## GEOTECHNICAL ENVIRONMENTAL WATER RESOURCES CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

2010 Crow Canyon Place, Suite 250  San Ramon, CA 94583  (925) 866-9000  Fax (888) 279-2698 www.engeo.com 

# June 23, 2015 U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590 Subject: Exemption Request under Sect ion 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the Federal Aviation Regulations

Dear Sir or Madam:

Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernizati on and Reform Act of 2012 (the “Reform Act”) and 14 CFR Part 11, ENGEO Incorporated (E NGEO), seeks an exemption from Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) detailed below, to allow commercial operation of a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the purpose of conducting aerial imagining of geologic hazard features (such as landslides and creek bank erosion), aerial vide ography of construction activities, aerial imaging for completed projects in controlled environments, and aerial surveying and mapping.

FIRM DESCRIPTION Founded in 1971, ENGEO is an award-winning firm of geotechnical and civil engineers, geologists, hydrologists a nd environmental scientists. ENGEO offers clients practical, timely, and efficient solutions through the highest levels of capability and service. Service offerings include geotechnical engineering, environm ental engineering, engineering geology, water resources, hydrology and stormwater management , special inspection a nd materials testing, geologic hazard abatement distri cts (GHADs) and construction management for both the public and private sectors. ENGEO curren tly has nine offices within the state of California and serves projects in transportation, infrastructure, wate r storage, conveyance and treatment, geologic hazard mitigation, flood control facilities, residential and mixed-use communities and urban development. ENGEO has continued to grow and transform itself into one of the premier engineering and consulting firms in the industry.

PROPOSED USE OF UAS Today, ENGEO continues the vision of growth and is dedicated to providing technologically driven and innovative solutions to assess and mitigate geologic, hydrologic and environmental hazards. ENGEO seeks to utilize unmanned aircraft technology to provide prompt assessment of potential geologic, hydrologic and environmental hazards that may impact public safety. The use of UAS assisted photography and videography also offers a more environmentally friendly, safe and accurate means of assessing the above natura l hazards in highly vegetated, environmental sensitive and/or remote site locations.

# U.S. Department of Transportation June 23, 2015 EXEMPTION REQUEST UNDER SECTION 333 OF THE FAA REFORM ACT Page 2 AND PART 11 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS The use of UAS will allow ENGEO to improve public safety by identifying geologic hazards promptly. In this spirit, ENGEO seeks an exemp tion to use UAS for the commercial purposes of aerial imagining as described a bove, including evaluation of ge ologic hazard features (such as landslides and creek bank erosion) , aerial videography of constructi on activities, aerial imaging for completed projects in cont rolled environments, and aerial surveying and mapping. We are committed to operate the UAS in a safe manner by establishing protocols and obtaining FAA approval to this exemption request.

SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM – DJI PHANTOM 2 ENGEO will be operating a DJ I PHANTOM 2 (“PHANTOM”) UAS system. The PHANTOM system consists of a lightweight battery operate d UAS, a 2.4Hz remote cont roller, a tablet-based ground control station, and associat ed communications equipment. Safety features included in P HANTOM will be utilized to provide a level of safety that far exceeds those required by the FAA. These safe ty features include programmability, GPS navigation, return-to-home capabili ty, airport vicinity no-fly feat ure and restricted altitude feature, as well as differentiating radio freque ncy for aircraft controller/receiver and for the onboard camera. The PHANTOM UAS system weights less than 10 pounds in total, which includes the DJI Zenmuse GoPro gimbal, DJI Smart Battery, 2.4G Blue tooth datalink, a iOSD Ma rk II flight data device and add-on GoPro camera. Incorporated into the programming of the PHANTOM is an automatic return-to-home feature that automatically directs the craft back to the point of takeoff should communication with the transmitter be lo st or severed. The communication datalink and flight data device allow the operator or Pilot in Command (PIC) to monitor battery level, altitude (AGL), distance from PIC, camera imagery, and control camera angle. The software for the PHANTOM allows the opera tor or PIC to preset a maximum altitude AGL for each flight, allowing customization of flight s to no higher than 100 feet, 150 feet, or 250 feet AGL, as examples. The 400-foot maximum AGL will be programmed into the UAS software pre-flight to maintain compliance with FAA standards. The ground station system is also programmed to restrict use of the UAS outside of predetermine d no-fly-zones, as a minimum. Adding to the safety capabilities of the PHANTO M, it is programmed to remain in position when controls are released (hovering) , thus maintaining altitude an d location. Moreover, the operator or PIC can monitor GPS lock st atus while the PHANTOM is in flight, with the ability to anticipate loss of GPS locking, so the operator or PIC can land the UAS manually when needed. The PHANTOM has a cruising speed of 15 knots, with a maximum speed of 29 knots. Maximum flight time is 25 minutes. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) Because the UAS will not carry a pilot or passengers, the proposed operations can achieve the equivalent level of safety of current operations by requiring the PIC operating the aircraft to pass the FAA airman knowledge test (ground exam) and work toward a sport/recreational/private pilot’s

# U.S. Department of Transportation June 23, 2015 EXEMPTION REQUEST UNDER SECTION 333 OF THE FAA REFORM ACT Page 3 AND PART 11 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS license rather than a commercial pilot’s license. The risks associated with the operation of the UAS are so diminished from the level of risk associated with commercial operations contemplated by Part 61 when drafted, that allowing operations of the UAS as requested with a private pilot as the PIC exceeds the present level of safety achieved by 14 CF R §§61.113 (a) & (b). OPERATION OF THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT (UA) The PHANTOM will be utilized for gathering geol ogic, geotechnical, envi ronmental and aerial imagery for construction-related studies and projects . The study area will typically be remote, rural and will not include congested areas. ENGEO will operate the PHANTOM under the following conditions if granted the FAA exemption:

 Minimum crew for each operation will consist of a pilot, who will be Pilot-in Command ("PIC") of the UAS, and one or mo re Visual Observers ("VO") as necessary to safely conduct the mission. The Observer designated for any opera tion will be in constant voice contact with the PIC.

 The PIC and VO will take and pass the FAA airman knowledge test (ground exam) as a minimum and hold a third class medical certificat e. In addition, the PIC will be trained to receive a FAA licensed airman with a recreational, sport or private pilot certificate. The VO will hold a valid driver license as a minimum.

 The PIC and VO will be trai ned in operation of UAS.

 The PIC will conduct pre-flight measures incl uding, but not limited to, reviewing site topography and existing conditions, weather conditions and visual inspection of the flight area.

 The PHANTOM will be operated within Visual Li ne of Sight (VLOS) of the PIC and observer at all times.

 Safety features of the UAS, including automatic return to home feature.

 The UAS will be operated in a de fined project site, away from power lines, elevated lights, airports and populated areas.

 The UAS will be operated at an altitude of le ss than 400 feet AG L and will never enter navigable controlled airspace wit hout prior written authorization and approval from the FAA.

 The UAS will not be operated over:
o Air shows or open air assembly of people
o Roadways or highways w ith traffic or vehicles
o Congested or populated areas
o Within 500 feet of a person not asso ciated with site/construction activities

CONTACT INFORMATION ENGEO Incorporated Attn: Ms. Janet Kan or Mr. Jonathan Boland Phone: (925) 866-9000 Fax: (888) 279-2698 Email: jkan@engeo.com or jboland@engeo.com

# U.S. Department of Transportation June 23, 2015 EXEMPTION REQUEST UNDER SECTION 333 OF THE FAA REFORM ACT Page 4 AND PART 11 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS REQUESTED EXEMPTIONS

The FAA considers unmanned aircraft as “aircraft” flown by a “pilot” regardless of the location of the pilot. All aircraft and pilo ts must comply with applicable sections of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) and other rules/regulations to operate within the National Airspace. Unmanned aircraft are unable to comp ly with certain sections of 14 CFR as the regulations were written prior to the considerat ion of small UAS integration within the national airspace. Therefore, ENGEO is respectfully re questing an exemption from certain parts of 14 CFR cited below, in addition to such further exemptions and relief as the FAA may determine is necessary to permit the operations described herein.

 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart H – Ai rworthiness certification

 14 CFR Part 45.23 & 45.29 – Display of ma rks; general & Size of Marks

 14 CFR Part 61.113 (a) and (b) – Private pilot privileges and limitations: Pilot in command

 14 CFR Part 91.7 – Civil Aircraft Airworthiness

 14 CFR Part 91.9 (b) – Civil aircraft flight manual, marking and placard requirements

 14 CFR Part 91.109 – Flight Instruction

 14 CFR Part 91.119 – Minimum safe altitudes

 14 CFR Part 91.151 – Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions

 14 CFR Part 91.203 (a) and (b) – Civil Aircraft; Certifications Required

 14 CFR Part 91.401 to 417 – Maintenance & Inspections

The extent and reason of the above re lief are provided in Appendix A.

PUBLIC INTERESTS AND BENEFITS The proposed UAS operation(s) wi ll benefit the public by reducing the time to complete hazard assessments, which usually lead to faster mitigat ion response. In addition, the use of UAS will reduce the risk of exposing our employees to ha zards related to accessing remote locations and rough terrain. Without this exemption, ENGEO would be restrict ed to sending professional staff to traverse difficult terrain or environmentally sensitive area s by foot, which is ine fficient and potentially dangerous, especially near or around moving potential landsl ide prone areas.

LEVEL OF SAFETY The operation of small UASs, weighting less than 55 lbs., conducted in the strict conditions outlined above, will provide an equivalent level of safety supporting the grant of the exemptions requested herein, including exempting the app licant from the requirements of Part 21 and allowing commercial operations. Thes e lightweight aircraft operate at slow speeds, close to th e ground, and in a controlled environment and, as a result, are far sa fer than conventional operations conducted with turbine helicopters or manned aircraft operating in close proximity to the ground and people.

# U.S. Department of Transportation June 23, 2015 EXEMPTION REQUEST UNDER SECTION 333 OF THE FAA REFORM ACT Page 5 AND PART 11 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS
CONCLUSION We believe ENGEO’s petition for exemption satisfi es the criteria articula ted in Section 333 of the Reform Act of 2012 including weight, speed, ope rating capabilities, proxi mity to airports and populated areas, operation within VLOS and national security. We thank you for your consideration of our request. Please contact us if you need additional in formation to support the requested exemptions. Sincerely, ENGEO Incorporated

Janet Kan, GE, CEG Jonathan Boland, GE jk/jb/jf

Attachments: Appendix A – Extents and Reasons for Relief Appendix B – ENGEO Phantom 2 Preflight Checklist Appendix C – Phantom 2 User Manual and User Guide

# Appendix A A - 1 June 23, 2015 APPENDIX A Extent and Reason for Relief ENGEO seeks relief pursuant to this exemption from applicable parts of the Federal Aviation Regulations and other rules/regulat ions to the extent necessary to permit civil flight operations within the national airspace. ENGEO seeks authorization to conduct small UAS flight operations within the perimeters of this exemption request.

A. 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart H (Airworthiness Certificates) Subpart H, entitled Airworthiness Certificates, establishes the procedural requirements for the issuance of airworthin ess certificates as required by FA R §91.203 (a) (1). Given the size and limited operating area associated with the aircraft to be utilized by ENGEO, an exemption from Part 21 Subpart H meets the requirements of an equivalent level of safety under Part 11 and Section 333 of the Reform Act. The Federal Av iation Act (49 U.S.C.§44 701 (f)) and Section 333 of the Reform Act both authorize the FAA to ex empt aircraft from the requirement for an airworthiness certific ate, upon consideration of the size, weight, speed , operational capability, and proximity to airports and popula ted areas of the particular UAS. In all cases, an analysis of these criteria demonstrates that the UAS operated without an ai rworthiness certificate, in the restricted environment and under the conditions proposed will be at least as safe, or safer, than a conventional aircraft (fixed wi ng or rotorcraft) opera ting with an airwor thiness certificate without the restrictions and conditions proposed. The UAS to be operated hereunder is less than 55 lbs. fully load ed, carries neith er a pilot nor passenger, carries no explosive materials or fl ammable liquid fuels, a nd operates exclusively within a secured area as set out in the user manual (Appendix C). Unlik e other civil aircraft, operations under this exemption will be tightly controlled and monitored by both the operator, pursuant to the user manual’s requirements, a nd under the requirements and in compliance with local public safety requirements. These safety enhancements, which already apply to civil aircraft, provide a greater degree of safety to the public and pr operty owners than conventional operations conducted with airworthin ess certificates issu ed under 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H. Lastly, application of these same criteria demonstrat es that there is no cred ible threat to national security posed by the UAS, due to its size, sp eed of operation, location of operation, lack of explosive materials or flammable liquid fuels, and inability to carry a subs tantial external load. The FAA has issued the following exemptions to this regulation to Exemptions Nos. 11066, 11062, 11067, 11065, 11138, 11136, and 11111.

B. 14 CFR 45.23 (b) Display of Marks & 14 CFR 45.29 Size of Marks ENGEO, as the petitioner seeks re lief from Part 45.23 (b) requiring markings on certain sections of the aircraft and markings of a certain size. Additionally, the aircraft must display the word "EXPERIMENTAL" in letters at le ast 2 inches high near the entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pilot station.

# Appendix A A - 2 June 23, 2015 The UAS does not have an entrance in which the word "EXPERIMENTAL" can be placed. The size of the UAS limits the size of the lettering that can be placed. The UAS will have the words “Experimental” placed on the fuselage as la rge as possible in compliance with §45.29 (f) . The equivalent level of safety will be provide d by having the UAS marked on its fuselage as required by §45.29 (f) where the pilot, observer and others working with the sUAS will see the identification of the UAS as “Experimental.” The FAA has issued the following exemptions to this regulation to Exemptions Nos. 10700, 8738, 10167 and 10167A.

C. 14 CFR 61.113 Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: Pilot in Command & 14 CFR 61.133 Commercial Pilot Privileges and Limitations Part 61.113 (a) states that no pe rson who holds a private pilot ce rtificate may ac t as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command or an aircraft. Part 61.113 (b) states that a private pilot may, fo r compensation or hire, act as pilo t in command of an aircraft in connection with any business or em ployment if: (1) The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and (2) The aircraft does not car ry passengers or property for compensation or hire. The FAA stated that it had to determine th e level of pilot certificate appropriate for that proposed operation within th e Grant of Exemption Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2014-0352. The FAA said within the Grant that it considers the overriding safety factor to be the airmanship skills acquired through UAS-specific flight cycles , flight time, and sp ecific make and model experience and UAS testing. ENGEO agrees with this determination and our proposed PIC will be trained to obtain a Recreational/Sport/Private Pilot Certificate is sued by the FAA. Since there are currently no means available for the pilot of a UAS to gain the experience in an equivalent category and class in order to apply for a commercial pilot's licen se, ENGEO proposes to ge nerate an equivalent level of safety by requiring our PIC to complete, at a minimum, the FAA airman knowledge test (ground exam) and hold a third class medical certif icate prior to comple ting the private pilot requirements. Since the aircraft cannot carry passe ngers or property, we f eel we meet the intent of 61.113 Subparagraph (b) even tho ugh the intent of this applica tion is to conduct a business.

D. 14 CFR Part 91.7 (Civil Aircraft Airworthiness) This regulation states that (a) No person may opera te a civil aircraft unle ss it is in airworthy condition and (b) The pilot in command of a civil aircraft is responsible for determining whether that aircraft is in condition for safe flight. The pilot in command shall discontinue the flight when un-airworthy mechanical, electrical , or structural conditions occur. This exemption would not be necessary should the FAA approve the exempti on for 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart H. If ENGEO UAS is not required to obtain an airworthiness cer tificate, then this would not apply; however ENGEO would maintain the UAS and the PIC woul d deem the UAS safe for flight operations and discontinue any flight if any mechanical , electrical, or structural problem arose.

# Appendix A A - 3 June 23, 2015 E. 14 CFR Part 91.9 (b) Civil Aircraft Flight Manual, Marking and Placard Requirements & 14 CFR Part 91.203 (a) and (b) Civil Aircraft; Certifications Required This regulation states that no person may ope rate a U.S. registered civil aircraft:

1. For which an Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual is required by Pa rt 21.5 of 14 CFR unless in the aircraft, there is a cu rrent, approved Airplane or Roto rcraft Flight Manual or the manual provided for in 14 CFR Part 121.141 (b), and

2. For which an Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual is not require d by 14 CFR Part 21.5, unless there is available in the aircraft a cu rrent approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual, approved manual material, markings and placards or any combination thereof. The sUAS, given its size and configuration has no ability or place to carry such a flight manual on the aircraft, not only because there is no pilot on board, but because there is no room or capacity to carry such an item on the aircraft. ENGEO will have in its possession, on-site, the UAS manufacturer’s fli ght/operations manual and registration paperwork. The equivalent level of safety will be mainta ined by keeping the flight manual at the ground control point where the pilot flying the UAS will have immediate access to it. The FAA has issued the following exemptions to this regulation: Exemption Nos. 8607, 8737, 8738, 9299, 9299A, 9565, 9565B, 10167, 10167A, 10602, 32827 and 10700.

F. 14 CFR 91.109 Flight Instruction; Simulated Instrument Flight and Certain Flight Tests The regulation states, "No person may operate a ci vil aircraft that is being used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual controls ." UASs and remotely piloted aircraft, by their design do not have fully functiona l dual controls. Flight control is accomplished through the use of a control box that communicates with the aircraft via radio communications. The FAA has approved exemptions for flight trai ning without fully functi onal dual controls for a number of aircraft and for flight instruction in experimental aircraft. See Exemption Nos.5778K & 9862A. The equivalent level of safety provided by the fact that neither a pilot nor passengers will be carried in the aircraft and by the size and speed of the aircraft.

G. 14 CFR 91.119 Minimum Safe Altitudes: General The regulation states that over sparsely populated areas the airc raft cannot be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
Since our UAS is restraint to 400 feet AGL, ENGE O would not be able to comply with this requirement. In order to provide an equivalent level of safety we will only fly over private property within the size of the property and with the permission of the owner of the property. The aircraft will not be operated over congested areas or over any open-air assembly of persons. The property owner will be briefed on the expected route of flight and the associated risks to

# Appendix A A - 4 June 23, 2015 persons and property on the ground. The aircraft w ill be operated at a low altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface. Therefore, we maintain that due to th e small size of the sUAS, the hazard to persons, vehicles and structures is minimal compared to manned aircraft, which s hould be considered in granting the exemption.

H. 14 CFR 91.151(a) Fuel Re quirements for Flight in VFR Conditions The regulation provides that no person may begi n a flight in an airplane under day-VFR conditions unless there is enough fuel to fly to th e first point of intended landing and to fly after that for at least 30 minutes. We feel the intention of this paragraph is to provide an energy reserve as a safety buffer for delays to landing. The UAS is battery operated a nd the maximum duration of flight from a single battery charge is a max flight time of 21-25 minutes but all ENGEO operations are limited to 15 minutes (60-71% battery consumption) with a re serve of 6-10 minutes (29-40% battery reserve) for return to base procedures. A “dynamic hom e” button on the remote control gives the PIC a one-touch button return home/ba se action. The PHANTOM is al so controlled by a remote control base station and an Apple iPad which runs an application that provides airspeed, waypoints, compass, battery life, flight time and airspace information. Even though ENGEO does not expect to operate in conditions where the battery levels will be below 20%, the application will warn the PIC at low battery level and automatically land the UAS at the home station after the low battery level alert. This will ensure that we meet the reserve energy requirement of this paragraph. We request an exemption to the word "fuel" and ask for an equivalent interpretation with the word "energy".

I. 14 CFR Part 91.203 (a) and (b) – Civil Aircraft; Certifications Required These regulations state that:

1. Except as provided in §91.715, no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it has within it the following:

 An appropriate and current airw orthiness certificate. Each U. S. airworthiness certificate used to comply with this subparagraph (exc ept a special flight permit, a copy of the applicable operations specifi cations issued under §21.197(c) of this chapter, appropriate sections of the air carrier ma nual required by parts 121 and 135 of this chapter containing that portion of the operations specifications issued unde r §21.197(c), or an authorization under §91.611) must have on it the registration number assigned to th e aircraft under part 47 of this chapter. However, the airworthine ss certificate need not have on it an assigned special identification number before 10 days after that number is first affixed to the aircraft. A revised airworthiness certificate ha ving on it an assigned special identification number that has been affixed to an aircra ft may only be obtained upon application to an FAA Flight Standards district office.

# Appendix A A - 5 June 23, 2015  An effective U.S. registration certificate issu ed to its owner or, fo r operation within the United States, the second copy of the Aircraft registration Applicatio n as provided for in §47.31(c), or a registration certification issued under the laws of a foreign country.

2. No person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate required by paragraph (a) of this section or a special flight authorization issued under §91.715 is displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that it is legible to passengers or crew. The UAS fully loaded weighs no more than 55 lbs and is operated without an onboard pilot. As such, there is no ability or place to carry certification and regist ration documents or to display them on the UAS. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by keeping these documents at the ground control point where the pilot flying the UAS will have immediate access to it, to the extent they are applicable to the UAS. The FAA has issued numerous exemptions to this regulation. A representative sample of othe r exceptions includes Exemption Nos. 9565, 9665, 9789, 9789A, 9797, 9797A, 9816A, and 10700.

J. 14 CFR Subpart E (91.401 - 91.417) - Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Alterations The regulation provides that the operator is primar ily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance wi th part 39 and 43. Paragraphs 91.407 and 91.409 require that the aircraft be "approved for retu rn to service by a pers on authorized under 43.7" after maintenance and inspection. It is our intention that the PIC perform main tenance and inspection of the aircraft and "be authorized to approve the aircraft for return to se rvice." The PIC will ensure that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition prior to every flight and in addition conduct detailed inspections after every two hours of flight. Maintenance performed by the PIC is limited to repairing small cracks, replacing a propeller, check ing electrical connections and upda ting software and firmware for the on-board computer. The manufacturer or their designated repair facility will perform all other maintenance. The PIC will document work performed in accordance with 91.417. We feel that due to the size, construction, and simplicity of the aircraft, the PIC can ensu re an equivalent level of safety.

# Appendix B June 23, 2015 APPENDIX B

ENGEO Phantom 2 Preflight Checklist

# PHANTOM 2 PREFLI GHT CHECKLIST
Phantom 2 Equipment List Main Parts G B Spare Parts G B ☐ Phantom 2 Drone ☐ Backup Battery Level ☐ Gimbal ☐ Spare Propellers ☐ Go-pro Camera & SD Card ☐ Spare Landing Gear ☐ Remote Control ☐ ☐ Main Battery Level ☐ ☐ Landing Gear Condition ☐ ☐ IPAD Battery Level ☐ ☐ Waypoint Setup ☐ 

# Project Information Project Name Project No. Site Location Within No Fly Zone? http://flysafe.dji.com/no-fly YES NO

Nearest Highway/Roadway/Bridges ft away ft away Site Manager or Client Contact Emergency Contact For 3 rd 

## party personal injury and property damage: 911 For minor incident: Steve Harris (925) 866-9000 Nearest Hospital


# Flight Operation Pilot in Control (PIC)
Visual Observer (VO) Date of Flight
Weather Forecast Do not fly when wind speed exceed 15mph 

## Purpose of Flight

# PHANTOM 2 PREFLI GHT CHECKLIST

Arrival Check

 Double check distance to nearest airport and controlled airspace using GS app

 Established “home” or “recovery” location

 Notify on-site personnel not related to flight operation of flight path and duration

 Visual check for location of by-standers (ensur e they are at least 500 ft away from flight path)


# On-site Pre-Flight Check
1. Remove Transmitter 

## ☐ 8. UAS Battery Inserted & On 

## ☐ 2. Router On 

## ☐ 9. Wifi Connection to Monitor Verified 

## ☐ 3. Transmitter On 

## ☐ 10. DJI App Loaded and Connected 

## ☐ 4. Toggle Switches Full Up 

## ☐ 11. Satellite Connection Verified 

## ☐ 5. Video Monitor On 

## ☐ 12. Charge Level Full 

## ☐ 6. Gimbal Locked 

## ☐ 13. Video Recording On 

## ☐ 7. Micro SD card Inserted 

## ☐ 14. Take Off & Maintain VLOS 

## ☐ VLOS: Visual Line of Sight 

# Landing Check

1. Camera Full Up 

## ☐ 2. Video Recorder Stop 

## ☐ 3. Landing Zone Clear 

## ☐


# End of Flight Check

1. Battery Off and Remove 

## ☐ 2. Transmittal Off 

## ☐ 3. Router Off 

## ☐


# Notes and Damage Report

Completed By: Date:

# Appendix C June 23, 2015 APPENDIX C

Phantom 2 User Manual and User Guide

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 1 | 

# PHANTOM 2 User Manual V1. 4

For PHANTOM 2 Flight Controller Firmware version V3. 10 & PHANTOM 2 Assistant version V 3. 8 & PHANTOM RC Assistant version V1.1 

## 2015.01

Congratulations on purchasing your new DJI product. Please thoroughly read the entire contents of this manual to fully use and understand the product.

It is advised that you regularly check the PHANTOM 2 ’s product page at 

## www.dji.com which is updated on a regular basis. This will provide services such as product information, technical updates and manual corrections. Due to any unforeseen changes or product upgrades, the information contained within this manual is subject to change
wit hout notice. DJI and PHANTOM 2 are registered trademarks of DJI. Names of product, brand, etc., appearing in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owner companies. This product and manual are copy righted by DJI with all rights reserved.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your product, please contact your dealer or DJI Customer Service.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 2 | 

## Content
CONTENT

........................................................................................................................ 2

IN THE BOX

..................................................................................................................... 4

LEGEND

.......................................................................................................................... 4

1. PHANTOM 2 AIRCRAFT

............................................................................................... 5

1.1 B UILT



## - IN 

## F LIGHT 

## C ONTROL 

## S YSTEM 

## I NSTRUCTIONS



## .................................................................. 5 1.2 C ONNECTIONS WITH 

## O THER 

## DJI P RODUCTS



## ........................................................................... 5 Important Notes of Using with Other DJI Products

........................................................ 6 Connections with Other DJI Products

............................................................................. 7 1.3 LED F LIGHT 

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ............................................................................... 11 1.4 N OTES FOR 

## PHANTOM 2 USING WITH OTHER 

## DJI PRODUCTS



## ................................................ 12

2 PROPELLERS

............................................................................................................... 13

2.1 A SSEMBLY



## ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 D ISASSEMBLY



## ................................................................................................................ 13 2.3 N OTES



## ......................................................................................................................... 13

3 REMOTE CONTROLLER

............................................................................................... 14

3.1 P OWER ON THE 

## R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER



## ............................................................................... 14 3.2 R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## LED I NDICATOR 

## S TATUS



## .................................................................... 15 3.2.1 Remote Controller Power LED Indicator Status

................................................... 15 3.2.2 Remote Controller Battery Level Indicator Status

............................................... 15 3.3 A NTENNA 

## O RIENTATION



## .................................................................................................. 16 3.4 R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## O PERATION



## .................................................................................... 16 3.5 L INKING THE 

## R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## & B UILT



## - IN 

## R ECEIVER



## ...................................................... 18

4 INTELLIGENT BATTERY

............................................................................................... 19

4.1 C HARGING 

## P ROCEDURES



## .................................................................................................. 19 4.2 I NSTALL THE 

## B ATTERY



## ...................................................................................................... 20 4.3 B ATTERY 

## U SAGE



## ............................................................................................................. 20 4.4 D ESCRIPTION OF THE 

## B ATTERY 

## L EVEL 

## I NDICATOR



## ................................................................... 21 4.5 C ORRECT 

## B ATTERY 

## U SAGE 

## N OTES



## ...................................................................................... 22

5 CALIBRATING THE COMPASS

...................................................................................... 23

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 3 | 

## 5.1 C ALIBRATION 

## W

ARNINGS



## ................................................................................................ . 23 5.2 C ALIBRATION 

## P ROCEDURES



## .............................................................................................. 23 5.3 W HEN 

## R ECALIBRATION IS REQUIRED



## ................................................................................... 23

6 FLIGHT

....................................................................................................................... 24

6.1 F LYING 

## E NVIRONMENT 

## R EQUIREMENTS



## .............................................................................. 24 6.2 S TARTING THE 

## M OTORS



## ................................................................................................... 24 6.3 T AKEOFF 

## /L ANDING 

## P ROCEDURES



## ....................................................................................... 24 6.4 F AILSAFE 

## F UNCTION



## ........................................................................................................ 25 6.5 L OW 

## B ATTERY 

## C APACITY 

## W ARNING 

## F UNCTION



## ..................................................................... 27 6.6 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS 

## F UNCTION



## ................................................................................................ . 27 Max Height & Radius Limits

......................................................................................... 27 6.7 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS OF 

## S PECIAL 

## A REAS



## ...................................................................................... 28 6.8 C ONDITIONS OF 

## F LIGHT 

## L IMITS



## ......................................................................................... 30 Disclaimer

..................................................................................................................... 30

7 ASSISTANT INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATI ON

...................................................... 31

7.1 I NSTALLING 

## D RIVER AND 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT



## ............................................................... 31 7.2 U SING THE 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT ON A 

## PC

.................................................................... 32 7.3 F IRMWARE UPGRADE OF 

## PHANTOM 2

............................................................................. 33 7.4 PHANTOM RC A SSISTANT 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ........................................................................... 33

8 APPENDIX

.................................................................................................................. 35

8.1 S PECIFICATIONS



## .............................................................................................................. 35 8.2 LED F LIGHT 

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ............................................................................... 35

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 4 | 

## In the Box
PHANTOM 2 Remote Controller

- 2.4 GHz Propeller Pair

Intelligent Battery Charger Plug Set

Screwdriver Assistant Wrench Cables

Micro

- USB Cable Screws Accessories Box



## Legend Forbidden(Important) Caution Tip Reference

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 5 | 

## 1 PHANTOM 2 Aircraft

Figure 1-1 Figure 1-2 [1]Propeller [2]Motor [3]Front Side [4] Front LEDs [5]Micro-USB Port [6]Landing Gear [7]Receiver Antenna [8]CAN-Bus Connector [9]LED Flight Indicators [10]DJI Intelligent Battery [11]Compass 

### 1.1 Built-in Flight Control System Instructions The built-in flight control system is us ed to control the entire aircraft’s functions in flight such as Pitch (forwards and backwards), Roll (left and right), Elevator (up and down) and Yaw (turn left or right). The flight controller contains the MC (Ma in Controller), IMU, GPS, compass, receiver. The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) has a built-in inertial sensor and a barometric altimeter that measures both attitude and altitude. The compass reads geomagnetic information which assists the GPS (Global Position System) to accurately calculate the aircrafts position and height in order to lock the aircraft in a stable hover. The receiver is used to communicate with the remote controller and the MC acts as the brains of the complete flight control system connecting and controlling all the modules together.

The PHANTOM 2 can be configured in the Assistant , by choosing Naza

- M mode or P hantom 2 mode.
This manual is for P hantom 2 mode. Please refer to the Naza

- M V2 Quick Start Manual for more
information.


### 1.2 Connections with Other DJI Products PHANTOM 2 is compatible with other DJI products, including ZENMUSE H3- 2D and H3 -3D gimbal , iOSD mini , iOSD Mark II. Below are connections for these products and wireless video transmission module.

Figure 1-3

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 6 | Important Notes of Using with Other DJI Products
( 1 ) The video cable can provide power for the wireless video transmission module with a battery voltage (11.1V~12.6V) and a maximum current 2A. ( 2 ) Make sure the working current of the wireless video transmission module you connect can work with an operational voltage between 11.1V~12.6V and the total working current of the iOSD and wireless video transmission module is under 2A, as an overcurrent will damage the central board’s components. If the total current exceeds 2A, please be sure to provide power supplied from a separat e power source for the
wireless video transmission module. ( 3 ) PHANTOM 2 uses a 2.4GHz RC system. To avoid communication interference, it’s not recommended to use other 2.4GHz devices (including 2.4G Wi

- Fi or 2.4G wireless video transmission module) except the
2.4G Bluetooth and 2.4G Datalink. ( 4 ) Be sure to keep the wireless video transmission module and other communicating devices away from the compass during installation and connection to avoid interference. ( 5 ) To improve the compatibility with ZENMUSE gimbals, the latest factory deliveries of PHANTOM 2 has updat ed to the Version 2 shown below. H3

- 2D / H3

- 3D gimbal can be directly installed for the Version 2

while for Version 1 , a H3

- 3D adapter kit ( coming soon) is required to install the H3

- 3D gimbal

.

Figure 1

- 4 ( 6 ) When using the H3

- 3D gimbal, please connect the 8

- Pin cable of PHANTOM 2 to the G8 port of H3

- 3D
shown below.

Figure 1

- 5

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 7 | Connection s with Other DJI Products ( 1 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal and wireless video transmission module , the figure below use s H3

- 2D as a n example.

F ig ure 1-6 ( 2 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal, iOSD mini and wireless video transmission module , the figure
below uses H3

- 2D as an example.

Figure 1-7

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 8 |

( 3 ) Connecting the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal, iOSD mini and DJI specified wireless video transmission module AVL58 , the figure below uses H3

- 2D as an example.

Figure 1-8
W e recommend connect ing the V Bat+ port of the video cable to the two BATT+ ports of the AVL58 simultaneously

. T he same is true of the GND port of the video cable and two BATT

- ports.

( 4 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal, iOSD Mark II and wireless video transmission module , the figure below uses H3

- 2D as an example.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 9 | Figure 1-9 The diagram below illustrates the conneciton between the iOSD Mark II and the wireless video transmission module.

Use the 8

- Pin cable in the iOSD Mar k II package when connecting to the DJI specified wireless video
transmission module AVL58.

( 5 ) U sing the i Pad Ground Station

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 10 | Figure 1- 10

Connect the Air End of 2.4G Bluetooth Datalink to a spared CAN

- Bus port of iOSD if an iOSD is used. ( 6 ) U sing the PC Ground Station

Figure 1- 11

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 11 | 

### 1.3 LED Flight Indicators Description 1. LED flight indicators are used to show the aircraft ’ s current status. Once power ed on, the indicators will light

up.



### A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions
Power On Self

- Test Warming Up & Aircraft cannot take off during warming up Ready to Fly Ready to Fly (non

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors
Remote Controller Signal Lost
1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning
2 nd Level Low Battery Capacity Warning Not Stationary or Sensor Bias is too big
Error s & Aircraft c annot fly. Compass data abnormal because of ferro

- magnetic interference or the compass needs calibration.
( 1 ) The LED indicators diagram above are for P hantom 2 mode. In Naza

- M mode, LED indicators
will work according to the Naza

- M flight control system

. ( 2 ) Conn ect to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant for detailed information about warnings and errors.
2. The front LEDs are for indicating where the nose of the aircraft is. They light up solid red only after the motors have spooled up.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 12 | 

### 1.4 Notes for PHANTOM 2 using with other DJI products Before using PHANTOM 2 with other DJI products, users should connecting the products correctly and upgrade the firmware as requirements below . Items to upgrade Firmware versions required Assistant for upgrading Assistant version P330CB (built

- in central board) V1.0.1.19 or above PHANTOM 2 V1.0 8 or above

Zenmuse H3

- 2D CMU V1.0 , IMU V1.6 or above PHANTOM 2 V1.0 8 or above iOSD Mark II V3. 0 1 or above iOSD V 4.0 or above iOSD mini V1.0 6 or above iOSD V 4.0 or above *The iOSD Assistant is applied to both iOSD Mark II and iOSD mini.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 13 | 

## 2 Propellers PHANTOM 2 uses the original 9-inch propellers which are classified by the color of each central nut. Damaged propellers should be replaced by purchasing new ones if necessary. Propellers Grey Nut (94 50 ) Black Nut (94 50 R)

Diagram

Assembly Location Atta ch to the motor thread that does
not have a black dot

. Atta ch to the motor thread that has a
black dot

. Fastening/Un

- fastening
Instructions Lock: T ighten the propeller in this direction. Unlock: Remove the propeller in this direction. 

### 2.1 Assembly
1. ( Figure 2

- 1 ) Remove the four warning cards from the motors after you ’ ve read them.
2. ( Figure 2

- 2 ) Prepare the two grey nut propellers and two black nut propellers. Make sure to match the black nut propeller s with the correctly marked black dot motors. T ighten the propelle rs according to the fastening instructions

.

Figure 2-1 Figure 2-2 Figure2-3 

### 2.2 Disassembly ( Figure 2

- 3 ) Keep the motor deadlock ed in place with the assistant wrench (or one hand) and remove the propeller according to the un - fastening instructions

. 

### 2.3 Notes
1. P ropellers are self tightening during flight. DO NOT use any t hread locker on the threads.
2. Make sure to match the propeller nut colors with the corre sponding motors.
3. I t is advised to wear protective gloves during propeller assembly and remov al

. 4. Check that the propellers and motors are installed correctly and firmly before every flight.
5. Check that all p ropell e rs are in good condition before flight. DO NOT use any ageing , chipped, or broken

p ropellers

. 6. To avoid injury, STAND CLEAR of and DO NOT touch the propellers or motors when th ey are spinning.
7. ONLY use original DJI propellers for a better and safer flight experience

.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 14 | 

## 3 Remote Controller
T he PHANTOM 2 remote controller can be configured in the PHANTOM RC Assistant

. The sticks mode is Mode 2 on delivery.

For upgraded remote controller (models: NDJ6 or NRC900), select “Upgrade Version” in Phantom Assistant.
For basic remote controller (models: DJ6 or RC900), select “Basic Version” in Phantom Assistant.

Figure 3-1 Figure 3- 2 [1]Antenna [2]Carrying Handle [3]Left Dial [4] 3-Position Switch S1 [5]3-Position Switch S2 [6]Joystick1(J1;J2) [7]Joystick2(J3;J4) [8]Neck Strap Attachment [9]Power Switch [ 10 ]Power Indicator [11]Battery Level Indicators LED1/LED2/LED3/LED4 (from left to right) [ 12 ]Trainer Port [13]Battery Charge & RC Assistant Port (micro-USB port) [14] Potentiometer


### 3.1 Power on the Remote Controller
1. Set the S1 and S2 switches to the upper most position and ensure both joy sticks are at
the mid

- point position. Then toggle on the power switch.
2. P ush the power switch to the right to power on the remote controller

. I f the power LED
indicator is solid on, the remote controller is functioning normally. The batt ery level
indica tors display the current battery level

.

1. P lease make sure the battery level of remote controller is enough . If the low voltage warning alert
sounds ( refer to < Remote Controller Po wer LED Indicator Status >), please re charge the battery as soon as possible.
2. Charge the remote controller ’s battery by using the included micro

- USB cable. Using the incorrect type of charging cable may cause damage.
3

. Turn off the remote controller before charging. The power LED indicator will display solid red when charging is in progress. The LED indicators will display solid green when the battery is fully charged.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 15 | 

### 3.2 Remote Controller LED Indicator Status 3.2.1 Remote Controller Power LED Indicator Status
Power LED Indicator Sound Remote Controller Status
None Functioning n ormal ly

. None Charging( remote controller is powered off)
None Remote controller joysticks calibration error , need to be re - calibrate.
BB

--- BB

--- BB Low voltage (from 3. 5 V

- 3.53 V) , rec harge the remote controller

.
B

- B

- B

...... Critical l ow voltage ( from 3. 4 5 V

- 3.5 V)

. Recharge the remote

controller immediately

.
B

-- B

-- B

...... Al ert will sound after 15 minutes of in activity. It will stop once you

start using the remote controller

.
T he remote controller will power off automatically when battery voltage drops below 3.45 V

. Land and

re charge the battery as soon as possible when the low voltage alert occurs to avoid loss of control during flight.



### 3.2.2 Remote Controller Battery Level Indicator Status The battery level indicators will show the current battery level during both the discharging process

. The following is a description of the indicators.

: The LED is solid on : The LED will blink regularly

: The LED is light off

D ischarging process LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level
75 %~100%
50 %~75%
2 5%~50%
12.5%~25%
0%~12.5%
<0%

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 16 | 

### 3.3 Antenna Orientation The remote controller ’ s antenna should point skywards without obstructions for maximum communication range during flight.

Figure 3-3 

### 3.4 Remote Controller Operation The operations of remote controller are based on mode 2 stick configuration

. 

### Definitions
The ‘ stick neutral’ position s and ‘ stick released’ mean the control stick s of the remote controller are p laced at the central position. To ‘move the stick ’ means that the stick of remote controller is pushed away from the central position.
Slide Lever is used for the pitch control of the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal.

Remote Controller (Mode 2) Aircraft

( nose direction ) Operation details

T he t hrottle stick controls aircraft altitude/ elevation. Push the stick up and the aircraft will rise. Pull the stick down and the aircraft will descend

. The aircraft will automatically hover and hold its altitude if the stick s are centered. P ush the throttle stick above the centered (mid

- point ) position to make the aircraft tak e off. When flying, we suggest that you push the throttle stick slowly to prevent the aircraft from sudden and unexpected elevation changes.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 17 | The y aw stick controls the aircraft rudder. Push the stick left and the aircraft will rotate counter clock

- wise

. Push the stick right and the aircraft will rotate clock

- wise

. If the stick is centered, the aircraft will remain facing the same direction. The yaw stick controls the rotating angular velocit y of the aircraft. Pushing the stick further away from center results in a faster aircraft rotation velocity. The pitch stick controls the aircraft’ s front & back tilt

. Push the stick up and the aircraft will tilt and fl y forward

. Pull the stick down and the aircraft will tilt and fl y back ward

. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the stick is centered. Pushing or pulling the stick further away from center will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum of is 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity. The roll stick controls the aircraft ’s left & right tilt. Push the stick left and the aircraft will tilt and fl y left. Pu sh the stick right and the aircraft will tilt and fl y right. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the stick is centered. Pushing the stick further away from center will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum of 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity.

Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

- 3 S1 is for compass calibration. T oggle the S1 switch from position

- 1 to po sition

- 3 and back to position

- 1 at least 5 times, which will force the aircraft to enter into compass calibration mode. U sers can configure position 3 (bottom position) of the S1 switch to trigger the Failsafe in the Assistant

.

OFF Course Lock Home

point Lock S2 is the IOC mode switch. IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) function can be enabled in the Assistant when in Naza

- M mode . Only use the IOC function after you are familiar with flying

.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 18 | The l eft d ial control s the pitch of the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal. T he position of left dial determines the pitch angle relative to the horizontal level. Turn the left dial to the right to make th e gimbal pitch
up
. Turn the left dial to the left to make the gimbal pitch down. Th e gimbal will keep its current position if the dial is static.

( 1 ) For ‘ R eady to F ly’ the aircraft will hover when all stick s are released. ( 2 ) For ‘ Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) ’ the aircraft will only keep the altitude when all stick s are released. 

### 3.5 Linking the Remote Controller & Built- in Receiver PHANTOM 2 has a built-in receiver, the link button and indicator located on the bottom of the aircraft as illustrated in the Figure 3-4. The link between the remote controller and aircraft is already established for you so you can initially skip this procedure. If you ever replace the remote controller
, re -establishing the link is required.

Figure 3-4 Linking procedures

1. Power on the PHANTOM 2.
2. Turn on the remote controller and place it 0.5m~1m away from the aircraft.
3. P ush the link button with a thin object and hold it until the Link indicator blinks red , then r elease it

. 4. When the Link indicator turn s solid green , the link between the remote controller and the built

- in receiver has been successfully established.

Link Indicator S tatus

T he remote controller is turned off and there is no 2.4GHz signal around , please turn on the remote controller

. T he receiver is ready for linking

. There is 2.4GHz signal around but the remote controller is not linked with the receiver ,

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 19 | please carry out the linking procedures. T he remote controller is linked with the receiver successfully. 

## 4 Intelligent Battery The intelligent battery is specially designed for the PHANTOM 2, with a battery capacity of 5200mAh, voltage of 11.1V and charge-discharge management functionality. The battery should only be charged with the DJI charger.

Intelligent Battery Charger

DJI Intelligent Battery Functions
( 1 ) B alance Charg ing Automatically balance the voltage of each battery cell during charging. ( 2 ) C apacity Display D isplay the current battery level

.
( 3 ) Communicating T he main controller communicate s with the battery via communicat ion ports for battery voltage, capacity, current and other information.

( 4 ) O vercharging Protection C harging stop s automatically when the battery voltage reaches 12.8V to prevent overcharging damage

. ( 5 ) Over D ischarging
Protection D ischarging stop s automatically when the battery voltage reaches 8.4V to prevent over discharging damage

. ( 6 ) S hort C ircuit Protection A utomatically cut s off the power supply when a short circuit is detected.

( 7 ) Sleep Protection The battery will enter sleep mode after 10 minutes of inactivity to save

power
. The static current is 10nA in sleep mode when the battery is powered on without connecting to other de vices

. ( 8 ) C harging T emperature D etection T he battery will charge only when its temperature is within 0 °C

~ 55 °C

. I f the battery temperature is out of this ran ge, the battery will stop charging

. ( 1 ) Before use, please read and follow the user manual, disclaimer , and the warnings on the battery.
Users take full responsibility for all operations and usage

. ( 2 ) T he battery should only be charged with the charger provided by DJI. DJI does not take any responsibility for operation of any charger from a third party. 

### 4.1 Charging Procedures
1. Connect the charger to a wall socket (Use the plug set if necessary )

. 2. Connect the battery to the charger. If the current capaci ty of the battery is over 75%, you should power on the battery to begin charging

. 3. T he Battery Level indicator s display current capacity level as the battery charges. P lease refer to battery

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 20 |

level indicator description for details.
4. T he battery is full y charged when the Battery Level indicator light s are off

. P lease disconnect the charger and battery when the charging is completed

.



### 4.2 Install the Battery Push the battery into the battery compartment correctly as the following diagram shows. Make sure to push the battery into the compartment until you hear a ‘click’ sound.

Figure 4-1 An incorrectly inserted battery may cause one of the following to occur : (1) Bad contact. (2) Unavailable battery information. (3) Unsafe for flight. (4) Unable to take off. 

### 4.3 Battery Usage

Figure 4-2 (1) Checking the battery level: When the battery is powered off; pressing the battery power button once will indicate the current battery level. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details. (2) Powering on: When the battery is powered off; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn on the intelligent battery. (3) Powering off: When the battery is powered on; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn off the intelligent battery. LED3
LED4 Battery Power Button (Built

- in Battery Power Indicator) LED2
LED1 Battery Level Indicator

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 21 | (4) Checking the battery life: When the battery is powered off; press and hold the battery power button for 5 seconds to check the battery life. The battery level indicators will show the life and the battery power indicator will blink for 10 seconds, then all LEDs will light out and the intelligent battery will turn off. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details. More battery information is available in the battery tab of the PHANTOM 2 Assistant

. 

### 4.4 Description of the Battery Level Indicator The battery level indicators will show the current battery level during both the charging and discharging process as well as battery life. The following is a description of the indicators.

: The LED is solid on : The LED will blink regularly

: The LED is light off

C harging process LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level
0%~25%
25%~50%
50%~75%
75%~100%
F ull charged

D ischarging process
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level
87.5%~100%
75%~87.5%
62.5%~75%
50%~62.5%
37.5%~50%
25%~37.5%
12.5%~25%
0%~12.5%
<0%

B attery life
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery life
90 %~100%

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 22 | 80 %~ 90 %
70 %~ 80 %
60 %~ 70 %
50 %~ 60 %
40 %~ 50 %
30 %~ 40 %
20 %~ 30 %
L ess than 20 %



### 4.5 Correct Battery Usage Notes
1. N ever plug or unplug the battery into the aircraft when it is power ed on. 2. The battery should be charg ed in an environment that is between 0 °C to 40 °C , and be discharg ed in an
environment that is between

- 20 °C to 50 °C

. B oth charging and discharging should be in an environment
where the relative humidity is lower than 80%.
3. It’s recommended to charge and discharge the battery thorou ghly once every 20 charge/discharge cycles. Users should discharge the battery until there is less than 8% power left or until the battery can no longer

be turned on. U sers should then fully recharge the battery to maximum capacity. This power cycling

proc edure will ensure the battery is working at its optimal level.
4. F or long term storage please p lace the battery with only a 40~50% capacity in a strong battery box securely. W e recommend discharging and charging the battery completely once every 3 months to keep it in good condition. The capacity should be varie d in such a cycle ( 40%~50% )

— 0%

— 100%

— ( 40%~50% )

. 5. It’s suggested you purchase a new battery after you have discharg ed you r current battery over 300 times.
Please completely discharge a batter y prior to disposal

. 6. It’s suggested that you purchase a new battery if the current battery is swollen or damaged in any way.
7. Never try to recharge or fly with a battery that is swollen or damaged in any way.
8. Never charge the battery unattended. Always charge the battery on a non

- flammable surface such as concrete and never near any flammable materials.
9. S afety is extremely important and users can get more information in the DISCLAIMER.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 23 | 

## 5 Calibrating the Compass
IMPORTANT: Make sure to perform the Compass Calibration procedure s prior to the first flight. The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference which causes abnormal compass data and leads to poor flight performance or even flight failure. Regular calibration of the compass enables the compass to perform at its optimal level.


### 5. 1 Calibration Warnings

( 1 ) DO NOT calibrate your compass where there is a possibility for the existence of strong magnetic interference such as magnetite, parking structures, and steel reinforcement underground.
( 2 ) DO NOT carry ferromagnetic materials with you during calibration such as keys or cell ular phones.
( 3 ) Compass Calibration is very important; otherwise the flight control system will work abnormal ly

. 

### 5.2 Calibration Procedures Please carry out the calibrating procedures in the flight field before flight. Please watch the quick start video of the
PHANTOM 2 for more compass calibration details.



### 5.3 When Recalibration is required ( 1 ) When Compass Data is abnormal, the LED flight indicator will blink alternating between red and yellow. ( 2 ) Last compass calibration was performed at a completely different flying field/location. ( 3 ) The mechanical structure of the aircraft has changed, i.e. changed mounting position of the compass. ( 4 ) Evident drifting occurs in flight, i.e. the aircraft doesn ’ t fly in straight lines.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 24 | 

## 6 Flight 6.1 Flying Environment Requirements ( 1 ) Before your first flight, please allow yourself some flight training (Using a flight simulator to practice flying, getting instruction from an experienced person, etc.). ( 2 ) D O NOT fly in bad weather, such as rain or wind (more than moderate breeze) or fog. ( 3 ) The flying field should be open and void of tall buildi ngs or other obstacles; the steel structure within buildings may interfere with the compass. ( 4 ) Keep the aircraft away from obstacles, crowds, power lines, trees, lakes and rivers etc. ( 5 ) Try to avoid interference between the remote controller and other wireless equipment (No base
stations or cell towers around ). ( 6 ) The flight control system will not work properly at the South Pole or North Pole. ( 7 ) N ever use the aircraft in a manner that infringes upon or contravenes international or domestic lays and regulations. 

### 6.2 Starting the Motors A Combination Stick Command (CSC) is used to start the motors. Push the sticks according to one of the options below to start motors. Once the motors have started, release both sticks simultaneously. The same CSC is used to

st op the motors.

Figure 6-1 

### 6.3 Takeoff/Landing Procedures
1. Start by placing the PHANTOM 2 on the ground with the battery level indicator s facing you
. 2. T urn on the remote controller

. 3. Power on the aircraft by turning on the intelligent battery

. 4. When LED flight indicator blinks green/yellow, the PHANTOM 2 is entering Ready to Fly / Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) mode. Start the motors with the CSC command.
5. Push the throttle stick up slowly to lift the aircraft off the ground

. R efer to < Remote Contr oller Operation >
for more details.
6. Be sure you are hovering over a level surface. Pull down the throttle stick to descend. The stick will lock into

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 25 |

place and the aircraft will descend steadily.
7. After landing, leave the throttle stick down for 3 to 5 second s to stop the motors. Return throttle stick to middle position after the motors have stopped.

You SHOULD NOT execute the CSC during normal flight ! This will stop the motors and cause the
aircraft to descend rapidly and drop without any type of control. ( 1 ) When the LED flight indicator blinks yellow rapidly during flight , the aircraft has entered in to Failsafe mode , refer to <Failsafe Function> for details. ( 2 ) A low battery capacity warning is indicated by the LED flight indicator blink ing red slowly or rapidly during flight . R efer to the <Low Battery Capacity Warning Function> for details. ( 3 ) Watch the quick start video about flight for more flight information. ( 4 ) Aircraft and battery performance is subject to environmental factors such as air density and temp erature. Be very careful when flying 3000 meters (9800 feet) or more above sea level, as battery and aircraft performance may be reduced. ( 5 ) When used with a H3

- 3D gimbal, a GoPro camera, and the iOSD mini, your Phantom 2 will be very
close to its maximum tak eoff weight. It is not recommended that you attach the Phantom 2 propeller guards at this weight. Otherwise, the aircraft will be unable to fly normally. 

### 6 .4 Failsafe Function The aircraft will enter Failsafe mode when the connection from the remote controller is lost. The flight control system will automatically control the aircraft to return to home and land to reduce injuries or damage. The following

situations would make the aircraft fail to receive a signal from the remote controller and enter Failsafe mode: ( 1 ) The remote controller is power ed off. ( 2 ) The remote controller is power ed on but the S1 is toggled in the position triggering the Failsafe (this must have been configured in the PHANTOM 2 Assistant). ( 3 ) The aircraft has flown out of the effective communication range of the remote controller. ( 4 ) There is an obstacle obstructing the signal between the remote controller and the aircraft, essentially reducing the distance the signal can travel. ( 5 ) There is interference causing a signal problem with the remote controller.

Failsafe works different ly depending on the mode the aircraft is in when Failsafe mode is initiated whether it is in the Ready to Fly or Ready to Fly (non-GPS) mode. Ready to Fly (non

- GPS)

---- Automatic l anding The flight control system will try to keep the aircraft level during descent and landing. Note that the aircraft may be drifting during the descent and landing process.

Ready to Fly

---- Automatic g o h ome and land The flight control system will automatic ally control the aircraft to fly back to the home point and land.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 26 | Home Point
When the aircraft is initializing the Ready to Fly status, the aircraft will record the current GPS coordinates as
the home point. I t is recommended to lift off only after Ready to Fly status is confirmed for the safety of being
able to fly back to home point successfully in case the Failsafe mode is initiated.
Go Home Procedures

Figure 6-2 ( 1 ) I n a Failsafe situation, if less than 6 GPS satellites are found for more than 20 seconds, the aircraft will descend automatically. ( 2 ) When the aircraft is landing automatically, users can control the aircraft’s position and altitude if the remote controller signal is recovered. In Phantom 2 mode, users can set a new home point manually when the aircraft is in “ Ready to fly ” status as long as a home point has been recorded automatically. Q uickly flipping the S2 switch of the remote
controller from upper most to lower most positions 5 times or more w ill reset the current aircraft position as a new home point of PHANTOM 2. When successfully reset, you will see a series of rapid green blinks on the LED Flight Indicator. T he definition of “ home point ” is: ( 1 ) The home point is the place PHANTOM 2 returns to when the control signal is lost , which is
recorded last time

. ( 2 ) The home point is used to calculate the horizontal distance between you and the aircraft, the distance will be displayed as if using iOSD module. Regaining Control during Failsafe Procedure

Position of Switch S1 Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

- 3 (No triggering the Failsafe)

How to regain control When the S1 switch is switched to Position

- 1,

toggle the S1 switch to any other position once to regain control

. I f remote controller ’s signal is recovered, control is returned back to the pilot. R egain control as soon as signal is

recover ed.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 27 | 

### 6.5 Low Battery Capacity Warning Function The low battery capacity warning alerts users when the battery is close to depletion during flight. When it appears, users should promptly fly back and land to avoid accidental damage. The PHANTOM 2 has two levels of low battery capacity warning. The first appears when the battery has less than 30% power and the second appears when it has

less than 15 % power. ( 1 ) When battery power drops below 30% and LED indicator will blink red slowly. ( 2 ) At lower than 15 % the LED indicator will blink red rapidl y, the PHANTOM 2 will also begin to descend and land automatically. After it has landed, keep the throttle stick at its lowest point or execute CSC. ( 3 ) There is a hidden third low battery threshold in addition to the 1st and 2nd level warnings. This uses 10.65V as its threshold. Both this voltage threshold and the 2nd Level Low Battery Warning will trigger auto-landing. Altitude can be maintained if necessary by pu sh ing up on the throttle stick. ( 1 ) Remember to fly your P HANTOM 2 back as soon as you see a low battery capacity warning. ( 2 ) Keeping the battery contact needles and pads clean is very important. Any dirt and dust may
cause a communication failure.



### 6.6 Flight Limits Function All UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators should abide by all regulations from such organizations at ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and per country airspace regulations. For safety reasons, the flight limits function is enabled by default to help users use this product safely and legally. The flight limits function includes height, distance limits. In Ready to Fly status, height, distance limits works together to restrict the flight. In Ready to Fly (non-GPS) status, only height limit works and the flying height restricted to be not over 120m.

(1) The default parameters in the Assistant is compl iant within the definitions of class G ruled by ICAO. (Refer to Airspace Classification to get more details). As each country has its own rules,

make sure to configure the parameters to comp ly with these rules too , before using the
PHANTOM 2

. (2) Users in Mainland China can refer to 民用航空空域使用办法

. 

### Max Height & Radius Limits The Max Height & Radius restricts the flying height and distance. Configuration can be done in the PHANTOM 2 Assistant. Once complete, your aircraft will fly in a restricted cylinder.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 28 | Figure 6- 3 Figure 6-4

Ready to Fly

Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

under the max height. Warning: Height limit

reached. None.

Max Radius The flight distance is restricted to fly

within the max radius. Warning: Distance limit

reached. Rapid red flashings
when close to the Max radius limit.

Ready to Fly(non

- GPS)
Flight Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

under the minor height between the Max height and 120m. Warning: Height limit reached.
None.

Max Radius Not limited, no warnings or LED indicators.

(1) If the aircraft flies out of the limits, you can still control your aircraft except to fly it further away. (2) If the aircraft is flying out of the max radius in Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) status, it will fly back within the limits range automatically if 6 or more GPS satellites have been found.



### 6. 7 Flight Limits of Special Areas Special areas include airports worldwide. All special areas are listed on the DJI official website. Please refer to http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/category- mc for details. These areas have been divided into category A and category B.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 29 | Category A Category B

Ready to Fly

Airspace Limits Rear LED Flight Indicator

A Orange Motors will not start.

If the Phantom flies into a special area in Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) mode and Ready to Fly mode activates, it will automatically descend and land then stop its motors.
B
Yellow If the Phantom flies into a special area in Ready to Fly

(non

- GPS) mode and Ready to Fly mode activates, it will descend to airspace C and hover 5 meters below edge d

.

C
Green No restrictions of flight, but the Phantom will not enter

Category A, the aircraft can fly free, but it will not enter Airspace B through Boundary b & d. Around Category B sites, the phantom can fly freely, but it will not enter into Airspace A through Bou ndary a. D
Blue No restrictions. None.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 30 |

Semi

- automatic descent : All stick commands are available except the throttle stick command during the descent and landing process. Motors will stop automatically after landing. Users will regain control

once the motors have stopped. There is no need to toggle the S1 switch. (1) When flying in the airspace (A/B/C) of restricted special area, LED flight indicators will blink red
quickly and continue for 3 seconds, then switch to indicate current flying status and continue for 5 seconds at which point it will switch back to red blinking. (2) For safety reasons, please do not fly close to airports, highways, railway stations, railway l ines, city centers and other special areas. Try to ensure the aircraft is visible.


### 6. 8 Conditions of Flight Limits In different working modes and flight modes, flight limits will differ according to number of GPS satellites found. The following table demonstrates all the cases( √ : available; × :unavailable ). All flights are restricted by height, distance and special areas simultaneously.

Phantom mode
Flight Status Limits of Special Area Max Height Max Radius
Ready to Fly √ √ √ Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) × √ ×

Naza

- M mode

Control Mode number of GPS found Limits of Special Area Max Height Max Radius

GPS ≥ 6 √ √ √

< 6 × √ ×

ATTI. ≥ 6 √ √ ×

< 6 × √ ×

Manual ≥ 6 × × ×

< 6 × × × 

### Disclaimer Please ensure that you are kept up to date with International and Domestic airspace rules and regulations before using this product. By using this product, you hereby agree to this disclaimer and signify that you have read this fully. You agree that you are responsible for your own conduct and content while using this product, and for any direct or indirect consequences caused by not following this manual, violate or disregard any other applicable local laws,
administrative rules and social habits thereof.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 31 | 

## 7 Assistant Installation and Configuration
7. 1 Install ing Driver and PHANTOM 2 Assistant
Install ing and run ning on Windows
1. Download driver installer and Assistant installer in EXE format from the download page of PHANTOM 2
on the DJI website.
2. Connect the PHANTOM 2 to a PC via a Micro

- USB cable. 3. Run the driver installer and follow the prompts to finish installation. 4. N ext, r un the Assistant installer and follow the prompts to finish installation. 5. Double click the PHANTOM 2 icon on your Windows desktop to launch the software.

T he i nstaller in EXE format only supports Windows operating systems (Win XP, Win7, Win8 (32 or 64 bit)).

Install ing and run ning on Mac OS X
1. Download the Assistant installer in DMG format from the download page of PHANTOM 2 on the DJI
website. 2. Run the installer and follow the prompts to finish installation.

3. When launching for the first time if use Launchpad to run the PHANTOM 2 Assistant
, Launchpad won ’ t allow access because the software has not been reviewed by Mac App Store.

4. L ocate the PHANTOM 2 icon in the Finder, p ress the Control key and then click the PHANTOM 2 icon (or right

- click the PHANTOM 2 icon using a mouse). Choose Open from the shortcut menu, click open in the prompt dialog box and the n software will launch

. 5. After the first successful launch, directly lau nching of the software can be achieved by double

- clicking
the PHANTOM 2 icon in the Finder or using Launchpad.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 32 |

Installer in DMG format supports only Mac OS X 10.6 or above.
Usage of PHANTOM 2 Assistant on Mac OS X and Windows are e xactly the same. The Assistant pages appear in other places of this manual are on the Windows for example. 

### 7.2 Using the PHANTOM 2 Assistant on a PC
1. Start up the PC, power on the PHANTOM 2 , then c onnect the PHANTOM 2 to the PC with a Micro

- USB
cable. DO NOT disconnect until configuration is finished.
2. Run the PHANTOM 2 Assistant and wait for the PHANTOM 2 to connect to the Assistant

. Observe the

indicators on the bottom of the screen. When connected successfully, the connection indicator is
and communication indicator is blinking

. 3. Choose [Basic] or [Advanced] configuration page s
. 4. View and check the current configuration in the [View] page.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 33 |

( 1 ) Users should not enable the Naza

- M function before finishing Advanc ed Flight Maneuvers procedure in the " PHANTOM Pilot Training Guide”. If the Naza

- M mode is enabled, users can
switch the control mode between ATTI. Mode, GPS Mode or Manual Mode , and access the advanced settings (e.g. IOC). In addition, the LED loca ted on the rear frame arms will display
Naza

- M flight status indications instead of the PHANTOM 2's indicator s . Do not enable the
Naza

- M mode unless you are an experienced user or guided by a professional. ( 2 ) You can change to the P hantom 2 mode by clicking the same button used to turn on the Naza

- M
mode

. This operation will disable the N aza - M mode and enable P hantom 2 mode

. All parameters
will be returned to factory settings

. 

### 7.3 Firmware upgrade of PHANTOM 2 Please re fer to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant to install driver and PHANTOM RC Assistant
, and then follow the procedures below to upgrade the software and firmware; otherwise the PHANTOM 2 might not work properly.
1. An internet connection is required to upgrade PHANTOM 2’s firmware.
2. Click the [ U pgrade] icon to check the current firmware version and whether the installed firmware is the
latest version

. I f not, click the relative links to upgrade.
3. Be su re to wait until the Assistant shows “finished”. Click OK and power cycle the PHANTOM 2 after 5

seconds. Once completed, t he firmware is up to date.

( 1 ) DO NOT power off until the upgrade is finished. ( 2 ) If the firmware upgrade failed, the main controller will enter a waiting for firmware upgrade status automatically. If this happens, repeat the above procedures.

F irmware upgradable items: ( 1 ) Main Controller ( 2 ) P330CB (Main Board) ( 3 ) Receiver ( 4 ) Gimbal
C MU ( 5 ) Gimbal IMU ( 6 ) Battery 

### 7.4 PHANTOM RC Assistant Description Please follow the procedures to finish the configuration of the remote controller.

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 34 |

1. Turn off the remote controller and find the Micro

- USB port on the bottom of it.
2. Start up the PC, power on the remote controller , and then connect the remote controller to the PC with a
Micro

- USB cable. DO NOT disconn ect until the configuration is finished.
3. Run the PHANTOM RC Assistant and wait for the remote controller to connect to the Assistant

. Observe

the indicators on the bottom left of the screen. When connected successfully, the connection
indicator is and communication indicator is blinking

. 4. Finish c onfiguration in the [ Main ] page.
5. Finish upgrade in the [ Info ] page if necessary

.

M ain P age of the 2.4G Hz Remote Controller

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 35 | 

## 8 Appendix 8. 1 Specifications 

## A ircraft
O perating environment temperature

- 10 °C to 50 °C
P ower consumption 5.6W
S upported Battery DJI Intelligent battery
W eight (including the battery) 1000g
Take

- off W eight ≤ 1300g Hovering Accuracy ( Ready to Fly ) Vertical: 0.8m ; Horizontal: 2.5m Max Yaw Angular Velocity 200°/s
Max Tilt Angle 35° Max Ascent / Descent Speed Ascent: 6m/s; Descent: 2 m/s
Max Flight Speed 15 m/s (Not Recommended)
W heelbase 350mm 

## 2.4GHz Remote Controller Operating Frequency 2.4GHz ISM Communication Distance ( open area ) 1000m Receiver Sensitivity ( 1%PER )

- 9 7 dBm
W orking Current/Voltage 1 2 0 mA@ 3.7 V
Built

- in LiPo Battery Working Current/Capacity 3.7V, 2000mAh 

## DJ I Intelligent Battery
T ype 3S LiPo Battery
C apacity 5200mAh
, 11.1V Charging Environment R ange 0 °C to 40 °C Discharging Environment R ange
- 20 °C to 50 °C



### 8.2 LED Flight Indicators Description A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions
Power On Self

- Test Warming Up & Aircraft cannot take off during warming up Ready to Fly Ready to Fly (non

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors
Remote Controller Signal Lost
1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning

### ©2013-2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 36 | 2 nd Level Low Battery Capacity Warning Not Stationary or Sensor Bias is too big
Errors & Aircraft c annot fly.* Compass data abnormal because of ferro

- magnetic interference or the compass needs calibration. * Users can connect to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant to get detailed information about warnings and errors.