The answer to this depends on your device. If your quadcopter is at the cheaper end of the market I wouldn’t recommend taking it out on rainy days. The main reason is water damage to your drone. If your drone isn’t designed to be water proof then you’re likely to end up with short circuited wiring and a useless toy that will end up in land fill or sit in your shed for the next decade because you never get around to repairing it.
However there has been some great advances in waterproof drones available on the market in recent times. You don’t have to look far or spend a great deal more to upgrade to a waterproof model. If you’re serious about your drone then we recommend you invest in a waterproof drone even if it isn’t you intention to fly in the rain. At least then you’ll have the option to fly in the rain should you decide to and you’ll be protected in the unforeseen event of sun showers, garden sprinklers and even just landing in wet grass.
The creators that are developing these new models understand that for a lot of drone enthusiasts it’s about more than just flying around a park. Drone developer QUADH20 supplies UAV to likes of the Discovery Channel and Green Peace. The next time you’re watching David Attenborough talk about sea lions or Madagascan iguanas, think about how they get up close and personal to some of those creatures.
FPV-Factory is another company that offers a range of water proof drones for the more serious buyer.
Drones are increasingly being used for scientific research in fields such as meteorology collecting weather data. The Centre for Weather Research in the USA has used drones to track and measure tornado activity and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is using drones to collect data of temperature at sea level.
If you’re into photography you can take some breathtaking images across lakes and oceans with the security that your drone is insulated against the elements. A quick search on YouTube will unearth some spectacular up-close videos of whales breaching, that wouldn’t have been possible from a boat.
