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- America, LLC 2015 All Rights Reserved



##  Frame Material : Molded Carbon Fiber

 Frame Dimensions : Motor to Motor 44 inches

 Number of Motors : Four (4)

 Gross Weight without Payload : 18 Pounds (Including batteries & fixed

landing gear)

 Max Takeoff W eight : 35 Pounds

 Max Speed : 12 meters/second (26 MPH)

 Max Flight Time : Up to 75 minutes without payload

 Max Altitude : G eofence set by manufacturer at 250 ft

– max manufacturer

set 400 ft (FAA approved maximum).

 Max Distance : Geo f ence set by manufacturer at 1 000 feet

– max

manufacturer set 2000 ft

.

 Flight Controller : 3D Robotics Pixhawk/GPS/Telemetry

 Radio 14 Channel 2.4GHz FCC Compliant

XF T =Extended Flight Time

HL = Heavy LiftProprietary and Confidential Copyright UAV

- America, LLC 2015 All Rights Reserved 

# Pre-Flight Checklist

Airframe S pec ification s and info rmation :

UAVA Eagle Quadcopter

44 inches (1.12 meters) arm span

Airframe including Batteries 18 Pounds (8.16 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 35 Pounds (15.8 kg)

Max f light time with standard battery and no payload

– up to 75 minutes



### Battery:

Flight pack low battery warning set to 25% by manufacturer



### Airframe C hecks

NOTE: Take your time

. Rushing to get airborne or squeeze your checklist into someone

else’s schedule is a great way to have a mishap. Go slow, be methodical, and develop your

own procedures if these are not appropriate for the task you are doing.

Remove aircraft from case. Unfold and lock each arm into flight position. Listen and feel for the

‘click’ the knob makes when it is locked. Check again

.

● Unpack pilot and sensor operator radios. Unpack video receiver and mount to tripod.

● Mount flight battery to battery tray and secure with provided straps. Battery connectors

will face the rear of the craft when installed correctly.

● Nut and bolt and fastener check: motor s , arm s , frame center body , landing gear. All

fasteners in good condition and tight. Loose fasteners should be tightened snug. Any

replacement bolts should have Loctite Blue 242 applied sparingly. Do not fly with

damaged or loose bolts or fastners

.

● Props must be 100% undamaged. No chips or cracks

● Visual inspection of fixed landing gear for cracks or worn parts (if using retractable gear,

inspect retract mechanism for damage and tension springs for proper tension . Check for

side to side slop in retract mechanism. Springs must be tensioned evenly )

.

● Motor visual inspection and end play ch eck (up and down play check). Motors with

excessive end play should be inspected closely and replaced if bearings are worn.

● Propeller fastener torque should be checked by performing a visual inspection of

paint marks on prop blade bolts. Do not tighten o r loosen prop bolts unless replacing

a broken prop!

● Check balance on pairs of arms. Check all 4 pairs. Fore/aft balance can be adjusted by

sliding the battery or gimbal to achieve perfect balance. Max imbalance: 3mm in any

direction.

● Power up copter by plugging in positive connector last (anti spark feature). Listen for

ESC startup tones. Keep aircraft absolutely still after plugging in battery whileProprietary and Confidential Copyright UAV

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red/blue LED flashes on flight controller . Gyros initializing and zero movement is

important!

● Gimbal and camera signal system test. Power up camera operator radio Power up

camera and gimbal. Gimbal will initialize, be sure nothing can contact gimbal during

initialization. Power up cameraman monitor and Connex HD video receiver.

● Gimbal control sys tem check- gimbal pan and tilt and camera functions.

● Ground station check. Connect to Mission Planner. Note that artificial horizon matches

reality. If horizon is not level, perform accelerometer calibration. If still out of level this

indicates a proble m with the internal IMU sensor on Pixhawk. Contact UAVA for further

instructions. Note battery voltage, altitude, and GPS status. Battery voltage > 25V,

altitude close to zero, GPS status will vary depending on conditions. Recommend GPS

HDOP be less than 2 for accurate GPS positioning. Cycle the pilot control radio mode

switch and verify Mission Planner reports the expected mode for each switch position.

● Ground station video Rx and OSD test- Verify video feed on monitor and OSD data

m atches Mission Planne r HUD.



### Flying F ield C hecks

● Check weather- MAX sustained wind speed for safe flying is 16 MPH. The Eagle will fly

in winds well above this, however the likelihood of a crash increase s . Takeoff and

landing will require a decisive flying style. Tip over accidents are most common when

only 1 landing skid is in contact with the ground.



### ● Check solar flare (CME) activity. This can impact GPS. Android app ‘Solar Activity

Monitor’. Solar flar e activity will degrade GPS and magnetic compass operation.

● Check winds aloft. Winds @ 1000 feet can be 2-3X ground wind speed. There are

several aviation weather apps available. Tree tops can be a good indicator of winds

near flight altitude.

● Position aircraft so the nose is into the wind.

● Determine your emergency landing plan. Have a backup landing zone and know what

your plan will be beforehand

. In an emergency, l and immediately unless people or

objects are nearby

– Never fly above or near people, animals or objects without

specific safety precautions in place. If ever in doubt of whether you can fly safely,

don’t.



### Final Checks

● Sensors on and batteries charged

● Verify video downlink

● Flight battery voltage

● If flying waypoint mission, mission uploaded and verified altitude above ground and

obstructions and other airspace conflicts

● Timer set for less than 80% max battery capacity.

● Select desired flight mode. If you have GPS HDOP below 2 you can take off in Pos

Hold. Otherwise it is recommended to take off in stabilize or alt hold.Proprietary and Confidential Copyright UAV

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● Clear your flight area. Bystanders and trees, cars, houses, etc should be at least 100

feet away.

● Press and hold safety button until ESCs arm (they will stop beeping)

● Loudly announce your intentions to take off.

● Arm the craft and slightly increase throttle. Note propeller RPM, noise or anything out of

the ordinary. If you are not sure STOP and DISARM.

● Take off into the wind and be ready to correct for wind related turbulence or

movement. Increase throttle to 100% and climb to your desired altitude. Reducing the

throttle after takeoff will make for a more efficient climb. Getting away from the ground

and out of ground effect is critical, take off decisively.



### Post F light C hecks

● Disarm

● Approach copter carefully and depress safety button until ESCs begin to beep and

safety button flashes red.

● Unplug flight battery.

● Turn off sensors if necessary

● Turn off monitor

● Properly stow aircraft and associated equi pment.Confidential/Proprietary Co pyright UAV

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### Flight Controller Color Codes

● FLASHING RED AND BLUE : I nitializing. Please wait, do not move craft as

the gyros initializing.

● DOUBLE FLASHING YELL OW : E rror. System refuses to arm- connect to

Mission

Planner to see error.

● FLASHING BLUE : D isarmed

. S earching for GPS. Autopilot, loiter, and

return-to-launch modes require GPS lock.

● FLASHING GREEN : D isarmed

, GPS lock acquired. Ready to arm.

● SOLID GREEN : A r med with GPS lock . Ready to fly!

● FLASHING YELLOW : RC failsafe activated.

● FLASHING YELLOW : B attery failsafe activated.

● FLASHING YELLOW AND BLUE : GPS glitch or GPS failsafe activated.



## P ixhawk Safety Switch Color Codes ( Red LED )

● QUICK, CONSTANT BLIN KING : P erforming system check. Please wait

.

● INTERMITTENT BLINKIN G : S ystem ready. Press the safety button to activate

.

● SOLID : R eady to arm. Proceed to the arming procedur e.



### Common error messages:

BAD AHRS

- EKF is still warming up. Solution: you may fly and error will clear but occasionally

aircraft will exhibit a small twitch once EKF is satisfied.

BAD GYRO HEALTH Copter was jostled or bumped during gyro initialization . Solution:

restart Flight Controller by cycling the power. If error is persistent , perform accelerometer cal.

If still persistent, IMU may be damaged.

BAD COMPASS HEALTH

- C ompass 1 and 2 mismatch. Strong magnetic field or problem with

1 compass. Solution: perform compass calibration. If still persistent possible environmental

interference or compass hardware problem.

EKF FAILSAFE

- Compass 1 and compass 2 disagreed by >60* for longer than 2 seconds.

Eagle will invoke LAND command. Solution: Possible electrical fault or high resistance

connection. Check battery connectors and compass connection . Check video transmitter

antenna placement.