Flatwater Studios UAV Flight Operations Manual

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UAV	Flight	Operations	Manual

Introduction

This manual describes the operations of the Flatwater Studios Octocopter. This includes roles and 

responsibilities, mission phases and emergency procedures.

The document outlines basic procedures required during a mission. It will act as a reference point for 

pilot and photographer.

Roles	and	Responsibilities

Pilot	

● Flying the UAV in Manual or FBW mode. This may include takeoff, landing or during 

emergency procedures (when the UAV is circling Airfield Home and needs to be landed)

● Assembling the UAV (Wings, Tailplane, Hatches) and acting as a point of contact on the flight 

line during pre-flight checks

● The Pilot will be the only team member on the flight line

● Monitors overall progress of the UAV through all phases of the mission

● Performs pre-flight checks of the Pixhawk flight controller and APM Planner 2.0 software

● Issues commands to the UAV

● Issues flight termination command

● Monitors the state of the UAV - altitude, speed, roll, pitch, etc

● Monitors the UAV’s progress through the mission waypoints

● Ensures that the correct waypoints have been loaded

● During emergency situations, ensures the UAV diverts to the correct waypoint/loiter

● Monitors the time, ensuring the UAV will finish the search pattern within the allocated time 

limit.

● Monitors position of UAV relative to the geofence, particularly in Manual mode

● Ensures team is following the Procedures and Operations Manual

● Monitors the RF Link Quality

Camera	and	Payload	Control	

● Confirms the Camera is capturing correcting

● Monitors the camera capture and image processing

● Makes the call as to where pilot is located
Flatwater Studios UAV Flight Operations Manual

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Setup

Assembling	the	UAV	

● Check for physical damage

● Check all electronics present and connected

● Check for working flight surfaces

● Confirm all batteries charged

● No physical damage to airframe, engine, propeller or avionics

● Launch area clear of unnecessary personnel and debris

Setup	of	the Ground	Station	

● Radio links active and working 

● All laptops working and networked

● All laptops and software working correctly

● All Ground Station operators confirm 

Pre	start up	checks

● Verify

○ All servos and flight control surfaces responsive

○ APM(s) running

○ Pixhawk controller running

○ RC radio link working

● Confirm GPS Lock

● Confirm compass enabled

● Confirm Altitude lock

● Ensure flight mode AUTO

● Airspeed calibration and check

● Receiver failsafe check

Post	start up	checks

● Motors running nominally

● Ensure flight mode AUTO

● Confirm IMU gives the correct orientation

● Double check barometric sensor is showing 0m altitude

● The APM's current waypoint should be set to 0

Flight	Phases

Takeoff	

● Takeoff will be in automatic or manual mode.

○ For automatic takeoff, the pilot switches to AUTO via left switch and then right

switch. The UAV then takes off

○ For manual takeoff, allow the pilot to set to Manual mode. After takeoff and when 

the UAV is at least 5m off the ground. Once the UAV has stable flight, the pilot 

switches to AUTO.

● Once the UAV is in stable AUTO flight, the Pilot will disable stick mixing.

○ The UAV manoeuvres correctly (good parameters)

○ GPS has a solid lock (check for a signal strength / # of satellites locked?)

○ Signal on both radios is acceptable

○ Camera is showing good quality images
Flatwater Studios UAV Flight Operations Manual

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Landing	

● Landing may be automatic or manual, depending on weather conditions.

● By default it will automatically land

○ In automated mode, the GCS will keep a careful eye on the speed and altitude of the 

UAV

○ The pilot will confirm when the UAV is in visual range

○ The pilot will switch to the RC transmitter when they are confident of Manual 

control. They should ensure the Transmitter is set to the right modes/switches 

before power-on. 

○ If, at any point during the landing, we are not confident in the auto landing the pilot 

will manually take over (only if the UAV is in visual range though)

○ During a manual landing, the Pilot will call out the airspeed and altitude.

Emergency	Procedures

Loss	of	Data-Link

● Occurs if the both data-links are lost (no heartbeat) for more than 10 seconds

○ If combined with a loss of GPS, the UAV must terminate

○ The RC link fails during manual flight, the UAV must terminate

● The UAV will fly to the Landing Zone Hold waypoint and loiter to 2 minutes

● If the data-link is not re-established in this time, the UAV will terminate

Loss	of	GPS

● If the GPS reports a loss of lock, this mode must be activated immediately

● The UAV will automatically loiter around the point of GPS lock loss (via dead reckoning) for 

30 seconds. 

● The UAV will navigate to the Landing Zone waypoint (via dead reckoning)

● RC control will be established and the UAV landed, otherwise flight termination

APM	Software	crash	(Failure	of	Autopilot	software	/	Failure	of	SAS)

● If no heartbeat is heard from the APM for more than 1 second, this mode is activated

● Flight termination must be immediately activated

Geofence	breach

● If the Fence is breached, flight termination will be immediately activated

GCS	Software	failure

● If the main GCS laptop AND the both radio links fail for more than 10 seconds, this mode is 

entered into

● If hardware failure, the secondary GCS laptop will change it's IP and MAC address the 

primary and take over (via 5.8 GHz). Run the supplied script to take over

● Same as loss of data-link mode
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UAV Performance	Info

Specification Value

Maximum Airspeed (50 mph)

Cruise Airspeed (7 mph)

Endurance at maximum airspeed Estimated 10 minutes

Endurance at cruise airspeed Estimated 30 minutes

Maximum take off weight 42 pounds

Airframe length 55.1”

Aircraft platform and configuration Octocopter