreational and commercial operations, and outline the steps and documentation needed to obtain approval for a sample commercial drone mission