I’ve owned my Skydio for almost a year now and I’ve learned a couple of things on how to dial in my setup and fly it from my dirtbike. Even though the Skydio is easy to fly (flies itself), you have to be able to carry everything on your bike. Being able to quickly get the drone out and in the air makes all the difference in the world for me. The same goes for landing it and putting it away so I can quickly get on with the ride. The last thing I want to do is hold up the group with all my stupid gadgets. I’m going to be completely honest by saying that if it’s a big pain in the ass, I just won’t do it and that kinda goes against the reason I bought the drone. I want that cool aerial footage from my ride!
Best Dirtbike Backpack For Skydio 2
The Klim Nac Pak works awesome. It has an outer mesh compartment that holds the drone case. In the goggle compartment, I store my controller & the extra batteries fit in the other parts of the bag. There’s still room for basic tools as well as a hydration bladder.
Other great options that have worked for me are the GoPro Daytripper bag and these clip-on backpack straps are actually really comfortable. I can wear the drone case with these straps along with a small USWE hydration pack.
Skydio Beacon Handlebar Mount
I have the Dirty J designs mount and it stays mounted on my bars the whole time.
It’s less to set up this way and it allows easy access to control Skydio’s position.
I bought the optional GoPro style mount as well and mounted it to a GoPro RAM ball with a short arm.
I mounted two RAM balls on the handlebar bolts.
This is how both the beacon & phone holder mount to the bike.
Phone Mount
I pair my phone to the beacon and have it mounted on the handlebars on this RAM Quick-Grip cradle.
It allows me to easily see what the drone sees.
5 Tips for Flying Skydio 2 While Riding
#1 Pair the Phone to the Beacon
I use the beacon & phone together. I can fly my Skydio by simply pairing the beacon to the drone but if I pair the beacon to the drone and then pair my phone app to the beacon, it adds additional GPS signal strength as well as more functions to control the drone. And probably most important for me is the live view of my shot right there on my handlebars.
#2 Alternate Your Shots
Change the drone position while flying. Alternating the drone distance and positions helps me create variety in my videos. It’s a proven fact that you retain an audience when the scene is constantly changing. Disable the height floor to get a better view of the horizon. Just be super careful when doing this. The Skydio can’t avoid moving objects. One of the skills that help switch up the angle and grab multiple backgrounds is the orbit skill. It will spin around you while flying and capture multiple backgrounds. Keep the speed set somewhat on the slow side when using this.
#3 Don’t Crash!
Trust the blue light & pay attention to riding. A recent crash cost me more than the price of a full Skydio Cinema kit. I wasn’t focused 100% on my riding and I paid the price for it. Don’t look up or back at the drone while riding. Not only does this ruin your shot and make you look like an idiot, but it’s also really unsafe. Focus on riding. Trust the blue light on the beacon. If it’s blue, it’s locked on and following you. If it loses connection with the beacon, you’ll hear it beep at you and the light will turn red.
#4 Sync Your Audio
Sync your media if you need that phone audio. You do this by tapping on the media tab on your phone app BEFORE turning your Skydio off. This allows your phone to sync and save an audio file to the SD card on your Skydio. Also, use a wind muff or external mic on your phone to eliminate wind noise. This little Movo phone mic works great for that. Most of the time, I use the audio from my GoPro and sync it in editing. It’s a little bit of work, but I like all the audio to match.
#5 Plan Your Flight When The Sun Is Low
In order to get the best shot, plan your favorite videos (or flights) early in the morning or late in the day. Basically, whenever the sun is low, lighting is at its best angle for great shots and adds so much more to your videos.
Skydio 2 Coupon/ Discount Code
If you are in the market for a new Skydio drone,
you can save some cash by using my coupon code: LIVELIKEPETE at checkout.
https://skydio.pxf.io/livelikepete
Skydio 2 Dirtbike Drone Videos
Here are a few videos to show what Skydio is capable of.
Products Mentioned
- Klim Nac Pak: https://amzn.to/3FVOb7K
- GoPro Daytripper bag: https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/lifestyle-gear/daytripper-backpack/ABDAY-001.html
- Backpack Straps: https://amzn.to/3wgkgE1
- Skydio Beacon & Phone Mounts Beacon Mount (Dirty J Designs): https://amzn.to/3lg0HFo
- Beacon mount GoPro style mount adapter: https://www.dirtyjdesigns.com/products/gopro-adapter-for-skydio-2-handlebar-beacon-mount
- RAM Ball for handlebar bolts: https://amzn.to/3FMieyx
- RAM Short Arm: https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Composite-Double-Socket-1-Inch/dp/B005KWPJ04?th=1
- RAM phone cradle: https://amzn.to/3LoQWzC
- Phone Mount: https://amzn.to/3lbcO6G
- Movo Mini Shotgun Microphone: https://amzn.to/3NdPsta
- Microphone Windscreen muff: https://amzn.to/3MmkD5p
- Skydio ND Filters: https://shop.skydio.com/products/skydio-filters?ref=livelikepete
- Skydio 2+ drone: https://skydio.pxf.io/livelikepete
Leave a Reply