102313 1 / 22 

# R TD UAV System

Operator Manual

RTD | X5102313 2 / 22 

# RT D UAV I ntroduction

The Ready To Drone (RTD ) X5 UAV is a fully programmable autonomous, Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle commonly referred to as UAV. It is equipped with an autopilot system, Radio Control
(RC) system, telemetry data radio system, and downward looking high resolution photo camera
for mapping landscapes. The aircraft is optimized for hand /bungee launch, performing mapping
missions as well as “belly” landing on variable terrain.

Be certain to ch eck your local regulations and requirements prior to operating an RTD UAV in
flight.

The RTD UAV is a fully programmable and autonomous UAV.



# RTD UAV GPS Autopilot 

# e e

e

Telemetry

RC Link

G round C ontrol S tation Mission Planner 

### RC Tx 

## Mapping

Camera102313 3 / 22 

# C o mmunications & Controls

RC Transmitter

Each RTD UAV comes with an RC transmitter that is used by the operator to send inputs to the

UAV via 2.4Ghz radio connection. Although the unit is intended to be used for autonomous
mapping missions, it can also be remotely piloted.

Turnigy 9X R /Pro transmitter with Frsky DJT radio system102313 4 / 22



# F light Modes

In addition to providing input to the aircraft control surfaces and throttle, the transmitter allows
the UAV Pilot to control 6 different flight modes. FBWA mode allows the autopilot to assist the
UAV Pilot in very smooth, controlled, flight and safe take

- off and landings if Autonomy is not
preferable . The RTD UAV c an be programmed with 6 flight modes controlled by two switches on

the transmitter and the following configuration is recommended. This is fully configurable by

user in Ground Control Softwa re. Initially, use rs are encouraged to use only FB WA, Auto,

and RTL as shown below.



### NOTE: Changes to switches and flight modes are only for advanced users.

Definitions of flight modes can be found in Appendix A of this document.

Advanced operators might also use the transmitter for FBWA control of the UAV while in line

- of

sight. It is recommended that at least 40

- 60 hours of experience flying r/c planes is required to
safely fly the aircraft in manual mode. Gear Switch (G): Secondary
flight mode switch.
Can be configured in Mission

Planner to add 3 additional
flight modes.

Flight Mode Switch (FM): Primary
flight mode switch 1) Top position

- FBWA 2) Middle position

- AUTO 3) Bottom position

- RTL102313 5 / 22



# Telemetry Radio Link

Telemetry radios are used to communicate between the Ground Control Station (GCS) and

RTD UAV. The telemetry link is primarily used to program mapping missions and monitor

progress during flight. It also allows remote observation of battery
remaining lif e and real

- time power consumption. It is possible to change
commands and flight paths via telemetry link. New commands are planned
on the GCS laptop or tablet and sent up via telemetry link to the aircraft. In
an event of total loss of connectivity between RC link and UAV, the
telemetry connection can be used to autonomously land the aircraft via
telemetry link.



# Still Camera

The RTD UAV comes with a Canon S100 , a pre

- configured SD card with script and pre

- loaded

with custom firmware. It also comes with a c ustom USB mapping camera trigger system that

allows the autopilot to control when pictures are taken based on mapping mission parameters

and also shut down the camera prior to landing

.



## Camera Power

The camera’s battery lasts for approximately 1.5h and should be recharged before every flight
with the supplied battery charger.



## Pre

- F light Mapping Camera Procedure

 Place the mapping camera in position in the aircraft ensuring that the lens is well aligned
with the lens hole in the fuselage or it wil l automatically shut down when triggered

.

 Press the camera Play button
The Camera is now Ready To Map!

Note: The camera will power up and the script will start running automatically. You’ll see
some text in the lower left window of the camera playback s creen.Be sure that the GPS icon
is displayed and give a few minutes time prior to launching to ensure that the camera has a

solid GPS lock.102313 6 / 22

Alternative A dditional Test : If you want to test autopilot/camera connectivity prior to launch :

 Go to the F

light D ata tab, right click on the map a nd select “Trigger Camera Now!” The
lens should open and the camera should take one picture. This means the autopilot has
control of the camera and is ready to map.

 You must now restart the script. Press the shutter button and observe “INTERUPTED”
displayed on the screen. Press the shutter button again and observe “STARTED” on the

screen. Now the lens should be deployed and the script STARTED

.



## Mission Planner Flight Data Screen

There are two primary screens used in the field including Flight Data and Mission Planning. The

F light D ata screen is a “live view” made up of a Heads Up Display (HUD), a live map, and an
interface for triggering actions or observing telemetry data. The Flight Data screen used while

the unit is in flight and the Mission Planning screen is used to create Way Point missions.102313 7 / 22 

# Conducting M apping Missions

Overall Mission Planning Process

1. Connect telemetry Link

2. Perform preflight calibration (alt in HUD should now read 0)

3. Plan/ Load mission in Flight P la n window

4. Optional: Save your mission on laptop

5. Upload mission to Aircraft

6. Download mission again, verify if still the same as before upload

a. Answer “No” to the dialog: “set home location to ...?”

b. verify that home location on the map is still the same

7. Switch to “Flight Data” tab and continue with Take

- off check



## Map caching / prefetching

The Mission Planner software uses online maps. While operating the RTD UAV in the field there
might be no adequate or no internet connection for map load ing

.

Mission Planner o ffers a feature to download map tiles onto your computer. It is accessed via
the Flight Plan tab. Map data can use up quite some space on your hard drive. It is
recommended to only download as much map data as needed

. A couple of square kilometers
can quic kly be in the gigabyte range (depending on the map provider and zoom steps).

1. Zoom into the desired location

2. draw a rectangle

a. hold down the ALT key

b. left

- click drag

3. right click the map

4. select “Map Tool”

5. Prefetch

You will now be prompted to if you want to download maps at a certain zoom step. The higher
the number, the more detailed the maps (and the more data to be fetched).

Zoom step 19 or 20 is usually the highest resolution you can get.102313 8 / 22



## Creating a Mapping Mission for Aerial Survey

In planning a mapp ing mission it is important to consider wind speed and direction for accurate

,

e fficient and effective results

. In wind of 10kmh or greater it is recommended to create a
mapping mission with a flight path that “Crabs” into the wind in order to achieve opti mal tracking
of flight path and proper spacing between images . This means that the flight path should be
perpendicular to the wind direction.

To properly orien t the flight path, place the RTD UAV on the ground facing directly into the wind.
Use the Angle setting in the Survey Tools to adjust the mission flight path until it is parallel with
the UAV main wings on the MP inte rface. This will ensure proper flight path orientation.
Additionally, whenever possible the landing location should be down

- wind of th e survey area. This gives the best chance of successful r eturn to landing in the event of low battery or other

failure.

1. In Mission Planner, click the connect button and ensure you are connected to the RTD
UAV via telemetry radio.

2. Go to Flight Plan then select click Draw Polygon>Add Polygon Point102313 9 / 22

3. Draw a polygon around the area to be surveyed102313 10 / 22

4. Right click on map and then click on Auto WP > Survey (Grid)

5. In Survey (Grid) , select your mapping camera Model ( S100 ) . C heck “Camera top facing

forward”

NOTE: For first use of S100 you’ll need to go to Camera Config tab, load a sample photo
taken on an S100 and click “Save” (Save as “S100”). Now go back to “Simple” tab and
select “S100” from dropdown.102313 11 / 22

6. Rotate Angle [deg] until the transect lines provide the most efficient coverage of area.
Then click on Grid Options tab and pick the “Start From” location that will result in the
UAV crabbing into the wind. Transects should be perpendicular to wind with the end of
each pass turning into the wind. In example below, wind is from NW.

7. A good initial setting for overlap and sidelap is 65%. You can adjust depending on your
post processing requirements.

8. Go back to “Simple” tab. You can set “Flying Speed” m/s to 10 to get estimated values
about your mission. Cl ick “Accept”.102313 12 / 22

The screen should now look something like this:

9. Click the Waypoints menu at the bottom of the screen. Command 1 is
DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_DIST, which triggers the camera at the first mapping mission

WP. At the end of the mission there is another Command that stops pictures from being
taken and initiates the camera shut down process.102313 13 / 22

10. Add Take

- off Command. Right Click and Insert WP.

11. Insert WP after 0 and click “OK”102313 14 / 22

12. Click Dropdown menu and select TAKEOFF

13. For TAKEOFF command, set Pitc h Angle to 20 and Alt to your mapping mission Alt
(Usually 100m)

NOTE: The Takeoff command will not display as a WP on the map. You launch the UAV
from anywhere.

Time to c reate landing approach WPs and Land WP: The general idea in planning a landing
approach is to bring the UAV down in altitude at a negative pitch between

- 5 and

- 20 degrees
except for the final two WPs. From the 2 nd

- to

- last WP and LAND WP the de scent angle should

be between

- 3 and

- 10 degrees

.

14. Scroll down to bottom of list of WPs. R ight click on map, select Insert WP and put the

number of the last command in the list. In this case it is 19. This will create WP 20. In102313 15 / 22

this example, WP 20 Alt is set to 50m creating an acceptable

- 18.6 degree decent from

WP 19 to WP 20

.

15. Add another WP (21 ) nearer to the landing site using the same method . This will be the

2 nd to last WP and therefore should be set at 5m.102313 16 / 22

16. Add LAND WP: Right click on the map at the location you want the UAV to land and add

the final WP. Set command to LAND and Alt to 0. Angle of de s cen t in this example is

- 8.7, which is within tolerance. Notice the cross

- wind transect and left hand turn (90deg)

into wind from WP 20 to WP 21 on landing approach. This is a useful technique where
space is limited.

17. Click Write WP s

. 18. Click Read WPs to ensure they were written properly to the UAV.102313 17 / 22

You are now ready to perform preflight checks, initiate Launch sequence and

ex ecute the programed aerial mapping survey!



## Point and Click Waypoint Missions

In some situations it may be preferable to manually enter waypoints by pointing and clicking on
the map. An example application for this would be mapping of a narrow coast line or stream

transect.

Manual waypoint missions can be easily created by doing the following:

● Point

- and

- click waypoint entry

● Select mission commands from drop

- down menus
Be sure to add a TAKE_OFF command and produce a landing approach using the steps from
the section above “creating a mapping mission for aerial survey”.102313 18 / 22



# Preflight Checks & Setup

Pre

- field check (including mission planning)

1. Cache/Prefetch map of mission location

2. Check for weather forecast

3. Charge and balance lipo batteries

4. Check al l control surfaces, servos and motor are functional

5. Check still photograph camera is configured and functional

6. Fully charge mapping camera batteries

7. Check that all necessary components are ready and packed for field



## Pre

- Power Check

1. Check control surfaces a nd motor for proper connectivity and/or damage

2. Inspect main wings for damage

3. Install battery in plane and make sure it is secured (do not connect power yet)

4. Check Center of Gravity (CG)

– With all gear on board, use the marked CG location
under main wings to balance the UAV on your fingers. It should balance level. DO NOT

DO THIS IN WIND Y CONDITIONS or may not get accurate results. You ’ ll need to shield the UAV from wind to verify CG if this was not done prior to coming to the field.

5. Check that propeller is secured properly



## Power up Sequence

1. Make sure throttle is set to 0 and mode switches are in power up position

2. Power up RC transmitter and check transmitter battery power

3. Plug in main UAV battery and listen for proper boot up beep sequence

4. Click connect in GCS

5. Ensure that GCS is properly displaying orientation and attitude via telemetry

6. Check for 3D GPS lock on HUD

7. Check if all surfaces move in the correct direction when moving RC TX sticks

8. Pick up unit, roll left and right, pitch up and down to c heck all s urfaces in FBW

- A mode102313 19 / 22



# Conducting Missions

Pre

- Take

- off check

1. Power up mapping camera

2. Ensure camera lens is properly aligned with fuselage camera portal

3. Close fuselage

4. Check center of gravity by placing one finger on each CG tab under main wings

5. Perform Preflight Calibration to “0” out Alt value.

6. STAY CLEAR OF THE PROPELLER



## Transmitter Failsafe Test

The RTD UAV comes with RC Transmitter failsafe pre

- programmed. Prior to each flight, the
following test should be conducted:

1. Ensure the unit has 3S GPS lock in Mission Planner HUD.

2. Switch to FBWA mode

. 3. Turn the transmitter off. Within 1

- 2 seconds the UAV should engage Failsafe
mode ( RTL )

4. T urn transmitter back on and mode should return to FBWA.
Once Launch sequence, RTL test, and Failsafe tests, are completed the UAV can be put into
Auto mode (FM

- 1, G

- Down position) and begin its mapping mission.

NOTE: If the unit does not switch to RTL on failsafe test see “Setting Receiver Failsafe” section

of this manual to set RTL failsafe.



## Autonomous Mission Pro cedure

The RTD UAV is intended to be used for autonomous missions including take

- off and landing.
Autonomous operation is the preferred use of this unit. The Operator needs to have basic RC
flight skills in order to “nudge” the unit on landing if necessar y as shifts in wind or other general
drift can require very gentle turning as the unit approaches landing location.

It is advised to have an open area of 300 m x 30 0m with a smooth landing surface. Check that
the intended takeoff trajectory is free of obst acles including people, physical property, and
landscape that may be damaged or cause damage to the UAV.

It is highly recommended to have a Primary Pilot (PP) and CoPil o t (CP) when conducting UAV

missions. During the launch process the PP will be at the remote controls of the UAV to intervene if necessary and lead the launch process using verbal Queues/Commands. The CP
will confirm verbal Queues and perform the actual hand launch. Prior to starting the launch
sequence ensure that PP and CP verbally confi rm that a Launch is about to take place. Once
the UAV is in flight, and as it climbs, the CP will function as a navigator, providing guidance and
warnings related to any relevant observations.

Warning: Once a TAKE OFF command is written to APM, the prope ller could spin as soon as
Auto mode is engaged. ALWAYS STAY CLEAR OF PROPELLER!102313 20 / 22

1. Create a mapping Mission ( “ See Creating a Mapping Mission for Aerial Survey ” ) and
write the mission to the UAV via telemetry

. 2. A lways launch and land into the wind

– Note that the relationship between wind,
ground speed, and downward pitch during approach all effect the ability to land
within close proximity of landing WP

.

a. If mission was conducted at 100m AGL

, typically 3 WP for landing approach is a
good starting point

. (See “ Creating a Mapping Mission for Aerial Survey ” )

. i. 3 rd to last WP

– Set to AGL that ensure s that the % grade to the next WP
(2 nd

- to

- last WP) is no steeper than

- 20 degrees.

ii. 2 nd

- to

- last WP

– Set to 5 m Alt

. iii. Fi nal WP (“Land” command) set to 0 m Alt at landing target. Ensure that
grade between 2 nd

- to

- last and final WP is between

- 3 and

- 10 degrees.

3. Ensure the UAV is in FBWA mode and write the mission to the autopilot. Read the
mission back to confirm WPs were written properly.

4. Click “Restart Mission” button.



## Launch Procedure

1. Launch Step 1

– Final equipment preparation

a. PP

- place transmitter switches in FBWA position (FM

- Neutral, G

- Down position).

b. CP

– hold the UAV overhead with throwing hand. Ensure hand and other
obstacles are clear of the propeller’ s full range of rotation.

c. CP & PP

– visually inspect that UAV is level in both pitch and roll

2. Launch Step 2

– Verbal confirmation on launch sequence preparedness

a. PP

- “Ready to Launch ? ”

b. CP

- “Ready to Launch”

3. Launch Step 3

– PP Switches to Auto mode and CP h and launches UAV.

a. PP

- Switches to auto mode using RC Transmitter.

b. PP

- Announces “Launch”

.

c. CP

- Throws the UAV straight forward and level into the wind.

4. PP & CP

- Monitor the UAV throughout flight mission visually and via GCS, and
intervene if necessary. As the UAV begins its final landing approach, PP should be
prepared to gently nudge the RC control sticks only if needed.

5. When UAV reaches 2 nd to last WP it wil l cut motor and glide while maintaining its
heading. It is susceptible to drift from turbulence and cross wind that occurs near ground

level so PP should always be prepared to gently “nudge” the aircraft to the left or right
using RC transmitter inputs or if necessary abort landing by switching to RTL.
Note: never pull up on elevator when UAV is gliding as this will result in a stall and

crash

. 6. In most cases, no intervention will be needed and the UAV should glide to the ground on

its own.102313 21 / 22

Note: Exact lan ding location is dependent on variables such as wind and may overshoot or
undershoot the intended landing target depending on headwind, pitch and speed. This is why a
large open area with no obstacles is required.



## Post

- Landing C heck

1. Download logs from APM to laptop

2. Download images from camera

3. Check all control surfaces, servos , ESC, and motor are functional

.



## RTD UAV Shut down Sequence

1. Click Disconnect in Mission Planner GCS

2. Unplug RTD UAV main battery

3. Turn off RC transmitter



## Maintenance

A) Authorized Individuals

a. Ready to Drone will have its own authorized technical support to conduct preventative and non

- preventative maintenance.

Types of Maintenance

A) Preventative

a. Definition

i. Simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly Operations.

b. Includes but not limited to replacing of:

i. Actuators

ii. Power plant (Motors)

iii. Propellers

iv. Electric Speed Controllers (ESC)

v. Batteries

vi. Ground Control Station

vii. Wiring

viii. Fasteners

ix. Antenna and radios102313 22 / 22 

### B) Non

- Prev entative

a. Definition

i. Operations that involve complex assembly operations and electronic circuitry modifications

b. Major Repairs

i. If major repairs are needed, the sUAS will be repaired by an authorized personnel.

Inspections

A) Prior to each flight, the PIC must inspect the sUAS to ensure it is in a

condition for safe flight.

B) If the inspection reveals a condition that affects the safe operation of the sUAS, sUAS is prohibited from operating until the necessary

maintenance has be en performed and the sUAS is found to be in a condition for safe flight.

Test Flight

A) If any sUAS has undergone maintenance or alterations that affect the

sUAS operation or flight characteristics, e.g. replacement of a flight critical component, must undergo a functional test flight in accordance with the operator’s manual.

B) The PIC who conducts the functional test flight must make an entry in the sUAS Flight Record.

Record Keeping

A) An aircraft flight log and maintenance record will be maintained by the

Chief Pilot in the 3

- Ring binder that is available at the ground station of every operation.

B) Prior to every flight operation, the PIC will obtain the 3

- Ri ng binder and fill out the Flight Log form and Maintenance Record if discrepancies

are noted.