Whether you are a drone operator, a professional in the drone industry or an FPV racer, here are the best drone podcasts to learn and keep you up to date.
Podcasts are a fun and great way to learn and keep up to date with what’s happening in your professional sphere and this is also true for the drone industry.
I personally follow some of the drone podcasts below and I find them informative and entertaining. Podcasts are handy. Firstly, they are free! I can download them and listen at my leisure – anytime, anywhere, even when I travel. I’ve also found that podcasts allow me to get to know people I would otherwise only read about.
So, I decided to share my selection of top drone podcasts with you and to add to this list other drone podcasts I believe are worth the listen.
From Drone Radio Show to sUAS News Podcast, from Ask Drone U to The UAV Digest and DroneVibes Podcast, the list of drone podcasts includes the most frequently downloaded and streamed of the last few years and also other drone podcasts which definitely deserve a bigger audience. A small percentage of these podcasts have only been recently started, but they look very promising.
Some of the podcasts below talk about the drone industry, some are quite focused and cover specific topics such as FPV racing or laws and regulations. Some of them suit the drone obsessed, some suit the casual spectator. I added a short description of each podcast to help you pick the most relevant one for you.
These top drone podcasts are listed by their number of episodes released so far. The number of episodes of each podcast is updated as of August 2016.
Finally, I have also added a) a list of RC Podcasts which occasionally cover drones, and even b) a list of the drone podcasts whose releases have been discontinued but whose episodes can still be a great source of knowledge and fun.
If I have missed one that you think is worth a mention, drop me a line and let me know!
Top Drone Podcasts
- Ask Drone U
- The UAV Digest
- sUAS News Podcast
- DroneVibes Podcast
- Drone Radio Show
- Drone Law Today Podcast
- Let’s Drone Out
- Quad Talk FPV Podcast
- FPV Podcast
- Drone News
- Commercial Drones FM
- Aerial Insights
- Somedrones Podcast
- DroneLife Podcast
- Drone Launch
- The Digital Circuit Podcast
- Women And Drones Podcast
Ask Drone U
- website: Ask Drone U
- year of launch: 2015
- episodes: 411
- episode length: 10-20 mins
- frequency: daily
- listen: Ask Drone U on iTunes, Ask Drone U on Stitcher, Ask Drone U on SoundCloud, Ask Drone U on MixCloud, Ask Drone U on Podomatic
Ask Drone U is one of the most popular drone podcasts. It’s a daily podcast by The Drone U, an online community offering courses and training resources to drone pilots all around the world, created by Tim Ray, Dave Meurer, Rob Burdick, and Paul Aitken.
Ask Drone U targets drone operators and it has a unique format which differentiates it from all the other podcasts below: each episode answers an actual question submitted from a listener.
Topics include insurance, business strategies, videography, drone tips, flight techniques, drone tricks, expert advice, cameras, gimbals, and more.
Some examples: episode 128 answers the question “Exactly what is Polar Pro filters and should I be using for different conditions and at what time of the day are each of them best?, episode 413 covers the question: “How fast or slow should I be flying my drone when shooting drone videos?” etc.
Some episodes include interviews with industry experts (such as drone attorney Jon Rupprecht), but always to provide answers to specific questions.
A good number of episodes relate to FAA topics so they might not be relevant for drone operators in countries outside the U.S., but many other episodes are not geographically focused. It’s a really fun podcast and the valuable answers provided by the hosts Rob Burdick and Paul Aitken are a great way for drone operators to learn about their job, regardless of where they live.
The UAV Digest
- website: The UAV Digest
- year of launch: 2013
- episodes: 160
- episode length: 30-35 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: UAV Digest on Stitcher, UAVDigest on iTunes
The UAV Digest, launched in 2013, is a very popular 30-minute weekly podcast discussing unmanned aerial vehicles and systems.
Created by David Vanderhoof and Max Flight (hosts of the popular Airplane Geeks podcast), and released every Friday, it features both commentaries by the hosts on the latest industry developments and trends for both commercial and recreational uses of drones, and interviews with industry experts.
Their website doesn’t offer an easy way to search for specific podcasts, but if you are looking for specific topics you can use this list of all UAVDigest’s podcasts (with a summary of each podcast).
Each episode is complemented by selected drone-related news of the week.
sUAS News Podcast
- website: sUAS News Podcast
- year of launch: 2012
- episodes: 101
- episode length: 30-40 mins
- frequency: irregular
- listen: sUAS News Podcast on Soundcloud, sUAS News Podcast on iTunes, sUAS News Podcast on Tunein
Launched in May 2012, sUAS News Podcast is perhaps the oldest drone podcast still being published, and one of the most popular.
Promoted by sUASNews, one of the leading news and information sources for unmanned aviation (the magazine has been published since 2008), this podcast offers a 360° view on commercial UAS platforms, subsystems and technology applications.
Patrick Egan, editor of the Americas Desk at sUAS News and one of the most influential voices in the US drone industry, is its host and Executive Producer. Gene Robinson, pioneer and expert in SAR (Search & Rescue) via drones, is the show co-host.
The sUAS News Podcast reached 300,000 downloads a year ago and has now over 100 episodes and 71 hours of content. Even if the publishing frequency has been erratic in 2016, this podcast is still definitely a must follow resource, both for drone operators and people interested in the industry.
DroneVibes Podcast (ex Multirotor Podcast)
- website: DroneVibes Podcast
- year of launch: 2014
- episodes: 99
- episode length: 30 mins
- frequency: 2 episodes per week
- listen: DroneVibes Podcast on iTunes, DroneVibes Podcast on Stitcher, DroneVibes Podcast on Tunein
Originally it was the Multirotor Podcast, hosted by multirotor experts Joe Papa and Erick Royer. Launched in 2014, it was one of the most in-depth sources of information on the multirotors’ world.
February 2016, the Multirotor Podcast switched its name to DroneVibes Podcast, changed its website, hosts, format and content.
Its previous host Joe Papa has now moved to host the Dronelife Podcast. The format has changed from a single 60-minute episode per week to 2×30-minute episodes per week and new topics have been introduced extending to drone-related business, laws, news, events and operational tips, while still targeting mainly people who fly drones.
The DroneVibes Podcast also answers questions and comments from their listeners and commonly features interviews, news, and product reviews.
DroneVibes Podcast is a valuable and very popular podcast among drone builders and flyers, having recently reached over 30,000 subscribers and 200,000 downloads.
The entire list of episodes of the Multirotor/DroneVibes Podcast is available on Tunein only (while the new website and the other platforms only backdate to 2015 episodes).
Drone Radio Show
- website: Drone Radio Show
- year of launch: 2015
- episodes: 66
- episode length: 30-40 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Drone Radio Show on SoundCloud, Drone Radio Show on iTunes, Drone Radio Show on Stitcher
The Drone Radio Show is another favorite of mine. Launched in July 2015, and hosted by Randy Goers, this is a pretty regular free weekly podcast about drones and the people who use them for business, fun, and research.
Topics discussed by Randy with his hosts include business applications, FPV racing, drone industry analysis, drone photography, regulations, R&D etc.
Randy’s website categorizes each podcast so it’s easy to search for your topic of interest in the list of the published podcasts.
I also like their format: a neat intro, a show summary with timing if you want to skip to the point, and useful links at the end.
Drone Law Today Podcast
- website: Drone Law Today Podcast
- year of launch: 2015
- episodes: 58
- episode length: 45-60 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Drone Law Today Podcast on iTunes, Drone Law Today Podcast on Stitcher
Curated by Steven Hogan, the Drone Law Today Podcast, as you can guess from its name, offers podcasts on the very specific topic of drone law.
Steven Hogan is a lawyer at Ausley McMullen in Tallahassee, Florida, and he has vast experience with commercial drone companies. Steven analyzes lawsuits and cases, interviews lawyers, UAV experts and drone operators, always using plain language: Drone Law Today‘s mission is to help people make sense of it all.
Drone Law Today Podcast usually focuses on the U.S. state and federal drone law, but some episodes and interviews, such as the interview with Diana Marina Cooper of PrecisionHawk, where she talks about how a leading drone company like PrecisionHawk navigates the legal landscape, are worth a listen even if you live in another country.
Steven also answers audience questions. You can submit your questions here.
Let’s Drone Out Podcast
- website: Let’s Drone Out
- year of launch: 2015
- episodes: 53
- episode length: 50-60 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Let’s Drone Out on SoundCloud, Let’s Drone Out on Stitcher, Let’s Drone Out on Podbean, Let’s Drone Out on MixCloud
Let’s Drone Out is a lighthearted radio show recorded live every Thursday and released as a podcast on Friday.
Hosted by Jae “Above you”, Tony “TheTonstar1” Niko and Jack “Brighton ‘Till I fly”, it covers the latest drone news and information including interviews with special guests, paying particular attention to what happens in the UK drone industry, such as the UK Drone Show, and to FPV drone racing.
Quad Talk FPV Podcast
- website: Quad Talk FPV Podcast
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 38
- episode length: 90-120 mins (on average)
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Quad Talk FPV Podcast on iTunes, Quad Talk FPV Podcast on Tunein, Quad Talk FPV Podcast on Stitcher
The Quad Talk FPV Podcast, hosted by Trace VanGorden “Von Quad” and Brandon Geiger “Wizwooky” is a specialized weekly podcast about FPV racing.
Trace and Brandon interview FPV pilots and discuss FPV companies, events, gear, builds, news, regulations, tips & tricks and more.
FPV Podcast
- website: FPV Podcast
- year of launch: 2015
- episodes: 38
- episode length: 90-120 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: FPV Podcast on SoundCloud, FPV Podcast on iTunes, FPV Podcast on Stitcher, FPV Podcast on Tunein
FPV Podcast is another great podcast focused on FPV, discussing racing, freestyle, multirotors and regulations. Elvan Wilson “Mr. Miyagi” and Kim Barrows “FPV Fly Girl” are the hosts.
Drone News Podcast
- website: Drone News
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 17
- episode length: 20-30 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: website, Drone News on iTunes, Drone News on Podbean
The Drone News Podcast is curated by the team behind thedronenews.com website, aggregating drone-related news from the web. The host Jimmy Houssen, an Atlantic Canada-based drone operator, comments on the latest drone-related news.
Commercial Drones FM
- website: Commercial Drones FM
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 12
- episode length: 30-35 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Commercial Drones FM on Soundcloud, Commercial Drones FM on iTunes
The Commercial Drones FM podcast features stories about the drone industry. It was just recently launched (July 2016), but it sounds very promising. I’m sure its quality has contributed to its success so far, reaching over 10,000 downloads in a few months.
The host is Ian Smith, an FAA-certified commercial helicopter pilot, flight instructor, drone operator, and aerial photographer who worked for Delair-Tech and DroneDeploy.
His podcasts include interviews with drone industry experts and his commentary on drone-related news of importance. Keep an eye on Ian’s progress!
Aerial Insights
- website: Airware’s blog
- year of launch: 2014
- episodes: 12
- episode length: 7-10 mins
- frequency: irregular
- listen: Aerial Insights on iTunes, Aerial Insights on Stitcher
Aerial Insights is a free corporate podcast created by Airware.
Founded by Jonathan Downey, Airware has received over $70 M in equity funding. It develops an aerial information platform for developing and operating commercial drones.
Aerial Insights reflects the commercial nature of Airware, focusing on the ecosystem of companies and leaders at the forefront of the commercial drones industry.
The hosts change every episode, even if they are always Airware’s top executives talking to top notch guests.
Somedrones Podcast
- website: Somedrones Podcast
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 11
- episode length:
- frequency: weekly
- Facebook: Somedrones
- Twitter: @somedrones
- listen: Somedrones on iTunes, Somedrones on SoundCloud
Somedrones Podcast is another recent but very promising podcast, hosted by Adam McCully, blogger at somedrones.com and drone enthusiast.
In his podcasts, Adam mostly focuses on the positive use of drones to help make the world a better place, interviewing industry experts who are working to promote drones in different sectors.
DroneLife Podcast
- website: Dronelife.io
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 10
- episode length: 25-35 mins
- frequency: weekly
- listen: Dronelife Podcast on Stitcher, Dronelife Podcast on iTunes,
Joe Papa, former host of the popular Multirotor Podcast, and co-host John Kopec are the voices of the DroneLife Podcast, a podcast related to Joe’s recently launched drone news website DroneLife.io.
Joe is an internationally recognized aerial drone professional, with over 20 years experience in the RC and UAV (drone) industries and as a professional photographer, while John is a professional aerial cinematographer, director of photography, and Steadicam operator.
Together, they offer technical tricks and tips on drone piloting, operation, maintenance, photography, cinematography and more, often interviewing industry pros.
If you are into aerial cinematography and photography, this is a ‘must follow’ podcast!
Drone Launch Podcast
- website: http://www.dronelaunch.co/
- year of launch: 2016
- episodes: 3
- episode length: 30-40 minutes
- frequency: bi-monthly
- listen: Drone Launch on iTunes, Drone Launch on SoundCloud, Drone Launch on Player FM
Drone Launch is one of the latest drone podcasts launching (excuse the pun) in early 2017 and the listenership has been constantly growing very quickly since.
The podcast focuses on drones in business and utilizing your UAV to drive profitability while ensuring safety is a priority at all times. They also have a great tips on operating your drone for commercial use.
The Digital Circuit Podcast
- website: https://www.thedigitalcircuit.com/category/podcast/
- year of launch: 2017
- episodes: 3
- episode length: 27 minutes
- listen: The Digital Circuit on Youtube
David Klein, a highly respected builder and retailer of FPV drones in Toronto, Canada chats to The Digital Circuit Podcast. Klein speaks about the growing popularity of drone racing and how he got into the hobby in the first place. He also gives his thoughts on advances in battery and video transmission technology. This is the third edition of the Digital Circuit Podcast which brings you the best from the Drone and High Technology Industry. TCD are currently awaiting approval from iTunes for the podcast feed via that platform, but this episode is currently available on YouTube above.
Women And Drones Podcast
- website: Woman And Drones
- year of launch: 2017
- episodes: 4
- episode length: 20-40 minutes
- frequency: bi-monthly
- listen: Woman And Drones on iTunes, Women And Drones on Stitcher Woman And Drones on Podcast Chart
Wendy Erikson, an Emmy Award winning journalist and FAA certified drone pilot hosts the new Woman And Drones Podcast put out on a bi monthly basis. The idea of Woman And Drones idea was started with the intent to put a spotlight on women in the UAS industry by sharing stories and inspiring more women to get involved. The idea came to fruition after Sharon Rossmart, who is the Founder/CEO of Woman And Drones and an FAA approved drone pilot in her own right attended a drone conference in Chicago where she instantly connected with the minority at the seminars, women. The company itself has grown from strength to strength recently and the Woman And Drones Podcast will definitely be a great medium on which to attract more females to the drone world.
RC Podcasts
Podcasts below cover the exciting world of the Radio Controlled flying hobby, and they occasionally feature drone-related topics and guests:
- FliteTest
- FreeFall RC Podcast
- RCGroups Podcast
- The CrashCast
- Angle of Attack Podcast
- RC Roundtable
- The RC Today Show
Drone Podcasts Not Active Anymore
- RCRN UAV Experts Drone Show (latest episode in 2015)
- UAV not Drone Podcast (latest episode in 2015)
- UAV Wire (latest episode in 2014)
- The Drone Dude Podcast (latest episode in 2015)
- UAS Today (latest episode in 2015)
- All Things That Fly (latest episode in 2014)
- UAV Not Drone Podcast (latest episode in 2015)
- Drone Podcast by Andrew Stemerman (latest episode in 2015)
- Philly Drone Tech (latest episode in 2015)
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