Drones are a new technology, and just like any new technology being brought into industrial and public service organizations, the question of how to operate and maintain these products at scale introduces unique challenges.
Since drones are complicated products involving many intertwined systems, it is difficult for a regular operator to inspect and maintain their fleet alone. Just as you would do with a car, it is critical to get regular, professional maintenance checks to optimize efficiency and improve safety for your drone operations.
For that reason, we are introducing a new Maintenance Program – consisting of three plans and a recommended maintenance cycle – that will provide additional clarity, convenience, and relief to operators of our enterprise-grade platforms like the new Matrice 300 RTK.
The question of “when do I need to service my aircraft” has come up often, and after assessing the performance of our first generation enterprise aircrafts – the Matrice 200 Series and Mavic 2 Enterprise – we have a general timeline that we recommend to new customers.
The timeline is set by either the time the drone has been operated (200 hours flown) or, more simply, the time since its last maintenance check (6 months), with the first to occur triggering the need for a maintenance check. While this should be followed even if the aircraft shows no signs of damage, if an operator does notice significant visual or performance signs of damage, they should send the drone in to get inspected and potentially serviced ASAP.
The depth of the maintenance check should also be adjusted, going from a simple status check, to replacing easily damaged, common parts, and lastly to replacing the motor. Below we have provided a simple infographic to help visualize DJI’s recommended maintenance cycle.
Please note that at 24 months, the maintenance cycle will “restart” since your aircraft will have its critical parts replaced and can start again with the basic maintenance plan.
To fulfill the demands of our maintenance cycle, we have prepared three different service levels. Although these will meet the needs of most customers, if your needs are different or a severe issue is spotted during the check, our service team will help work with you to provide a more customized service.
Additionally, please note that some regions will vary in what types of service they offer. Below is DJI’s general approach and defines the plans offered to European and North American customers.
The plans currently on offer are the following three:
Basic Service
Hardware inspection, firmware upgrade, external cleaning, service report
Recommended after 200 hours or 6 months of operation
Standard Service
Hardware inspection, firmware upgrade, external cleaning, replacement of common parts, service report
Recommended after 400 hours or 12 months of operation
Premium Service
Hardware inspection, firmware upgrade, external cleaning, replacement of common parts, motor replacement, service report
Recommended after 600 hours or 18 months of operation
If you would like to learn more about the Maintenance Program, you can explore the full details here.