DU RING FLIGHT AIRCRAFT STATUS SCAN 

Maintain visual contact with aircraft 

Check aircraft location and heading on the map 

Check all top status indicators 

Check altitude, airspeed, and GPS 

Check indicators in artificial horizon are green 

Check battery level remaining 

Check message window 

Check status of payload 

Maintain visual contact with aircraft 

LANDING CHECKLIST 

Maintain visual contact with aircraft 

Check landing area is clear 

Check wind direction and speed 

(If needed, adjust landing approach and re-upload) 

Press [Land] button, or press [Rally] button and then [Land] 

Verify audible "ding" when aircraft enters final approach 

(if needed, abort the landing by pressing [Takeoff] buiton) 

(if needed, use arrow-keys or joystick to adjust glide path near the 

land point) 

Verify [Safe] mode has been activated after landing 

Verify no damage to aircraft after landing 

Remove battery from aircraft 

LAUNCH TECHNIQUE 

Always launch directly into the wind. Hold the aircraft wings level and 

pointed straight toward the horizon. Take a few running steps forward to 

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gain momentum and then push the aircraft straight forward without 

stopping. Ensure that the running path is clear and level ground. Run on 

solid flat surface if possible (e.g. pavement or gravel). In zero wind and 

hot weather a more vigorous running speed may be necessary to gain 

enough airspeed. Always launch with a full battery >95% for maximum 

launch thrust. 

WARNING: Be sure to keep hands and other body parts away from the 

propeller at all times. 

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PHOENIX HAND LAUNCH SUMMARY: 

• "Run and Push" 

• Always directly into the wind 

• Wings level with the horizon 

* Run on a flat solid surface 

• Push the aircraft forward, flat and level toward the horizon 

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SECTION 5: PERFORMANCE 

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS 

Cruise speed 34 mph 

Sta11 speed 25 mph 

Max speed 45 mph 

Climb rate 800 ft./min 

Decent rate 400 ft./min 

Turn rate 10 deg./sec 

Turn radius 200 ft. 

Typical operating altitude 

Maximum operating altitude 

Max endurance (depending on battery option) 

Max control range (RF line-of-sight) 

Typical visual line-of-sight range 

(dependent on weather conditions) 

<400 ft. AGL 

12000 ft. MSL 

60-90 min 

3 miles 

0.5 miles 

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SECTION 6: WEIGHT AND BALANCE 

V1IEIGHT 

Phoenix is battery powered therefor weight does not change during the 

course of the flight. 

Weight (pounds) 

Maximum Weight 3r5t ' 

Nominal Weight , 10 

CENTER OF GRAVITY 

Phoenix is battery powered therefor C.G. does not change during the 

course of the flight. C.G. is measured from the front point of the fuselage 

where the motor mount attaches. 

Forward Limit Nominal Aft Limit 

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Center of Gravity (in) ~ °~ i R 1 ~BY:' ~~ ~; ~ 

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SECTION 7: SYSTEM DESCRIPTION 

The Phoenix UAS is comprised of an unmanned aircraft, a ground control 

station, a data-link communications system, and maintenance and support 

equipment. The aircraft typically carries a camera payload. 

AIRCRAFT DESCRIPTION 

The Phoenix unmanned aircraft is a hand-launched electric aircraft 

constructed of rugged composite materials. The wings and battery 

assemble to the fuselage without requiring the use of tools. 

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GROUND CONTROL STATION DESCRIPTION 

The Phoenix UAS is operated by a single operator from a user friendly 

Ground Control Station (GCS), which provides operators all necessary 

controls and displays to safely and effectively plan and execute a mission, 

including controlling and monitoring the aircraft, associated payloads and 

data-link status. 

The GCS hardware consists of a laptop or handheld tablet computer 

running the Microsoft Windows operating system and industry-standard 

GCS software used for controlling and managing missions for a variety of 

small UAS, along with a bi-directional communications data-link. The 

control station can run off of batteries or other external power sources. 

Ground Control Station Hardware 

(Left: Laptop Option, Right: Rugged Tablet Option) 

The GCS software provides all necessary controls and displays to safely 

plan and monitor mission performance and system performance in real 

time and provide the means for operator intervention to return home and/or 

land the aircraft immediately for airspace de-confliction. The GCS software 

provides a map view on which aircraft status is displayed at all times 

including location, critical performance parameters, endurance remaining, 

data-link status, and critical system health parameters. The pre-planned 

mission waypoints can be updated real-time during the mission from the 

map view. Aircraft location is continuously updated and displayed on the 

map view. Controls and displays are provided in the software to allow the 

operator to select the mission mode, plan and/or modify mission 

parameters, waypoints, takeoff, landing and rally points and lost comms 

parameters, arm or disarm the motor, monitor the aircraft, aircraft 

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navigational sensors and data-link performance and monitor status of the 

mission as well as control the sensor payload and monitor the payload 

activity. 

VIRTUAL COCKPIT: 

Box #1: Flight mode commands 

Box #2: Artificial horizon - aircraft orientation and instrument sensor 

information. 

Box #3: Message window. Shows text warnings and system status 

messages. 

Box #4: Map and flight plan. Aircraft position is updated in real-time 

during the flight. 

Virtual cockpit also has three important windows that can be 

accessed for changing flight settings. These windows are quickly 

brought up by pressing F4, F5, and F7 buftons on the keyboard. 

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F4: shows aircraft and autopilot serial numbers communicating 

with Virtual Cockpit. 

F5: shows the flight settings of the aircraft. 

F7: shows the settings Virtual Cockpit. 

FIELD SUPPORT KIT DESCRIPTION 

The Phoenix comes with a field support kit that contains a few basic hand 

tools and a few spare parts for common wear items that require reguiar 

maintenance (e.g. propellers). 

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SECTION 8: HANDLING, SERVICE, AND 

MAINTENANCE 

ASSEMBLY: 

1. Open transport case. 

2. Remove left and right wings, inspect for structural damage. 

3. Insert wing clip onto one of the wings, verify intact. 

4. Slide the wings together, verify snug fit. 

5. Extend the Pitot-static tube to the forward position. 

6. Remove the fuselage, inspect for structural damage. 

7. Inspect pogo-pin connectors for damage, replace if needed. 

8. Attach the wings to the fuselage: 

a. Insert the wing leading edge tabs into the fuselage socket. 

b. Retract the slide latches and press the wing down into place. 

c. Push the slide latches fully aft, verify secure. 

9. When ready to begin preflight, insert a fully charged battery into 

the fuseiage. 

DISASSEMBLY AND PACKING: 

1. Reverse order the assembly steps. 

2. Place the battery into one of the bays under the fuselage pocket in 

the transport case. 

3. Place the wings into the wing pocket in the transport case: tip to 

tip, bottom face to bottom face. Wing trailing edges face up. 

4. Place the fuselage into the fuselage pocket. Bottom side faces up. 

STORAGE 

The system should be stored in a dry location within the storage 

temperature limits listed in Section 2 of this handbook. 

Battery Maintenance and Storage 

If not used for long periods of time, air vehicle batteries should be 

stored at 40-50% charge capacity. Batteries should be periodically 

checked for remaining capacity every three months. If necessary, 

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batteries in storage should be charged back to the 40-50% charge 

capacity. 

Battery Disposal 

At the end of their usable life, indicated by the battery state of health, 

AV and GCS lithium polymer batteries should be disposed of 

properly. 

TRANSPORTATION 

The system should be transported in its packed away configuration. The 

air vehicle soft case should be packed in a cardboard box before shipping. 

The optional system hard case can be used as a shipping container. 

Battery transportation 

Lithium batteries must be shipped in accordance with local 

regulations. The Phoenix batteries are lithium polymer and typically 

must be shipped via a ground carrier. 

SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE 

Most simple repairs of "wear" items or minor damage can be done in the 

field using tools and spare items included in the FSK. 

PROPELLER REPLACEMENT 

Inspect both propellers for damage including chips, broken tips, or other 

damage prior to flight. In the case of a damaged propeller, unscrew the 

broken or damaged propeller by loosening the #1 Phillips screw. Install a 

new propeller and replace the screw. Tighten the screw so that there is 

light friction on the folding propeller. 

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SPINNER REPLACEMENT 

If the spinner becomes damaged, unscrew and remove the spinner cone. 

While holding the propeller stationary, use the wrench to remove the nut 

holding the collet and yoke onto the motor shaft. Replace spinner 

assembly and tighten collet nut as tight as possible using wrench in the 

FSK (factory spec is 50 in-Ib). Ensure gap between collet and motor mount 

is < 1116thinch (<1.5 mm) and that the motor/propeller spins freely with no 

rubbing. Install the spinner cone. 

It is possibfe to operate the air vehicle without a spinner cone installed, but 

a spinner cone should be used if possible for better performance and 

orotection of the propulsion system. 

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MINOR STRUCTURAL REPAIR 

Most minor structural damage can be adequately repaired using a small 

amount of bi-directional fiber tape. 

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PITOT-STATIC TUBE REPLACEMENT 

The pitot-static tube may need to be replaced if damaged or if the aircraft is 

not properly sensing airspeed. Remove the pitot-static tube by pulling 

forward on the tube until it pulls free of the wing, exposing the fittings and 

clear tubing on the back side. Slide clear tubing off the rear barbs and reinstall the clear tubing onto the same rear barbs on the new pitot-static 

tube. Slide the pitot-static tube back into the wing until it clicks into p{ace. 

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WING CONNECTOR REPLACEMENT 

If a wing connector becomes damaged or does not have proper 

connectivity to the aircraft, replace it with a new connector. This is done by 

removing the screw that mounts the connector and disconnecting the cable 

from the back side. Inspect the foam under the connector to ensure it is 

present and intact. If the foam is in poor condition, replace it before 

installing the new wing connector. Install the new wing connector by 

connecting the cable and installing the screw. 

AIR SPEED SENSOR REPLACEMENT 

If the air speed sensor (air data module) needs replacement, remove the 

cover from the end of the wing, carefully slide out the air speed sensor with 

tubes and wires attached. Remove the electrical cable and the pneumatic 

tubes. Plug the electrical cable and pneumatic tubes into the replacement 

air speed sensor into the same ports. Re-insert the assembly into the wing 

electrical connector side first. Ensure the pneumatic tubes are not pinched. 

Re-install the cover with adhesive or tape. 

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MOTOR ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT 

The motor should be replaced every 75 flights or 50 flight hours whichever 

comes first. 

The motor assembly may need to be replaced sooner if it becomes 

damaged, will not function properly, or exhibits unusual or loud sound when 

activated. 

Remove the motor assembly by first removing the spinner cone screw and 

spinner cone. Next, remove the motor assembly from the fuselage by 

removing three screws. Before the motor can be pulled out of the fuselage ; 

the electronic speed control (ESC) has to be unfastened from its Velcro 

mount within the nose of the fuselage. Then, unplug the motor's 3 bullet 

connectors from the propulsion wire harness. 

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Plug the new motor's three bullet connectors into the propulsion wire 

harness. Match the colors used on the old motor. Remove the spinner 

cone from the new motor assembly and install using the three screws. 

Reinstall the spinner cone. If the new motor spins backwards during 

operation then swap 2 of the 3 bullet connectors. 

Propulsion Harness Replacement 

The propulsion assembly may need to be replaced if it becomes damaged 

or if the air vehicle motor will not function properly. Remove the propuision 

harness by removing the two screws that fasten the battery interface board. 

Pull the board outward to expose the wiring behind it. 

Disconnect the cable from the long skinny white connector. Carefully pull 

the propulsion harness circuit card away from the hook and loop fastener 

holding it to the fuselage. 

Remove the motor assembly from the nose of the aircraft as described 

previously. Disconnect the motor leads and pull the propulsion harness out 

of the nose back into the battery bay. Install the new propulsion harness 

through the opening in the battery bay, connect the cables, attach the 

circuit card to the hook and loop fastener, connecting the cable, and 

installing the two screws. Re-install the motor assembly. 

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Sentera, LLC Proprietary Information 
SECTION 9: SUPPLEMENTS 

LOADING BACKGROUND MAPS INTO VIRTUAL COCKPIT 

USING GOOGLE EARTH 

Always use a background map when flying Phoenix using Virtual Cockpit. 

The easiest way to import images is to use map maker application inside 

Virtual Cockpit to capture maps from Google Earth. 

1. Connect the laptop to the Internet. 

2. Launch Google Earth. If Google Earth is not installed, download 

and install Google Earth, then launch it. 

3. Navigate in Google Earth until the map area of interest is 

displayed on the screen. Press the `R' key on the keyboard to 

reset the camera view to aim the camera straight down and define 

the top of the screen as North. 

4. Launch Virtual Cockpit. 

5. Launch the Map Maker Application in Virtual Cockpit: 

a. Settings—> Map Settings (alternately press F7 key and 

Map Settings) 

b. Press the [Launch Map Maker Application] button near the 

bottom of the screen 

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a. Press File—> Google Earth Import in the upper left of the 

screen (at this point the Map Maker application will grab the 

map image from Google Earth and paste a preview in the 

Map Maker screen). 

b. Press the [Make Map] button in the lower right of the screen. 

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c. Browse to the folder where you wish to save the map image 

and associated .wf world file. Typically the folder should be 

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d. Two files are saved: an image file and an associated .wf file 

that contains information about the geo-location of the 

image. 

7. Close the Map Maker application 

8. In the Map Settings screen (F7), press the [Add] button. 

9. Select Color Image from the Map Type drop-down menu 

10. Press the [Load] button and browse to the folder location 

where you saved the map image from above. Select the image 

you want to load and press [Open]. 

11. Press the [Ok] button in the bottom left of the Map Setup 

window. 

12. The new map should now be shown in the list of maps in the F7 

Map Settings screen. 

a. Ensure that the check box next to the map(s) you wish to 

use is checked. 

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b. Optional: uncheck other un-needed maps to disable them. 

c. Optional: Use the arrow buttons to change the order in which 

the maps are listed and displayed. 

d. Optional: Use the [Center] button to center the map view on 

a particular map in the list. 

e. Optional: Double-click on a map in the list and check the 

"Default Startup" checkbox to save it as the default starting 

location. 

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SEC710N 10: SAFETY TIPS 

BATTERY USE - PRECAUTIONS 

!! WARNING !! 

Lithium polymer cells and battery packs may get hot, explode or ignite and 

cause serious injury if not properly handled: 

1. Do not place the battery in or near fire or heat the battery. 

2. Do not reverse polarity on any wires connecting to the battery. 

3. Do not connect the positive terminal and negative terminal of the battery 

to each other with any metal or conductive object. Do not attempt to 

remove the debris from the battery connector with a conductive object. 

4. Do not pierce the battery with nails, strike the battery with a hammer, or 

otherwise subject it to strong impacts or shocks. 

5. Do not expose the battery to water or salt water. 

6. Do not disassemble or modify the battery. 

7. Do not place or store the battery inside cars in hot weather. 

8. Immediately discontinue use of the battery if, while using, charging or 

storing the battery, the battery emits an unusual smell, feels hot, 

changes color or shape, or appears abnormal in any other way. 

9. In the event the battery leaks and the fluid gets into one's eye, do not 

rub the eye. Rinse well with water and immediately seek medical care. 

If left untreated, the battery fluid could cause damage to the eye. 

10. Use only the battery charger provided with the Phoenix UAS. 

11. Do not attach the battery directly to any other power source. 

!! WARNING !! 

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