Help my new drone has flown away – find DJI and Autel drones

Help my new drone has flown away – find DJI and Autel drones

The sun is rising around the world on international drone release day. If you have had the misfortune of seeing yours fly off over the neighbour’s roof you might get it back if you apply some tricks.

If you have stumbled upon this before your first flight and are worried I am not going to offer extensive flying tips. Here are some, if the branches on trees are moving don’t fly it is too windy, if you fly come home with 50% battery remaining to give yourself plenty of time to sort out the landing. If your drone has a GPS and the app tells you it has enough satellites wait one more minute before taking off, just to be certain.

Your drone has flown away, the most important thing is don’t panic but act now. Its battery is flattening and might help you find it if you get to it before it becomes exhausted.

DJI and Autel GPS-equipped drones

DJI GO4, DJI Fly and Autel Sky all have a feature that looks and works in the same way, which I think is wonderful.

DJI – Profile -> right-hand menu,  Find My Drone Autel settings cog, scroll down to Locate My Drone

DJI screen example

Autel Sky screen example

Both will bring up a map with the last GPS position that the app received. It might not be exactly where the drone is because you may have lost the radio signal between your transmitter and it. But at least you now know the direction of travel.

Goto that position marked with your transmitter and app and if the drone is not there see if you can reconnect with it. If you don’t immediately find it find higher ground nearby, but don’t endanger yourself and try to reconnect again.

DJI find my drone

Autel Find my

Gary Mortimer

Founder and Editor of sUAS News | Gary Mortimer has been a commercial balloon pilot for 25 years and also flies full-size helicopters. Prior to that, he made tea and coffee in air traffic control towers across the UK as a member of the Royal Air Force.