We Repair Drones

By Alika Salazar

What exactly is a drone? A drone, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft without a pilot aboard. The flight of UAVs may be controlled with various kinds of remote control technology, with the most common being an operator located on the ground.

The history of drones can be traced back to 1849 when Austria sent unmanned, bomb-filled balloons to attack Venice. A number of remote controlled airplane advances followed during and after World War I and the first scale remote piloted vehicle was developed in 1935. Nazi Germany produced and used various UAV aircraft during the course of WWII. During the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) began planning for the use of unmanned aircraft, especially after the Soviet Union shot down a U-2 airplane in 1960. As of 2014, the USAF employed over 9,000 UAVs - almost one in three USAF aircraft!

Drones are not exclusively used by the military. One of the more popular companies that offer drones to the public is called DJI. These drones typically cost anywhere from $600 to about $6,000. Like any other mechanical device, drones can break down for a variety of reasons and will need to either be repaired or replaced. Since we’re in the gadget repair business, I generally prefer to fix what I can and avoid adding to overcrowded landfills.

I recently fixed a water damaged drone that landed in a pool when it was only 24 hours old. Another common cause of breakdowns includes collisions with stationary objects like trees and buildings. The most common repairs involve replacing motors and batteries. The usual cost of repair is around $75 to $100 plus parts.

I own a drone and they are a lot of fun to fly. They also take amazing pictures as they can go where no average photographer can, including several hundred feet in the air and above the clouds! Now that’s putting the high in high tech!