What kind of information can I find on your website?

Our website is dedicated to the latest in aerial, underwater and robotic drone tech and we attempt to provide this technology to you through commercially available products. You may also wish to visit our news and articles page for more information and announcements.

I want to buy a drone but I have never flown one or know what to do. How do I get started?

his is an excellent question and one we love to answer. Please come see Coffs Coast Drones, we listen to what you want, based on this, we make sound recommendations based on your experience and or needs. With every new drone purchase, we offer a free of charge an “Introduction to your drone”. This is a private 1 on 1 where we cover everything from the unboxing of your new drone, the activation, drone safety and your responsibilities, proper care and maintenance and tips and tricks, by the end you will have a basic but solid foundation on how to safely operate your drone with confidence and where you can find the resources so that you stay on the right side of the drone rules and continue flying and having fun. This is the type of service you wont find in the large chain stores.

Is flying a drone difficult?

It can be, not all drones are created equally and some drones such as FPV drones (sometimes known as FPV quads) require a lot of practice and skill but generally speaking a quality well built consumer drone such as a DJI or Autel Robotics are quite forgiving with stabilised hovering and obstacle avoidance, features like these make flying these drones quite easy with a little practice. We will never sell you a drone that is above your current capability.

An ROV is a “Remotely Operated Vehicle” and is defined as being unmanned and operated remotely by a pilot and includes vehicles utilising a tether. A simple pipe inspection unit is an ROV the same as a marine underwater exploration vehicle.

I’m a farmer and weighing up the Pro’s and Cons of purchasing a T100, What do I need to know?

Smart move! We love progressive farmers that move with the times, if nothing else, its costs nothing to weight up your options. Here is what you need to know. The T100 is in the medium category which is 25kg up to a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 149.9kg So once you invest in the RPA and its equipment, you will need to obtain a licence to suit the T100, you must not accept payment for use or operation of the drone and you can only fly it over your own lands. The standard operation of the drone is governed so that you operate within the drone safety rules and you must keep a record of the required logs for flight and chemical use. Now if this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, there are always some really good, professional operators that for a fair price (much less than you would need to outlay for the drone and equipment) like CCADS, that can take care of all the red tape and compliance and do it for you in next to no time. But of course the decision is yours.

To break this down, we are all familiar with the word quad as in the number 4, a Quad bike has 4 wheels. When applied to robotics, quad becomes quadruped, a robot that utilises 4 limbs primarily for movement. This is where we see robot dogs. But why make robots with 4 legs? Primarily, it is stability in movement and the ability to carry large loads.

AAM is Advanced Air Mobility, now this may sound like Grandma’s inflatable air cushion in her Goffer but it is actually an emerging aviation sector that will use new types of vehicles to transport passengers and cargo on short-haul, low altitude flights, with eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing) aircraft, even eventually possibly replace taxis as we know them. We experienced the early days of the drone industry shot off like a rocket and it was hard to keep up with it. Technology evolved at a rapid rate, this made it difficult for the regulator to keep pace with the emerging tech. It is predicted that AAM may do the same hence why the government and law makers are already working on the governing infrastructure. You may think that is still along way down the track, well your wrong, its much closer than you realise.

Can I get my drone licence from you?

No, We are not CASA, nor are we a training organisation. Depending on what you would like to do will determine if we put you in contact with a reputable training organisation such as FPV Australia You may not even need a licence if you are flying for fun and your drone is under a certain weight, so be sure to talk to us to get the right advice.

What are the drone rules for flying recreationally or flying for fun?

A really good place to start is a CASA safely awareness initiative called “Know your Drone“. It aims to educate recreational drone flyers on essential safety rules, featuring an online quiz, safety tips, and resources to ensure responsible flying and keep airspace safe for everyone, especially around airports and emergencies. The campaign encourages pilots to test their knowledge Basic but essential Key CASA Safety Rules for Fun Flying Keep your drone at least 30m from people and never fly over them. Stay below 120m above ground level. Only fly during daylight. You can fly one drone at a time

Besides CASA is there any other government websites I can obtain information about drones?

Yes, there is www.drones.gov.au which has been developed by the Department of infrastructure and Transport. It is a rich resource for information pertaining to all sorts of RPA related topics.

How will I know where it is safe to fly?

CASA has approved a list of apps that you can use to determine the best place to fly might be. You can checkout the approved apps by visiting https://www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-safety-apps/

RPA stands for Remote Piloted Aircraft. This is the acronym used in Australia for a drone. They can sometimes be also known as UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). RPAS stands for Remote Piloted Aircraft System which encompasses the drone and its payload system as a whole. Think of it like a car: the RPA is the vehicle (the drone), while the RPAS is the whole setup including the car, the driver, and the road/rules for driving it.

Do you provide any maintenance, servicing or repairs?

Yes, we offer a full range of servicing and maintenance programs to suit your robot, ROV or UAV drone

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