Why are drones not offered in more visible colours?

[Herongate]

I have a DJI mini4 pro and I often lose VLOS simply by looking briefly at the controller. And it got me wondering why they don’t make drones in more visible colours like red for example? I think i could locate it better then.
What if i hand painted it? Is that an option? Would the weight of the paint put me over 250g?
Any thoughts?

 

[Chrislaf]

Many members on here put skins on their drones but not really sure if that would increase visibility that much. I would think a strobe would be better but not sure if there are any that would keep the Mini 4 under 250g.

Chris

 

[Torque]

I've painted a few Phantom models by purchasing an extra body, painting it, then moving the innards over from the unpainted shell to the new one. Not that easy with the newer drones. You can apply a vinyl skin to add color or pattern to your rig, but it will take it slightly over 250 gms. Both Decalgirl and Wrapgrade make quality skins - google them. If you go with Wrapgrade, buy from Amazon instead of Wrapgrade's website, they are in Japan and the shipping is as much as the skin if you order from there.

That said, once you get several hundred feet away, all colors will appear as just a dark spot in the sky - slightly more visible than the DJI grey however. Adding a strobe is probably the most effective way to maintain VLOS.
But a colored skin will make it much easier to locate a lost drone in a tree or shrubs.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Where the color makes the difference is if you can see over the top of your drone as your flying or if it gets lost in the Trees and or bushes then the Color can help you focus on finding it.





Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 4 pro in the Rain. Land on the Water.
Phantomrain.org

 

[mavic3usa]

I have a DJI mini4 pro and I often lose VLOS simply by looking briefly at the controller. And it got me wondering why they don’t make drones in more visible colours like red for example? I think i could locate it better then.
What if i hand painted it? Is that an option? Would the weight of the paint put me over 250g?
Any thoughts?

Would be nice but the world has pretty much made up it's mind when it comes to colors whether we are talking about computers or mobiles or cameras. They look good but no one will actually buy them. Much easier to use skins or cases or covers. DJI already sells a ton of different drone models so that would be way more difficult if you added in a bunch of colors to each of those models. And more than likely, that would mean different color batteries, too. And also for some accessories. Imagine keeping up with all those different skus. When a customer sends in a broken red drone, do they get a refurb red drone back; what if we don't have red? I would rather keep the costs down and offer just one color and let the customer decide how they want to decorate their drone. Unless the color is neon or fluorescent, you won't be able to really see it that much better.

 

[GFields]

Would be nice but the world has pretty much made up it's mind when it comes to colors whether we are talking about computers or mobiles or cameras. They look good but no one will actually buy them. Much easier to use skins or cases or covers. DJI already sells a ton of different drone models so that would be way more difficult if you added in a bunch of colors to each of those models. And more than likely, that would mean different color batteries, too. And also for some accessories. Imagine keeping up with all those different skus. When a customer sends in a broken red drone, do they get a refurb red drone back; what if we don't have red? I would rather keep the costs down and offer just one color and let the customer decide how they want to decorate their drone. Unless the color is neon or fluorescent, you won't be able to really see it that much better.

True!

 

[Robert Prior]

Try putting on a couple of strips of prismatic tape. If you lose sight of the drone just rotate it and look for the twinkling in the sky.

Something like this (which is sheeting, but you can cut strips or get a roll of tape of the same material):

https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/b00011961/

 

[Feek]

But a colored skin will make it much easier to locate a lost drone in a tree or shrubs

I did chuckle when I had a look at some of the sites selling skins to see they do camouflage versions!

 

[Herongate]

Would be nice but the world has pretty much made up it's mind when it comes to colors whether we are talking about computers or mobiles or cameras. They look good but no one will actually buy them. Much easier to use skins or cases or covers. DJI already sells a ton of different drone models so that would be way more difficult if you added in a bunch of colors to each of those models. And more than likely, that would mean different color batteries, too. And also for some accessories. Imagine keeping up with all those different skus. When a customer sends in a broken red drone, do they get a refurb red drone back; what if we don't have red? I would rather keep the costs down and offer just one color and let the customer decide how they want to decorate their drone. Unless the color is neon or fluorescent, you won't be able to really see it that much better.

Good point!

 

[justhangingaround]

Dark colors in the skys,as mentioned cant see fluro up there but good for locating on the ground,
Try many myself and black makes a visable dot up there,they say green ,blue,orange most visable but I got blue and hard to see on a good day
Strobes I've had more luck with rather than skins due to size of drones nowdays.choice of colors helps for those oh where is it moments,,,under 250 wont happen with strobes though but no laws here for us yet

 

[mobilehomer]

I have neon yellow WrapGrade on my M3 Classic. The ONLY time I can tell color on it is with a low sun behind me. Any other time, it is black against the sky.

 

[Squidinc]

I just “skinned” my Air3 recently with a Decalgirl skin. To be honest whilst it looks cool, I don’t think it adds much to improving VLOS. But my three Firehouse Strobes (not pictured) certainly do!

 

[howardK]

I put skins on my two M1P's and it did help a little, out to about 1800 feet away. If it is overcast i can probably see to 2000 feet, but I agree a strobe makes all the difference (and i have that now too).

 

[Godfactor]

I've used Decal Girl to skin my drone and have had excellent results. You should try doing that and if you don't like it after a while you can easily remove them and change it out for something else.
Here's the link to them.

DecalGirl | Custom Skins, Wraps, Cases, and Sleeves for Your Gadgets!

Founded in 2003, DecalGirl has helped trendy shoppers personalize and protect millions of consumer electronic devices with full-color skins, cases & sleeves.

www.decalgirl.com

 

[DVPOWERS]

If propeller guards are available for your drone, I would try those. I have prop guards, spay painted them red, and now the drone has a bigger footprint in the sky and is more visible.

 

[KB9Radio]

Good question, it would seem to make sense. You can get brightly colored skins or a wetsuit, but why should you need to. As far as VLOS goes, a set of strobes I've found make a big difference. I have some firehouse strobes in red, green, and white which work very well.

 

[Calicassy]

I just “skinned” my Air3 recently with a Decalgirl skin. To be honest whilst it looks cool, I don’t think it adds much to improving VLOS. But my three Firehouse Strobes (not pictured) certainly do!
View attachment 173759

 

[YVRGUY]

RTH? Just start over again. When I come across drone pilots flying, their eyes are glued to their monitors / iPhones, and if asked to point out exactly where the drone is visibly…not a chance.

With close proximity flying where the drone is 50 meters away and possibly accompanied by the trademark buzzing…no problem finding the dot. Again, if you’ve lost sight…RTH.

Safe flying

 

[Herongate]

I just “skinned” my Air3 recently with a Decalgirl skin. To be honest whilst it looks cool, I don’t think it adds much to improving VLOS. But my three Firehouse Strobes (not pictured) certainly do!
View attachment 173759

Thanks for your feedback Squidinc. Look really nice! But the strobes would put the drone over 250g, right? Where did you get them?

 

[Calicassy]

I as well did a skin went with wrapgrade neon orange made big difference, but put firehouse strobes (6) when all needed and that takes me to about 1600-1800ft at 200ft alt. I can look down at controller and back up and see the strobe first then color and I am 60