DRAGANFLYER X6 

USERS MANUAL 
Draganflyer X6 – Users Manual 

2 

 05/28/09 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

OPERATOR NOTICE..................................................................................................... 5

WARNINGS ...................................................................................................................... 6

X6 OVERVIEW AND SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................... 7

FEATURES ........................................................................................................................ 7 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................ 8 

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS............................................................................................. 12

MAINTENANCE............................................................................................................ 12

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS ..................................................................................... 13

Side Arms.................................................................................................................. 14

Landing Gear............................................................................................................ 14

Rotors........................................................................................................................ 15

Canopy ...................................................................................................................... 16

Battery....................................................................................................................... 17

OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................... 20

WIND. ............................................................................................................................ 21 

DRAGANFLYER X6 HELICOPTER/CONTROLLER RANGE TEST ........................................ 22 

RECOMMENDED OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES ................................................................. 22 

General ..................................................................................................................... 22

Flight Operations Checklists.................................................................................... 22

PREFLIGHT PREPARATION.............................................................................................. 22 

Control Systems Check ............................................................................................. 24

Before Takeoff........................................................................................................... 24

Launch Helicopter .................................................................................................... 24

Landing ..................................................................................................................... 24

Post Flight................................................................................................................. 25

Maintenance and Logbooks...................................................................................... 25

Spotters ..................................................................................................................... 25

TELEMETRY AND CALIBRATION..................................................................................... 25 

Telemetry Program................................................................................................... 25

Heading Calibration Test ......................................................................................... 27

HANDHELD CONTROLLER .............................................................................................. 28 

Battery: ..................................................................................................................... 28

Control Sticks: .......................................................................................................... 29

Switches: ................................................................................................................... 29

Trims:........................................................................................................................ 29

Trainer Switch: ......................................................................................................... 30

Camera Controls....................................................................................................... 30

Dual Video Output Jacks.......................................................................................... 30

Data log Micro-SD Port ........................................................................................... 30

Draganflyer X6 Touch Screen .................................................................................. 31

WARNINGS AND CONFIRMATIONS.................................................................................. 43 

Visual ........................................................................................................................ 43

Audible ...................................................................................................................... 43
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ACTIVATING THE DRAGANFLYER X6............................................................................. 44 

Arming Procedure..................................................................................................... 44

TAKEOFF........................................................................................................................ 45 

DISARMING THE DRAGANFLYER X6 .............................................................................. 45 

DRAGANFLYER X6 GPS SYSTEM ........................................................................... 45

GPS LOCK QUALITY...................................................................................................... 46 

POSITION HOLD ACCURACY .......................................................................................... 46 

FLIGHT MODES .............................................................................................................. 47 

Manual Flight Mode ................................................................................................. 47

Altitude-Hold Flight Mode........................................................................................ 47

GPS Position Hold Mode.......................................................................................... 48

MAGNETOMETER HEADING ........................................................................................... 48 

CALIBRATIONS: .......................................................................................................... 49

MAGNETIC DECLINATION .............................................................................................. 50 

Magnetic Declination Calibration Using Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller .... 50

Calibration Steps Using Computer and Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver..... 52

VERTICAL MAGNETIC FIELD:......................................................................................... 53 

Vertical Magnetic Field Calibration (Magnetic Inclination Calibration Using 

Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller....................................................................... 53

Vertical Magnetic Field Calibration steps using Computer and Draganfly USB 

Telemetry Transceiver .............................................................................................. 55

HARD IRON CALIBRATION ............................................................................................. 56 

TRANSMITTER RF POWER.............................................................................................. 56 

CAMERA POWER ........................................................................................................ 57

BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM .............................................................................. 57

SET UP AND OPERATION ................................................................................................ 58 

Camera Systems........................................................................................................ 59

Quick Release Camera Mount Installation............................................................... 60

STILL DIGITAL CAMERA ................................................................................................ 61 

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO ............................................................................................... 63 

LOW LIGHT BLACK AND WHITE VIDEO ......................................................................... 64 

THERMAL INFRA-RED VIDEO......................................................................................... 65 

GROUND CONTROL BASE STATION..................................................................... 66

VIDEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................ 69

PRE-TRAINING FOR DRAGANFLYER X6 ............................................................. 70

Flight Simulator........................................................................................................ 70

Blade MCX Training................................................................................................. 70

FLIGHT TRAINING...................................................................................................... 73

TRAINER FLIGHT ...................................................................................................... 73 

Master Controller Setup ........................................................................................... 73

Slave Controller Setup .............................................................................................. 74

FLIGHT LESSONS ...................................................................................................... 76 

Lesson 1: Familiarization and Trimming:................................................................ 76
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Lesson 2: Basic Hovering ......................................................................................... 76

Lesson 3: Movements................................................................................................ 77

Lesson 4: Orientation ............................................................................................... 78

Lesson 5: Climbs and Descents................................................................................ 78

Lesson 6: Introduction to Forward Flight................................................................ 79

Lesson 7: Advanced Forward Flight ........................................................................ 79

FLIGHT TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................. 80

GLOSSARY OF TERMS............................................................................................... 83
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Operator Notice 

The responsibility falls upon owners operating or authorizing the 

operation and pilots operating the Draganflyer X6 helicopter for 

operation of the helicopter in a safe manner that ensures no 

injury to persons or damage to property occurs by taking 

unnecessary risk in its operation. 

Further more the onus is upon each owner authorizing the 

operation of the Draganflyer X6 helicopter, and each pilot 

operating the Draganflyer X6 helicopter, to comply with all 

regulations pertinent to the use of the Draganflyer X6 helicopter 

and associated components, at the location of operation with 

regards to the use of airspace as well as radio communications. 

Draganfly Innovations Inc. does not accept any responsibility for 

the damages or financial compensations which may arise there 

of as the result of an owner operating or authorizing a pilot to 

operate and failing to comply with any of the respective 

regulations and which leads to a claim of a third party against 

the user. 
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Warnings 

The Draganflyer X6 helicopter is a precision machine that is vulnerable to misuse and can 

prove to be dangerous if not properly maintained or used in an inappropriate manor. 

Throughout this manual, look for this symbol, which will be used to remind 

you about safe operating procedures. 

Helicopters by their nature are not positively stable. Although the Draganflyer X6 will 

maintain an attitude and a position relative to wind movement without constant control 

input , operators should always be aware of its position and be able to take immediate 

control of the helicopter to recover from an unwanted position and avoid any mishaps. 

Please completely read and understand all Draganflyer X6 instructional information 

before attempting to fly the Draganflyer X6. 

To provide optimum performance, a Lithium Polymer battery powers your Draganflyer 

X6. The same properties that make these batteries extremely powerful and lightweight 

also make them dangerous if handled incorrectly. Please read and understand all 

information pertaining to the battery before attempting to use or charge it. 

IF MISUSED THIS AIRCRAFT IS CAPABLE OF CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY HARM 

TO THE OPERATOR AND SPECTATORS AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE. ANY 

DAMAGE OR INJURY OCCURRING DUE TO MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT IS 

SOLELY THE OPERATOR’S RESPONSIBILITY. 

DO NOT PLACE YOUR HANDS OR ARMS IN CLOSE PROXIMATY TO THE 

ROTORS OR ATTEMPT TO STOP SPINNING ROTORS WITH YOUR HANDS AS 

SERIOUS INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT. 

THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS CHEMICALS WHICH ARE KNOWN BY THE STATE OF 

CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER, BIRTH DEFECTS AND/OR OTHER 

REPRODUCTIVE HARM. Many common materials such as metals, plastics, glues, 

lubricants and other coatings contain chemicals in varying amount and concentrations 

which will cause harm if introduced into the human body. For further information on 

toxic or dangerous chemicals please refer to California’s Health and Safety Codes 

Sections 25249.5-13 
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X6 Overview and Specifications 

With experience gained through the production of the Draganflyer V series helicopters as 

well as feedback from customers, Draganfly Innovations has utilized the talents of skilled 

engineers, designers and technicians to bring you the Draganflyer X6. This collaboration 

has resulted in a more powerful, highly stable flying platform that requires minimal 

training to effectively fly. The Draganflyer X6 can be equipped with a variety of cameras 

allowing for video or still pictures to be taken with live feed to enable one-person 

operation. 

Features 

 Six High Efficiency Carbon Fiber Rotors: 

 direct drive 

 custom designed 

 optimized for maximum efficiency 

 Six Brushless Motors: 

 high performance, high efficiency 

 Auto stabilization with 11 Sensors and Onboard Processor: 

 3 Gyros: Monitor the rate of rotation around the x, y, and z axis. 

 3 Accelerometers: Monitor the rate of acceleration in the x, y, and z 

directions. 

 3 Magnetometers: Allow the helicopter to orient itself relative to the 

Earth’s magnetic field. 

 1 Barometric pressure sensor: Measures Altitude. 

 1 GPS Receiver: Measures absolute position with a resolution of under 

one meter. 

 Advanced Stabilization Software: over 10000 lines of programming 

instruction achieve full stabilization and allow the helicopter to be 

flown in an intuitive manner, by anyone even without training. 

 Collapsible carbon fiber frame 

 Antenna for GPS Position Hold 

 Rechargeable lithium polymer battery 

 Easily removable carbon fiber landing gear 

 Will fit into a 26” long 6” diameter tube when collapsed 

 Revolutionary software and sensor package combine to produce an aerial 

flying platform that is easier to fly than any previous model. 
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Technical Specifications 

Helicopter Size

 Dimensions 

o Width: 91cm (36in) 

o Length: 85cm (33in) 

o Top Diameter: 99cm (39in) 

o Height: 25.4cm (10in) 

 Dimensions

(Without Rotors) 

o Width: 55cm (22in) 

o Length: 49cm (19in) 

o Top Diameter: 63cm (25in) 

o Height: 25.4cm (10in) 

 Folded Dimensions 

o Width: 30cm (12in) 

o Length: 68cm (27in) 

o Front Diameter: 35cm (14in) 

o Height: 25.4cm (10in) 

 Folded Dimensions

(Without Landing Gear) 

o Width: 13cm (5in) 

o Length: 66cm (26in) 

o Front Diameter: 14cm (5.5in) 

o Height: 13cm (5in) 

 Folded Dimensions

(Without Rotors or Landing Gear) 

o Width: 13cm (5in) 

o Length: 51cm (20in) 

o Front Diameter: 14cm (5.5in) 

o Height: 13cm (5in) 

RF Communications

 2.4GHz Data Link 

o Link Type: Helicopter to Ground & Ground to Helicopter (Two-Way) 

o Helicopter Antenna: Wired Whip Antenna 

o Controller Antenna: Omni-Directional 

o Transmission Power (North America): 50mW (+17dBm) 

o Transmission Power (International): 10mW (+10dBm) 

o RF Data Rate: 250kbps 

o Receiver sensitivity: -100dBm 

o Transmission Technique: DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) 

o Frequency band: 2.4000 - 2.4835 GHz 

o Certifications: CE, FCC, IC, ETSI 

o Data Link Channel Selection: Automatic (13 Channels) 
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 5.8GHz Video Link 

o Link Type: Helicopter to Ground (One-Way) 

o Transmitter Antenna: Omni-Directional 

o Receiver Antennas: Omni-Directional & Flat Patch 

o Transmission Power: 12dBm 

o Transmitter Power Consumption: 500mW 

o NTSC and PAL Compatible 

o 7 Selectable Channels: 5740MHz, 5760MHz, 5780MHz, 5800MHz, 

5820MHz, 5840MHz, 5860MHz 

11 Onboard Sensors

 3 Solid State MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) Gyros 

 3 Solid State MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) Accelerometers 

 3 Magnetometers (Magnetoresistive Sensors) 

 1 Barometric Pressure Sensor 

 1 GPS Receiver 

o GPS Battery Backup: 75mAh Lithium Polymer 

GPS

 GPS Used For: Position Hold, Location & Velocity Data 

 Maximum Satellites Tracked Simultaneously: 16 

 Position Update Rate: 4 Hz 

 GPS Antenna: Ceramic Patch 

 Battery Backup: Lithium Polymer 

Black Box Data Recorder

 Flight Data Recording: On-Board 

 Stored To: Removable 1Gb MicroSD 

 Memory Card 

 Data Recorded: Onboard Sensor Flight Data 

 (Link quality, Orientation, Altitude, Speed, Direction) 

Weight & Payload

 Helicopter Weight: 1,000g (35oz) 

 Payload Capability: 500g (18oz) 

 Maximum Gross Take-Off Weight: 1,500g (53oz) 
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Flight Characteristics:

 Climb Rate: 7m/s (23ft/s) 

 Descent Rate: 4m/s (13ft/s) 

 Turn Rate: 90°/second 

 Maximum Speed: 50km/h (30mph) 

 Minimum Speed: 0km/h (0mph) 

 Launch Type: VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) 

 Maximum Flight Time: approx 20 minutes (no payload) 

 Sound at 1m (3.28ft):65dB 

 Sound at 3m (9.84ft):60dB 

Rotor Blades

 Three Counter-Rotating Pairs (Six Rotors Total) 

 Rotor Blade Material: Molded Carbon Fiber 

 Upper Rotor Diameter: 40cm (16in) 

 Lower Rotor Diameter: 38cm (15in) 

 Upper Rotor Weight: 12g (0.42oz) 

 Lower Rotor Weight: 11g (0.38oz) 

Electric Motors

 Brushless Motors: 6 

 Configuration: Direct Drive (One Motor per Rotor) 

 Safety Features: Stall Protection 

 Ball Bearing: 2 per Motor 

 Rotor Mounting Points: Integrated 

Camera Attachments

 10MP (Mega-Pixel) Digital Still Camera with Remote Controlled Tilt, Zoom & 

Shutter 

 1080p HD (High Definition) Video Camera with Remote Controlled Tilt 

 Thermal FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) Camera with Remote Controlled Tilt 

 Low Light (0.001lux) Dusk/Dawn Black & White Video Camera with Remote 

Controlled Tilt 

Position Navigation Lights

 Type: 1 Watt LED Variable Brightness Emitters 

 Luminous Flux at Full Brightness: 40lm 

 Purpose: Helicopter Orientation Confirmation 

 Visible Condition Range: Full Darkness to Direct Sunlight 

 Standard Aircraft Colors 

o Red: Left - Green: Right -White: Tail/Rear 
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Rechargeable Helicopter Battery

 Cell Chemistry: Lithium Polymer 

 Voltage: 14.8V nominal 

 Capacity: 2700mAh 

 Cell Configuration 4s2p (4-series 2-parallel) 

 Max Discharge:20C. Cont / 40C Burst 

 Max Current: 54A Cont. / 108A Burst 

 Connectors: Integrated Balance and Power 

 Recharge Time: 30 minutes (after typical flight) 

Landing Gear

 Installed Height: 18cm (7in) 

 Stance Width: 30cm (12in) 

 Skid Length: 30cm (12in) 

 Landing Gear Material: Molded Carbon Fiber 

Materials

 Carbon Fiber 

 Glass Filled Injected Nylon 

 Aluminum & Stainless Steel Fasteners 

 RoHS Compliant 

Operating Requirements

 Recommended Pre-Use Temperature: 10° to 35°C (50° to 95°F) 

 Maximum Environmental Operating Temperature: -25° to 38°C (-13° to 100°F) 

 Relative Humidity: 0% to 90% Noncondensing 

 Maximum Wind speed: Varies based on payload and mission 

Draganflyer X6 Handheld Computerized Controller

 Width: 22cm (8.7in) 

 Height: 12cm (4.7in) 

 Depth: 8cm (3.1in) 

 Weight: 790g (28.0oz) 
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Safety Precautions 

 Always wear protective eyewear.

 Do not use batteries other than those specifically designed for the 

Draganflyer X6, doing so will interfere with Magnetometer settings.

 Do not fly the Draganflyer X6 in excessive winds - GPS hold mode limited to 

10 km/h (6mph) winds – Manual flight mode limited to 16 km/h (10 mph) 

winds. 

 Do not fly near people on the ground or objects in the air.

 Do not fly near high-tension lines, electrical substations, high structures or 

communication facilities.

 Be careful where you place the controller during flight preparations, be sure 

that it will not be dropped or suffer a fall as this may cause serious damage.

 Never fly this aircraft where damage to property or injury to persons may 

result if loss of control occurs. 

 Never leave the Draganflyer X6 unattended with the battery connected to it. 

Always disconnect the battery when not flying.

Maintenance 

Maintaining the Draganflyer X6 is very easy since there are so few moving parts, 

however there are basic care steps that you should be aware of. 

 Clean off any dirt build up using only a soft damp cloth; do not use any 

chemical cleaners as they may cause deterioration of some of the Draganflyer 

X6’s components. 

 Do not attempt to lubricate the motor bearings. Using the wrong type of 

lubricant or improper lubrication methods can result in permanent damage 

to Draganflyer X6 motors. 

 Do not interchange motors or swap motor positions. Each of the motors is 

specifically coded for operation at their specific location. Installing motors 

with out the proper coding will result in a crash of the Draganflyer X6.
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Assembly Instructions

Back

Right 

Left

Front

Up/Down/Fore/Rear /Left /Right Conventions: 

 The helicopter’s back is identified by the motor pod located straight back from 

center of canopy, with a WHITE LED. 

 The deck and canopy extending beyond center identify the helicopter’s front. 

 Up is identified by the deck and canopy mounted on top of the frame’s hub. 

 Down is identified by the landing gear. 

 Left is identified by the left motor pod and with a RED LED. 

 Right is identified by the right motor pod and with a GREEN LED. 

Draganflyer Parts Required (included): 

 Draganflyer X6 

 3pcs Top (“T”) clockwise rotor 

 3pcs Bottom (“B”)counter 

clockwise rotor 

 2pcs landing gear halves 

 Lithium-polymer battery 

 12pcs black o-rings 

Tools Required: for normal operation 

 3/16” Hex Driver

 3/32” Hex Driver

 1/16” Allen wrench

 .050” Hex driver

 5/64 ” Hex driver

 2.5 mm Hex driver

 1⁄4” Nut driver

 3/16” Nut driver

 Hook tool
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Assembly Steps: 

Side Arms 

The Draganflyer X6’s frame features a unique 

ability to collapse and expand quickly and 

easily. 

Begin by removing the Velcro strap holding the 

arms together. The rear arm is stationary and 

does not move. Swing each of the left and right 

arms forward and into their clamps. Ensure the 

booms are snug in their clamps. 

 

Landing Gear 

The landing gear features the best compromise 

between weight, stability, ease of assembly, 

camera viewing angle, and absorption. 

Your Draganflyer X6 comes with its landing gear attached, for installation of the spare air 

frame the following directions are provided. 

Quick Release Landing Gear Installation

Insert landing gear by slightly lifting the H Plate arm and sliding the struts between the 

H-plate and Boom Assembly. Slide strut into position until the centre seats onto the 

mounting washer and it snaps into place. Release H-Plate arm. You should not be able to 

remove the strut without lifting the H-Plate arm. Repeat for remaining strut legs. 
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Rotors 

The Draganflyer X6 uses two types of rotors: top - 16 inch long, and bottom 15 inch long. 

The calibration markings are written on the bottom of each rotor. The other way to tell is 

their direction of spin. Looking at them from the top (convex side of the blades facing 

you), top blades spin clockwise and bottom blades counterclockwise. 

 

Installation for all six rotors is identical: 

 Position rotor on rotor-mount, with shaft sticking through rotor’s central hole. 

Ensure the concave side of each blade is pointing downward. Install one oring. Hook the o-ring under one narrow edge of the mounting bracket, stretch 

it over top of the blade’s hub, and then hook it under the other narrow edge of 
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the mounting bracket. Stretching the o-ring around the second narrow edge is 

a challenge. Use the small hook tool provided, but be careful to avoid 

damaging the motor’s exposed wires. 

 Install a second o-ring on the other side of the rotor using the same procedure 

as the first. 

Ensure both o-rings are properly secured; failure to secure O-rings 

could result in loss of a rotor and subsequent crash of the helicopter 

Canopy 

How to Remove the canopy 

1. Hold the rear arm to stabilize the helicopter. 
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2. With your thumb and finger on the front canopy carbon fiber tabs, apply slight 

pressure toward the center of the canopy while lifting upward. This 

will unlatch the canopy and allow you to remove it. 

How to Install the Canopy 

1. Line up the slot in the back of the canopy with the tab protruding from the back of 

the helicopter deck (above where the rear arm meets the body of the helicopter). 

2. Slide the canopy slot forward over this tab until the front of the upper and lower 

canopy align. 

3. Starting at the back of the canopy, apply a slight forward and downward pressure 

to slowly wrap the canopy over the circuit board deck. 

4. Gently squeeze the down on the nose to secure the canopy in place ensuring pin is 

lined up. Ensure the top canopy overlaps the bottom canopy on all sides. 

In its normal position the top canopy will slightly overlap the bottom canopy, be 

sure that the bottom canopy edge is not over the upper canopy otherwise the 

canopy may fall off. 

Battery 

The Draganflyer X6’s main power source is a removable, rechargeable lithiumpolymer battery (4 Cell 2700mAh). It has been carefully selected and custommade to ensure maximum helicopter performance. The Draganflyer X6 has been 

precisely tuned for this battery. 

Use of batteries other than the Draganflyer X6 4 Cell 2700mAh 

battery will void the Draganflyer X6 warranty. Alternative 

batteries will severely degrade performance and will interfere 

with the operation of the magnetometer. 
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The battery sits on the top plate its position and orientation are important. 

Duplicate the described battery installation carefully. Velcro loop pads are found 

on the bottom of the battery and are set on the Velcro hook pads on the circuit 

board plate. 

Installing the Draganflyer X6 helicopter battery 

1. Remove the canopy. 

2. Position the battery so the red connector on the battery is aligned with the red 

connector on the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. If the connector is facing forward it 

may cause interference with the magnetometer and GPS system 

3. Center the battery on the Velcro strips between the GPS antenna and the arming 

circuit located at the back of the circuit board deck. 

4. Adjust the battery so it sits against the edge of the circuit board but does not 

overlap on to it. 

5. Connect the red male battery connector from the circuit board to the red female 

connector on the battery. 

. 

Only mate this connector if you plan on flying immediately. Even 

while the board is turned off, it will slowly drain the battery. 

Don’t leave this connection mated for more than 10 minutes 

without flying. 
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The six-pin balance connector socket on the battery is only used 

during charging, 

6. Finally, install the canopy. Check that the canopy is securely latched and sitting 

well on the deck. The canopy should have equal deck overhang at its rear left and 

right sides. You should not be able to pop it off unless pressure is applied to the 

front carbon fiber tabs. 
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Operator Instructions 

T

y

n

t

c

p

he Draganflyer X6 already knows how to fly itself, but it needs 

our help to get in the air. Like any aircraft preflight checks 

eed to be performed. Failure to carry out preflight checks and 

o rectify any identified problems may result in disastrous 

onsequences that could injure someone, damage or destroy 

roperty including your helicopter. 

This aircraft is not designed for aerobatic manoeuvres or high speed flight. Do not 

perform aggressive or erratic manoeuvres at high speeds or fly in wind conditions 

above 16 kmh (10 mph). Failing to abide by this warning and performing such 

manoeuvres may cause damage to your helicopter. 
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Wind. 

Although the Draganflyer X6 is designed for both indoor and outdoor 

flight, care must be taken to ensure you are able to maintain control of 

the helicopter in various wind conditions. The Beaufort Scale shown 

below indicates wind speeds and visual references which may be 

observed around your environment. Also be aware that wind speeds generally increase 

with altitude gained. Therefore what you may believe is a light breeze at ground level 

may be a gentle breeze at 10-20 meters (32- 64 ft) and a moderate breeze or stronger at 

altitudes higher than 20 meters (32 ft) . 

Recommended flight wind conditions: Inexperienced operators and flight for video 

purposes using GPS Position Hold, should be limited to calm conditions, ground winds 

not exceeding 10 kmh (6 mph). For Manual Flight winds should not exceed 16 kmh 

(10 mph). As you obtain experience flying the Draganflyer X6 you may want to fly in 

slightly increased winds, however even experienced operators should not fly in wind 

conditions more than a moderate breeze. The Beaufort Scale below provides for an

estimation of wind speeds based on environmental clues 

BEAUFORT SCALE: Specifications and equivalent speeds for use on land

FORCE EQUIVALENT SPEED 

10 m above ground 

DESCRIPTION SPECIFICATIONS FOR 

USE ON LAND 

miles/hour knots 

0 0-1 0-1 Calm Calm; smoke rises vertically 

1 1-3 1-3 Light air Direction of wind shown by 

smoke drift, but not by wind 

vanes. 

2 4-7 4-6 Light Breeze Wind felt on face; leaves 

rustle; ordinary vanes 

moved by wind. 

3 8-12 7-10 Gentle Breeze Leaves and small twigs in 

constant motion; wind 

extends light flag 

4 13-18 11-16 Moderate Breeze Breeze Raises dust and 

loose paper; small branches 

are moved. 

5 19-24 17-21 Fresh Breeze Small trees in leaf begin to 

sway; crested wavelets form 

on inland waters. 

 
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Draganflyer X6 Helicopter/Controller Range Test 

The simple method of testing the controller and helicopter for range is to turn on the 

handheld controller and power up the helicopter but do not arm it. Observe the blink rate 

of the LEDs on the helicopter. Now increase the throttle, the LEDs should blink at a 

quicker rate, throttle down the controller. Walk approximately 60 paces away from the 

helicopter and then increase the throttle again, the blink rate should increase as before. If 

the blink rate does not increase proportionately with the throttle increase, you are not 

getting the correct response and you should not attempt to fly the helicopter. 

Antenna orientation; for best reception it is best if the ends of antennas on the 

Draganflyer X6 transmitter are not pointed directly at the helicopter as you are flying 

it. The antennas are hinged to allow them to be adjusted off of a direct line. 

Recommended Operational Guidelines 

General 

1. Be aware of and abide by remote controlled aircraft regulations applicable to the 

airspace used. 

2. Manned aircraft have the right-of- way. 

3. Avoid flight over persons or property which could be damaged by a crash.. 

4. Do not fly under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

5. Helicopter shall remain in line of sight at all times. 

6. If optical systems such as video goggles are used by the pilot, have a designated 

spotter. 

7. Do not undertake a flight operation unless the helicopter is airworthy. 

Flight Operations Checklists 

There are six phases to flight operations; Pre-Flight, Control Systems Check, Before Take 

Off, In-flight Operations, Landing, and Post Flight Operations. 

Preflight Preparation 

 Calibration

If your location has changed more than 320 kilometers (200 miles or) since 

your last flight or if you are using your Draganflyer X6 for the first time, you 

will need to calibrate the Magnetic Declination and Vertical Magnetic Field 

settings. Please refer to the Draganflyer X6 user manual section on Magnetic 

Declination and Vertical Magnetic Field calibration. Does not apply to units 

without GPS modules. 
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 Environment

For manual flight ensure wind speed is below 16 km/hr (10 mph). Manually 

controlled flights in gusty or turbulent conditions can result in shorter flight 

duration due to increased power consumption. 

For GPS position hold use, ensure wind speed is below 10 km/hr (6 mph). If the 

wind is too strong the Draganflyer X6 will not be able to hold its position in 

GPS flight mode. Under strong or gusty conditions the position may vary up to 

5 to 10m (16 - 33ft). 

 Side Arms

Unfold arms; press firmly until they click into place. Test that the arms do not 

unclip easily. 

Check the arms and clamps for weakness. Replace any worn or damaged parts. 

 Landing Gear 

Inspect the landing gear for cracks or damage. 

Ensure the landing gear is not deformed and the Draganflyer X6 helicopter sits 

level. 

Ensure screws and nuts are present and secured in place. 

 Rotors 

Check that all three top rotors (clockwise) are correctly installed on top motors. 

Check that all three bottom rotors (counterclockwise) are correctly installed on 

bottom motors. 

Inspect rotors for chips or cracks; Replace any damaged rotors. 

Check that each rotor blade is secured with two 2 o-rings; replace any missing 

o-rings. 

Inspect condition of all o-rings; replace any that are cracked or worn. 

 Battery 

Always fully charge battery before each use. 

Ensure battery is placed in the correct position, and securely connected. 

 Canopy

Inspect canopy for cracks; replace if damaged. 

Ensure canopy is correctly placed and securely latched. 

 Handheld Controller 

Always fully charge controller battery before each use. 

Ensure controller is communicating with the helicopter. 

Ensure the Micro-SD card is inserted in the Micro-SD port. 
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 Camera /Video System 

Always fully charge camera batteries before each use. 

Always fully charge receiver batteries before each use. 

Ensure camera is mounted securely. 

Test camera system for proper operation before each use. 

Ensure only payloads approved by Draganfly Innovations are used. 

Control Systems Check 

1. Make sure that all of your body parts, clothing, other obstructions and bystanders 

are well away from any rotors and their arc before turning power on to any 

systems. Make sure the helicopter is secure and will not move if the motors 

suddenly power up. 

2. Announce out loud “CLEAR ROTORS”. 

3. Turn on the handheld controller. Ensure the telemetry information is displayed. 

4. Make sure that the throttle stick on the handheld controller is lowest position. 

5. Connect the battery and/or turn on the power button to the helicopter, located at 

the back of the canopy. 

6. Follow recommended range test procedures. 

7. Check motors and rotors for proper operation. Firmly secure the helicopter and 

gradually increase the throttle to full power and back down to off- checking for 

lack of thrust, vibration, or other possible anomalies. 

8. Check that the motors stop completely when the throttle is at the off position. 

9. If a camera is installed, check that the camera equipment power is on. Check to 

make sure the shutter trigger is working properly. 

Before Takeoff 

1. Confirm that the handheld controller antennas are installed. 

2. Check that the flight area is clear of people and obstructions. 

3. Double check weather and environmental conditions and review potential 

emergency landing areas. 

4. Announce out loud “TAKE OFF”. 

Launch Helicopter 

1. Point front of the helicopter so it is facing into the wind. 

2. Slowly increase the throttle to ensure all rotors are spinning, then increase to take 

off. 

3. Climb to a safe altitude away from potential hazards and check control systems. 

Adjust trims if necessary. 

4. Keep helicopter at a safe operating distance from people and buildings. 

5. Continually scan the flight and ground areas for potential hazards. 

Landing 

1. Scan landing area for potential obstructions and hazards. 

2. Announce out loud “LANDING”. 
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3. Carefully land the helicopter away from obstructions and people. 

Post Flight 

1. Wait for the rotors to stop turning. 

2. Disarm the helicopter. 

3. Turn off the power to the camera. 

4. Turn the power off to the helicopter (the throttle must be set at the lowest 

position possible) and disconnect the battery. 

5. Turn off the handheld controller. 

6. Check the helicopter for signs of damage or excessive wear. 

7. Secure the helicopter. 

Maintenance and Logbooks 

Any damage or worn out parts need to be replaced or repaired before the next flight. Log 

books are not only used to record flight times with a running total, but also to record all 

maintenance items as well. Each helicopter should have its own identifying number and a 

corresponding log book. The log book should be kept with the helicopter and entries 

made including flight times, conditions, parts that are replaced airworthiness testing and 

any other notes of interest related to performance. 

Information in the log books is valuable to assess any problems and can assist in 

preventative solutions for future flight to avoid similar issues. 

Spotters 

The use of a Spotter is highly recommended at all times. A spotter can alleviate much of 

the burden to the pilot of scanning for possible hazards in the air and on the ground. An 

experienced Spotter can be invaluable in helping to line up pictures. In addition they can 

deal with bystanders who may want to get a closer look and want to talk with you as you 

are concentrating on flying. 

Telemetry and Calibration 

The telemetry program allows you to see real time data and to record instrumentation and 

sensor measurements of the helicopter. Some of the information provided includes 

battery voltage, headings, altitude and GPS coordinates. 

Calibration of magnetic declination and vertical magnetic field ensures the helicopter has 

the proper information for the heading hold and GPS system to work correctly. (This 

does not apply to units without the GPS Module.) 

Telemetry Program 

 Install DraganflyerX6 Interface and USB Telemetry Transceiver driver from 

provided Micro-SD card 
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 Plug the included Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver (this allows the 

Draganflyer X6 to communicate with the computer) into your Windows 

computer. Let Windows install it automatically. 

 Turn on your Draganflyer X6. 

 Launch the Draganflyer X6 Interface program. 

 Connect to your Draganflyer X6 by selecting the Draganfly USB Telemetry 

Transceiver COM port from the list. 

 Select “Connect to Draganflyer X6.” When the 

Interface program has established a 

communications link with the Draganflyer X6, it 

will display “Found.” 

 You can now turn on telemetry streaming. Click on 

the Telemetry tab, and then click the Enable 

Telemetry button. It should be streaming data from 

the Draganflyer X6. 

Calibration 

There are calibrations you need to perform when you first receive your helicopter. The 

Draganflyer X6 needs to know the strength of the magnetic field in the vertical direction 

at your location, and it needs to know your magnetic declination. In-depth instructions 

for Magnetic Declination and Vertical Magnetic Field (Magnetic Inclination) are listed in 

their respective sections in the Table of Contents. 

Repeat these calibrations if your flying location changes by 

more than 200 miles (320 km). 

For units without the GPS module these calibrations are not required and 

cannot be made. The warning screen indicating the magnetometer has not 

been set will appear. Please disregard it. 
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Heading Calibration Test 

For this test you will need the helicopter turned on (it does not need to be flying) and the 

telemetry activated on your handheld controller or PC. 

NOTE: make sure you are not in close proximity to large metal objects or a magnetic 

source. In addition you should avoid storing or transporting the helicopter close to any 

strong magnets. 

Mark on the ground or floor a large perpendicular 

cross, (approximately twice as long as the helicopter) 

as a reference point. Mark each point as thought it 

were a compass, with north, east, south, and west as 

shown. Orient the cross to point north as close as 

possible. 

For the purpose of this test the helicopter is represented by 

Place the helicopter on the center of the axis facing 

front in the North position. Record the directional 

reading as shown on the handheld controller telemetry 

screen. The reading should be close to 0o 

Repeat the process for each direction, recording the 

readings. 

East should read - 90o South should read 180o West should read 90o 

 the Hard Iron Calibration as described under the “Calibrations” section of this 

manual. 

If there is an overall deviation of more than 10 o on the quadrant readings, you will need 

to perform
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Handheld Controller 

The Draganflyer X6 comes with a unique advanced handheld controller. The controller 

has been designed specifically for the Draganflyer X6 for ease of use. 

To begin using the handheld controller, turn it on by momentarily pressing the red Power 

Button. However, finish reading this section before you attempt to fly, or make 

adjustment on the controller. This portion of the manual explains everything relevant 

about the handheld controller. 

Battery: 

Your handheld controller uses a lithium-polymer battery to make it lighter and last longer 

on a charge. Expect about three hours of use for each charge. To charge this battery, 

connect the charging harness charge and balance connector to the charge and balance 

ports on the back of the controller. Connect your lithium-polymer charger to the 
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controller charging harness, and charge it as a “3s” lithium-polymer (3-cell, 12.6V max) 

at 2.10 Amps. 

A full-charged battery will display around 12.4V on the handheld controller’s screen. 

Never let the voltage go below 11.0V. Consider charging once you see 11.3V. Never 

leave the handheld controller charging unattended. Never leave the controller turned on 

when not in use. 

Control Sticks: 

The two large joysticks are your primary helicopter controls. 

 

The Left joystick controls the throttle by moving it forwards; all the way down is off, all 

the way up is full throttle. The left stick also controls heading. Sideways deflection of 

the left joystick stick rotates (yaw) the helicopter left (counter-clockwise when looking at 

the helicopter from above), and vice versa. 

The Right joystick is for controlling helicopter movement forward or backward (pitch) 

and left or right movement (roll). Moving the joystick forward gives you forward 

movement and moving the joystick back gives backward movement on the pitch axis. 

Moving the same joystick to the left gives left movement and to the right gives right 

movement on the roll axis. 

More information about the joysticks is found in the Flight Modes sections. 

Do not under any circumstances fully reduce the throttle during flight, this will cause a 

drastic decrease in altitude and may result in an uncoverable attitude and crash. 

Switches: 

Above the left joystick (throttle) there are two switches, the switch on the right is the 

GPS Hold switch. Up position is on GPS Hold mode on. Middle position is Altitude 

Hold. Down is GPS Hold off, (Manual control on). 

The switch to the left of the GPS Hold switch is the Motor Engage/Disengage switch. 

The Motor Engage/Disengage switch is spring loaded and will default to the middle 

position unless held in the up or down position. The Motor Engage/Disengage acts as a 

hover point trim for the throttle. 

Flight/Motor Termination - Holding the Motor Engage/Disengage switch in the down 

position and bringing the throttle to the lowest position for 4 seconds will immediately 

cause the helicopter rotors to stop. 

Trims: 

The three slide switches surrounding the joysticks are trim levers. You can 

push them to program a permanent stick input in that direction. Note that 

the handheld controller’s display screen shows the trim positions in a pop up 

screen when adjusting. 
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You should not use much trim. By default, set the trims to zero. Only add trim if you are 

flying in very calm weather and the helicopter is consistently drifting to one side. Trim 

can disrupt the Hold Flight Modes, so if your Draganflyer X6 requires lots of trim, you 

should inspect it for problems and contact Draganfly Innovations. 

Trainer Switch: 

A push button on the top left side of the handheld controller is a trainer switch. A 

wireless link incorporated into the Draganflyer X6 controller allows your controller to 

link to another Draganflyer X6 controller and control one helicopter. Controllers are 

designated and programmed as either master or slave. Once linked, the slave controller 

will only communicate with that Draganflyer X6 helicopter while the button on the 

master controller is pressed. To link to another Draganflyer X6 controller, see the section 

titled Flight Training in this manual. 

Camera Controls 

On the top right side of the controller, two controls activate camera functions of shutter 

control and camera tilt. The camera tilt knob remotely adjusts the angle of the camera 

mount. The camera shutter switch allows you to remotely trigger the camera shutter. The 

camera zoom control tab is located immediately below the roll trim tab, this allows 

remote access to zoom in or out. 

Dual Video Output Jacks 

The dual jacks video out put jacks found on the bottom of the handheld controller allows 

for video goggles and a recording device to be plugged in simultaneously. This allows the 

operator to see what the cameras are seeing and record at the same time. 

The Draganflyer X6 transmitter has the capability of logging data acquired during each 

flight. This information is important to be able to diagnose problems that may arise 

during flights. In addition the data can be used to track movements of the helicopter and 

times and locations pictures were taken. 

Data log Micro-SD Port 

To get a data log of a flight a micro-SD card must be installed in the transmitter. The 

micro –SD card is installed in the SD slot on the top of the transmitter. When the 

transmitter is on and paired with an X6 helicopter which is turned on a data log will 

record all interactions between the transmitter and the helicopter. To retrieve the data, 

turn off the transmitter and the Draganflyer X6. Remove the micro-SD card from the 

transmitter and place it in the micro-SD adapter. Place the adapter with the micro-SD 

card in it into an SD card slot on your computer. Upon opening the drive which shows 

you the files the data log will be listed as a log.txt file. You can read these files in 

Microsoft Excel, Notebook, Word or any other software that accepts .txt files. Like any 

other file you may save these files to your computer and rename them if you wish. 
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If you are experiencing issues with the Draganflyer X6 these data log files are valuable to 

help diagnose problems. 

The Micro-SD card must be installed in the transmitter in order to log any flight 

information. For warranty purposes the Micro-SD is required to be installed in the 

transmitter for each flight 

The micro-SD card must not be taken out of the transmitter while it is turned 

on. Doing this will erase or corrupt the files on the micro-SD card 

Draganflyer X6 Touch Screen 

To turn on the Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller press the Red power 

button as located in the picture at the beginning of this section. 

Power up screen (1 of 2 possible);
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Config button, used to access programming and operating screens.

Battery TX, a bar indicator of controller battery status.

No helicopter is paired with this handheld controller yet, or Looking for 

Draganflyer X6 SN XXXXXXXX, indicates it is searching for the last 

Draganflyer X6 helicopter it was connected to. If it acquires a helicopter it will 

immediately display the Basic screen. 

Acquire New button, used to access a new helicopter. 

Note: The Views button on the upper left and the Config button on the upper 

right are visible on Views or Config screens after the Power up screen. 

Basic Screen; 

Views button, gives access to Basic, Inertial and GPS Screens, the active screen 

is highlighted in green. By default, pressing the Views button will always bring 

you to the Basic Screen. 

Config button gives access to helicopter set up and calibration functions. 

Time displays current time as provided by GPS.( Time zone is set using Config 

screen/ Time Zone) 
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Flight displays length of flight, (calculated by the length of time the throttle is 

up and rotors are moving to cause flight). Flight time is accumulated as long as 

the handheld controller and helicopter are powered up (flight time will reset to 

zero upon change of battery). 

Heading is the direction the front of the helicopter is pointing, indicated by the 

numerical value in white and the helicopter canopy symbol in the center of the 

screen. 

Bearing is the direction which the helicopter is moving, indicated by the 

numerical value in yellow and the yellow arrow superimposed on the helicopter 

cone symbol in the center of the screen. Note: when in a hover it is common for 

the bearing value to change frequently.

Altitude determined by barometric pressure, value displayed in meters.

Climb Rate displayed in meters per second. 

Speed horizontal speed in meters per second. 

TX Battery the live color graph indicates handheld controller battery strength, 

green, yellow, and red scale, green strong, yellow warning, and red inadequate. 

Heli Battery the live color graph indicates helicopter battery strength, green, 

yellow, and red scale green strong, yellow warning, red inadequate. In addition 

when helicopter battery levels reach the warning and critical stages the 

following popup screens are displayed. 

Link the live color graph, indicates helicopter controller link strength, green, 

yellow, and red scale green good, yellow fair, red poor. 

GPS SVS indicates the number of satellites acquired green, yellow, and red 

scale green indicates strong, yellow indicates warning, red indicates inadequate. 

Refer to the section on Draganflyer X6 GPS System for further information. 
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GPS PDOP indicates GPS constellation strength with a green, yellow, and red 

scale, green being strong, yellow for warning, red indicates inadequate. Refer to 

the section on Draganflyer X6 GPS System for further information. 

Note: Text where the time and flight time are displayed is also used to 

momentarily display messages such as Trim adjustment and Flight Mode 

Inertial Screen

Views button: gives access to Basic, Inertial and GPS Screens, the active screen 

is highlighted in green. By default pressing the Views button will always bring 

you to the Basic Screen. 

Config button: pressing gives access to set up and configuration functions. 

Time: displays the current time as provided by GPS.( Time zone is set using 

Config screen/ Time Zone.) 

Flight displays length of flight, (calculated by length of time throttle is up and 

rotors moving to cause flight). Flight time is accumulated as long as the 

handheld controller and helicopter are powered up (flight time will reset to zero 

up change of battery). 

Attitude: values for Roll, Pitch and Yaw, angles displayed in degrees

Magnetometer: values for Right, Forward and Down. 

Velocity: values for North, East and Down. 
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Temperature: atmospheric temperature in degrees Celsius. 

Throttle: position in percentage 

TX Battery live color graph indicates handheld controller battery strength, green, 

yellow, and red scale green strong, yellow warning, red inadequate. 

Heli Battery live color graph indicates helicopter battery strength, green, yellow, 

and red scale green strong, yellow warning, red inadequate. 

Link live color graph, indicates controller to helicopter link strength, green, 

yellow, and red scale green strong, yellow warning, red inadequate. 

GPS Screen

Views button, gives access to Basic, Inertial and GPS Screens, the active screen 

is highlighted in green. By default pressing the Views button will always bring 

you to the Basic Screen. 

Config button: pressing it gives access to set up and configuration functions. 

Time: displays the current time as provided by GPS. (Time zone is set using 

Config screen/ Time Zone) 

Flight displays length of flight, (calculated by length of time throttle is up and 

rotors moving to cause flight). Flight time is accumulative as long as the 

handheld controller and helicopter are powered up (flight time will reset to zero 

up change of battery). 
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Latitude: elevation angle of the helicopters position above or below the equator 

as provided by GPS. 

GPS Altitude: provided by GPS (Altitude above sea level) 

Longitude; angular measurement from the prime meridian value provided by 

GPS. 

Barometric Altitude, value provided by barometric pressure. 

GPS Accuracy, displays radius of accuracy within the horizontal and vertical 

values. 

GPS Quality, displays Satellites and PDOP (Positional of Dilution of 

Precision) values. 

Config Screen

Basic Config – gives access to menus for Basic configuration, Flight 

timer,Find New Helicopter, Video Setup, Trainer Setup and Helicopter 

Calibration. 
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Flight Timer – allows adjustment to give a warning when a flight time of 

a set duration is reached. 

Find New Helicopter – gives the transmitter a command to pair with 

another available helicopter. 
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Video Set Up – allows for the adjustment of channels, sound and power.

 channel to 

ceive the video transmission from the camera. 

udio Settings – allows you to turn audio transmission on or off. 

r 

eo glasses or a recording device is 

plugged into the transmitter. 

 must also change the 

video transmitter to the corresponding channel. 

 

or Slave. See FLIGHT TRAINING section in this manual for more detail 

Receiver Channel – allows you to select the best

re

A

Power Settings – allows you to choose to have the diversity 

receivers in the transmitter always turned on, always turned off o

in automatically detects if vid

NOTE: When changing the receiver channel you

Trainer Setup - Configures the transmitters for training set up as a Master
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Helicopter Calibration - Detailed instructions for Helicopter Calibration are 

found under the “Calibrations” section of the manual.

Basic Configuration Screen

This screen gives access to Helicopter LED brightness, Time Zone Set Up, 

Camera Tilt, Display Units, Transmitter Sounds and Altitude Limit. 
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Heli LED Brightness – adjust helicopter LED lights from 0% (off) to 

100% (Extremely Bright) 

Time Zone Set Up – allows for an adjustment of the time setting to reflect 

your local time based on the difference from Greenwich Mean Time. 
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. 

Camera Tilt Setup –The tilt mechanism on the Draganflyer x6 camera mount 

allows for adjustment from approximately 0 to 90 degrees of range (zero being 

vertical and 90 being horizontal). The tilt set up allows you to set the maximum 

movement as you desire with the lower limit maximum being -511 and the 

upper limit being 510. There is also a tilt rate adjustment with the fastest being 

10 and the slowest being 1. You are also able to reverse the movement of the 

tilt knob. 

Display Units – measurements can be selected for metric or imperial display. 
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Transmitter Sounds – provides an opportunity to hear and learn the sounds 

made by the transmitter. 

.

Altitude Limit – allows you to set the maximum height above ground level the 

helicopter will fly while in Position Hold modes. While in Position Hold modes 

the helicopter will not exceed this set altitude. While in Manual Flight mode 

you will receive a message indicating the altitude limit has been reached. 

 
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Warnings and Confirmations 

Visual 

The following displays will appear on the Draganflyer X6 touch screen to draw your 

attention to critical operations of the helicopter. 

Audible 

The Draganflyer X6 also has audible warnings. There is a sound device in your handheld 

controller that will convey important Draganflyer X6 status information to you. Each 

beep pattern has a unique meaning, and you should know them all. 

You can learn the different warning sounds by accessing them through the Basic 

Config menu - Transmitter Sounds . 

Triple-beep: 

1. When you turn the handheld controller on, its 2.4GHz two-way radio system 

searches for a Draganflyer X6 to communicate with. 

2. If it finds one (i.e. if your Draganflyer X6 is powered up), you will hear three 

long beeps. 

3. Your handheld controller is now controlling the Draganflyer X6. 

Alarm 

1. Approximately three minutes before your Draganflyer X6 runs out of battery 

power, your handheld controller will begin emitting an alarm. 

2. Shortly after the alarm begins, the helicopter will start descending if it is in a Hold 

mode. This slow descent is another method of informing you that the Draganflyer 

X6 is running out of battery. At this time you should take control of the 

Draganflyer X6. 

3. Return to Manual Flight Mode. 

4. Land the helicopter. 

Rising tones 

1. The handheld controller will emit rising in pitch-tones when your Draganflyer X6 

acquires a GPS satellite lock sufficient to perform GPS Position Hold flight. 
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Falling tones 

1. The handheld controller will emit falling in pitch tones when the GPS loses a 

lock. (Loss of GPS lock is usually caused by objects or people obstructing the 

helicopter’s view of the sky.)

2. Return to Manual Flight Mode immediately. 

Activating the Draganflyer X6 

Once you press the power button on the back of the top canopy the LED on the canopy 

and navigation lights on the motor pods will light and start blinking. 

Your Draganflyer X6 is now on and will communicate with the handheld controller, the 

interface program, and will begin acquiring a GPS satellite lock if the GPS module is 

included in your configuration. However, it is not armed and will not engage the motors. 

To activate the motors you have to arm the helicopter. This feature ensures that a powerup will be safe, regardless of controller inputs. 

Arming Procedure 

1. Set the Draganflyer X6 helicopter on a flat surface away from obstacles. Ensure 

blades do not touch nearby objects. 

2. Turn ON the handheld controller. 

3. Turn ON the helicopter by pressing the power button on the back of the canopy. 

4. Make sure GPS position hold switch is turned off, in manual flight mode. 

5. The handheld controller will emit a Triple-Beep that confirms it is communicating 

with the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. 

6. Increase the throttle to about 75%, you should see an increase in the white LED 

blink rate. 

7. Move the left stick (throttle-yaw) to its lowest position. 
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8. Next move the left stick to the lower-right corner and HOLD it there for 5 

seconds. 

9. After 5 seconds you will see the LED lights on the helicopter's motor pods display 

a rotating pattern for a few seconds and you will hear a beep indicating it is 

armed. The LEDs remain on continuously and do not blink. 

10. The Draganflyer X6 helicopter is now armed. 

Takeoff 

An armed Draganflyer X6 can be dangerous, so maintain control over the 

handheld controller. We recommend holding the left stick in its lowest position 

when you are not flying. 

Take off is only possible in Manual flight mode. 

Switch the rotor engage/disengage switch up and release, this will cause the rotors 

to start moving. Ensure all rotors are spinning before applying more throttle. 

Repeat switching engage/disengage switch up about three times until the rotors 

reach sufficient speed to just take off . Once take off is achieved, constant input is 

required until a hover point is established . 

Once you have taken off and are approximately 2 meters (6ft) off the ground 

established a hover point by adjusting the rotor engage/disengage switch up or 

down until you achieve a satisfactory hover point for the throttle. 

You may notice the helicopter shaking on its landing gear before it lifts off. This 

is normal until it achieves sufficient speed to lift off. 

Landing and disengaging the rotors 

Once you have landed disengage the motors by holding the throttle at the lowest 

position and switch and hold the rotor engage/disengage switch down for 4 

seconds. This disengages the motors. 

Disarming the Draganflyer X6 

 

After landing, disarming the Draganflyer X6 is a very simple process. 

Ensure left joystick is at its lowest position and move it to the lower left corner 

and hold for 5 seconds or until the LED lights start flashing. The rotors may speed 

up briefly before shutting down. 

Draganflyer X6 GPS System 

The Draganflyer X6 is equipped with state of the art GPS technology. This GPS 

technology allows the Draganflyer X6 to hold its position, for up to the run time of the 

battery, without pilot intervention. There are some conditions beyond the control of the 

Draganflyer X6 that affect GPS performance. It is important the user understand these 

conditions for safe and successful operation of the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. 
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It is the responsibility of the pilot to observe the Draganflyer X6 in position hold and, if 

necessary, take control manually for continued safe flight. If at any time the GPS hold 

function appears to be not functioning properl yor the helicopter is flying in circular 

oscillations immediately switch to Manual Flight mode. 

Under ideal conditions the Draganflyer X6 should acquire a GPS lock in 2 to 3 minute. 

There is a backup battery to power the GPS module during battery changes between 

flights, this will allow the helicopter to have a GPS lock as soon as it is turned on. The 

backup battery will run the GPS for approximately 45 minutes. After not being used for a 

few days the backup battery will be fully depleted and will need to charge before the GPS 

module will start operating, this is called a “cold start” and may take between 5 and 15 

minutes to acquire a GPS lock. 

GPS Lock Quality 

The quality of the position information provided by a GPS module is subject to a number 

of conditions. Most significant among these are the number of satellites and the 

geometry of the satellite constellation. 

To provide a 3D position a minimum of 4 satellites must be tracked by the GPS module. 

In practice this value is insufficient for an accurate position hold, so the Draganflyer X6 

will not allow a position hold to be attempted while tracking less than 6 satellites. 

Equally important is the shape of the satellite constellation, that is, where the satellites are 

located relative to the GPS module. The best constellation shapes are well spread out 

with satellites near the horizon. Constellations that are clumped together or in-line 

provide poor information. These factors are used by the GPS module to calculate a term 

called PDOP (Positional Dilution of Precision). PDOP has an ideal value of 1 with 

higher values being considered worse. Generally speaking a PDOP of less than 3 is 

sufficient for position hold. 

As noted in the section Warnings and Confirmations, the Draganflyer X6 

Handheld Controller will make an rising in pitch tone when PDOP falls 

below 2.5, and a falling pitch tone when PDOP goes above 3.5. If PDOP 

goes above 3.5 it is recommend that the pilot take over control of the 

Draganflyer X6. 

Another phenomenon that can affect the GPS lock is multi-pathing. This occurs when a 

GPS signal first bounces off a surface (buildings, ground, etc) before reaching the GPS 

module. This effect is especially significant when flying at low altitude and when flying 

in urban environments. 

Position Hold Accuracy 

There are number of conditions that affect the accuracy (how close the Draganflyer X6 

stay to its reference position) of the position hold of the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. Most 

significant among these are the wind conditions and GPS lock. The following describes 

the effect these conditions have on the GPS performance. 
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As the Draganflyer X6 flies the GPS module will gain and lose satellites randomly. 

Usually these effects are unnoticed by the user. In some instances the gain or loss of a 

satellite can change the position estimated by the GPS significantly. When this occurs 

the Draganflyer X6 may move a few meters to a new position, sometimes it will return to 

the old position, other times not. Multi-pathing effects as previously described above can 

also cause this behaviour. Generally speaking the quality of the GPS lock improves as the 

flight goes on, and when the Draganflyer X6 is at higher altitudes. 

 If the wind is too strong the Draganflyer X6 will not be able to hold its 

position. Accuracy of the position hold degrades as the wind increases. 

Especially gusty or turbulent wind conditions, such as those in close 

proximity to buildings, can cause the performance to suffer more than a stronger 

steady wind. Under calm conditions and ideal GPS satellite coverage, position hold 

can hover the Draganflyer X6 within 1-2m (3-6 ft) of its reference position. Under 

strong or gusty wind conditions the position may vary as much as 5-10m (16 – 32 ft.) 

For these reasons it is not recommended to attempt a position hold in close proximity to 

obstacles or the ground. The intended application for the Draganflyer X6 position hold 

capability is to assist pilots flying at high altitudes in open areas. Under these 

conditions the Draganflyer X6 can usually provide a more stable hover than an 

experienced pilot. 

Flight Modes 

Manual Flight Mode 

Entered by putting GPS Hold switch in the down position, this Flight Mode is 

similar to that of a standard R/C helicopter. However, the Draganflyer X6’s 

advanced electronics still make it significantly easier to fly. 

The left joystick has direct control over throttle and yaw. The right joystick 

commands helicopter tilt angles. The right joystick in the neutral position will 

cause the helicopter to stay level indefinitely, while moving it off neutral will 

cause the helicopter to hold that much tilt as long as that joystick input is 

maintained. Maximum stick deflection causes about 30  ̊ of tilt. 

Take-offs and landings should be performed in this flight mode. Once you have 

established a stable hover and have a GPS lock, you can switch to a Hold Mode. 

Altitude-Hold Flight Mode 

Once you have established a steady hover at an altitude, you desire. By putting 

the GPS Hold switch in the middle position, you are telling the Draganflyer X6 to 

control altitude. By releasing the throttle and allowing it to move to it’s central 

spring load position you can now move anywhere in the horizontal plane and the 

Draganflyer X6 will maintain its altitude. Remember, the Throttle joystick still 

commands it to climb, stay, or descend. 
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You still control yaw and tilt. You also have some control over throttle, but the 

helicopter is relying on you to maintain the throttle position. Changing throttle 

position once in this mode will temporarily degrade the altitude-hold. However, 

you still have enough control to get out of a bad situation if needed. In this 

position the helicopter tracks its position but does not compensate for return to it. 

If you enter GPS hold mode from Altitude Hold mode the Draganflyer X6 will 

return to the position where altitude hold was entered. This may result in a 

severe movement of the helicopter as it tries to regain its position. 

GPS Position Hold Mode 

GPS Position Hold Mode is the easiest manner of R/C helicopter flying possible. 

Once you have a GPS lock, establish a steady hover, and then put GPS Hold 

switch in the up position. The Throttle switch controls altitude. The Throttle 

joystick is still in effect and overrides other controls. 

Take your hands off the joysticks. The helicopter will hold its position, heading, 

and altitude spring release throttle in central position). You can input yaw to 

change its heading, and the helicopter will follow your command, and then hold 

that heading until you give it more yaw input. You can fly the Draganflyer X6 

around using the right stick. Forward on the right stick commands the helicopter 

to fly forward. The right stick controls the helicopter’s speed in the left-right, 

forward-backward directions. When you release the right stick, the helicopter will 

hold its current position. 

Until the GPS Position Hold locks onto its position it is common for the 

Draganflyer X6 to initially rise up to 3 meters (10 f)t and fall. This 

adjusting process is especially prevalent when the conditions are windy. 

Magnetometer Heading 

Any helicopter must know its heading (which way it is pointing) in order to do a position 

hold. The Draganflyer X6 uses a magnetometer (electronic compass) to sense the earth’s 

magnetic field. 

Earth’s magnetic field varies throughout the world. Therefore it is necessary to calibrate 

the Draganflyer X6’s magnetometer for your location. If you are traveling significant 

distances (100s of kilometers) with the Draganflyer X6, it may be necessary to recalibrate 

the Draganflyer X6’s magnetometer. All calibrations can be conducted using the hand 

held controller. If the Draganflyer X6 is not calibrated for your geographic location the 

GPS position feature will (probably) not work properly. 

A heading error of only a few degrees can degrade GPS position hold performance. If a 

significant heading error is present the Draganflyer X6 will begin to fly in circles when in 

position hold. If the heading error is greater than 45  ̊ these circles will grow bigger until 
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the Draganflyer X6 eventually crashes. If you notice the Draganflyer X6 flying in large 

circles when in position hold mode, abort the hold and fly manually. 

Local interference is another source of heading error. Local interference refers to 

magnetic fields that are generated by objects in your immediate environment. Possible 

sources include electrical power lines, steel structures, and even anomalies in local 

geology. 

One simple way to detect if the magnetometer is out of calibration is to fly the helicopter 

manually at several different headings. If you notice the heading drifts by large amounts 

(15 degrees or more) or the Draganflyer X6 wants to spin in circles do not attempt a 

position hold. You can try a different location to eliminate possible local interference or 

try recalibrating the magnetometer. 

Calibrations: 

There are a number of calibrations the Draganflyer X6 uses to maintain its stability and 

its position. 

The first screen that you may see regarding calibration is a warning, saying 

”Magnetometer not Calibrated” this is due to the Draganflyer factory being located in all 

likelihood more that 320 kilometers (200 miles) from you location. Therefore there is a 

need to recalibrate the magnetometer by calibrating the Magnetic Declination and the 

Magnetic Inclination. 

49 
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Magnetic Declination 

The Draganflyer X6 uses a compass to know which direction it is facing. However, the 

Earth’s magnetic field rarely points straight north. Instead, it points slightly east or west, 

and this varies with your location on the planet. Magnetic declination is the number of 

degrees that separate True North from Magnetic North. 

Improper settings of Magnetic Declination will cause erratic flight. It is 

therefore vital that you perform this calibration prior flying the 

Draganflyer X6 for the first time or any time your flying location changes 

by more than 320 kilometers or 200 miles. 

This calibration may be performed using the following instructions with the Hand Held 

Controller or by using the Computer and Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver. 

Finding Your Magnetic Declination 

1. If you do not know your Magnetic declination: you may obtain declination 

information on topographical maps or through the Internet. 

Using the web site http://www.magnetic-declination.com/# you simple click 

on the map area of your location and a pop up bubble gives you the magnetic 

declination of the area you have indicated. 

 

Magnetic Declination Calibration Using Draganflyer X6 Handheld 

Controller 

Note: The Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller used for calibration must have the 

Trainer setup switched to “Off” prior to starting the calibration. 

To use this method you must know your magnetic declination. If you do not know the 

magnetic declination for your location, use the instructions listed above starting at Step 8. 

If your declination is in degrees and minutes, the minutes must be converted to a decimal 

value. To convert the minute value to a decimal value, simply divide the minute value by 

60. 

Eg. Your Magnetic Declination is listed as 11° (degrees) 25' (minutes)East you will 

need to convert 25' (degrees) into a decimal value. Simply divide 25 by 60 =.416, so the 

value for calibration will be seen as 25.42. 

Having your magnetic declination in degrees and decimal value proceed using your 

handheld controller as follows. 

 Turn the Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller on. 

 Turn the Draganflyer X6 Helicopter on. 

 In the Config screen select Helicopter Calibration. 
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 Next choose OK. When calibrating the Draganflyer X6 using the handheld 

controller you will be required to tap the OK button (Config - Warning Screen) 

3 times to proceed with the calibration process.

 The last Magnetic Declination value set in the handheld controller will be 

displayed in green text. If the value is correct select OK, your setting will then be 

saved. If the value is not correct select the Set button, this will then give you a 

keypad to enter your correct value. Note: West declinations are entered as 

negative values and East declinations are entered as positive value.
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Once you have entered the appropriate value select Done. The setting will be saved and 

the screen will return to the Magnetic Declination screen, press OK. The screen will 

return to the Calibration screen. You can now select and calibrate Magnetic Inclination or 

return to the Config menu or Views screen. 

Calibration Steps Using Computer and Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver 

1. Install DraganflyerX6 Interface and USB Telemetry Transceiver driver 

from provided Micro-SD card using the Micro-SD card adapter 

2. Plug the included Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver (this allows the 

Draganflyer X6 to communicate with the computer) into your Windows 

computer. Let Windows install it automatically. 

3. Launch the Draganflyer X6 Interface program. 

4. Turn on the Draganflyer X6. 

5. In the Interface program, select the correct COM port, and then click 

“Connect to X6.” 

6. Once the Draganflyer X6 has been “found,” click onto the Configuration 

tab. 

7. If you know the magnetic declination of the area in which you are flying, 

input into the Interface program, as pictured, in the Magnetic Declination 

section
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8. With all three values (degrees, minutes, East/West) in the Interface 

program, click the “Set Magnetic Declination” button. 

9. A box will popup confirming a successful calibration, or a failed 

calibration. 

10. If the calibration was successful, you are done! 

11. If calibration was unsuccessful, click the “Set Magnetic Declination” button 

again and try again. 

 Vertical Magnetic Field: 

Vertical magnetic field or magnetic inclination. The angle at which the Draganfly X6 

GPS system reads the earth’s magnetic field varies from location to location. The angle 

obtained by the Draganflyer X6 sensors is used to determine the correct calculations for 

stable flight. 

Improper settings of Vertical Magnetic Field will cause erratic flight. It is 

therefore vital that you perform this calibration prior flying the 

Draganflyer X6 for the first time or any time your flying location changes 

by more than 320 kilometers or 200 miles. 

 This calibration may be performed using the following 

instructions or by using a Computer and Draganfly USB 

Telemetry Transceiver 

Vertical Magnetic Field Calibration (Magnetic Inclination 

Calibration Using Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller 

 Turn the Draganflyer X6 Handheld Controller on. 

 Turn the Draganflyer X6 Helicopter on. Stand the Draganflyer X6 on it’s two 

front arms on a flat level surface. 

 In the Config screen select Helicopter Calibration 
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

 Next choose OK . 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

When calibrating the Draganflyer X6 using the handheld controller you will be 

required to tap the OK button in (Config Warning Screen) 3 times to proceed with 

the calibration process 

The last Magnetic Inclination value set in the handheld controller will be displayed in 

green text. Even if your Magnetic Declination was correct it is still necessary to 

recalibrated the Magnetic Inclination. Press Set, the value may change as it is adjusting, 

once it has stopped changing select OK, you will then be returned to the Config Screen. 
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Vertical Magnetic Field Calibration steps using Computer and Draganfly USB 

Telemetry Transceiver 

1. If not already installed, install Draganflyer X6 Interface and USB 

Telemetry Transceiver driver from provided Micro-SD card. 

2. Plug the included Draganfly USB Telemetry Transceiver (this allows the 

Draganflyer X6 to communicate with the computer) into your Windows 

computer. Let Windows install it automatically. 

3. Launch Draganflyer X6 Interface program.

4. Turn on Draganflyer X6.

5. Remove any payload (camera). Put the 

Draganflyer X6 into an ‘arm-stand,’ as 

pictured. Ensure it is on a flat and level 

surface, and that there are no metal objects 

within 6 feet. 

6. In the Interface program, select the correct 

COM port, then click “Connect to X6.” 

7. Once the Draganflyer X6 has been “found,” 

click onto the Configuration tab. 

8. Under the Vertical Magnetic Field section, 

click the “Enable Calibration” checkbox. 

9. Click the “Calibrate Magnetometer” button. 

10. A box will popup confirming successful calibration, or failed calibration. 

11. If calibration was successful, you are done! 

12. If calibration was unsuccessful, click the “Calibrate Magnetometer” 

button again. 
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Hard Iron Calibration 

This calibration makes adjustments regarding magnetized metals that are in a fixed 

position within the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. 

This calibration cannot be performed unless you have been in contact with 

Draganfly Innovations Inc. and have been provided with 

instructions to perform the calibration! Performing the 

calibration inappropriately can have detrimental effects on 

the performance of the helicopter!

Note: This calibration only is required if the results of the Heading Calibration Test 

have a deviation of more than 10.۫

 

Transmitter RF Power 

You can set the Draganflyer X6 Transmitter power to conform with your locations 

regulatory standards. For North America the Standard is +18dBm, for International areas 

it is +10dBm. Although the calibration allows for an adjustment within that range those 

are the standards and they must be adhered to for regulatory reasons. Adjusting this level 

will not increase or decrease the performance of the transmitter or helicopter. 
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Camera Power 

The amount of power supplied to the camera from the Draganflyer X6 Battery can be 

adjusted as required. A setting of 9.3 will normally work for all of the available cameras. 

If required, make adjustments using the set button. A number pad will appear. Select the 

value required then press Done. If an error message appears press Done and retry your 

entry again. 

Battery Charging System 

Your Draganflyer X6 comes equipped with a complete charging unit for the batteries 

used by the Draganflyer X6 system. It has been designed for ease of use, portability, 

safety and convenience so down time due to depleted batteries is minimal. 

Included with the Draganflyer X6 charging system is; 

 1 - XP Power - regulated AC power source 
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 2 - Thunder Power 610 C, Digital Balancer & Charger/Discharger (User’s Manual 

included) 

 2 - 6 wire balancer to battery cables 

 2 - Battery to Charger cables 

 1 - Controller to Charger cable 

 1 - 6' DC Power source to Charger cable 

 2 - 4 Cell 2700mAh Lithium Polymer Rechargeable Batteries 

 1 - Lipo Sack 

 1 - Carrying Case 

Set Up and Operation 

Use only provided batteries that are designed exclusively for use with 

the Draganflyer X6 helicopter. 

Never leave batteries charging while unattended.

The Draganflyer X6 Charging System is capable of: 

 Charging the Draganflyer X6 battery 

 Charging the Draganflyer X6 handheld controller 

 Charging 2 Draganflyer X6 battery packs simultaneously 

 Charging one battery pack and the DraganflyerX6 controller 

Connecting Charger to Power Source 

1. If using the included AC power supply, remove the supply from the case, connect 

it to the power input of charger, and plug supply into AC outlet 

2. If using 12V battery (car battery), connect the provided cable to the charger and 

connect the clips to the terminals of your 12V battery (red clip to positive, black 

clip to negative) 

Charging the Helicopter Batteries 

1. Use the control buttons to ensure the Thunder Power 610C is set as follows: 

LiPo Charge (battery type), 4s Pack (cell count), C= 4.50 A (charge rate); 

(consult Thunder Power 610C charger manual for instructions on changing 

settings) 

2. Connect battery pack to charger with both the 6-wire balance cable and the 2-wire 

main cable (observe polarity and do not force connectors) 

3. Place battery into Lipo Sack 

Ensure Battery Type (LiPO Charge) and Cell Count (4S Pack) selected are 

correct! Failure to do so may result in fire or damage to battery and or 

charger. It is required that both the charger leads and the balance leads are 

connected for effective and safe charging. Always use the LipoSack when 

charging helicopter batteries. 

4. Press and hold Red ‘ENT/STOP’ (►) button for 2 seconds to start the charging 

process 

Charging the Handheld Controller Battery

1. Ensure controller is turned off. 
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2. Connect controller to charger using both the 6-wire balance cable and the 2-wire 

main cable (observe polarity and do not force connectors) 

3. Use control buttons on the Thunder Power 610C to ensure the charger is set as 

follows: LiPo Charge (battery type), 3s Pack (cell count), C= 2.10 A (charge 

rate); (consult Thunder Power 610C charger manual for instructions on changing 

settings) 

Ensure Battery Type (LiPO Charge) and Cell Count (3S Pack) 

selected are correct! Failure to do so may result in fire or damage to 

battery and or charger. 

4. Press and hold Red ‘ENT/STOP’ (►) button for 2 seconds to start the charging 

process 

For more detailed in formation on use of the TP- 610C Balancer and Charger/Discharger 

consult the included Thunder Power 610C Charger User’s ManualCamera Systems 

Camera Systems 

The Draganflyer X6 comes equipped with your choice of four camera systems. Still 

Digital Camera, High Definition Video, Low Light (1lux) Black and White Video, and 

Thermal Infra-red video are the choices however all of these systems are compatible with 

your Draganflyer X6. Any camera system that you did not select, can be purchased as an 

accessory and is easily interchangeable for use. 

Use of payloads/cameras or mounts other than those approved by Draganfly 

Innovations Inc. will void the Draganflyer X6 warranty. Alternative 

payloads and mounts will severely degrade performance and will interfere 

with the operation of the helicopter. 

Video Transmission Channel Selections 

To change video channels for the camera system, the both the transmitter and the receiver 

must be matched. For the transmitter mounted on the bottom of the camera mount there 

are three dip switches. 
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Switch 1 Switch 2 Switch 3 

Ch. 1 On On On 

Ch. 2 Off On On 

Ch. 3 On Off On 

Ch. 4 Off Off On 

Ch. 5 On On Off 

Ch 6 Off On Off 

Ch. 7 On Off Off 

Video channel selection on the Handheld Controller is accessed using the Video Set Up 

menu in the Config Screen. Video channel selection on the Base Station is available using 

the arrow button on the Base Station menu. 

Quick Release Camera Mount Installation 

Note: All camera mounts install in the same manner. 

Position camera mount over camera mount studs and press it into place exposing the 

camera mounting studs. Using the hook tool pull the O-Ring over the camera mount stud. 

Repeat for all four stud positions. 
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 Connect camera mount wiring to matching frame wiring sockets. 

 Still Digital Camera 
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Camera Installation 

o Setup- connect the camera to the mount using the single mounting bolt. 

Connect the 3 wiring harness connectors from camera to the three 

corresponding connectors on underside of Draganflyer X6 (servo connector, 

camera controls, transmitter connector). Connect the camera controls 

connector from the camera to the wiring harness. Connect the Video Out 

Connector and Power connectors to the camera. 

o Operation – consult the camera user’s manual. Remote tilt, zoom and shutter 

control are available from handheld controller as required. 

 To remove the camera and mount follow above process in reverse. 

Camera Receiver 

o Setup – plug the video glasses or other recording device into the handheld 

controller video output jacks, located on the bottom of the hand held 

controller. 

o Operation - power up your video glasses or other recording device. Live feed 

from the camera allows for viewing what the camera is seeing. 

o NOTE: When in video record mode if the Aspect Ratio setting (found on top 

of lens ring) is set to 16:9 the display screen will black out. Set it to 4:3 to 

allow for viewing. It is also a good idea to set the Auto Focus set to AF setting 

found on side of lens ring. 
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High Definition Video 

NOTE : 

 Remote control of shutter and zoom is not available with the HD 

Camera. 

 The camera tilt control is reversed, when mounted to the HD Camera . 

This can be adjusted using the video setup menu on the configuration 

screen of the handheld controller. 

 The Helicopter Camera Voltage setting in the Hand Held Controller 

needs to be set to 9.3 volts. 

Camera Installation 

o Setup- connect the camera to the mount using the single mounting bolt. 

Connect the wiring harness connectors from the camera to the corresponding 

connectors on the underside of Draganflyer X6. 

o The camera door must be open with the video screen displayed to make the 

live video connection. 

o Operation – consult camera user’s manual. 

Camera Receiver 

o Setup - plug your video glasses or other recording device into the handheld 

controller output jacks. 

o Operation- power up your video glasses or recording device. Live feed from 

the camera allows for viewing what the camera is seeing. 

To remove the camera and the mount follow above process in reverse. 
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Low Light Black and White Video 

NOTE : 

 The remote control of shutter and zoom is not available with the Low 

Light Camera. 

 The camera tilt control is reversed, when mounted to the Low Light 

Camera. This can be adjusted using the video setup menu on the 

configuration screen of the handheld controller. 

 The Helicopter Camera Voltage setting in the Hand Held Controller 

needs to be set to 9.3 volts. 

Camera Installation 

o Setup- connect the camera to mount using four mounting bolts. Connect 

wiring harness connectors from camera to corresponding connectors on 

underside of Draganflyer X6. 

o Operation – consult camera user’s manual. 

Camera Receiver 

o Setup- plug video glasses or other recording device into handheld controller 

output jacks. 

o Operation -power up video glasses or recording device. Live feed from 

camera allows for viewing what camera is seeing. 

To remove the camera and the mount follow the above process in reverse. 
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Thermal Infra-Red Video 

NOTE : 

 Remote control of shutter and zoom is not available with the Thermal 

Infra-Red Camera. 

 The Helicopter Camera Voltage setting in the Hand Held Controller 

needs to be set to 9.3 volts. 

Camera Installation 

o Setup- connect your camera to the mount using two mounting bolts. Connect 

wiring harness connectors from camera to corresponding connectors on 

underside of Draganflyer X6 

o Operation – consult camera user’s manual 

Camera Receiver 

o Setup- plug video glasses or other recording device into handheld controller 

output jacks. 

o Operation -power up video glasses or recording device. Live feed from 

camera allows for viewing what camera is seeing. 

To remove the camera and mount follow above process in reverse. 
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GROUND CONTROL BASE STATION 

The Draganflyer X6 Ground Control Base Stations is an advanced tool for flight 

operations. That connects to your computer to view in real time all flight telemetry and 

live video from the Draganflyer X6. 

Minimum Computer System Requirements:

 Operating System: 

o Microsoft Windows XP, or 

o Microsoft Windows Vista 

 CPU: 

o Intel Core2, 1.8GHz, or 

o AMD Athlon 64, 2.4GHz 

 Ram: 

o 1GB (Windows XP) 

o 1.5GB (Windows Vista) 

 Free Hard Drive Space: 

o 1GB for the base install including prerequisites. 

* Saving video, data logs, and flight databases will require additional 

space. 

 Video Card: 

o Intel 945G >= 128MB VRAM, or 

o NVidia Geforce 6xxx >= 128MB VRAM, or 

o ATI Radeon 9550 >= 128MB VRAM 

 Video Capture Device: 

o Included with Wireless Video Base Station 
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 DirectX Version: 

o 9.0 or higher 

 .NET Framework: 

o Version 3.5 or higher 

* Downloads automatically with our installer 

 Microsoft SQLServer: 

o MS SQLServer CE or higher 

* Downloads automatically with our installer 

 Internet Connection: 

o Required for software installation and updates. 

o Not required for normal use 

Software Installation: 

For software installation your computer must have a working internet connection. Insert 

the “Draganflyer X6 Helicopter Base Station Software” CD included with your Base 

Station. 

If your computer has auto-run enabled the installation menu should open automatically. If 

this does not occur go to “My Computer” and select the appropriate CD drive, and run 

“Setup.exe” which is found in the main directory of the CD. 

If running from a limited account, or on Vista, the installer will request the necessary 

privileges to install the drivers and software; in the event that this fails you may need to 

run the installer when logged into an administrator account. 

Once the installation menu has been started it will present you with 4 options, including a 

“read me” guide. Please open and fully read this guide before continuing with 

installation. 

After software installation is completed please refer to the user’s manual within the 

ground station software. This manual can be accessed under the “help” menu and then 

“Options” entry. 

Set up 

For your convenience extendable legs which screw into the bottom of the base station case are 

stored in the lid of the base station. 

Ensure that the locking collars for the adjustments are locked as failing to 

ensure this could result in the table leg collapsing. 

Remove the white antenna from the lid storage area and thread it onto the N-Female connector.

Straighten the Telemetry Antenna. 

Positioning Flat Patch Antennas 

Unfold the arms on the dual flat patch antenna, and point the face with the bump on it 

directly at the area in which the Draganflyer X6 helicopter will be flying. If the area is 
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large, use one patch antenna to cover half of it, and the second patch antenna to cover the 

second half. 

Connecting to Computer:

The Base Station connects to your computer through a USB cable, connected to the 

“USB” plug on the main control panel and an open USB port on your computer. Once the 

ground station software is running and your base station and helicopter are turned on 

click the antenna icon in the top left corner of the screen, it will turn green when 

connected to the base station and red when disconnected. 

Powering the Ground Control Base Station: 

The Base Station is powered by a 4 cell 14.8 volt 2700mAh lithium-polymer battery, this 

is the same battery pack used in the Draganflyer X6 airframe. On a full charge this 

battery should power the base station for up to 6 hours. For charging and safety 

instructions please refer to the “Battery Charging System” section of your Draganflyer 

X6 Users Manual. 

To connect the battery, lift the storage panel. In the bottom right corner is the base station 

battery area. 

To turn on the base station connect the battery and press and hold the “Power – Select” 

button on the main control panel until the display illuminates. To turn off the base station 

press and hold the “Power-Select” button, the screen will display “Hold Longer to 

Shutdown” continue holding until it displays “Release Now to Shutdown” then release 

the button and it will turn off. 

Always be sure to disconnect the battery when the base station is not in use. 

Low Voltage Auto-Shutoff: 

09 

When the battery becomes fully discharged, a warning message will be displayed, 

followed by shutdown of the base station video receiver. If the Beep Sound is enabled, an 

audible beep will be heard. To prevent Auto-Shutoff from 

occurring, monitor the remaining battery life, and replace the 

battery before it becomes too low, the Auto-Shutoff occurs when 

the battery voltage level reaches 13.2 Volts or 0%. 

Navigating Menus: 

When the base station is initially turned on it will display the 

battery voltage and approximate battery capacity remaining. On 

this default screen the “Select” button has no function, to navigate 

through different menus press the left or right arrow buttons. When 

you wish to change a setting press the “select button”, arrows will 

appear on the bottom line of the display press the left or right 

arrow button to change scroll through different setting options, 

press the “select” button to change the setting. 

Channel: 
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This menu will display the current channel the video receiver is operating on and will 

allow you to change between 1 of the 7 available channels. To change the channel press 

“select” then choose the desired channel with the left and right arrow buttons and press 

“select”. When changing this operating channel be sure to adjust the channel on the video 

transmitter located on your camera mount. 

Audio Out:

This menu will display whether the audio output will send a signal to the computer or 

display monitor. When set to enabled the base station will send an audio signal to the 

computer or display. 

Beep Sound: 

When enabled the base station will emit a beep each time a button is pushed and for any 

errors or warnings that may occur, when disabled the base station will not provide a beep 

tone however error messages and warning will still be displayed visually.

Connecting Analog Video Recorders, Monitors, & Glasses 

The Draganflyer X6 Base station provides standard composite analog output through 

RCA connectors on the top panel. Simply plug the composite video cable from your 

device to the yellow RCA video output. 

VIDEOGRAPHY 

Creating great video with the Draganflyer X6 is much like creating great video with any 

other tool. Every type of shot, be it a boom shot or dolly shot, requires skill and practice. 

So, the first step to good video is to become an experienced pilot. The fastest way to do 

this is to start by using a computer based flight simulator. A couple of hours practice 

using the simulator will make you comfortable with the controls. Next move to the 

Draganflyer X6 with the camera system removed. 

After you are confident flying the Draganflyer X6 without the camera system, add it back 

to the assembly. 

 Plan your shots carefully, taking into consideration the locale and current 

conditions. Wind is not your friend. You can fly if there is light wind but it will 

add a significant level of difficulty. 

 Consider lighting as you would any other shot. Shoot with the sun behind you 

unless you are trying to develop a dramatic backlit scene. 

 While you can fly and shoot alone, it is better to have someone watching the 

incoming video and giving you directions. Flying is hard enough without trying 

to watch a monitor at the same time. 
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 The Draganflyer should be moving before the action starts you want to use in 

your shot. This will allow you to stabilize the helicopter and achieve a smooth 

motion. 

 Film 5 to 10 seconds before and after capturing the footage to leave room for 

editing later. 

 Plan several takes varying your speed and other movements. This will give you 

more choices when you edit. 

 Try different motion approaches. Remember that rising vertically is more easily 

controlled than descending. 

 In stable hover, use the yaw control (left stick) to create a slow circular pan. 

 Combine movements like lifting off while using yaw to create interesting new 

perspectives. 

Once you are confident in your ability to make the Draganflyer X6 go where you want it 

to go the sky is no longer the limit. Be safe, have fun and create awesome video. 

PRE-TRAINING FOR DRAGANFLYER X6 

Flight Simulator 

Even if you are an experienced remote controlled helicopter pilot we strongly suggest that 

you first train with a flight simulator. You can use any flight simulator that provides for a 

two joystick configuration, with the left joystick providing throttle and yaw and the right 

joystick providing pitch and roll. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the 

control concepts which are used by the handheld controller of the Draganflyer X6 

helicopter. 

 

Another good flight simulation training method is to use any small indoor helicopter that 

flies well, and has the same two joystick configuration as noted above. This will give you 

the added benefit of actual flight in all three dimensions. 

In addition to allow you to become more familiar with the control configuration, it will 

save you money by avoiding costly crashes due to being unfamiliar with the Draganflyer 

X6. 

Blade MCX Training 

In this section, you will learn how to fly a helicopter with similar control concepts as the 

Draganflyer X6. As most customers of the Draganflyer X6 UAV are new to RC flying, 

we have sent you a training helicopter, the Blade MCX. The Blade MCX is a standard, 

hobby grade RC helicopter whose basic flight characteristics closely match those of the 

X6. Using the Blade MCX as a training helicopter means that the small mishaps that 
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happen to everyone while learning how to fly are inexpensive. We recommend that you 

practice the following flight exercises with your Blade MCX before attempting to fly the 

Draganflyer X6. If you have not acquired a Blade MCX for training purposes please refer 

to www.rctoys.com . 

Setting Up the Practice Flight Area: 

Find a indoor area free of obstructions (an average living room will do), and set up a 

practice area resembling the figure 1 below. You can use any easy to see objects as 

markers. 

Pilot 

Figure 1 – How To Set Up The Practice Flight Area

Flight Exercises

Exercise #1-Hoover:

The first exercise is relatively simple. Get your Blade MCX ready for flight by following 

the instructions that came with it. Set the helicopter on the floor in the center of the 

markers that you set up earlier, and slowly increase the throttle to around 50%. The 

helicopter should take off and start rising. Back off on the throttle a small amount and try 

to maintain a hover. If required use the trim tabs for roll, pitch and yaw to try to keep the 
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helicopter hovering in one spot. When setting trims make only small adjustments then see 

how the helicopter reacts to the adjustment. Don't use any of the other flight controls 

unless the helicopter starts to drift. Hold the helicopter in a steady hover for a few 

minutes, then slowly decrease the throttle and allow it to settle to the ground. Ideally, the 

helicopter should stay at exactly the same spot over the ground while hovering. To help 

you keep track of it's position above the ground, use the markers set up earlier. 

Exercise #2- Roll:

Once you are confident hovering in one place, you can try moving the helicopter around. 

Begin by hovering above a marker, and then gently push the right transmitter stick to the 

left. Don't push it too far, just enough to make it start to move to the left. This will cause 

the helicopter to tilt over slightly and begin moving to the left. As long as you apply 

inputs the helicopter will continue moving in the direction you are applying direction to. 

As you near the next marker move the joystick back to center this should cause the 

helicopter to again be vertical and directional movement should discontinue after any 

speed has been depleted. Hoover momentarily at that marker then move the joystick to 

the right to move the helicopter back to the center marker and then onto the right marker. 

Practice moving it left and right until you are confident, then move on to the next 

exercise. You will find the more input you provide the steeper the angle of the helicopter 

is which causes an increase in the speed of the flight. 

Exercise #3 - Pitch:

Start in a hover like before, and push the right transmitter stick forward slightly. This will 

cause the helicopter's nose to drop, and the helicopter will start to travel forward. As with 

the roll inputs the same type or reaction applies to pitch. To eliminate forward movement 

re-centre the right joystick, this will cause forward motion to cease once any momentum 

is depleted. If you move the joystick back past centre it will cause the helicopter to fly 

backward. Practices moving from marker to marker to become familiar with the pitch 

control. 

Exercise #4 - Yaw:

The Blade MCX can rotate, pointing the nose in a new direction. Control yaw (rotational 

motion) by nudging the left transmitter stick left or right. Cancel out any spin you cause 

by nudging the stick in the opposite direction to re-centre it. 

Practice flying the Blade MCX around the perimeter of the rectangle of markers set up 

earlier, keeping the nose pointing in these positions: 

1) Left 

2) Right 

3) Towards you 

4) In the direction the Blade MCX is traveling. 

Exercise #5: 

Once you become confident holding the nose in these positions, try flying a square figure 

8 while holding the nose in a given position. The figure 8 should be flat, with the 
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helicopter maintaining the same altitude throughout the maneuver. You can also try 

flying in diagonal movements by incorporating both pitch and roll. 

When you feel confident flying the Blade MCX using all the controls, you should be able 

to fly it to any desired location and land. Becoming proficient at flying the Blade MCX 

will prepare you to pilot the Draganflyer X6, and should reduce mishaps when flying. 

FLIGHT TRAINING 

TRAINER FLIGHT 

There isn’t an easier way to learn to fly the Draganflyer X6 than using the “buddy” 

system and using an additional second handheld controller for training. The Draganflyer 

X6 trainer setup allows an instructor to give or limit the amount and type of control to the 

student. In order to set up the Draganflyer X6 for this method there are a number of steps 

that need to be followed so unexpected responses do not occur. The system is setup by 

programming the Master/Instructor Controller first then programming the Slave/Student 

Controller. 

Warning

 Ensure you have two handheld controllers and only one Draganflyer X6 helicopter 

prepared. 

 Prior to the Buddy System being implemented the instructor should fly the 

Draganflyer X6 using each of the handheld controllers separately to ensure the 

controllers and the Draganfly X6 are working properly. 

Master Controller Setup 

1. Turn on Draganflyer X6 helicopter 

2. Turn on Master Controller to connect to helicopter and ensure it is synched to the 

Draganfly X6 

3. Using Touch Screen tap “Config” once 

4. Select “Trainer Setup” by tapping “Trainer Setup” once 
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5. Trainer Mode button should display “Off”, select ”Master” 

6. Select channel options you wish to allow student to manipulate by selecting 

”Master” to retain control and “Slave” to give control to the student. Select this 

for each of the controls. 

The Master Controller can now turn over control to the student once the Slave 

Controller has been set up and the Trainer button on the Master Controller is 

depressed and held. 

Slave Controller Setup 

Ensure no other Draganflyer X6 helicopter is turned on.

1. Turn on Slave Controller 

2. Using Touch Screen tap “Config” 

once 

3. Select “Trainer Setup by tapping 

“Trainer Setup” once 

4. Trainer Mode button should display 

“Off”, select ”Slave” 
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5. Select “Acquire”. The controllers will now communicate and acknowledge when

they find each other by indicating on the touch screen the status. For the Slave 

Controller a message box will show “Transmitter correctly paired with Master” 

After pressing “Done” the Slave Controller will show” Master Found”. On the 

Master Controller it will show “Slave Present” 

In addition to the Touch Screen indication of status an audible set of tones will 

dicate a change of status. A rising tone indicates control to the Slave. A 

 now obtain control of the Draganflyer X6 for the options which 

e instructor has allowed when the instructor depresses and holds the trainer 

 both handheld controllers are equal if control of 

rottle has been given, otherwise the helicopter may suddenly ascend or descend once 

t is generally a good idea for the instructor to start the flight by lifting off and placing 

nce Trainer setup is selected no other telemetry information from the helicopter is 

f either controller. 

ystem Off 

. Tap “Off ” button once on touch screen. 

o return to default touch screen. 

1. Tap “Off ” button on touch screen. 

 Slave are retained on the Master 

Controller until changed. However, if the power has been cycled on either controller 

the setup as Master or Slave must be reset. 

in

lowering of tones indicates control to the Master. 

The student can

th

button down. 

Ensure the throttle positions on

th

the trainer button is depressed. 

I

the helicopter in a stable hover before turning over control. 

O

displayed on the touch screen o

Turning Trainer S

Slave Controller 

1

2. Tap “Done” t

Master Controller 

2. Tap “Done” to return to default touch screen 

Channel options settings for Master control to
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FLIGHT LESSONS 

Lesson 1: Familiarization and Trimming: 

Start with the DraganflyX6 on a smooth, flat surface such as a paved driveway, patio or 

linoleum floor. The motors will begin spinning when you increase the throttle. Leave the 

throttle stick in a low position to give the motors a chance to spin up. Once they are all 

spinning (usually two seconds), you can add more throttle. Around half throttle the 

helicopter will take off. 

You may notice the helicopter shaking on its landing gear before it lifts off. This is 

normal. Add more throttle and the helicopter will safely takeoff. A quick throttle 

increase from spin-up to takeoff will reduce the shaking. Slowly increase the throttle until 

the Draganflyer X6 is hovering two feet off the ground, do not increase the throttle any 

further at this point. Slowly move the pitch (right stick, up/down motion) to observe its 

effect on the helicopter. 

Repeat this with the roll (right stick, left/right motion), and yaw (left stick, left/right 

motion) controls one at a time. By using these controls try your best to keep the 

Draganflyer X6 stationary. The Draganflyer X6 may drift in one or more directions. This 

is what the trim tabs on the handheld controller are for. These trim tabs should be moved 

in the opposite direction that your helicopter is drifting. 

For example, if the Draganflyer X6 wants to drift to the right you would need to apply 

left roll trim. When inputting trim corrections only use very small amounts and observe 

the effect. In some cases the Draganflyer X6 may drift in more than one direction. Start 

by correcting for the largest noticeable movement, then move on to the next one. You 

should become comfortable with trimming the helicopter, as it may need to be done after 

a crash or rough landing. Once all of the trims are adjusted correctly you can move on to 

the next lesson 

NOTE: When landing there should be no forward speed, the 

Draganflyer X6 is designed for vertical takeoff and landing. Allowing 

forward speed on landing may result in the helicopter tipping forward 

and damage to the rotors may result if they come into contact with the 

landing surface. 

Do not under any circumstances fully reduce the throttle during 

flight, this will cause a drastic decrease in altitude and may result in 

an uncoverable attitude and crash. 

 

Lesson 2: Basic Hovering 

In this lesson, we will lift the Draganflyer X6 off of the ground a small distance and 

practice hovering in one spot. For this lesson it is best to fly over a flat, smooth surface 
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again. Stay less than one foot above the ground, this will greatly lessen the chances of a 

crash. Remember that if you get disoriented or lose control simply reduce the throttle to 

minimum immediately. Trimming the Draganflyer X6 is important and should be 

checked each flight so that it does not wander off on it’s own. For safety, stand about 15-

20 feet away from the Draganflyer X6, slowly increase the throttle until it begins to lift 

off from the ground. 

Use gentle, smooth movements of the pitch, roll, and yaw controls to keep the helicopter 

on a stable, level position. It is important that you use the yaw control (left stick: left and 

right) to keep the front of the Draganflyer X6 pointed away from yourself. At this point 

do not worry about maintaining a perfect hover, just concentrate on keeping the 

Draganflyer X6 level and within an imaginary 10 foot by 10 foot square. If the helicopter 

starts to oscillate back and forth simply reduce the power to land and start again. 

Learning to hover is the most difficult part of flying a radio control helicopter so it is ok 

if it takes a while. 

Remember to take a break every 5-10 minutes to give yourself a rest. Once you are able 

to comfortably maintain a steady hover for 1–2 minutes you can increase the throttle to 

allow the Draganflyer X6 to climb up to waist or stomach height (For safety reasons, you 

should never fly at or near eye level). At this altitude, control will actually be easier, and 

you can practice tightening up that imaginary square until you can maintain a steady 

hover. 

To descend for landing, decrease the throttle a small amount and allow the Draganflyer 

X6 to gently settle to the ground. Keep practicing hovering as it is a requirement before 

being able to take off and land, as well as perform many other maneuvers. Most people 

will take 1-2 hours of practice to be able to hover steadily, so don’t get discouraged if you 

do not pick up the skill immediately. 

Lesson 3: Movements 

This time, we will learn to move the Draganflyer X6 around in a hover. This will teach 

you how to transition from a hover to moving flight and back again. Prepare the 

Draganflyer using the same checklist and trimming technique we have used in previous 

lessons. For this lesson you should also select a location where you can take off and land 

on a smooth surface and fly over a grassy area. The edge of your driveway or patio would 

be well suited for this if the area is free of obstructions. If you are comfortable enough, 

you can begin this lesson by taking off closer to yourself (5 feet would be a minimum 

safe distance). This will allow you to keep the Draganflyer X6 over the grassy area for 

the duration of the flight. 

Lift 2-3 feet off the ground and gently push forward on the pitch control momentarily to 

move a safe distance away from yourself. Return the pitch control to neutral once forward 

movement has begun. Pull back gently to cause the Draganflyer X6 to decelerate and then 

attempt to establish a hover at the waist/stomach level. Any time you give a control input 

to the Draganflyer X6 you will have to give the opposite control input to level out the 

helicopter. So if you input forward pitch the helicopter will continue flying forwards until 
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you give it an equal backwards pitch input. Now, imagine a large square drawn on the 

ground in front of you. 

Using very gentle movements at first, and keeping the front of the Draganflyer X6 away 

from yourself at all times, try to fly from one corner of the square to another along the 

edges. Allow a slight delay after your control input for the Draganflyer X6 to 

accelerate/decelerate. As you make changes to the pitch and roll controls you may need to 

adjust the throttle to maintain a steady altitude. 

It is better to lose a small amount of altitude than to apply too much throttle and have the 

Draganflyer X6 climb out of your control, so be gentle on any throttle adjustments. Use 

appropriate pitch/roll control inputs to decelerate as you approach the corners of the 

imaginary square. Once you are comfortable flying front, back, left, or right, try 

combining the pitch and roll to fly diagonally across the imaginary square. As you 

practice, slowly start adding more control inputs to increase the speed of the movements 

until you can fly around that imaginary square at a comfortable walking pace. 

As always, remember to take a break every 5-10 minutes. If you choose to land in the 

grass ensure that the throttle is reduced to the lowest possible setting once on the ground 

to avoid stalling a motor. Takeoffs from grass are not recommended, as the blades of 

grass can be hard on the rotors and motors. 

Lesson 4: Orientation 

The object of this lesson will be to teach you to control the Draganflyer X6 in 

orientations other than “nose-out” (front of the helicopter pointing away). Take off with 

the Draganflyer X6 and establish a stable hover. Keep the helicopter fairly low to the 

ground as it is likely that you will lose control at least once during this lesson. 

Start by using the yaw control to slowly rotate the Draganflyer X6 from left to right and 

back again (do not rotate further than 10-15 degrees initially). Once you are comfortable 

spinning the Draganflyer X6, start rotating further until you have spun it 90 degrees from 

the starting position and maintain a hover with this orientation. It will help if you turn so 

you are facing in the same direction as the front of the Draganflyer X6 and watching it 

over your shoulder. Remember to take a break every 5-10 minutes. 

Once you master hovering the Draganflyer X6 with it turned 90 degrees, you can think 

about beginning to practice “nose-in” flight. To do this, you will be best served to repeat 

lessons 1, 2, and 3, but complete all these with the front of the Draganflyer X6 turned 

towards yourself. The roll and pitch controls will be reversed in this orientation, so don’t 

rush! Learning to fly “nose-in” will be just like learning to fly all over again, but don’t 

get discouraged! Try to practice a few minutes of nose-in each time you fly the 

Draganflyer X6, and continue through the rest of the flying lessons. 

Lesson 5: Climbs and Descents 

Now you are ready to begin flying the Draganflyer X6 at higher altitudes. The helicopter 

does not know it has gone any higher, so the only real factor here is your own nerves. 

Climbing is easy; just add power and it will smoothly climb up. Reduce the throttle 

setting to hover, and the climb will stop naturally (remember, small movements are 

essential). Descending is more difficult, because the Draganflyer X6 forces air 

downwards to generate the lift it needs to fly (this is called downwash), as you descend 

vertically, you will pass into air that is moving downwards, causing the helicopter to 

accelerate as it descends. To counter this, you can either begin the descent and then add 
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small amounts of power as necessary to offset the downwards acceleration, or you can 

descend while moving the Draganflyer X6 forwards, backwards, left, or right. 

Descending in this manner will allow you to fly outside of the downwash the helicopter 

generates. Set up for this lesson by first making sure your batteries are fully charged. 

Stand well away, as you will be passing through your eye level, and make sure any 

spectators are also a safe distance away. Start by establishing a hover, then add power to 

climb to just above your head. Reduce power to stop the climb, settle back into a hover, 

then slowly descend. Keep the front of the Draganflyer X6 away from you at all times. 

Repeat this process until you can climb and descend comfortably. 

Now you can begin climbing higher and faster. However keep in mind that the higher you 

fly, the greater the risk of causing damage in a crash. As well, you should keep the 

remaining power in the battery in mind, as you will be drawing more power from the 

flight battery by climbing repeatedly. 

Lesson 6: Introduction to Forward Flight 

Anytime the Draganflyer X6 is moving horizontally through the air, it is considered 

forward flight; this could be forwards, backwards, left or right. This is an advanced topic, 

so this lesson will be fairly brief. Select a large, open area, away from anything or 

anybody that the Draganflyer X6 might cause damage to. Prepare for flight and trim the 

helicopter. Begin by establishing a hover just above your head and at least 25-30 feet 

away from yourself. 

Turn 90 degrees and start moving forwards. Continue the forward motion, and turn to 

begin flying in a circle around yourself. Do not fly around yourself continuously, as you 

may get dizzy; instead, fly a few circles to the left and then to the right, taking breaks 

often. Try to maintain a constant altitude and to keep the front of the Draganflyer X6 

continuously pointed in the direction of motion. Once you can fly circles around yourself, 

try reversing direction as you complete each circle and climbing/descending as you fly. 

Lesson 7: Advanced Forward Flight 

If you have mastered basic forward flight and nose-in flight, you are truly a master of the 

Draganflyer X6. Flying figure-8s will be the last test. Once you can fly the figure-8 

consistently and repeatedly, you are ready to perform any other advanced maneuvers such 

as pirouettes, fast forward (and backward!) flight, rapid climbs and descents, and 

anything else you can think of. Please remember however, to keep safety first. It’s no fun 

when somebody gets hurt. 
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Flight Troubleshooting

PROBLEM POSSIBLE 

CAUSES 

SOLUTION

Handheld controller 

not connected to 

Draganflyer X6 

Turn on Draganflyer X6, and then turn on controller. 

The controller should emit a triple-beep, indicating it 

has connected. Also when connected you will see 

telemetry on the controllers screen 

The Draganflyer X6 

is not armed yet 

Ensure you are holding the left controller stick in its 

lower right corner for at least five seconds. You will 

hear a beeping tone and the LED lights will stop 

flashing once armed 

Draganflyer X6 won’t 

start the motors at all 

The GPS Position 

Hold Switch is not in 

Manual Mode 

Ensure the GPS switch is down in Manual Flight mode, 

you will receive and audible and visual warning when 

trying to take off in GPS or Altitude hold. 

Draganflyer X6 will 

not turn on 

Fuse may be blown Check the fuse on the bottom of the helicopter to 

ensure it is not blown replace if necessary. 

Shut the motors off by going to the lowest throttle 

setting on the handheld controller’s left stick. Slowly 

advance the throttle stick until motors begin to power 

up. Leave the throttle stick at a low setting until all 

motors are spinning slowly and smoothly. It is now 

OK to throttle up more 

If one motor always fails to start, despite repeated 

attempts on your part, it may be damaged or 

disconnected. Open the motor pod for inspection, and 

ensure both motors are connected properly. 

Swap connectors between upper and lower motors 

One motor doesn’t start 

properly 

Poor signal, damaged 

or disconnected 

Launch Draganflyer X6 Interface program. Utilize 

single motor utility to help trouble shoot the problem 

Check for this behavior indoors, to rule out the effects 

of wind 

Inspect each motor to ensure it spins freely, and each 

rotor by looking for cracks and missing sections. 

Inspect the Draganflyer X6 circuit board. Ensure it is 

solidly mounted to the carbon fiber plate via the 

insulating soft-mounts 

Draganflyer X6 

requires a lot of stick 

input or trim to hold 

level. 

Wind, damaged 

rotors, insecure 

circuit board 

If the problem hasn’t been spotted, contact Draganfly 

Innovations. You may need to send in the Draganflyer 

X6 circuit board for repair 

Out of calibration Conduct the Calibration Test, and set Magnetic 

Declination Calibration and the Vertical Direction 

Calibration 

Draganflyer X6 spins 

in circles despite yaw 

input. 

Yaw control trim is Center the yaw trim 
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not centered If the problem persists, contact Draganfly Innovations. 

Your Draganflyer X6 circuit board may require repair 

Conduct the Calibration Test, and set Magnetic 

Declination Calibration and the Vertical Direction 

Calibration 

Draganflyer X6 flies in 

very large circles while 

in GPS Flight Mode 

Out of calibration 

If the problem persists, contact Draganfly Innovations. 

You probably need to send in your X6 circuit board for 

repair 

Degraded batteries, Normal flight times are 18-20 minutes without a 

payload, and 7-15 minutes with a payload. If yours are 

significantly shorter, you probably need to replace your 

Draganflyer X6 lithium batteries. 

Overheated motors After a flight, feel the six motors to gauge their 

temperatures. If one or two are especially hot, the 

motors may need replacing 

Flight times are very 

short. 

Damaged rotor blades Inspect rotor blades for damage including chips and 

crack, replace all damaged rotors before flying. 

Poor satellite 

conditions 

 

The ideal conditions for acquiring a satellite lock are: 

outside, clear sky, and no nearby buildings, trees, or 

hills. 

GPS may be “cold 

starting” 

After not being used for several days the GPS system 

may take 5 to 15 minutes to acquire a lock. 

The GPS module 

may need to be reset 

Disconnect the battery from the helicopter, move the 

GPS power switch, located on the lower GPS board 

toward the front of the helicopter for 5 seconds then 

return to the on position toward the back of the 

helicopter. The GPS will “cold start” after this. 

GPS refuses to acquire 

a satellite lock. 

damaged GPS 

antenna 

GPS antennas are sensitive to impact, and may be 

ruined in a crash despite appearing fine. 

A motor arm is wobbly Damaged frame Your Draganflyer X6 may have a damaged frame. 

Inspect it carefully for cracks and missing pieces, and 

also for the source of the extra arm movement. 

Purchase replacement parts to solve this problem. 

If a top motor is loose, either the motor’s bolts are 

loose, or its motor mount is broken. A bottom motor 

may be loose for the same reasons, or because the 

lower section of the pod is loose. 

A motor is loose in its 

pod 

Loose bolts, broken 

motor mounts 

Remove the bottom motor from the pod to gain access 

to the motor mounts and internal bolts. 

The Draganflyer X6 

will not properly hold 

in GPS mode. 

Poor GPS conditions. Entering a Hold Mode before the Draganflyer X6 has 

acquired a sufficient satellite lock is impossible. You 

can flip the switch, but the Draganflyer X6 will remain 

under your control. Use the Interface program to 

determine the status of the GPS, and try entering a 

Hold Mode again once the Draganflyer X6 is ready. 
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Trim tabs not 

centered 

The trim tabs will effect the flight during GPS position 

hold, ensure the trim tabs are at the center position 

Wind conditions are 

too high 

The GPS Position Hold will only reliably work in 

windspeeds up to 6 mph (10km/h) 

Magnetometer out of 

calibration 

Ensure Magnetic Declination and Inclination 

calibrations have been performed. Conduct Heading 

Test 

If this problem persists contact Draganfly Innovations. 
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Glossary of Terms 

If you find a term in the manual that you don’t understand, look here for its 

definition. 

 Accelerometer – An accelerometer measures acceleration (change in velocity) in 

3 dimensions. 

 Altitude – A measure of how high something is. Altitude can be measured above 

ground level, or above sea level. 

 Altitude Hold Flight Mode – The helicopter will maintain altitude with this 

flight mode turned on. 

 Attitude – Attitude is a term for the orientation of an aircraft, in other words, 

which way it’s pointing. 

 Barometric Pressure Sensor – A barometer senses atmospheric pressure. The 

Draganflyer X6 comes equipped with a small electric barometer, which is used to 

sense and hold altitude. 

 Bearing – The direction that the helicopter is moving. 

 Brushless Motor – A type of electric motor powered by DC (direct current) 

electricity. They provide superior performance to brushed motor designs. 

 Celsius – The metric measure of temperature. In America, temperature is usually 

measured in degrees Fahrenheit. Switch between metric and imperial units by 

selecting config > basic config > display units in the transmitter menu. 

 Climb Rate – The rate of change of an aircrafts altitude. 

 dBm – Short for Decibel Milliwatt, this is another measure of power, but 

referenced to one Milliwatt. 

 Direct Drive – Each motor shaft is directly attached to a rotor blade, without 

using gears. 

 DSSS – Short for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, this is a type of spread 

spectrum technology. Spread spectrum radios “spread” their frequencies across 

different wavelengths, which reduces radio interference. 

 Gb – A gigabyte is a measure of data capacity. 

 Ghz – Short for Giga Hertz, this unit is used to measure frequency in billions of 

cycles per second. 

 GPS – Short for Global Positioning System, a GPS receiver locks on to radio 

signals from several satellites and uses them to determine its location. 

 GPS Hold Flight Mode – This flight mode holds both altitude and position 

without pilot input. 

 Gyro – A Gyro (short for gyroscope) is a device which measures or maintains 

orientation based on the principles of angular momentum. In the simplest case, a 

gyroscope contains a disc which spins extremely fast. The spinning disc has 
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angular momentum, so it will tend to maintain its position. The helicopter senses 

its rotation relative to the gyro, and the computer nulls out any motion. 

 Hard Iron Calibration – Do NOT do this calibration unless you are specifically 

instructed to by Draganfly Innovations Inc. This calibration corrects for any 

magnetic interference by the helicopters internal components. 

 Heading – The direction that the helicopter nose is pointing. 

 Kbps – Short for kilo bytes per second, this unit is used to describe the rate at 

which data is transmitted. One byte is 8 bits, with each bit being either a 1 or a 0, 

so 1 kilo byte means that 8000 bits are being transmitted every second. 

 Latitude - The elevation angle of the helicopter above or below the equator. 

 LED – Light emitting diode. A light emitting diode is a highly efficient and very 

bright light source. 

 Lithium Polymer Battery – Lithium polymer batteries technologically evolved 

from lithium ion batteries, and use a lithium salt electrolyte held in a polymer 

composite to achieve superior capacity and performance. 

 Lm – Lumen, or unit of luminous flux. This measures how bright something is, or 

the perceived power of light. 

 Magnetic Declination – Magnetic declination measures how much difference 

there is between magnetic north and true north at your location. The Earths 

magnetic field does not align with the north pole, so the Draganflyer X6 has to be 

calibrated to correct for this difference. See page 49 of the manual for more 

information. 

 Magnetometers – A sophisticated electronic compass, which allows the 

Draganflyer X6 to sense it’s orientation relative to the Earth’s magnetic field. 

 mAh – Short for Milli Amp Hour, this unit measures the capacity of a battery, or 

the total charge that it can provide. 

 Manual Flight Mode – When flying the Draganflyer X6 manually, the altitude 

and GPS hold features are off, giving you complete control of the UAVs position. 

 mW – Short for Milliwatt, this is a measure of power, or the rate at which energy 

is emitted. One watt corresponds to one Joule of energy per second, and milli 

means “thousandth”, so one Milliwatt is a thousandth of a Joule per second. 

 Omni Directional – Omni Directional is a term usually used to describe a radio 

transmitter that emits a signal evenly in all directions. 

 Pitch – How far an aircrafts nose is tilted up or down. 

 Radio Waves / Radio Signal – A radio is a device which emits electromagnetic 

waves with a long wavelength, on the order of 1 meter in length. These waves are 

transmitted and received by the helicopter and transmitter, allowing 

communication between them. 

 RoHS - Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in 

electrical and electronic equipment. 

 Roll – How much an aircraft is rotated side to side. 

 Servo – A servo is a digital device which changes the orientation of a mechanical 

component. Servos are used to control the camera tilt on the Draganflyer X6 

Helicopter. 
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 Spotter – A spotter is a person designated to look for hazards in the air or on the 

ground, so that the pilot can concentrate on flying. 

 Stall – For a helicopter type aircraft like the Draganflyer X6, a stall (loss of lift) 

occurs when the angle of attack (amount of tilt relative to the ground) is too steep. 

Recover from a stall by pitching forward. 

 Telemetry – Refers to all the sensor measurements and flight data. 

 Throttle – The throttle is the flight control which corresponds to how fast the 

motors and rotor blades are spinning. The throttle directly controls the thrust 

produced by the rotor blades, and thus the altitude of the helicopter. 

 Trim – Adding trim to the helicopter compensates for unwanted drift in any 

direction. 

 Vertical Magnetic Field – A measure of how tilted the Earths magnetic field 

lines are at your location. See page 52 of the manual for calibration instructions. 

 VTOL – Abbreviated form of “Vertical Takeoff and Landing”. A VTOL aircraft 

can take off and land vertically, without needing a runway to accelerate. 

 Watt - The SI unit of power, one Watt is one Joule of energy per second. 

 Wired Whip Antenna – A type of radio antenna, used to transmit radio waves. 

 Yaw – How much an aircraft is rotated left or right. 

Transmitter Abbreviations and Terms 

Some of the terms used in the transmitter menus and displays might not be familiar to 

new operators. The following is a list of all the non obvious menu entries and display 

terms found in the Draganflyer X6 transmitter. 

 Barometric Altitude – This is the altitude above ground level as determined 

by the onboard barometer. 

 GPS Altitude – This is the altitude as determined by the GPS. 

 GPS PDOP – Stands for Positional Dilution of Precision. This bar indicates 

GPS signal quality. A value of 1 is considered ideal, with larger values 

indicating lower signal strength. A PDOP of less than 3 is sufficient for GPS 

position hold. 

 GPS Svs – This bar indicates the number of satellites that the Draganflyer X6 

is currently communicating with. 6 satellites are required for the position hold 

feature to work. 
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Glossary of Terms 

If you find a term in the manual that you don’t understand, look here for its 

definition. 

 Accelerometer – An accelerometer is an electromechanical device that will 

measure acceleration (change in speed and direction) forces. These forces may be 

static, like the constant force of gravity pulling at your feet, or they could be 

dynamic - caused by moving or vibrating the accelerometer. 

 Altitude – A measure of how high something is. Altitude can be measured above 

ground level, or above sea level. 

 Altitude Hold Flight Mode – The helicopter will maintain altitude with this 

flight mode turned on however it will not hold its position. 

 Attitude – Attitude is a term for the angle the aircraft is tilted in reference to the 

horizon. 

 Barometric Pressure Sensor – A barometer senses atmospheric pressure. The 

Draganflyer X6 comes equipped with a small electric barometer, which is used to 

sense and hold altitude. 

 Bearing – The direction that the helicopter is moving. 

 Brushless Motor – A type of electric motor powered by DC (direct current) 

electricity. They provide superior performance to brushed motor designs. 

 Celsius – The metric measure of temperature. In America, temperature is usually 

measured in degrees Fahrenheit. Switch between metric and imperial units by 

selecting config > basic config > display units in the transmitter menu. 

 Climb Rate – The speed with which the aircraft is increasing its altitude. 

 dBm – Short for Decibel Milliwatt, this is another measure of power, but 

referenced to one Milliwatt. 

 Direct Drive – Each motor shaft is directly attached to a rotor blade, without 

using gears. 

 DSSS – Short for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, this is a type of spread 

spectrum technology. Spread spectrum radios “spread” their frequencies across 

different wavelengths, which reduce radio interference. 

 Gb – A gigabyte is a measure of data capacity. 

 Ghz – Short for Giga Hertz, this unit is used to measure frequency in billions of 

cycles per second. 

 GPS – Short for Global Positioning System, a GPS receiver locks on to radio 

signals from several satellites and uses them to determine its location. 

 GPS Hold Flight Mode – This flight mode holds both altitude and position 

without pilot input. 

 Gyro – A Gyro (short for gyroscope) is an electronic device which measures or 

maintains orientation based on the principles of angular momentum. In the 

simplest case, a gyroscope detects the angle the aircraft is at. The helicopter 

senses its rotation relative to the gyro, and the computer cancels out any motion. 
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 Hard Iron Calibration – Do NOT do this calibration unless you are specifically 

instructed to by Draganfly Innovations Inc. This calibration corrects for any 

magnetic interference by the helicopters internal components. 

 Heading – The direction that the helicopter nose is pointing. 

 Kbps – Short for kilo bytes per second, this unit is used to describe the rate at 

which data is transmitted. 

 Latitude - The elevation angle of the helicopter above or below the equator. 

 LED – Light emitting diode. A light emitting diode is a highly efficient and very 

bright light source. 

 Lithium Polymer Battery – Lithium polymer batteries technologically evolved 

from lithium ion batteries, and use a lithium salt electrolyte held in a polymer 

composite to achieve superior capacity and performance. 

 Lm – Lumen, or unit of luminous flux. This measures how bright something is, or 

the perceived power of light. 

 Magnetic Declination – Magnetic declination measures how much difference 

there is between magnetic north and true north at your location. The Earths 

magnetic field does not align with the north pole, so the Draganflyer X6 has to be 

calibrated to correct for this difference. See page 49 of the manual for more 

information. 

 Magnetometers – A sophisticated electronic compass, which allows the 

Draganflyer X6 to sense it’s orientation relative to the Earth’s magnetic field. 

 mAh – Short for Milli Amp Hour, this unit measures the capacity of a battery, or 

the total charge that it can provide. 

 Manual Flight Mode – When flying the Draganflyer X6 manually, the altitude 

and GPS hold features are off, giving you complete control of the UAVs position. 

 mW – Short for Milliwatt, this is a measure of power, or the rate at which energy 

is emitted. One watt corresponds to one Joule of energy per second, and milli 

means “thousandth”, so one Milliwatt is a thousandth of a Joule per second. 

 Omni Directional – Omni Directional is a term usually used to describe a radio 

transmitter that emits a signal evenly in all directions. 

 Pitch – A flight control used to describe if the nose is tilting up or down. The 

pitch of the aircraft is what makes it move forward or back. 

 Radio Waves / Radio Signal – A radio is a device which emits electromagnetic 

waves with a long wavelength, on the order of 1 meter in length. These waves are 

transmitted and received by the helicopter and transmitter, allowing 

communication between them. 

 RoHS - Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in 

electrical and electronic equipment. 

 Roll – A flight control used to describe if the aircraft is tilting left or right. Tilting 

the aircraft left or right will cause it to go in that direction. 

 Servo – A servo is a device which changes the orientation of a mechanical 

component. Servos are used to control the camera tilt on the Draganflyer X6 

Helicopter. 

 Spotter – A spotter is a person designated to look for hazards in the air or on the 

ground, so that the pilot can concentrate on flying. 
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 Stall – A stall is a loss of lift. This occurs when a wing or rotor of an aircraft is 

tilted to steep relative to the ground. 

 Telemetry – Refers to all the sensor measurements and flight data transmitted 

during flight. 

 Throttle – The throttle is the flight control which corresponds to how fast the 

motors and rotor blades are spinning. The throttle directly controls the thrust 

produced by the rotor blades, and thus the altitude of the helicopter. 

 Trim – Adding trim to the helicopter compensates for unwanted drift in any 

direction. 

 Vertical Magnetic Field – A measure of how the Earths magnetic field differs 

from true North at your location. See page 52 of the manual for calibration 

instructions. 

 VTOL – Abbreviated form of “Vertical Takeoff and Landing”. A VTOL aircraft 

can take off and land vertically, without needing a runway to accelerate. 

 Watt - The SI unit of power, one Watt is one Joule of energy per second. 

 Wired Whip Antenna – A type of radio antenna, used to transmit radio waves. 

 Yaw – How much an aircraft is rotated left or right on a horizontal axis. 

Transmitter Abbreviations and Terms 

Some of the terms used in the transmitter menus and displays might not be familiar to 

new operators. The following is a list of all the non obvious menu entries and display 

terms found in the Draganflyer X6 transmitter. 

 Barometric Altitude – This is the altitude above ground level as determined 

by the onboard barometer. 

 GPS Altitude – This is the altitude as determined by the GPS. 

 GPS PDOP – Stands for Positional Dilution of Precision. This bar indicates 

GPS signal quality. A value of 1 is considered ideal, with larger values 

indicating lower signal strength. A PDOP of less than 3 is sufficient for GPS 

position hold. 

 GPS Svs – This bar indicates the number of satellites that the GPS receiver is 

currently communicating with. For the position hold feature to work the GPS 

receiver in the aircraft requires communication with 6 or more satellites.