Packing a drone for Flying

[JCapps]

So I have an upcoming trip and I’ve never took my drone with when flying but I know many do. My question is what do I need to know about packing it? Is just in a carry on good?

Late to the party but I just got back from a trip across the country. Flew Delta and Alaska. Had my drone in the DJI case with 4 batteries which had plastic covers over the metal connectors. They didn't give it a second thought. Only thing I had to do was take the drone out of the bag and put it in the tray with my laptop and tablet. I put my done bag inside my backpack as a carry on. Airlines prefer the batteries in a carry on vs checked baggage. Went smother than expected. Piece of cake.

 

[BobaFut]

All batteries, including those that make up the Contoller need to be taken into the Cabin as hand luggage. They ARE NOT ALLOWED in checked in luggage.

This is generally incorrect in the US (but still true in a lot of countries). Many (most?) US airlines allow “personal electronics” with batteries in them in checked baggage but do not allow “loose” lithium batteries in checked baggage.

 

[JCapps]

This is generally incorrect in the US (but still true in a lot of countries). Many (most?) US airlines allow “personal electronics” with batteries in them in checked baggage but do not allow “loose” lithium batteries in checked baggage.

^^This^^ Same thing I read before traveling. If the battery is installed in the drone then checked baggage is acceptable. BUT personally I would never do that as all of my batteries go with me as a carry on, including the one in the drone and the drone itself. Two reasons I do that. 1) If my baggage is lost I still have my drone with me. 2) If by chance the battery has an internal issue and starts to catch fire, I would rather have it in the cabin where it can be extinguished vs being in the cargo compartment where the extinguishers may or may not put the fire out. Would hate for a plane to go down because of a fire that could not be accessed. Just a thought.

 

[jephoto]

So I have an upcoming trip and I’ve never took my drone with when flying but I know many do. My question is what do I need to know about packing it? Is just in a carry on good?

Carryon is fine in almost every case. 1 battery in the drone, additional in your bag. You can’t check them anyway.
If you can put additional batteries in fireproof bags, good. But not strictly necessary. At least put paper tape (like blue painting tape) over the contacts in the bottom of the battery.
Some airlines might have restrictions on the number of extra batteries like you might be restricted to four batteries total you’ll have to read their policies.
When I used to fly with my phantom 4 pro, that wouldn’t be unusual for me to be carrying six batteries and no one ever give me a hard time about it.