When the dock flies, who keeps the record?
On a crewed job, the pilot on site catches a lot before take-off and writes most of it down afterwards. A frayed propeller, a crane that wasn't there last week, a battery that ran warm. With a dock, nobody is on site to see it, and the flights keep coming.
So the programme has to replace it with a schedule and a record. Maintenance falls due on a schedule instead of by eye. Each site's risks have an owner and a review date instead of a walk before every launch. Whoever finds an incident writes it up, and it's tracked until it's closed. And there's proof of who changed what, because an auditor, an insurer or a client can ask weeks later.
FlytBase's docs cover the flight itself: scheduling, geofences, crewed-aircraft alerts and a checklist shown before launch. FlybyOps keeps the record around them.
One docked flight, from schedule to audit
FlytBase's column comes from its own site, FAQ and docs, and FlybyOps' from its pricing and feature pages, as of October 2026. "Not stated" means FlytBase's docs don't say.
| Step | FlybyOpsThe programme's record | FlytBaseDrone autonomy platform |
|---|---|---|
| Flying the dock | FlybyOps · The programme's recordNot part of FlybyOps. It doesn't fly or control drones or docks | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformScheduled, repeatable flights from docks, with geofences, no-fly zones, crewed-aircraft alerts through DJI AirSense and live video |
| The flight log | FlybyOps · The programme's recordEach flight is filed under its project and job, with the aircraft that flew it. Permits, reports and risk assessments can be attached to it | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformEach flight has an overview, a playback and its media. Logs export as GUTMA or PDF |
| Aircraft and battery wear | FlybyOps · The programme's recordAircraft, batteries, payloads and docks in one registry with flight-hour rollups and asset history. Maintenance schedules on Business | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformLive dock and drone health, including battery maintenance status. Maintenance prediction is a paid add-on |
| The site's risks | FlybyOps · The programme's recordOne risk register for the programme, scored on the SORA 5×5 matrix, with mitigations, owners and review dates. Pilots and ground staff can raise flags from the field | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformHelp with risk analysis is part of its BVLOS assistance programme, from expert advisers. A risk register in the product: not stated |
| An incident | FlybyOps · The programme's recordFiled against a flight, job or aircraft and taken from report through root cause to closure. Admins and the project's managers are notified. Anonymous reporting on Business | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformAn Incident Report built from flights and media, exported as PDF |
| Who may fly | FlybyOps · The programme's recordFive roles, from Admin to Ground Staff, and pilots see only the jobs they're assigned to. Pilot currency tracking on Business | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformOwner, Admin and User roles, with sites setting what each member can operate |
| Changes to the record | FlybyOps · The programme's recordEvery change and sensitive read goes to an append-only log, attributed and timestamped. No entry can be edited | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformAudit logging is listed in its Trust Center, and its docs describe a log of sign-in events. Whether a flight log can be edited or deleted: not stated |
| Sign-in | FlybyOps · The programme's recordSSO and SCIM on Enterprise | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformSSO over OIDC with Azure AD, Okta or Ping Identity, set up by FlytBase's team |
| Where it runs | FlybyOps · The programme's recordA web app at app.flybyops.com | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformFlytBase's cloud on AWS by default, Azure on request, or on-premise and air-gapped |
| How it's priced | FlybyOps · The programme's recordPer workspace: Professional $999 a month for up to 15 users, Business from $2,500, Enterprise custom with unlimited users | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platformPer FlytBase's FAQ, Zero is a $0 pay-as-you-go plan that charges for live streaming minutes, storage and add-ons. Enterprise is billed per dock, yearly, from a tailored estimate |
| Trial | FlybyOps · The programme's record14 days with full Professional access, no credit card | FlytBase · Drone autonomy platform14 days |
The two prices pay for different things: FlytBase's for flying the docks, FlybyOps' for keeping the programme's record. Prices are in US dollars.
Getting docked flights into FlybyOps
A flight flown from a DJI Dock leaves a DJI flight log, and it uploads to FlybyOps the same as any other DJI log, with FlytBase's PDF flight report attached if you want it there. The dock itself goes in the equipment registry as an asset, next to the aircraft it houses. There's no FlytBase integration, and dock flights aren't recorded automatically yet, so someone on the team owns the upload, the way a pilot used to log their own flights. Automatic recording of dock flights is planned.
Crewed flights are simpler. Connecting a DJI Pilot 2 controller to Flight Sync takes about two minutes, and from then on its flights are recorded as they happen. Projects, people and equipment are set up once. FlytBase keeps its own flight logs too.
FlytBase alternatives in 2026: dock platforms and the record beside them
These are other tools in the same space, as each company described itself in October 2026. The first four fly or automate drones from docks. The last three keep records and flight logs.
DJI FlightHub 2
DJI's cloud platform for drone operations: remote control, flight scheduling and route management, for DJI hardware only. A free Standard plan, with paid Business and Enterprise plans.
Skydio
Skydio Dock for its X10 drone, with missions run in Skydio's own Command software. No price on its Dock page.
Percepto
Inspection software for energy infrastructure, with its own drone-in-a-box hardware. No price on its home page.
DroneDeploy
Visual site data from drones, 360 cameras and robots, with Dock Automation as an add-on. Individual pilot plans are $4,188 a year, and team plans are quoted.
FlybyOps
The programme's record, beside whichever platform flies the docks: flights under projects and jobs, a risk register, incidents to closure, equipment and an append-only audit log.
AirData
Flight logs, aircraft, pilots and maintenance, with a free plan for 100 active flights and a tailored Enterprise plan.
Aloft
LAANC airspace authorisations and missions with checklists and risk assessments, free for individual pilots, with team features on Enterprise.
Questions about FlytBase and FlybyOps
- What does FlytBase Zero charge for?
- FlytBase's FAQ describes Zero as a $0 plan with pay-as-you-go pricing: you can add unlimited docks and users, and pay for live streaming minutes, storage and add-ons. Enterprise is billed per dock each year, from an estimate. Every FlybyOps plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card needed.
- Does FlybyOps record DJI Dock flights automatically?
- Not yet, but it's planned. Flight Sync records flights flown from DJI Pilot 2 controllers, on the M300 RTK, M350 RTK and M400, the M30 and M30T, the Mavic 3 Enterprise and Thermal, and the Matrice 4E and 4T. Until dock flights sync too, each one is uploaded as a DJI flight log, the same as any other DJI log, and the dock can sit in the equipment registry as an asset.
- Can FlybyOps and FlytBase run side by side?
- Yes, as two separate tools. FlytBase flies the docks and keeps its own flight logs. FlybyOps holds the programme's record: each dock flight under its project and job, the site's risks, incidents, aircraft and batteries, the people allowed to fly, and the audit log. There's no integration between them.
- How long does it take to set up a docked programme's record in FlybyOps?
- Most of it is a one-off setup: projects for the sites, the people and their roles, the aircraft, batteries and docks. Each DJI Pilot 2 controller connects to Flight Sync in about two minutes. Dock flights are then uploaded as DJI flight logs, and past flights can stay in FlytBase, which exports them as GUTMA or PDF.