I wouldn't count on using it all the way up to the plains. That would take a heck of a long time. I would probably just go and kill bonemass.

Like with non-flying raids your base doesn't need much protecting if you take the fight outside. Maybe shelter your livestock. Personally I ignore taming wholesale. It may even be argued that drakes are some of the more manageable enemies to deal with in raids because being slow and airborne makes it easier to pull them away from your stuff from afar.

Every biome has at least one pest-tier enemy and that is what drakes are to the mountains. Wolves are a bigger concern and even then that is only if they are grouped.