Pre-flight Preparation - Phantom 4 Pro

Owned by Chris Mauldin (Deactivated)
Last updated: Jul 29, 2021 by Steele Olsen
3 min read

In addition to safety, weather, airspace, and environmental checks, the following tasks must be completed well in advance of flying the drone. Firmatek recommends to complete these tasks the day before your mission.

Equipment Preparation

  • Charge all of your batteries: Take more spare batteries than you need. There is nothing worse than being out in the field without charged batteries. Be sure to charge your tablet as well as any GPS equipment if you plan on setting new ground control.

  • Check the Integrity of Your Drone and Equipment: Check for cracks in the airframe, replace damaged propellers, clean dirty cameras, and make sure nothing is obstructing the motors. Also, check the health of your batteries in DJI Go. If battery cells have voltage inconsistencies or your battery is starting to look puffy, DO NOT USE THE BATTERY. Usage could result in catastrophic failure.

  • Mandatory Software/Firmware Updates. Connect and turn on all of the drone components in close proximity to a WiFi Internet connection. Check the DJI Go app for mandatory software/firmware updates. You will need a high-speed Internet connection for all the updates, which may take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Again, there is nothing worse than being out in the field and a mandatory update is required in order to fly, and you do not have a WiFi Internet connection.

Internet access is not necessary for flying the drone and executing the 3D mapping mission. It is only necessary for updates and viewing base maps.

Mission Planning Preparation

  • Pre-Plan Your Mission: Make a good habit of planning your missions the night before you fly. If you do not have internet access onsite, your base maps will not load. This will make it difficult to define the boundaries of your flight during planning. For information on planning a mission in GS Pro, view our Planning a Phantom 4 Pro Mission Using DJI GS Pro article

  • Download a Google Map to the iPad. You cannot plan and drone mission without a Google map of the area loaded on the iPad. Once again, it is not good to be out in the field without a way to download and cache a map of the area that will be used by your flight planning app.

  • Pre-Plan GCP Locations: If you are setting new ground control, drop pins in Google Maps where you would like to place your targets. This will help you create an even distribution of control and will help you find your targets after the flight if they need to be retrieved. See our GCP Best Practices article for information on setting adequate ground control.

  • Identify a Suitable Location to Operate: Open up Google Earth the night before your mission and check your site for an area to operate your drone. The ideal location should have these features:

    • Flat ground for takeoff and landing

    • No obstacles nearby that could be a potential risk during takeoff / landing or inhibit radio connection during flight. Stay away from buildings, trees, powerlines, etc.

    • High point on site: To achieve your desired overlap for areas with high topographic relief, fly your mission from the highest point on site.

Operating from inside a pit or at a low point relative to the surrounding topography could result in poor photo overlap, poor radio connectivity, and potential danger if the drone does not have enough altitude to clear obstacles.

Pre-flight Checklist

On the day of the mission before you fly, be sure to go through the Field Pre-flight Checklist. You can find it in our DJI Phantom Full Operational Overview and Checklist article and print it for your convenience.