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RTD UAV System

Operator Manual

RTD | X5
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RTD UAV Introduction

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 check 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

Autopilot GPS

e e

e

Telemetry

RC Link

RC Tx Ground Control Station Mission Planner

Mapping 

Camera
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Communications & 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 9XR/Pro transmitter with Frsky DJT radio system

 

 
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Flight 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 can 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 Software. Initially, users are encouraged to use only FBWA, 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-ofsight. 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 - RTL
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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 life 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 custom 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-Flight 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 will 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 screen.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.
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Alternative Additional Test: If you want to test autopilot/camera connectivity prior to launch:

 Go to the Flight Data tab, right click on the map and 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 

Flight Data 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. 
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Conducting Mapping 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 Plan 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 loading.

Mission Planner offers 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 quickly 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.
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Creating a Mapping Mission for Aerial Survey

In planning a mapping mission it is important to consider wind speed and direction for accurate,

efficient 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 optimal tracking 

of flight path and proper spacing between images. This means that the flight path should be 

perpendicular to the wind direction. 

To properly orient 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 interface. This will ensure proper flight path orientation. 

Additionally, whenever possible the landing location should be down-wind of the survey area.

This gives the best chance of successful return 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 Point
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3. Draw a polygon around the area to be surveyed
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4. Right click on map and then click on Auto WP > Survey (Grid)

5. In Survey (Grid), select your mapping camera Model (S100). Check “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.
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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. Click “Accept”.
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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.
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10. Add Take-off Command. Right Click and Insert WP.

11. Insert WP after 0 and click “OK”
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12. Click Dropdown menu and select TAKEOFF

13. For TAKEOFF command, set Pitch 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 create 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 descent angle should 

be between -3 and -10 degrees. 

14. Scroll down to bottom of list of WPs. Right 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. In 
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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.
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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 descent 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 WPs.

18. Click Read WPs to ensure they were written properly to the UAV. 
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You are now ready to perform preflight checks, initiate Launch sequence and 

execute 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”.
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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 all 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 and 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 WINDY 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 check all surfaces in FBW-A mode
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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. Turn 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 Procedure

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 necessary 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 300m x 300m with a smooth landing surface. Check that 

the intended takeoff trajectory is free of obstacles 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 CoPilot (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 confirm 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 propeller could spin as soon as 

Auto mode is engaged. ALWAYS STAY CLEAR OF PROPELLER!
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1. Create a mapping Mission (“See Creating a Mapping Mission for Aerial Survey”) and 

write the mission to the UAV via telemetry.

2. Always 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 ensures that the % grade to the next WP 

(2nd-to-last WP) is no steeper than -20 degrees.

ii. 2

nd

-to-last WP – Set to 5m Alt.

iii. Final WP (“Land” command) set to 0m Alt at landing target. Ensure that 

grade between 2nd-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 hand 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 2nd to last WP it will 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.
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Note: Exact landing 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 Check

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 radios
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B) Non- Preventative 

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 been 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-Ring binder and 

fill out the Flight Log form and Maintenance Record if discrepancies 

are noted.