Post-flight Checks in a Drone Mission

There are many safety responsibilities that come with owning and flying a drone. Remaining diligent with drone maintenance can greatly reduce your risk of losing your drone or harming someone while flying. Post flight checks are always an important step which interns help to ensure that the drone can operate further too.

A post-flight checklist is an integral part of good drone ownership and operation. Building a post-flight checklist ensures that you do not skip or forget any key steps to shutting down, maintaining, and storing your drone until your next flight.

Every operator should create a post flight checklist considering the following factors:

• Damage to each part after landing.

• Functionality of each part after landing.

• Integrity of the drone.

• Temperature of the parts.

• Friction between the moving parts.

• Battery health.

• Payload integrity and functionality.

By checking all the above parameters an operator can ensure the drone is safe and undertake a next flight. Drone post flight check should not be skipped as skipping it could lead to overlooking a damage that was caused during a flight and could become a reason of mishap in the preceding flight.

Every operator should make a post flight checklist of their own if not provided by the manufacturer. Complying to the checklists can help reduce maintenance for the drone and can help us prevent mishap during flights.

An example of post flight checklist is given below:

Airframe Check

Clean the airframe with a soft brush or a dry cloth.

Check there is no significant damage on the airframe.

Motor Check

• Check the motors rotate freely.

• Check for no foreign particle going inside the motors.

• Check for properly securely fitted and are not damaged.

Battery Check

• Check the battery temperature.

• Check the battery voltage.

• Check for no damage to the battery.

Propeller Check

• Check for no dents over propellers

• Check propeller secured on motors

Landing Gear Check

• Check landing gear for impact damage

• Check landing gear integrated with the airframe securely

Payload Check

• Check payload securely fitted

• Check for damage to the payload