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Module 5: Flight

Lesson 3: Outdoor Flight

AIFS Drone Curriculum Package

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Outdoor Hands-On Flight Vocabulary

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AGL

Above Ground Level - This measures the actual altitude between the ground and your drone.

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Bank Turn

A smooth circular turn either clockwise or counterclockwise.

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Flight Crew

Everyone working directly with the drone operation.

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FOV

Field of View - What the drone sees from the camera.

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FPV

First Person View - Instead of the Pilot controlling the drone by watching it fly in the sky with his or her eyes (Line of Sight Operations or LOS), the pilot now flies the drone wearing FPV goggles and sees what the drone sees in real time via an onboard camera.

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Headless Mode

The drone will turn left when you press the control stick to the left, even if the drone’s head is facing you. The same applies to the right, of course.

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Hover

Remaining in the same position during flight.

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Line of Sight

The drone pilot or visual observer can see the drone without any obstruction.

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Pitch

Forward or backward movement.

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Return to Home

The drone will return to the home point by itself in case of signal loss or low battery.

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Roll

To move the drone laterally, (left or right) from side to side.

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Throttle

Rotation speed of the motors. (Upward and downward movement)

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Yaw

Clockwise or counterclockwise rotation

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Outdoor Hands-On Flight Notes

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Manual Flight(s)

The pilot controls the drone directly.

GPS, computer vision data, and barometer are not used.

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Pre-Flight Checklist

Home / Classroom

1. Check the location

(Example - Air Map)

2. Identify launch site

3. Bring permits (if needed)

4. Batteries, controller and cell

phone are charged

5. Check propellers and rotors

6. Insert memory card

7. Update firmware

8. Bring spare batteries, power

bank for phone, and propellers

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Pre-Flight Checklist

Deployment Site

1. Reach the launch site

2. Connect the drone to the

controller

3. Check GPS and signal strength

4. Warm up the battery if

necessary

5. Check propellers and rotors

6. Calibrate the drone

7. Set the home point

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Compass Calibration

You may need to calibrate the drone’s compass by rotating it 360 degrees and on its side 360 degrees

Your drone app will guide you

When performing the calibration, stay away from metal and concrete objects

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Setting the “Home Point” (Return to Home)

This way, your drone will fly itself back to that point if it loses signal or runs out of battery.

You can also set the altitude of the home point so that your drone flies back and hovers.

If you are flying in a wooded area, you may want to set the home point to a higher altitude. This will help your drone steer clear of trees on the return flight.

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Taking Off and Hovering

A. Take Off Automatically

1. Press the launch button on

your screen. Your drone should

take off automatically.

2. Beginners should use

automatic takeoff until they

gain some experience.

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Taking Off and Hovering

B. Manual Take Off

Push both sticks down at the same time. Then push both sticks outward – the left stick to the left, the right stick to the right. All rotors should then start to turn.
The manual launch is more difficult than you thought. That’s because you need to carefully control the takeoff speed. Lifting off too fast or too slow can cause an imbalance and crash.

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Flight Modes - GPS Mode

The most commonly used mode.
The drone uses a satellite to locate itself, which greatly improves its movement.
When you press the control stick, the drone moves. When you stop pressing it, the drone hovers. This makes it easy to control.
You can locate your drone in the flight app.
You can also set a flight path before you fly. This way, your drone will fly autonomously according to the preset path.

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Flight Modes - ATTI (Attitude) Mode

The drone does not locate itself with GPS in this mode. It cannot hover in the same position when you take your hands off both sticks.

The drone can fly at the same altitude smoothly. But it drifts around in the wind. That means it doesn’t have an automatic brake. You have to push the control stick to the opposite side to brake.

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Flight Modes - Intelligent Mode

This includes several special flight paths that your drone can perform autonomously.

For example, a “Follow Me” mode prompts your drone to follow a specific object. Or an “Orbit” mode where your drone orbits a specific object.

These modes allow beginners to easily perform difficult shooting tricks.

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Flying a Drone - Take Off and Landing

Take off to about 5 feet off the ground. Then land slowly. Do this twice.

Use automatic takeoff and landing if your drone has it.

Manual is an advanced skill and you can practise it when you are more familiar with controls.

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Flying a Drone - Take Off and Rotate

Take off to about 10 feet above the ground. Rotate it clockwise 360 degrees.

Then rotate it counterclockwise another 360 degrees.

Make sure the tail of the drone is facing you.

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Flying a Drone - Pitch and Roll

Still 10 feet off the ground with the tail facing you.

Roll the drone a few feet to the right.

Turn it back to the left.

Pitch it forward for a few feet. Then pitch it back.

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Flying a Drone - Draw a Square

Use only the right control stick, i.e. with pitch and roll, to draw a square with your drone.

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Flying a Drone - Draw a Circle

Use only the right stick. This time draw a circle. You will find that this is a little more challenging.

It requires smoother control of the stick.

Once you have mastered the circle, draw two circles continuously but in a different direction.

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Flying a Drone - Draw a Square w/ Drone’s Head as Guide

Yaw your drone 90 degrees at each corner and then pitch it forward to draw the line.

Feel the coordination required between the left and right control sticks

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Flying a Drone - Draw a Figure 8

Draw it with your drone's head. This requires a certain amount of coordination of both hands.

This can be quite a challenge for a beginner. Make sure there are no obstacles nearby.

If you get confused or panic, release both sticks to hover the drone. Pause for a second until you understand the sense of the controls.

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Switching Between Looking at the Aircraft and the Screen

Practice looking at the controller screen and looking at the aircraft directly

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Landing Safely

Like launching, you can choose to land automatically or manually.

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Landing Automatically

When you land automatically, you lower your drone to the lowest altitude it can reach.

Many drones prevent further lowering at 3 to 5 feet above the ground. Then you can press the auto-landing button to ask the drone to land automatically.

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Landing Manually

If you are landing manually, do the same by hovering the drone 3 to 5 feet above the ground. Then, transition to descent bit by bit. Being slow is key.

When you are sure that your drone has fully touched down on the ground, stop the rotors. Pull both control sticks down and then inward toward each other. All rotors should be cut of Immediately.

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Land on Flat, Open Surface

Land on a flat open area. Land on a soft surface such as grassland. If your drone tilts slightly, the propellers may hit the rocks on the ground. Or the propellers may break at high speed and scatter everywhere. This can lead to injuries.

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Watch Out for Overhead Obstacles

Sometimes you may be too relaxed at the end of the flight mission. Or you may be in a hurry to swap batteries. In either situation, you may be distracted and not aware of the obstacles above.

Common obstacles include power lines, streetlights, and tree branches.

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Use a Landing Pad

Some people like to play it safe by using a landing pad. Its sole purpose is to warn people not to step into the landing zone. Deploy one if you envision your launch site is busy.

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Don’t Linger When It’s Time to Land

When the battery is running low, say only 30% left, you should return and prepare to land. Otherwise, your drone will return to the home point and land automatically when the battery is at 10% or less.
If there are battery anomalies, such as a rapid drop in battery level, do not risk flying. Land and inspect the drone immediately.
If your drone is out of control or shows a significant delay in response, return and check it. Interference may come in a sudden.

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Flight Record Keeping

The first essential rule regarding drone safety is once a flight has been completed the time of flight must be logged. This will include the start and end times of the flight and the duration and also any incidents must be noted and logged (or reported depending on the severity of the incident).
The UAV will be inspected and any maintenance that is required must be recorded.

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Flight Debriefing

The crew will (discuss) be debriefed on the aspects of the flight and how it went.

If there were any minor incidents or occurrences this would be a good time to notify the crew and discuss how to prevent similar events from happening in the future.

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Post-Flight Maintenance

After the UAV has safely landed, powered down and the battery removed the crew will then be able to inspect the UAV for signs of wear and tear or damage. Repair as needed and test for safety to confirm it is airworthy for the next mission.