It may seem daunting for laymen looking to delve into the growing drone industry. Aerodynamics, electronics, and programming are specialized subjects. That being said, the prevalence of plug-and-play technology stacks available to everyday consumers makes learning how to build a drone – or any robotic system for that matter – more accessible than ever! 

What you need really depends on your intentions. However, for our purposes, let’s consider the individual who wants to learn about this technology and, with a little effort, build their knowledge and develop marketable skills. The internet will be your best friend. Endless resources are available online, especially with a modest investment of time and some equipment. Assuming you have nailed down what you’re looking to build – maybe an FPV racing drone, maybe something simpler, it’s really up to you – let’s take a look at some of my favorite resources. I’ve used the following resources in personal and professional endeavors to help me understand a wide array of concepts. Each of these resources provide anyone access to critical base skills needed to start building real, marketable skills. 

1. Painless360 on YouTube
2. OscarLiang.com
3. The Pilot Institute

But let’s get one thing out of the way first. If you’re flying drones, even for fun, you’re subject to FAA regulations! Always be 100% aware of where you’re flying, what the rules are, and stay vigilant! Read up on FAA drone regulations here. 

Number One: Painless360 on YouTube

Early on in my UAS career, as I was navigating the ins and outs of building and fielding Pixhawk-based drones for a myriad of purposes, Painless360 was bookmarked on my browser. This guy has produced YEARS of content spanning a variety of consumer- and professional-grade drone systems including autopilots, electronics, and more. For beginners, I highly recommend this YouTube channel. 

There are several specific things I appreciate about this channel’s content. You can build almost all of your foundational drone building skills here, down to the bare basics of RC control and soldering. There are tutorial videos and playlists covering RC basics, quadcopters for beginners, and more. The videos are also very well made and well narrated. This makes them extraordinarily accessible to beginners who are seeking to build foundational knowledge about basic concepts. 

One specific experience I had utilizing this content was in learning some of the nuances of the FrSky Taranis radio and OpenTX. A little time spent studying with Painless360 helped me overcome some major hurdles. I also learned what not to do, which is crucial (unless you enjoy the smell of toasted electronics. Thanks Painless!

Number Two: OscarLiang.com

This site has helped me work through some tricky spots in several projects. I consider Oscar Liang’s site to be one of the holy archival texts of the drone world. The first thing that strikes me about this site, similar to the Painless360 YouTube channel, is the depth of information. FPV drones are the primary focus. And odds are, if you’re looking to build your own drone, it will look something like the ones you can find here. Don’t panic though if you have no Drone Racing League aspirations. The skills you can build through assembling, configuring, and flying your first homemade drone are extremely valuable regardless of the application! 

Setting up an ExpressLRS system was one of my recent personal endeavors, and I found Oscar Liang’s content very helpful in navigating the nuances of that system, which was new to me. I was up and running in short order. Another great resource on this site is the smattering of buyer’s guides. Especially if you’re new to drones, you might not know where to start! You can use Oscar’s shopping guides to help you get started, regardless of your desired price point or skill level. 

Number Three: The Pilot Institute

The Pilot Institute is considered (by me and by many others in the industry) to be one of the most solid resources for drone-related training, as well as stellar product reviews. One thing you’re going to have to address if you have your eyes on drone-industry work is the FAA Part 107 certificate. This is the commercial drone operator’s license to fly for pay in the United States. As you get started, you have free reign to build and fly your own drones for fun without a certification, so long as you abide by the basic rules set forth by the FAA for recreational drone pilots (click here). But as you build your skills and set your sights on acquiring real work in the industry, you’ll need to get certified. The Pilot Institute is my very first recommendation to anyone looking to acquire their Part 107 certificate. They have several courses available on their website, as well as a lot of free content on their YouTube channel. 

There’s a lot to love about their YouTube content. I follow their regular drone news videos religiously. These videos cover product releases, newsworthy events in the industry, as well as the regulatory bouncy house that governs drone operations for everyone, including those who fly for fun. As the turbulent world of drone regulations ebs and flows, Greg and his team are always on top of the rules. They’re masters at picking them apart and interpreting the legal-ese for you so that you can operate stress free. I also love the lighthearted and energetic nature all of their videos. Their product review videos are a blast and they’re always putting out cool content from events, flight tests, and other adventures. Shout out to Greg, as well as my old buddy Jason over at The Pilot Institute for providing such a great resource to all the pilots out there. If you’re serious about establishing and honing your skills as a drone pilot, as well as a drone builder, TPI’s free and paid content is second to none. 

How does this help you professionally?

Even if you’re not looking to enter the drone industry as a professional pilot or otherwise, all of the above resources will help you learn all you need to know as you get started with drones as a hobby – and beyond. But what if you want to use these skills to jumpstart a career in the industry? Skills are the first step, and we’ve beaten that horse to death at this point. What’s next? Below are a couple of tips I’d suggest to help you get your first drone job based on skills you’ve built on your own.

First: Document your journey

Set out with a goal in mind to build specific skills through a project you can work on on your own. What do you want to learn how to do? Write it down! Keep it at the forefront of your mind as you work. And as you go, take notes on your progress, the hurdles you overcome, the struggles, and the questions you come up with. Take some pictures of your build as it develops. While you might not be providing a report to a future employer showing them what you built in your free time, this documentation will help you understand how you’ve grown in your skills and subsequently help you articulate it to others down the road. More and more employers out there are looking for people who have done things for real, not just read about them in a textbook. If you’ve built, tuned, and fielded a drone for a specific purpose, especially on your own, this looks great on a job application! 

Second: Focus on industry trends and standards

Beyond learning the bare basics and getting your very first drone off the ground, you’ll want to look into building an understanding of systems that are being used by players in the industry. When it comes to the more configurable and developer-oriented drone systems, Ardupilot and PX4 based systems are prevalent. Hardware that run these stacks are commercially available. Ardupilot is where I began my journey, and the open-source nature of this system makes it powerful for both hobbyists and professionals alike. If you’re more inclined toward the piloting aspect of the drone industry, focus on building a solid understanding of FAA regulations, get certified, and learn to operate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems.