If you regularly fly a DJI drone, you’ll know there can be quite a lot to think about before you even get the drone out of its case. Weather conditions, wind speed, local flying restrictions and getting the right camera settings can all make the difference between a successful flight and a wasted trip.
Drone Companion is an online tool designed to bring much of this information together in one place, with a particular focus on DJI drone owners.
What is Drone Companion?
Drone Companion is a web-based platform aimed at both new and experienced drone pilots. Rather than concentrating on a single aspect of drone flying, it combines a number of useful resources covering areas such as drone weather, flight planning, DJI settings and pilot training.
One of its main attractions is convenience. Drone pilots often find themselves switching between weather apps, airspace information, DJI documentation and online tutorials when preparing for a flight. Drone Companion attempts to simplify this by providing drone-specific information through one service.
Drone Weather Information
Weather is one of the biggest considerations when flying a drone, and general weather forecasts don't always provide the information drone pilots are particularly interested in.
Wind conditions are especially important. A relatively calm day at ground level doesn't necessarily mean conditions will be the same once a drone gains altitude.
Drone Companion provides weather information intended specifically for drone flying, making it easier to assess conditions before deciding whether it's a suitable time to fly.
As with any weather forecasting service, however, the information should be treated as a planning aid rather than a guarantee of conditions at your exact flying location. Pilots should always assess the actual conditions before and during a flight.
DJI Drone Settings
Another interesting part of Drone Companion is its DJI settings guidance.
Modern DJI drones offer an impressive number of camera and flight settings, but getting the best results isn't always obvious – particularly when you're relatively new to drone photography or video.
Drone Companion provides guidance intended to help pilots understand and configure their DJI drones for different situations.
This could be particularly useful for someone who has bought their first DJI Mini, Air or Mavic and wants to move beyond simply leaving everything on automatic.
Training and Flying Guides
Drone Companion isn't purely a weather service. The website also includes educational material covering practical aspects of drone ownership and flying.
Its guides cover subjects such as weather, wind limits and battery performance, giving newer pilots somewhere to learn some of the fundamentals while also providing useful reference material for more experienced flyers.
Having this information alongside the flight-planning tools makes sense, particularly for pilots who would otherwise find themselves searching several different websites for answers.
Who is Drone Companion For?
Drone Companion appears particularly well suited to DJI owners who want a straightforward collection of tools and information without having to jump between multiple services.
Beginners may get the most benefit from the combination of training material and recommended settings, while more experienced pilots may find the weather and planning information useful when deciding when and where to fly.
It's worth remembering that tools such as Drone Companion don't replace the pilot's responsibilities. Drone operators still need to check current weather conditions, airspace restrictions, NOTAMs and any regulations that apply to the location where they're flying.
You can find out more and explore the service at the Drone Companion website.