## September	30,	2015

U.S.	Department	of	Transportation,	Docket	Operations West	Building	Ground	Floor,	Room	W12‐140 1200	New	Jersey	Ave,	SE Washington,	DC	20590

Re: Petition of Vantage Aerial Media for an Exemption Pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to Operate an Small Unmanned Aircraft System.

Dear	Sir	or	Madam:

Pursuant	to	Section	333	of	the	FAA	Modernization	and	Reform		Ac t	of	2012		(the	Reform	Act) and	14	C.F.R.	Part	11,	Vantage	A erial	Media	hereby	applies	for an	exemption	from	the	listed Federal	Aviation	Regulations	(FA Rs)	to	allow	commercial	operati on	of	small	unmanned	aerial systems	(sUAS),	for	aerial	imagi ng	for	safety	and	monitoring	of secured	and	controlled	project sites,	so	long	as	such	operations are	conducted	within	and	unde r	the	conditions	outlined	herein or	as	may	be	established	by	the	FAA	as	required	by	Section	333.

This	exemption	is	in	a ccordance	with	protocols	outlined	in	this petition	for	exemption	and incorporates	the	material	contained	in	the	following:

 Appendix	A:	Vantage	Aerial	Media sUAS	Operation,	Inspections,	a nd	Maintenance	Manual

 Appendix	B:	Vantage	Aerial	Media sUAS	Pilot	Operating	Handbook

 Appendix	C:	Vantage	Aerial	M edia	sUAS	Training	Manual

 Appendix	D:	DJI	S1000	User	Manual

 Appendix	E:	A2	Flight	Cont rol	System	User	Manual

As	described	more	fully	below,	th e	requested	exemption	would	pe rmit	the	operation	of	sUAS under	controlled	conditions	in	ai rspace	that	is	1)	limited	2)	p redetermined	3)	controlled	as	to access	and	4)	would	provide	safety	enhancements.		Approval	of	t his	exemption	would	therefore create	no	safety	concerns	regardin g	national	airspace	and	would fulfill	the	Secretary	of Transportation's	(the	FAA	Administrator's)	responsibilities	to "...establish	requirements	for	the safe	operation	of	such	aircraft	s ystems	in	the	national	airspac e	system."	Section	333(c)	of	the Reform	Act.

The	contact	information	for the	applicant	is	as	follows:

Vantage	Aerial	Media Attn:	Ryan	Baker Email:	vantageaerial@gmail.com 6804	Mastin	Drive Merriam,	KS	66203 (402)	212‐3710

## Regulations	from	which	the exemption	is	requested:

14	 CFR	 Part 21	Subpart	H 14	 CFR	91.203(a)(1) 14	 CFR	 Part 27 14	 CFR 45

. 23(b) 14	CFR	61.113(a)&(b) 14	 CFR	91

. 7 (a) 14	 CFR	 91.9(b) (2) 14	 CFR 91

. 103 14	 CFR 91.109(a) 14	 CFR 91.119 14	 CFR 91

. 121 14	CFR	91

. 151(a) 14	 CFR	 91.203(a)	& (b) 14	 CFR	 91.405 (a) 14	CFR	91.407(a)(1) 14	CFR	91.409(a)(2) 14	CFR	91.417(a)	&	(b)



# STATUTORY AUTHORITY FOR EXEMPTIONS The	Federal	Aviation	Act	expressl y	grants	the	FAA	the	authority to	issue	exemptions.		This statutory	authority	by	its	terms includes	exempting	civil	aircr aft,	as	the	term	i s	defined	under §40101	of	the	Act,	that	includes sUASs,	from	the	requirement	th at	all	civil	aircraft	must	have	a current	airworthiness	certificate.

The	Administrator	 may	grant	 an	exemption	 from	a	requirement	 of a	regulation prescribed under	 subsection	 (a)	or	(b)	of	this	section	 or	any	sections	 447 02

‐ 44716	of	this	 title	if the Administrator	 finds	 the	exemptio n	in	the	public	 interest.	 49	U

. S

. C

. §44701(f) See also 49 USC §44711(a);	49	USC	§44704 ; 14	CFR	 §91

. 203	 (a) (1 )

. Section	333(b)	of	the	Reform	Act assists	the	Secretary	in	deter mining	whether	sUAS	may operate	in	the	National	Airspace	System	(NAS)	without	creating a	hazard	to	the	user,	the public,	or	a	threat	to	national security.		In	making	this	deter mination,	the	Secretary	must consider:

 The	sUAS's	size,	weight,	speed ,	and	operational	capability;

 Operation	of	the	sUAS	in	close	p roximity	to	airports	and	popula ted	areas;	and

 Operation	of	the	sUAS	within	visual	line	of	sight	of	the	operat or.

Reform	Act	§	333	(a).		Lastly,	if	the	Secretary	determines	that such	vehicles	"may	operate	safely in	the	national	airspace	system,	the	Secretary	shall	establish requirements	for	the	safe operation	of	such	aircraft	in	the national	airspace	system."		V antage	Aerial	Media	interprets	this provision	to	place	the	duty	on	t he	Administrator	to	not	only	pr ocess	applications	for

## exemptions	under	Section	333,	but	for	the	Administrator	to	craf t	conditions	for	the	safe operation	of	the	sUAS,	if	it	should	be	determined	that	the	cond itions	set	forth	herein	do	not fulfill	the	statutory	re quirements	for	approval.

Vantage	Aerial	Media’s	sUAS	is	a multirotor	vehicle,	 weighing	 5 5	or	fewer	lbs.	including payload

. The	sUAS	operates ,	 under	 normal	 conditions,	 at	a	speed	 of	no	more	 than	50	knots and	has	 the capability t o hover

, and	move	 in	the	vertical	and	horizontal	 plane simultaneously.	 The	sUAS	will	operate	 only in	the	Pilot’s	visual line	of	sight	 a t 	 a l l 	 t i m e s a n d 	 will	operate	 only	within	 the	sterile	 area	described	 in	the Appendices

. Such operations will insure	 that	 the	sUAS	will " not	create	 a	hazard	 to	users	 of	the	national airspace	 system	 or the	public

. "

Given	 the	small	size	of	the	sUAS	and	the	restricted	 and	sterile environment within	which	 it will	operate

, Vantage	Aerial	Media	 falls	 squarely w i thin that	zone	 of	safety (an equivalent level	 of	safety)	in	which	Congress	 envisioned	 that	the	FAA	must ,	 by	exemption, allow commercial	operations	 of	sUAS	to commence	 immediately.	 	 Also	du e	to	the	small	size	 of the	s UAS and	the	low	al ti tudes	and	res tric ted	areas	in	which	 the	sUAS	wi ll opera te,	approval	 of	the application presents	 no	national	 security	issue

.

Given	 the	clear	 direction	in	Sect ion	 333	 of	the	Reform	 Act,	the authority	 contained	 in the Federal	 Aviation	Act

, as amended;	the	strong	equivalent	level of	safety	 surrounding	the proposed	 operations

, and	the significant public benefit,	including	enhanced	safety,	the	grant of	the	requested	exemption	is	in the	public	interest.		Accordin gly,	Vantage	Aerial	Media respectfully	requests	that	the	FAA	grant	the	requested	exemptio n	without	delay.



# PUBLIC INTEREST This	exemption	applic ation	is	expressly	submitted	to	fulfill	Co ngress'	goal	in	passing	Section 333(a)	through	(c)	of	the	Reform Act.		This	law	directs	the	Sec retary	of	Transportation	to consider	whether	certa in	unmanned	aircraft	s ystems	may	operate safely	in	the	NAS	before completion	of	the	rulemaking	req uired	under	Sect ion	332	of	the Reform	Act.		By	granting	an exemption	the	FAA	will fulfill	Congress’s	in tent	of	allowing	UA S	to	operate	with	significant safety	precautions	in	low	risk	environments.

The	use	of	sUAS	on	project	sites can	significantly	reduce	the	r isk	to	workers	of	falls	while inspecting,	surveying,	or	monitoring	site	construction	progress .		sUAS	can	inspect,	photograph, and	collect	data	in	hard	to	reach	areas	that	otherwise	would	re quire	worker	inspection.		Falls are	a	leading	source	of	workplac e	fatality	and	injury	(www.osha .gov).		With	the	use	of	the proposed	sUAS	Vantage	Aerial	Med ia	could	minimize	the	need	to	e xpose	industry	professionals to	high	fall	risk	activities,	whi ch	in	turn	could	save	lives.

Additionally,	sUAS	could	replace	t he	use	of	helicopters	and	sma ll	aircraft	to	monitor	sites.		The sUAS	Vantage	Aerial	Media	propos es	to	fly	in	this	application	i s	less	than	55	lbs.	and	carries	no combustible	material	on	board,	as	opposed	to	the	much	larger	co nventionally	powered	small

## aircraft.		Shifting	to	sUAS	from	h elicopters	presents	a	marked safety	increase	for	workers	and the	public.

Lastly,	sUAS	reduce	the	environm ental	impact	by	dramatically	de creasing	the	energy	used	for aerial	imaging	and	data	collecti on	over	a	project	site.		The	pr oposed	sUAS	uses	rechargeable lithium	ion	batteries,	as	opposed to	fossil	fuels	burned	in	ope ration	of	much	heavier	small aircraft.



# EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF SAFETY Vantage	Aerial	Media	proposes	that	the	exemption	requested	here in	apply	to	sUAS	that	have the	characteristics	and	that	ope rate	with	the	limitations	liste d	herein.	These	limitations	provide for	an	exceptional	leve l	of	safety	to	operations.	These	limitat ions	and	conditions	to	which Vantage	Aerial	Media	agrees	to	be bound	when	conducting	commerc ial	operations	under	an FAA	issued	exemption	include:

1. The	sUAS	will	weigh less	than	55	lbs. 2. Flights	will	be	operated	within	line	of	sight	of	Pilot	in	Comma nd	or	Visual Observer. 3. Maximum	total	flight	time	for	ea ch	operational	flight	will	be	2 0	minutes.		Flights	will	be terminated	at	20%	battery	power	reserve	should	that	occur	prior to	the	20	minute	limit. 4. Flights	will	normally	be	operated at	an	altitude	below	200	feet AGL,	never	exceeding 400	feet	AGL 5. The	sUAS	pilot	will	be	trained	a nd	certified	in	the	proper	safe ty	and	operations	of	the sUAS. 6. The	sUAS	will	only	operate	within	a	controlled	area	as	defined in	the	Appendices. 7. The	sUAS	pilot	will	post	advisory	notices	where	people	are	loca ted	around	the controlled	area. 8. A	briefing	will	be	conducted	in regard	to	the	planned	sUAS	oper ations	prior	to	each day’s	production	activities.		It will	be	mandatory that	all	per sonnel	who	will	be performing	duties	within	the	boundaries	of	the	safety	perimeter be	present	for	this briefing. 9. All	onsite	personnel	will	consent	to	the	sUAS	flyover	by	waiver ,	and	the	operator	will obtain	additional	verb al	or	written	consent	of	all	persons	who will	be	allowed	within 100	feet	of	the	flight	operation. 10. Operator	will	have	been	trained	in	operation	of	sUAS	generally and	will	have	received up‐to‐date	information	on	the	pa rticular	sUAS	to	be	operated	as required	by	the Appendices. 11. Written	and/or	oral	permission	fr om	the	relevant	property	holde rs	will	be	obtained. 12. If	the	sUAS	loses	communications or	loses	its	GPS	signal,	the	U AS	will	have	the	capability to	return	to	a	pre‐determined	location	within	the	Security	Peri meter	and	land. 13. The	sUAS	will	have	the	capability	to	abort	a	flight	in	case	of unpredicted	obstacles	or emergencies.

# DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC REGULATIONS

14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H: Airworthiness Certificates & 14 C.F.R. §91.203 (a) (1) Subpart	H,	entitled	Airworthine ss	Certificates,	establishes	the procedural	requirements	for	the issuance	of	airworthiness	certif icates	as	required	by	FAR	§91.2 03	(a)	(1).

Given	the	size	and	limited	operating	area	associated	with	the	s UAS	to	be	utilized	by	Vantage Aerial	Media,	an	exemption	from	Part	21	Subpart	H	meets	the	req uirements	of	an	equivalent level	of	safety	under	Part	11	an d	Section	333	of	the	Reform	Act .		The	Federal	Aviation	Act	(49 U.S.C.	§44701	(f))	and	Section	33 3	of	the	Reform	Act	both	autho rize	the	FAA	to	e xempt	aircraft from	the	requirement	for	an	airw orthiness	certificate,	upon	con sideration	of	the	size,	weight, speed,	operational	capability,	an d	proximity	to	airports	and	po pulated	areas	of the	particular sUAS.		In	all	cases,	a n	analysis	of	these criteria	demonstrates that	the	sUAS	operated	without	an airworthiness	certificate,	in	th e	restricted	environment		and	u nder	the	conditions	proposed	will be	at	least	as	safe,	or	safer,	t han	a	conventional	aircraft	(fi xed	wing	or	rotorcraft)	operating	with an	airworthiness	certificate	with out	the	restrictions	and	condi tions	proposed.

The	proposed	sUAS	to	be	operated	is	less	than	55	lbs.	fully	loa ded,	carries	neither	a	pilot	nor passenger,	carries	no	explosive materials	or	flammable	liquid	f uels,	and	operates	exclusively within	a	controlled	area	as	set	out	in	the	Appendices.		Unlike other	civil	aircra ft,	operations under	this	exemption	will	be	tig htly	controlled	and	monitored	b y	the	sUAS	pilot,	pursuant	to	the requirements	set	out	in	the	Appe ndices.		Lastly,	application	of these	same	criteria	demonstrates that	there	is	no	credible	threat to	national	security	posed	by the	sUAS,	due	to	its	size,	speed	of operation,	location	of	operation, lack	of	explosive	materials	o r	flammable	liquid	fuels,	and inability	to	carry	a	substantial	external	load.



# 14 C.F.R. Part 27: Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft This	regulation	sets	forth	the	p rocedural	requirements	for	airw orthiness	certification	of	normal category	rotorcraft.		T o	the	extend	the	S10 00	would	otherwise	r equire	certification	under	Part 27,	Vantage	Aerial	Media	seeks	an	exemption	from	Part	27’s	airw orthiness	standards	for	the same	reasons	identified	in	the	request	for	exemption	from	14	C. F.R.	Part	21,	Subpart	H.



# 14 C.F.R. § 45.23 (b): Marking of the Aircraft The	regulation	requires	when	mark s	include	only	the	Roman	capit al	letter	"N"	and	the registration	number	is	displayed on	limited,	restricted	or	ligh t‐sport	category	aircraft	or experimental	or	provisionally	c ertificated	aircraft,	the	operat or	must	also	display	on	that aircraft	near	each	entrance	to	the cabin,	cockpit,	or	pilot	sta tion,	in	letters	not	less	than	2	inches nor	more	than	6	inches	high,	the	words	"limited,"	"restricted," "light‐sport,"	"experimental,"	or "provisional,"	as	applicable.

Even	though	the	sUAS	will	have	n o	airworthiness	certificate,	an exemption	may	be	needed	as the	UAS	will	have	no	entrance	to the	cabin,	cockpit	or	pilot	st ation	on	which	the	word "Experimental"	can	be	placed.

Given	the	size	of	the	sUAS,	two‐inch	lettering	will	be	impossib le.		The	word	"Experimental"	will be	placed	on	the	fuselage	in	compliance	with	§45.29	(f).		The	e quivalent	level	of	safety	will	be

## provided	by	having	the	sUAS	marked	on	its	fuselage	as	required by	§45.29	(f)	where	the operator	working	with	the	sUAS	w ill	see	the	identification	of	t he	sUAS	as	"Experimental."	The FAA	has	issued	the	fo llowing	exemptions	to this	regulation	to	E xemptions	Nos.	10700,	8738, 10167	and	10167A.



# 14 CFR 61.113(a) & (b): Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: Pilot in Command Sections	61.113	(a)	&	(b)	limit private	pilots	to	non‐commercia l	operation.		Because	the	sUAS will	not	carry	a	pilot	or	passengers,	the	proposed	operations	c an	achieve	the	equivalent	level	of safety	of	current	operations	by	requiring	the	Pilot	operating	t he	aircraft	to	have	completed	a sUAS	flight	training	course	as	d etailed	in	the	Appendices.		Unl ike	a	conventional	aircraft	that carries	the	pilot	and	passengers, the	sUAS	is	remotely	controll ed	with	no	living	thing	or	cargo on	board.		Vantage	Aerial	Media’s sUAS	can	also	be	operated	by an	autopilot,	which	greatly reduces	the	danger	of human	error.		The	area	of	operation	is	co ntrolled	and	restricted,	and	all flights	are	planned	and	coordina ted	in	advance	a s	set	forth	in the	Appendices.

The	sUAS	to	be	operated	hereunder	is	less	than	55	lbs.	fully	lo aded,	carries	neither	a	pilot	nor passenger,	carries	no	explosive materials	or	flammable	liquid	f uels,	and	operates	exclusively within	a	secured	area	as	set	out in	the	Appendices.		Like	other civil	aircraft,	op erations	under this	exemption	will	be	tightly	controlled	and	monitored	by	the operator	and	in	compliance	with local	public	safety	requirements.

The	risks	associated	with	the	operation	of	the	sUAS	are	therefo re	diminished	from	the	level	of risk	associated	with	commercial	o perations	contemplated	by	Part 61	when	drafted,	and allowing	operations	of	the	sUAS	as	requested	with	a	Pilot	who	h as	met	the	minimum requirements	stated	in	the	Appendices	and	achieves	the	level	of safety	contemplated	by	14 C.F.R.	§	61.113	(a)	&	(b).



# 14 C.F.R. §91.7(a): Civil Aircraft Airworthiness The	regulation	requires	that	no	p erson	may	operate	a	civil	airc raft	unless	it	is	in	airworthy condition.	As	there	will	be	no	airworthiness	certificate	issued for	the	aircraft,	should	this exemption	be	granted,	no	FAA	reg ulatory	standard	will	exist	for determining	airworthiness.

Given	the	size	of	the	aircraft	and	the	requirements	contained	i n	the	Appendices	for maintenance	and	use	of	safety	check	lists	prior	to	each	flight, an	equivalent	level	of	safety	will be	provided.



# 14 CFR 91.9(b) (2): Civil Aircraft Flight Manual in the Aircraft Section	91.9	(b)	(2)	provides:

No	person	may	operat e	a	U.S.‐registered	civil	aircraft	...

(2)		For	which	an	Airplane	or Rotorcraft	Flight	Manual	is	not	r equired	by	§21.5	of	this	chapter, unless	there	is	available	in	th e	aircraft	a	current	approved	Ai rplane	or	Rotorcraft	Flight	Manual, approved	manual	material,	markings,	and	placards,	or	any	combin ation	thereof.

The	sUAS,	given	its	size	and	configuration	has	no	ability	or	pl ace	to	carry	such	a	flight	manual on	the	aircraft,	not	only	because there	is	no	pilot	on	board,	b ut	because	there	is	no	room	or capacity	to	carry	such an	item	on	the	aircraft.

## The	equivalent	level	of	safety	will	be	maintained	by	keeping	th e	flight	manual	at	the	ground control	point	where	the	operator flying	the	sUAS	will	have	imme diate	access	to	it.		The	FAA	has issued	the	following	exemptions	to	this	regulation:	Exemption	N os.	8607,	8737,	8738,	9299, 9299A,	9565,	95658,	10167,	10167A,	10602,	32827,	and	10700.



# 14 CFR 91.103: Preflight Action This	regulation	requires	each	op erator	to	take	certain	actions before	flight	to	i nsure	the	safety of	flight.		As	FAA	approved	rot orcraft	flight	manuals	will	not be	provided	for	the	aircraft	an exemption	will	be	needed.		An	equivalent	level	of	safety	will	b e	provided	as	set	forth	in	the Appendices.		The	operator	will	ta ke	all	actions	including	revie wing	weather,	flight	battery requirements,	landing	and	takeof f	distances	and	aircraft	perfor mance	data	before	initiation	of flight.



# 14 CFR 91.109: Flight Instruction Section	91.109	provides	that	no	p erson	may	operate	a	civil	airc raft	(except	a	manned	free balloon)	that	is	being	used	for	flight	instruction	unless	that aircraft	has	fully	functioning	dual controls.

sUAS	and	remotely	control	pilote d	aircraft,	by	their	design	do not	have	fully	functional	dual controls.		Flight	is	accomplished through	the	use	of	a	control box	that	communicates	with	the aircraft	via	radio	communications .		The	FAA	has	approved	exempt ions	for	flight	training without	fully	functional	dual	c ontrols	for	a	number	of	aircraft and	for	flight	instruction	in experimental	aircraft.		See	Exemp tion	Nos.5778K	& 9862A.		The	e quivalent	level	of	safety provided	by	the	fact	that	neithe r	a	pilot	nor	passengers	will	b e	carried	in	the	aircraft	and	by	the size	and	speed	of	the	aircraft.



# 14 CFR 91.119: Minimum Safe Altitudes
Section	91.119	establishes	safe	a ltitudes	for	operation	of	civi l	aircraft.	Section 91.119	(d)	allows helicopters	to	be	operated	at	le ss	than	the	minimums	prescribed ,	provided	the	person operating	the	helicopter	complies	with	any	route	or	altitudes	p rescribed	for	helicopters	by	the FAA.

As	this	exemption	is	for	a	sUAS	that	is	a	helicopter	and	the	ex emption	requests	authority	to operate	at	altitudes	up	to	400	AGL,	an	exemption	may	be	needed to	allow	such	operations.		As set	forth	herein	the	sUAS	will	ne ver	operate	at	higher	than	400 AGL.

The	equivalent	level	of	safety	will	be	achieved	given	the	size, weight,	speed	of	the	sUAS	as	well as	the	location	where	it	is	oper ated.		In	addition,	the	low‐alt itude	operations	of	the	sUAS	will ensure	separation	between	these sUAS	operations	and	the	operati ons	of	conventional	aircraft that	must	comply	with	Section	91.119.



# 14 CFR 91.121: Altimeter Settings This	regulation	requires	each	pe rson	operating	an aircraft	to	m aintain	cruising	altitude	by reference	to	an	altimeter	that	i s	set	"...	to	the elevation	of the	departure	airport	or	an appropriate	altimeter	setting	available	before	departure."		As the	sUAS	may	not	have	a

## barometric	altimeter,	but	instea d	a	GPS	altitude	read	out,	an	e xemption	may	be	needed.		An equivalent	level	of	safety	will	be	achieved	by	the	operator,	pu rsuant	to	the	Appendices, confirming	the	altitude	of	the	launch	site	shown	on	the	GPS	alt itude	indicator	before	flight.



# 14 CFR 91.151(a): Fuel Requirement for Flight in VFR Conditions Section	91.151	(a)	prohibits	an	i ndividual	from	beginning	"a	fl ight	in	an	airplane	under	VFR conditions	unless	(considering	wi nd	and	forecast	weather	condit ions)	there	is	enough	fuel	to	fly to	the	first	point	of	intended	landing,	and,	assuming	normal	cr uising	speed	‐	(1)	During	the	day, to	fly	after	that	for	at	least	30	minutes;	or	(2)	At	night,	to fly	after	that	for	at	least	45	minutes."

Given	the	technological	limitations	on	the	sUAS	battery	power	m eans	that	no	meaningful	flight operations	can	be	conducted	whil e	still	maintaining	a	30	minute reserve.		The	aircraft	is	battery powered	with	a	maximum	flight	time	of	30	minutes.		Vantage	Aeri al	Media	proposes	that	the maximum	flight	time	for	each	ope rational	flight	w ill	be	20	minu tes.		The	aircraft	will	be	safely landed	with	no	less	than	the	gre ater	of	(a)	20%	battery	life	re maining	or	(b)	five	minutes	of flight	time	remaining.

Applicant	believes	that	an	exemp tion	from	14	CFR	§91.151(a)	fal ls	within	the	scope	of	prior exemptions.	See	Exemption	10673	(allowing	Lockheed	Martin	Corpo ration	to	operate	without compliance	with	FAR	91.151	(a)). Operating	the	small	UAS,	in	a tightly	controlled	area,	with	less than	30	minutes	of	reserve	fuel,	does	not	create	the	type	of	ri sks	that	Section	91.151	(a)	was intended	to	alleviate	given	th e	size	and	speed	of	the	sUAS.

The	FAA	has	stated	that	an	equivalent	level	of	safety	is	provid ed	if	the	sUAS	flight	is	conducted under	daytime	VFR	flight	conditions	using	visual	line	of	sight (VLOS),	and	terminated	with	at least	25%	reserve	battery	power	still	available.		See	Grant	of Exemption	No.	11062,	p.	21‐22. The	Appendices	requires	an	equivalent	level	of	safety	by	safely landing	with	no	less	than	the greater	of	(a)	20%	battery	life	remaining	or	(b)	five	minutes	o f	light	time	remaining	and otherwise	complying	with	the	flight	restrictions	above.



# 14 CFR 91.203(a) & (b): Carrying Civil Aircraft Certification and Registration The	regulation	provides in	pertinent	part:

(a)	Except	as	provided	in	§	91.7 15,	no	person	may	operate	a	civ il	aircraft	unless	it	has	within	it the	following:

(1)	An	appropriate	and	current	a irworthiness	certificate..	.

(b)	No	person	may	operate	a	civi l	aircraft	unless	the	airworthi ness	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	passe ngers	or	crew.

The	sUAS	fully	loaded	weighs	no	more	than	55	lbs.	and	is	operat ed	without	an	onboard	pilot.	As such,	there	is	no	ability	or	pla ce	to	carry	certification	and	r egistration	documents	or	to	display them	on	the	sUAS.

## An	equivalent	level	of	safety	will	be	achieved	by	keeping	these documents	at	the	ground	control point	where	the	operator	flying	the	sUAS	will	have	immediate	ac cess	to	them,	to	the	extent	they are	applicable	to	the	sUAS.		The	FAA	has	issued	numerous	exempt ions	to	this	regulation.		A representative	sample	of	other	exceptions	includes	Exemption	No s.	9565,	9665,	9789,	9789A, 9797,	9797A,	9816A,	and	10700.



# 14 CFR 91.405 (a); 407(a) (1); 409(a) (2); 417(a) & (b): Maintenance Inspections These	regulations	require	that	an aircraft	operator	or	owner		" shall	have	that	aircraft	inspected as	prescribed	in	subpart	E	of	th is	part	and	shall	between	requi red	inspections,	except	as provided	in	paragraph	(c)	of	thi s	section,	have	discrepancies	r epaired	as	prescribed	in	part	43 of	this	chapter...,"	and	others	sh all	inspect	or	maintain	the	a ircraft	in	compliance	with	Part	43. Given	that	these	sections	and	Pa rt	43	apply	only	to	aircraft	wi th	an	airworthiness	certificate, these	sections	will	not	apply	to	the	Applicant.		Maintenance	wi ll	be	accomplished	by	the operator	pursuant	to	the	flight	manual	and	operating	handbook	a s	referenced	in	the Appendices.	An	equivalent	level of	safety	will	be	achieved	beca use	the	sUAS	is	limited	in	size and	will	carry	a	small payload	and	operate	only	in	controlled	a reas	for	limited	periods	of	time from	no	higher	than	400	feet	AGL ..		If	mechanical	issues	arise the	sUAS	can	land	immediately. As	provided	in	the	Appendices,	the	operator	will	ensure	that	th e	sUAS	is	in	working	order	prior to	initiating	flight,	perform	required	maintenance,	and	keep	a log	of	any	maintenance performed.		Moreover,	the	operat or	is	the	person	most	familiar with	the	aircraft	and	best	suited to	maintain	the	aircra ft	in	an	airworthy	condition	to	provide	t he	equivalent	level	of	safety.



# FEDERAL REGISTER PULICATION SUMMARY Pursuant	to	14	C.F.R.	Part	11,	the following	summary	is	provide d	for	publication	in	the	Federal Register,	should	it	be	determined	that	publication	is	needed:

Vantage Aerial Media seeks an exemption from the following rules: 14 CFR Part 21 Subpart H; 14 CFR 91.203(a)(1); 14 CFR Part 27; 14 CFR 45.23(b); 14 CFR 61.113(a)&(b); 14 CFR 91.7(a); 14 CFR 91.9(b)(2); 14 CFR 91.103; 14 CFR 91.109(a); 14 CFR 91.119; 14 CFR 91.121; 14 CFR 91.151(a); 14 CFR 91.203(a) & (b); 14 CFR 91.405(a); 14 CFR 91.407(a)(1); 14 CFR 91.409(a)(2); 14 CFR 91.417(a) & (b) to commercially operate a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS, 55 lbs. or less) for the purpose of inspection, monitoring, mapping and photographing equipment and engineering studies.

Approval of exemptions allowing commercial operations of sUAS will create a level of safety by reducing risk. Conventional inspections and construction monitoring tasks involve extreme risks to personnel physically climbing structures and/or utilizing high rise equipment both of which create numerous and extreme risk to such personnel. In contrast,

a sUAS weighing fewer than 55 lbs. and powered by batteries eliminates virtually all of that risk. The sUAS will carry no passengers or crew and, therefore, will not expose personnel to any of the risks described above.

# Privacy
All flights will occur over private or controlled access property with the property owner's prior consent and knowledge. The granting of this exemption request will provide innovative safety operations.

Satisfaction	of	the	criteria	prov ided	in	Section	333	of	the	Ref orm	Act	of	2012‐‐size,	weight, speed,	operating	capabilities,	pr oximity	to	airports	and	popula ted	areas	and	operation	within visual	line	of	sight	‐	provide	more	than	adequate	justification for	the	grant	of	the	requested exemptions	allowing	commercial	ope ration	of	applicant's	sUAS	in and	pursuant	to	the Procedures	appended	hereto.

Sincerely,

Ryan	Baker,	Director	of	sUAS	Flight	Operations Vantage	Aerial	Media

Enclosure

# Appendix A: Vantage Aerial Media sUAS Operations, Inspection, and Maintenance Manual

# FLIGHT OPERATIONS

Company Organization and Authority

1. Vantage	Aerial	Media	will	conduc t	flight	operations	using	a	sma ll	unmanned	aerial system	(sUAS)	as	described	in	t hese	Operations,	Inspection,	and Maintenance	Manual (hereafter,	“Manual”)	for	the	purpose	of	inspection,	monitoring ,	mapping	and photographing	equipment	and	engineering	studies

.

2. Vantage	Aerial	Media	will	designate	a	Director	of	sUAS	Flight	O perations	(Director).

3. The	Director	will	ensure	this	Ma nual	is	revised	to	contain	all current	information.

4. The	Director	will	ensure	that	th is	Manual	is	distributed	to	all personnel	involved	with sUAS	operations	as	well	as	any	revisions	to	this	manual.

5. The	Director	will	ensure	all	sUA S	pilots	are	trained	according to	the	Vantage	Aerial Media	sUAS	Training	Manual	and	the	Vantage	Aerial	Media	sUAS	Pi lot	Operating Handbook.



# Vantage Aerial Media sUAS Platform

1. sUAS	operations	will	be	conducted	using	a	DJI	S1000	Plus	with	t he	A2	Flight	Control System,	manufactured	by	DJI	Innovations	(the	“S1000”).

2. The	S1000	weighs	approximately	8.8	pounds	with	a	maximum	takeof f	weight	of approximately	24	pounds	including	payload.

3. Operation	of	the	S1000	is	descri bed	in	Appendix	B .	Vantage	Aeri al	Media	sUAS	Pilot Operating	Handbook.

4. A	complete	description	of	the	S 1000	is	contained	in	Appendix	D. DJI	S1000	Plus	User Manual	and	Appendix	E.	A2	Fligh t	Control	System	User	Manual.



# Aircraft Registration, Log Book, and Manuals

1. The	S1000	will	be	identified	by	serial	number,	registered	with the	FAA,	and	have identification	(N‐Number)	mark ings	as	large	as	practicable.

2. The	S1000	will	have	a	Log	Book	to	record	inspections,	maintenan ce,	and	flight operations.

3. All	required	paperwork	including Registration,	Log	Book,	and	Ma nuals	will	be	located	at the	ground	control	station	in	close	proximity	to	the	pilot	in	c ommand.



# Required Crew Members and Qualifications

1. sUAS	operations	will	re quire	a	minimum	crew	of	a	pilot	in	comma nd	(PIC)	and	a	visual observer	(VO)

## 2. The	PIC	will	possess	at	least	a	sport	pilot	license	and	an	airm an	medical	certificate	or U.S.	driver’s	license	and	will	be trained	according	to	the	Vant age	Aerial	Media	sUAS Training	Manual	(Appendix	C).



# Flight Areas
1. The	sUAS	will	only	operate	with in	private	or	controlled‐access property	with permission	from	the	property	owne r/controller	or	authorized	rep resentative. Permission	from	the	property	owne r/controller	or	authorized	rep resentative	will	be obtained	for	each	flig ht	to	be	conducted.

2. Flight	operations	will	not	be	cond uct	within	5	nautical	miles	o f	an	airport	reference point	(ARP)	as	denoted	in	the	current	FAA	Airport/Facility	Dire ctory	(AFD)	or	for airports	not	denoted	with	an	ARP ,	the	center	of	the	airport	sym bol	as	denoted	on	the current	FAA‐published	aeronautic al	chart	unless	a	letter	of	agr eement	with	that airport’s	management	is	obtained or	otherwise	permitted	by	a	ce rtificate	of	waiver	or authorization	(COA).

3. All	flight	operations	will	be	c onducted	at	least	500	feet	from all	nonparticipating persons	(the	PIC,	VO,	operator	tr ainees	or	essential	persons	wi ll	not	be	considered nonparticipating	persons),	vesse ls,	vehicles,	and	structures	un less:

a. Barriers	or	structures	are	presen t	that	sufficiently	protect	no nparticipating persons	from	the	sUAS	a nd/or	debris	in	the event	of	an	accident

.

b. The	owner/controller	of	any	vesse ls,	vehicles,	or	structures	ha s	granted permission	for	operating	closer	to	those	objects	and	the	PIC	ha s	made	a	safety assessment	of	the	risk of	operating	closer	to	those	objects	and determined	that	it does	not	present	an	undue	hazard.



# Flight Operating Parameters
1. Flights	will	be	operated	within	visual	line	of	sight	(VLOS)	of the	PIC	or	VO	during daylight	and	under	visual	mete orological	conditions	(VMC).

2. The	sUAS	will	not	be	operated	if	wind	gust	greater	than	30	mph.

3. Prior	to	each	flight,	a	zero	alt itude	initiation	point	will	be established	and confirmed	for accuracy	by	the	PIC.

4. Maximum	flight	time	for	each	ope rational	flight	w ill	be	20	minu tes.

5. The	sUAS	will	be	safely	landed	with	no	less	than	the	greater	of (a)	20%	battery	life remaining	or	(b)	five	minute s	of	flight	time	remaining.

6. Flights	will	be	operating	at	or	below	400	feet	above	ground	lev el	(AGL).

## 7. Flights	will	be	limited	to	a	grou ndspeed	of	25	mph	and	vertical ascent	will	be	limited	to 20	mph.

8. The	flight	operations	will	yield the	right	of	way	to	other	mann ed	aircraft	operations.

9. The	flight	will	be	aborted	in	ca se	of	unpredicted	obstacles	or emergencies.

10. Each	flight	will	be	recorded	in	the	Log	Book.



# Lost GPS/Communication Procedures

1. Flight	recovery	following	lost	gp s/communications	will	be	perfo rmed	according	to Appendices	B,	C,	and	D.



# INSPECTION AND FUNCTIONAL TEST FLIGHT

Preflight Inspection Procedures

1. Before	each	flight,	either	the	PIC	or	the	VO	will	conduct	a	pre flight	inspection	of	the sUAS.

2. The	sUAS	and	ground	control	stat ion	will	be	inspected	for	signs of	damage.	Screws	will be	checked	and	tightened	if	necessary.

3. The	ground	control	station	will	be inspected	to	ensure	they	are not	damaged,	loose,	or misaligned.

4. Motors	will	be	inspected	to	ensure	they	are	not	loose	and	the	s upports	are	not	cracked.

5. Batteries	for	both	sUAS	and	groun d	control	station	will	be	chec ked	to	ensure	they	are fully	charged.

6. The	S1000	batteries	will	be	charg ed	and	maintained	according	to Appendix	D.

7. A	preflight	maintenance	inspecti on	will	be	recorded	in	the	airc raft	log	book.



# Post

‐ Flight Inspection Procedures

1. After	each	flight,	eit her	the	PIC	or	the	V O	will	conduct	a	post ‐flight	inspection	of	the sUAS.

2. The	sUAS	and	ground	control	stat ion	will	be	inspected	for	signs of	damage.		Screws	will be	checked	and	tightened	if	necessary.

3. Propellers	will	be	inspected	to ensure	they	are	not	damaged,	lo ose,	or	misaligned.

4. Motors	will	be	inspected	to	ensure	they	are	not	loose	and	the	s upports	are	not	cracked.

5. Batteries	will	be	charged	and	mai ntained	according	to	Appendix D.

# MAINTENANCE

Maintenance Procedures

1. The	S1000	will	be	maintained	in	a ccordance	with	Appendices	B,	D ,	and	E.

2. The	S1000	will	have	a	log	book	to record	inspections,	maintenan ce,	and	flight operations.

3. Batteries	will	be	charged	in accordance	with	Appendix	D.



# Functional Test Flight

1. After	a	flight	critical	component ,	such	as	a	propeller	or	motor ,	has	undergone maintenance	or	been	repaired	or	r eplaced,	the	aircraft	will	und ergo	a	functional	test flight.

a. The	PIC	will	conduct	the	test	fli ght	in	accordance	with	Appendi x	D.

b. The	PIC	will	make	an	entry	in	the	log	book	of	the	functional	te st	flight

2. Every	500	hours	of	flight	time, the	PIC	will	conduct	a	function al	test	flight	regardless	of the	maintenance	activities.

3. The	PIC	will	make	an	entry	in	the	log	book	of	the	functional	te st	flight.

# Appendix B: Vantage Aerial Media sUAS Pilot Operation Handbook

# KEY PARAMETERS

Max	Takeoff	Weight 24	lbs Weight	with	Zenmuse	and	all	othe r	equipment	–	no	camera,	no	bat tery																																							13. 4	lbs Weight	of	Nex5/6/7	camera 1	lb Weight	of	Canon	5D	camera 1.75	lbs Max	Battery	Weight	with	Zenmus e/Nex	Camera: 9.5	lbs Max	Battery	Weight	with	Zenmuse/Canon	5D: 9	lbs

Flight	Times	using	90%	of	battery:

16,000	mah	battery	Nex	7:					 17	min 20,000	mah	battery	Nex	7:					 20	min 32,000	mah	battery	Nex	7:					 22	min

Flight	times	using	the	Canon	5D or	other	cameras	similar	in	wei ght	will	reduce	the	flight	times	by about	1	minute.		These	times	are	averages.	 An	operator	may	get longer	or	shorter	flight	times based	on	weight	and	flying	style.

# DJI	S‐1000	Plus

CHECKLISTS

DJI S

‐ 1000 PLUS BENCH SET UP & TESTS

o All	screws/bolts	are	tight

o Timer	alarm	for	flight	time	to	no t	exceed	80%	battery	capacity set	properly

o Batteries	 are	 secure

o Antennas	are	secure

o Props	balanced

o Props	aligned

o Props	not	chipped

o Check	blades,	arms,	etc.	for	cracks/damage

o Wiring	Tight

o No	excessive	flexing	of	motors	or	booms

o Booms/motors	will	not	twist

o Center	of	gravity	is	correct

o Warning	lights	set	for	low	battery	if	used

o Batteries	charged.	Replace	any	battery	which	cycles	below	80%	o f	rated	capacity

 Laptop	Battery

 Flight	Battery

 Copter	RC	Transmitter	Battery

 Video	RC	Transmitter	Battery

 Spare	Laptop	Battery

# DJI S

‐ 1000 PLUS INVENTORY CHECKLI ST

o Load	Flight	plan

o Aircraft

o Camera	with	SD	card

o Spare	parts/tools

o Spare	batteries

o Two	RC	transmitters	(Copter	&	Video)

o Laptop

o Battery	Charger

o Flight	Controller	Cable

o Video	monitor,	stand,	battery,	antennas

o Datalink	&	cable

# DJI S

‐ 1000 PLUS PREFLIGHT CHECKLI ST

o Determine	emergency	flight	plan	and	alternate	landing	zones	avo iding	power	lines	and obstacles

o Check	wind	direction

o Set	a	perimeter	of	500	feet	–	area	must	be	clear	of	non‐partici pants

o All	antennas	installed	and	all pointing	in	correct	directions

o Engage	GCS,	monitor,	laptop,	etc.	(bring	up	flight	plan)

o Remove	lens	cap	/	Clean	lens

o Camera	On

o Ensure	camera	has	SD	card	installed.

o Check	battery	voltage

o Install	battery	on	copter.

o Check	center	of	gravity

o Level	copter	with	front	pointing	in	correct	direction	for	cours e	lock	–	do	not	turn	on

o Copter RC Transmitter ‐ Set switches	‐	Throttle	Down,	Return to	Home	switch	Off,	Manual Flight	Mode

o Switch	On,	Flight	Path	Switch	Off	–	Not	Course	or	Home	Lock

o Copter	Transmitter	On

o Check	Model	Selection	on	Tx

o Check	Tx	battery	voltage	(above	7.4v)

o On	PhVideo	Tx	–	set	switches	‐	H DMI	switch	Off,	Freestyle	switc h	On

o Video	Transmitter	On

o Check	Model	Selection	on	Tx

o Check	Video	Tx	battery	voltage	(above	7.4v)

o Plug	in	battery	black	lead	first.

o Calibrate	GPS/Compass	if	necessary

o If	calibrated,	cycle	battery	wit h	correct	heading	for	course	lo ck.

o Do	not	touch	the	Copter	until	30 seconds	after	full	GPS	Lock.	I nitial	3	red	blinks	is normal	meaning	no	GPS	lock.	Wait until	no	flashes.	Continue	wit h	checklist.

o Check	Copter	Voltage	from	GCS

o Engage	Attitude	Mode	–	Must	Achieve	Double	Amber	Flash

o Engage	GPS	Mode	–	Must	Achieve	Double	Purple	Flash

o While	in	GPS	mode	engage	“Course	Lock”	mode.	Must	achieve	green Flash

# o Do	not	engage	motors.	Set	throttle	to	center	position.	Must	ach ieve	single	amber	flash	in Attitude	Mode	and	single	p urple	flash	in	GPS	mode

o HDMI	switch	On	(video	on	cam era	itself	should	go	off)

o Freestyle	switch	On	(FPV	Off)

o Verify	camera	operation	(If	problems,	check	Drive	Mode	–	Remote Cmdr	must	be	“on”, manual	focus,	intelligent	auto)

o Verify	data	link	if	installed	– rolling	copter	manually	should change	gauges

o Upload	flight	plan

o Verify	altitude	is	about	0	via	gauge	on	computer/GCS/video	moni tor

o Timers	set	properly

# TAKEOFF CHECKLIST

o Engage	GPS	mode	–	Double	purple	flash

o Engage	Course	Lock	mode	(double	green	flash)

o Announce	loudly:	“CLEAR	PROP”

o Position	the	sticks	in	the	lower left	hand	corners,	then	immedi ately	raise	the	throttle	2 clicks,	and	center	the	right	stick.

o Advance	throttle	to	1/4	power	for	5	seconds.	Assure	all	motors are	operating.

o Verify	that	left/right	and	forwa rd/back	stick	movement	engages the	proper	motors

o Verify	data	and	video	link s	are	still	operational

o Announce	loudly:	“TAKING	OFF”

o Advance	throttle	to	full.	Copter must	jump	off	of	the	ground.

o Ascend	to	10	feet.	Center	throttle	stick.	Should	be	single	gree n	flash.	Verify	wireless link,	GPS	hold,	camera	operation ,	gauges,	etc.	are	working	prop erly.

o Verify	course	lock	is	operational	by	rotating	90	degrees	and	pu shing	forward	on	stick.

o Verify	copter	stability.	If	unstable,	land	and	reset	gains,	rec alibrate,	or	retest	as
necessary.

o Raise	landing	gear

o Proceed	with	manual	mission

o For	autopilot	operation

 Ascend	to	30	feet	manually

 Engage	autopilot

o PIC/VO	must	monitor	the	informational	LED	and	be	ready	to	take over	in	manual mode	when	necessary.

o PIC	to	request	copter	flight	ba ttery	voltage	readout	from	camer a	operator periodically.

# QUICK PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

o Landing	zone	clear

o Level	copter	with	correct	heading

o Battery	4.1+	full,	3.8	depleted

o Camera	on.	SD	card	in.

o Both	TX	on

o Copter	on

o Check	GPS	and	Course	lock	checks

o Video	check

o Photo	check

o Timers	ready

o Takeoff

o Raise	Landing	Gear

o Unplug	batteries	upon	landing

# ERROR MESSAGES

o White	flashes

 IMU	malfunction.	Land	and	determine	cause.	Possibilities:

 GPS/Compass	not	pointing	forward

 IMU	not	pointing	forward

 Set	up	of	X,	Y,	Z	for	location	o f	IMU	and	Compass	is	incorrect

o Excessive	rocking/instabi lity	possible	causes:

 Weak	motor

 Structure	flexing	from	fatigue	or	cracks

 Motor	mount

 Main	frame

 Booms

 Loose	Bolts	causing	flexing	or	misalignment

 Props

 Mounts

 Props	out	of	balance

 Props	misaligned

 Excessive	wind	speeds	or	gusts

 Excessive	Gains

 Excessive	motor	power.		Max	motor power	must	be	a	little	more	t han	typical ascent	power.

o Red	Flashes	(1,	2	or	3	flashes	w ith	pauses)	–	GPS	loss	(3	is	mo re	serious).	Land	if	loss lasts	for	more	than	30	seconds.	Possible	causes:

 Clouds

 Structures

 GPS	mal‐function

 GPS	too	close	to	electrical	components

 GPS	vibration

# LANDING CHECKLIST

o Landing	area	clear

o Lower	landing	gear

o Note	obstacles	in	flightpath

o Announce	loudly:	 “LANDING”

o First	cut	power	to	the	aircraft

o Note	elapsed	time	of	flight

o Adjust	any	parameters	(camera	servo	speed,	exponential,	etc)

o Turn	power	off	to	transmitters, camera,	goggles,	monitors,	Rxs, etc.

o Touch	motors	to	verify	temperatures	are	similar

o Complete	flight	log

 Date	and	time	of	flight

 Batteries	used

 Time	of	Flight

# TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Section	1:	General

 Section	2:	Limitations

 Section	3:	Emergency	Procedures

 Section	4:	Normal	Procedures

 Section	5:	Performance

 Section	6:	Weight	and	B alance/Equipment	List

 Section	7:	Air	Vehicle	and	Systems	Description

 Section	8:	Handling,	Service	and	Maintenance

 Section	9:	Supplements

# SECTION 1 GENERAL

NOTE:	In	an	effort	to	minimize	costs	and	maximize	spare	parts	a vailability,	many	COTS (commercial	off	the	shelf)	compo nents	have	been	utilized.	Some may	have	slight	modifications	to better	suit	this	application.	Most	COTS	products	have	separate data	sheets,	assembly	manuals	and instruction	manuals.	They	are	re ference	in	this	document,	with key	factors	being	emphasized.

As	with	all	high	technology	prod ucts	utilizing	constantly	evolv ing	software,	it	is	important	to periodically	check	for	online	up grades	to	the	COTS	components, including	hardware,	firmware and	software.

WARNING:	Great	care	must	be	take n	with	the	batteries.	Much	of	t his	manual	and	supplemental information	is	devoted	to	the	use	and	care	of	the	batteries,	es pecially	the	flight batteries.	They	are less	volatile	than	gasoline,	thou gh	they	should	be	treated	with the	same	respect.	Become	very familiar	with	proper	techniques	of	their	use.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

o Primarily	for	ISR	(Intelligence,	Surveillance,	and	Reconnaissan ce)

o Economical	due	to	extensiv e	use	of	COTS	products

o Low	Visual	Signature

o Low	Aural	Signature

o Quick	Launch	and	Recovery

o Short	Training	Period

o Simple	Operation

o Waypoint	Navigation

o Backpackable

o VTOL

o Quick	Repairs

o Redundant	Flight	Systems

o Safety	Return	to	Home	during lost	link	or	low	battery

o High	Degree	of	Mission	Success

o GPS	navigation	aid

o Various	sensors

o 24	lb	max	takeoff	weight

o Operating	Temp	Range:	‐5°C	to	+60°C

o Flight	Modes:	Manual	and	GPS	aided	waypoint	navigation

# o Maximum	Operating	Altitude:	1000	meters

o Maximum	Operation	Wind	Conditions:	10	m/s

o Propulsion	System:	LiPoly	batteries

o Takeoff:	Manual	or	Automatic

o Landing:	Manual	or	Automatic

o Takeoff/Recovery	Area:	5m	square

IMPORTANT DIMENSIONS

o Distance	rotor	to	rotor	across	the	center:	41”

o Height	with	GPS/Compass	folded	down:	21”

o Height	with	GPS/Compass	up:	25”

o Length	of	landing	gear	skids:	18”

o Distance	between	landing	gear	skids:	21”

IMPORTANT WEIGHTS

o Weight	including	Nex	7	camera,	Z enmuse	gimbal,	A2	autopilot	sys tem,	landing	gear, data	transceiver,	RC	transceiver,	video	transmitter,	regulators and	all	wiring	– everything	except	battery:	13.4	lbs

o Maximum	Takeoff	Weight:	24	lbs

o Battery	Weight:	up	to	9.5	lbs	with	Nex	camera	and	Zenmuse	Gimba l

MOTORS

o Manufacturer:	DJI‐Innovations

o Number	of	motors:	8

o Motor	type:	41mm	x	14mm

o Motor	Model	Number:	4114‐11

o Motor	KV/RPM:	400

o Motor	max	@	25.2V:	10,000	rpm

o Motor	Max	Power:	500	Watts

o Power	rating:	4000	Watts	maximum power	consumption	for	all	8	mo tors

o Current	Max:	100	amps

o Amp	Draw	Typical	Average:	65	amps

# PROPELLERS

o Manufacturer:	DJI‐Innovations

o Material:	Composite

o Number	of	propellers:	8

o Propeller	model	number:	DJI	15	x	5.2

o Number	of	blades:	2	‐	folding

o Propeller	Diameter:	15”

o Propeller	Pitch	(fixed):	5.2”

o Max	rpm:	10,000	rpm

ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLS

o Manufacturer:	DJI‐Innovations

o Number	of	speed	controls:	8

o Speed	control	model	number:	DJI	40A	Opto

o Rating	in	amps:	40	Amps	continuous

o Signal	Frequency:	30	‐	450	Hz

o Drive	PWM	Frequency:	8	KHz

AUTOPILOT

o Manufacturer:	DJI‐Innovations

o Autopilot	Model	Number:	DJI	A2

o Components:	GPS/Compass,	IMU,	Ma ster	Controller,	Power	Distribu tion	System,	LED Indicator	Lighting	System,	Dat a	Transceiver,	GCS	Software

o Power	Consumption:	5W

o Operating	Temp	Range:	‐5°C	to	+60°C

o Software	Compatible:	Win dows	XP	sp3	/	Windows	7

o Hovering	Accuracy:	Vertical	: ±	0.5m;	Horizontal:	±	2m

# WIRELESS LINKS

o Distributor:	DJI‐Innovations

o Frequencies:

 2.4	Ghz	datalink	with	WiFi

 2.4	Ghz	Command	&	Control

 5.8	Ghz	Video

o Power	Consumption:	1	watt

o Usable	Range:	Less	than	2	km.

FUEL/FLIGHT BATTERY

o Manufacturers:	Various	COTS	suppliers

o Battery	chemistry	recomme nded:	Lithium	Polymer

o Battery	Capacity:	16,000	‐	42,000	mah

o Battery	cell	count	required:	6S	(6	cells	in	series)

o Battery	Voltage:	21	V	minimum	during	hover,	22.2V	nominal,	25.2 V	maximum

o Battery	Minimum	Rated	Discharge	Rate:	20C	minimum

o Battery	Minimum	Charge	Rate:	1C	(3C	preferable)

o Battery	Rest	Time	between	discharging	and	charging:	0‐30	minute s

o Batteries	used	simultaneously:	1‐4

o Recommended	Battery	Discharge	Amount:	80‐90%

FLIGHT PARAMETERS

o Flight	Time:	up	to	30	minutes

o Payload	Max:	11	lbs

o Power	Consumption	in	a	Hover	at	21	lb	takeoff	weight:	1500	Watt s,	65	amps

# WARNINGS

o Never	power	a	video	transmitter	or	receiver	without	an	antenna connected	or	overload failure	will	occur.

o Read	all	information	regarding	batteries	contained	in	this	manu al	and	supplements.

o Batteries	are	highly	flammable	and	can	explode,	especially	when fully	charged. Improper	charging,	vibration,	impact,	high	discharge,	etc.	can lead	to	explosion	and	fire. Batteries	must	be	charged	under	constant	supervision	and	using proper	precautions.

o Batteries	fully	charged	must	be	handled	with	extreme	care.

o Store	batteries	between	20%	‐	50%	charged	state.	Fully	charge	j ust	before	use.

o Fully	charged	batteries	which	are not	to	be	used	within	24	hour s	should	be	discharged to	20%	‐	50%	charged	state.

o Discharging	LiPoly	batteries	in	excess	of	80%	of	their	rated	ca pacity	can	cause	harm	to the	batteries.

o Using	more	than	one	battery	at	a	time	requires	the	proper	wirin g	harness	so	that	the voltage	is	no	more	than	25.2V.	Over	voltage	will	cause	serious damage	to	electrical equipment.

o Using	more	than	one	battery	at	a	time	requires	weight	and	balan ce	checks.	Proper	CG	is critical	to	performance.	Airframe	must	not	be	overloaded.

o Propellers	must	be	balanced	to	avoid	excessive	vibration.

o GPS/Compass	must	be	facing	forward.

o Do	not	use	GPS	Mode	without	GPS	lock.

o Use	low	strength	thread	locking	compound	on	all	screws.

o Wireless	Video	and	Data	ranges	v ary	considerably	on	many	factor s	including	weather, equipment,	and	obstructions.	Be	prepared	for	com	failures.

# SECTION 2 LIMITATIONS

AIRSPEED LIMITATIONS

o Vne	–	Velocity	to	Never	Exceed:	15	m/s

o Va	–	Typical	Maneuvering	Speed:	5	m/s

POWER & POWERPLANT LIMITATIONS

o 40	Amps	max	per	motor

o 40	Amps	max	per	speed	control

o 320	Amps	max	total

o Do	not	exceed	80‐90%	discharge of	rated	battery	capacity

o Do	not	charge	batteries	which	are	warmer	than	air	temperature

o Allow	batteries	to	cool	aft er	use	before	charging

o Leave	an	air	gap	between	batteri es	when	multiple	batteries	are used	simultaneously

WEIGHT LIMITS

o Takeoff	Weight	Max:	24	lbs

 Must	be	checked	prior	to	takeoff if	any	change	in	equipment	is made

CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMITS

o 3mm	from	the	center	of	any	of	the	three	pairs	of	arms

 Must	be	checked	before	every	fli ght	to	ensure	batteries	were	in stalled	in	the proper	location.

 Check	all	4	pairs	of	arms	before	flight

MANEUVER LIMITS

o This	aircraft	is	intended	for	non‐aerobatic	operations

o G‐loading	maximum:	2G

# TEMPERATURE LIMITS

o Operating	Temp	Range:	‐10°C	to	+40°C

o In	cold	temperatures

 Keep	IMU	at	room	temperature	i f	possible	before	the	flight

 Keep	Batteries	above	5°C	before	flight

 Do	not	fly	with	any	frost	or	ice	on	the	propellers

o In	warm	temperatures

 Batteries	heat	up	when	discharged

 The	higher	the	discharge	rate	th e	higher	the	temperature	increa se	during	use

 At	temperatures	above	45°C,	use	o f	2	or	more	batteries	is	requi red	to	lower	the load	on	any	one	battery	pack	to	keep	it	cooler.

WEATHER LIMITS

o Light	dust	and	light	rain	requir e	the	use	of	a	shield	for	the	e lectronics	in	the	center section.

o Light	dust	and	light	rain	are	a cceptable	for	the	unshielded	mot or	and	ESC.

RANGE LIMITS

o FUEL

 Fuel	capacity	is	a	primary	limiting	factor.

 Flying	into	the	wind	will	use	mo re	battery	power	to	travel	the same	ground distance.	Higher	air	speeds	will be	required	to	penetrate	the	w ind	which	used more	battery	power.	Take	this	in to	account	when	flying	a	missio n.

 Where	possible,	fly	upwind	at	the start	of	a	mission	and	downwi nd	at	the	end	to avoid	depleting	the	battery	before	returning	to	base.	Have	alte rnative	landing sites	available	in	case	of	emergency	landing.

o WIRELESS	LINK

 Wireless	links	will	be	stable	in	L OS	(line	of	sight)	in	most	co nditions

 Wireless	links	are	always	suscept ible	to	shorter	ranges	due	to

 Atmospheric	conditions

 Other	transmission	devices	in	the	area

 Jamming

 Antennas	not	aligned	properly

#  Improper	voltage

 Antenna	blockage	from	Aerial	Veh icle	(AV)	in	certain	positions

 Multipath	–	reflection	off	buildings	or	ground	which	cause	mult iple signals	to	arrive	at	different	times	and/or	phase.

# SECTION 3 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

MOTOR FAILURE

o Operation	is	possible	with	one	motor/ESC/propeller	failure

 The	two	adjacent	motors/ESCs	wil l	be	increased	in	thrust	automa tically	by	the flight	controller	to	overcome	the	loss

 In	cases	where	the	airframe	is	highly	loaded	the	maximum	rating of	40	amps may	be	exceeded	by	these	two	motors/ESCs

 Operation	should	be	terminated	as	soon	as	possible	to	reduce	th e	possibility	of damage	to	the	remaining	motors

COMMUNICATION FAILURE

o Video	link	failure

 5.8	Ghz	being	the	shortest	wavel ength	in	general	AV	use	has	the least	ability	to penetrate.	This	link	should be	the	first	to	be	lost.

 It	is	best	to	lose	video	first! It	is	the	least	likely	to	cause a	crash	when	it	fails. 5.8	Ghz	can	lose	link	with	little	warning.

 Ensure	that	the	GCS	station	antennas	are	perpendicular	to	the	A V.	Do	not	point the	antenna	at	the	AV.

 Yaw	the	AV	to	change	the	antenna	position

 Other	links	should	still	be	good. Return	back	to	the	GCS	until link	is	restored. Transmitters	produce	heat	when	i n	operation.	When	overheated	th ey	may	have thermal	protection	which	interrupts	use	temporarily.	Use	of	a	h eat	sink	or	fan may	be	required	especially	with	high	ambient	temperatures.

 Higher	gain	antennas	may	be	used ,	but	do	so	with	caution.	High gain	antennas are	directional.

 Multiple	antennas	using	“diversity”	can	be	used.	Diversity	is	a device	which determines	the	best	signal,	and	uses	that.

 5.8	Ghz	even	at	high	wattages	th eoretically	has	less	range	than lower frequencies.	Changing	to	1.3	Ghz is	an	option,	though	there	are other	issues	to	be considered.

o RC	link	failure

 2.4	Ghz	antennas	can	lose	link	with	little	warning.

 Anything	in	between	the	two	ante nnas	can	cause	temporary	signal loss especially	a	person.

#  Hold	the	transmitter	up	in	the	a ir	and	walk	in	the	general	dire ction	of	the	AV.

 Ensure	that	the	antenna	is	vertic al.	Do	not	point	the	antenna	a t	the	AV.

 The	failsafes	on	the	RC	link	sho uld	be	set	so	that	the	AV	retur ns	to	home.	Should this	require	a	heading	change,	t he	antenna	may	move	into	a	more desirable position	and	link	will	be	restored.

 The	onboard	equipment	may	block the	signal.	Yaw	the	AV	so	that the	antennas point	towards	the	GCS.

 A	LRS	(long	range	system)	can	be	used	as	a	permanent	solution. This	is	higher	in wattage	and	usually	on	433	Mhz.

Data Link Failure

 900	Mhz	do	not	lose	link	without	some	warning.	When	drop	outs	a re	noticed	to increase	in	frequency	that	is	the	limit	of	the	range.

 If	using	900	Mhz,	this	is	on	cell	phone	frequency.	If	a	cell	to wer	is	nearby	it	can swamp	the	signal.	900	Mhz	may	no t	be	usable	in	that	area.	Chang e	to	a	different freq.	or	remain	closer	to	the	AV

LOW BATTERY POWER

 Fail‐safes	can	be	set	such	that	in	the	event	of	low	battery	pow er,	either	due	to	a failure	or	too	long	of	a	flight, the	warning	light	on	the	AV	wi ll	constantly	flash amber.	This	is	the	first	level	of	warning.

 The	second	warning	level	is	red	flashing	lights

 Auto	landing	will	occur	when	bat tery	power	is	low.	It	may	land in	a	tree	or	a lake,	so	this	is	not	desirable.

 Landing	with	80‐90%	of	battery	dep leted	is	best.	Therefore	land ing	with	17,000 mah	used	and	3,000	mah	remaining	of	a	20,000	mah	battery	is	des irable. Batteries	should	be	drawn	down	eq ually	when	in	use	if	they	are both	charged equally	and	both	in	relatively	the	same	condition/age.

 Do	not	mix	partially	charged	bat teries.	Only	use	completely	cha rged	batteries.

 Over	discharging	a	battery	below 19.8V	can	permanently	damage	t he	battery.

# GCS FAILURE

 Takeover	by	the	external	pilot	s hould	happen	ASAP	using	the	RC link.

 Most	often	happens	due	to	a	low	battery.

 Keep	a	spare	3	cell	LiPoly	batte ry	with	the	appropriate	plug	to plug	into	the charge	jack	for	emergency	use.	M ost	chargers	are	19V	output	whi ch	is	roughly equivalent	to	a	4‐cell	battery .	3‐cell	batteries	may	work.

COMPASS CALIBRATION ERROR

 If	the	compass	is	out	of	calibrat ion	the	warning	light	will	fla sh	red.	This	is	the same	signal	as	low	voltage.	If	t he	voltage	is	correct,	there	is a	calibration	error.

 Recalibrate	the	compass	follo wing	the	instruction	manual

FIRE

 Fires	can	occur	due	to	a	short circuit	or	battery	failure.

 Disconnect	the	battery	ASAP	unless	there	is	danger	in	doing	so if	there	is	any electrical	issue.

 It	is	not	possible	to	put	out	a	battery	fire.

 Do	not	attempt	to	put	out	a	batte ry	fire.	Use	a	fire	extinguish er	to	put	out	fires surrounding	the	battery.	A	CO2	fi re	extinguisher	is	better	than the	powder	or chemical	type.	CO2	does	not	leav e	a	residue.	Water	can	be	used though	it	may cause	other	electrical	component	failures.

FORCED LANDINGS

 If	alternate	emergency	landing	zones	should	be	chosen	ahead	of time.

 Be	sure	that	the	LZ	is	clear	of people	to	avoid	any	incidents.

 Land	in	the	nearest	LZ	which	is	clear	of	people.

 Announce	your	intentions	of	land ing	as	loud	as	necessary	to	ale rt	people	of	the incoming	AV.

# SECTION 4 SET UP SUGGESTIONS

ELECTRONICS BURN IN

o We	recommend	that	you	put	weight s	onto	the	landing	skids	to	kee p	the	copter	on	the ground	and	run	the	copter	at	abo ut	70%	throttle	for	about	2	hou rs	to	burn	in	the electronics.	Most	electronic	fai lures	occur	in	the	first	2	hour s	of	operation.

GPS/COMPASS MAST LENGTH

o We	found	that	the	higher	the	mas t,	the	better	the	GPS	reception

Nex5N vs. Nex7 vs. Canon 5D vs. Panasonic GH3

o These	cameras	are	excellent	for	stills,	and	very	good	for	video .	The	best	for	video	is	the Panasonic	GH4	with	4k	capabilities.

o We	found	that	the	Nex	5N	takes	exceptional	quality	stills	and	v ideo,	though	most professionals	use	the	Nex	7.	The Canon	5D	is	better	than	the	Ne x7	due	to	its	larger

sensor.

o Use	the	Panasonic	GH4	if	you	primarily	shoot	video

RADIO SET UP

o Follow	the	instructions	in	the	manual

o We	prefer	the	switch	assignment	a s	shown	in	the	checklists	abov e	though	feel	free	to modify	to	your	liking

COPTER COMMAND AND CONTROL

o We	recommend	the	use	of	a	dual	r ate	switch	for	main	copter	oper ation.

 High	rate	–	used	to	initialize	t he	motors.	The	flight	controlle r	will	not	engage unless	it	sees	full	down	throttle, full	left	rudder,	full	left cyclic	and	full	back cyclic.	However,	these	may	be	t oo	high	for	normal	flying.	On	hi gh	rate	it	is	helpful to	utilize	fairly	high	exponenti al	to	make	the	stick	feel	soft around	center.	Adjust to	your	preference.

 Low	rate	–	used	for	typical	flyi ng.	Set	the	end	point	adjustmen ts	such	that	full stick	deflection	offers	the	maximum	speed	required	in	normal	fl ying.	If conditions	require	higher	flight	speeds,	switch	to	high	rate.	O n	low	rate	it	is	also helpful	to	utilize	a	small	amount	of	exponential	to	make	the	st ick	feel	soft	around center.	Adjust	to	your	preference.

# ZENMUSE COMMAND AND CONTROL

o We	recommend	the	use	of	a	dual	r ate	switch	for	gimbal	operation

.

 High	rate	–	used	to	initialize	t he	gimbal.	The	gimbal	may	not	e ngage	unless	it sees	full	motion.	However,	these may	be	too	high	for	shooting	v ideo	smoothly. This	is	best	for	still	photograph y	so	as	to	put	the	camera	on	t arget	quickly.	On high	rate	it	is	helpful	to	utili ze	fairly	high	exponential	to	m ake	the	stick	feel	soft around	center.	Adjust	to	your	preference.

 Low	rate	–	used	for	videography. Set	the	end	point	adjustments such	that	full stick	deflection	offers	the	maxi mum	speed	required	for	videogra phy.	If conditions	require	higher	gimbal speeds,	switch	to	high	rate.	O n	low	rate	it	is also	helpful	to	utilize	a	small amount	of	exponential	to	make	t he	stick	feel	soft around	center.	Adjust	to	your	preference.

TIMERS

o Use	of	the	countdown	timer	is	a good	backup	method	to	ensure	la nding	with	battery
power.

 Set	the	timer	for	20	minutes	(or what	you	deem	appropriate)	and have	it	start when	the	throttle	is	over	1/4.	T hen	adjust	the	timer	upwards	un til	the	amount	of battery	used	is	about	80‐90%	of	the	total	available.	If	using	2 0,000	mah batteries,	a	total	of	17,000	mah	would	be	the	target.	Set	the	t imer	such	that	you have	a	minute	or	so	to	land	after	the	alarm	sounds	so	that	you have	adequate time	to	return	to	base.	Adjust	to	your	preference.

BATTERIES

o Replace	the	transmitter	standard battery	with	a	Lipoly	battery to	extend	use	times	to	8 hours.	Supplied	batteries	o ften	last	about	2	hours.

# NORMAL PROCEDURES

PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

o Confirm	all	communication	radios	are	operational

 Radios	with	others	in	the	group

o Set	a	perimeter	of	500	feet

 Area	must	be	clear	of	pe ople	to	avoid	collision

o Check	for	overhead	power	lines	and	other	obstacles	to	avoid

o Check	structural	integrity

 In	event	of	prior	crash,	inspect all	booms,	props	and	motor	mou nts	for	excessive flex	indicating	structural	fatigue/failure

o Have	a	manual	flight	pla n	avoiding	obstacles.

o Load	auto	flight	plan	if	using	one

 Be	sure	that	the	total	flight	time	is	under	15	minutes	to	avoid low	battery

o Clean	lens

 Remove	lens	cap

o Ensure	camera	has	SD	card	installed

o Install	batteries

 Ensure	that	the	straps	are	tight	and	the	Velcro	keeps	the	batte ries	from	moving which	will	avoid	a	shift	in	the	CG	(Center	of	Gravity	–	or	that it	balances	evenly)

o Check	CG	(Center	of	Gravity)

 Lift	the	copter	on	each	of	the	3 pairs	of	arms.	The	copter	shou ld	balance properly.	If	not,	do	not	fly.	Re arrange	the	equipment	to	achiev e	proper CG

o IMU	pointing	forward

 The	Inertial	Measurement	Unit	is set	so	that	it	must	face	forwa rd

o GPS/Compass	installed,	limited	free	play,	pointing	forward

 This	device	must	be	installed	with	a	screw	to	hold	it	in	place. It	cannot	vibrate easily.	If	it	does	not	point	for ward,	the	corrections	in	ATTI	a nd	GPS	mode	will	be incorrect	and	it	will	crash.	The	FC	will	provide	a	warning	with constant	flashing white	lights.

o Level	copter	using	a	bubble	leve l	with	front	pointing	in	correc t	direction	for	course	lock –	do	not	turn	on

 Keep	in	mind	the	best	angle	for pointing	the	landing	gear	in	th e	direction	that will	keep	the	landing	gear	ou t	of	the	shot	when	flying.

# o Turn	on	Pilot	Tx

o If	using	the	rate	gyro,	set	it	at	the	correct	position.	This	is usually	a	slider	switch.	Gains should	have	the	range	set	from 200	–	350.	Use	the	highest	gain possible	which	does	not cause	oscillation.

o Check	Model	Selection	on	Tx	to	be	S1000

o Throttle	on	Tx	Down

o Return	to	Home	switch	Off

o Adjust	gain	to	correct	position	(if	required)

o Manual	Flight	Mode	Switch	to	m anual	(not	ATTI	or	GPS	mode)

o Flight	Path	Switch	Off	–	Not	Course	or	Home	or	POI

o Check	Tx	battery	voltage	(above	7.5v)

 These	settings	above	are	require d	to	initialize	the	copter	prop erly.	If	the switches	are	in	the	incorrect	position,	it	will	not	initialize properly	which	may cause	some	of	the	functions	like	course	lock	or	GPS	mode	to	not operate properly.

 If	the	copter	does	not	function	properly	after	takeoff,	land	im mediately	and disconnect	the	copter	power.	Then	put	all	the	switches	in	the	p roper	position	for initialization	and	turn	the	power	back	on	to	the	copter.

o Count	down	timer	should	be	set	t o	20	minutes.	This	can	be	adjus ted	to	your	flying	style. The	timer	should	engage	at	1/4	throttle	and	trigger	an	alarm	at the	proper	time.	This	is a	backup	alarm	in	case	the	indic ator	lights	on	the	copter	are	n ot	visible.

o Turn	on	Video	Tx

o Check	Model	Selection	on	Tx	–	should	read	Zenmuse

o Check	Tx	battery	voltage	(above	7.5v)

o HDMI	switch	Off

o Freestyle	switch	Off	(FPV	On)

 These	settings	above	are	require d	to	initialize	the	Zenmuse	pro perly.	If	the switches	are	in	the	incorrect	position,	it	will	not	initialize properly	which	may cause	some	of	the	functions	like	live	video	or	gimbal	operation to	not	operate properly.

 If	the	camera	or	gimbal	do	not	f unction	properly,	disconnect	th e	copter	power. Then	put	all	the	switches	in	the	proper	position	for	initializa tion	and	turn	the power	back	on	to	the	copter.

o Engage	power	to	copter

 Plug	in	the	battery	pack.

.

#  6	quick	chirps	should	be	heard	c onfirming	6S	LiPoly	batteries	a re	recognized	by the	ESCs.

 Hearing	less	than	6	chirps	indic ates	fewer	cell	battery	packs	a re	being recognized	which	is	incorrect.	Check	for	improper	or	damaged	ba tteries.

o Do	no

 t	move	or	vibrate	the	copter	unt il	30	seconds	after	full	GPS	Lo ck Initial	3	red	blinks	is	normal	meaning	no	GPS	lock.	No	red	flas hes	indicates	full GPS	lock.

 Continue	with	checklist	as	you	are	waiting	for	full	GPS	lock,	b ut	do	not	move	the copter.

 If	the	GPS	takes	more	than	5	minutes	to	lock,	there	is	a	proble m	with	the	area.	It is	not	receiving	the	proper	sign als	from	the	satellites.	GPS	si gnals	are	weak,	so trees,	people,	buildings,	terrain,	weather,	have	an	effect.	Mov e	the	copter	into	a more	open	area	where	it	can	more	easily	see	the	satellites.

o Check	Copter	Voltage	from	both	Tx’s	(transmitters)

 The	transmitters	receive	a	signal	from	the	corresponding	receiv ers.	The	voltages are	regulated	to	about	5v.	If	the	voltage	is	below	4.4v	or	abov e	6v	do	not	fly. There	may	be	power	regulation	issues.	The	receivers	cannot	work outside	this voltage	consistently.	Also	there is	some	issue	if	the	voltage	i s	outside	that	range which	should	be	resolved	before	flying.

o Engage	Attitude	Mode	–	Must	achieve	double	amber	flash

o Engage	GPS	Mode	–	Must	achieve	double	purple	flash

o Engage	course	cock	mode	–	Must	achieve	double	green	flash

o Disengage	course	lock	mode.	Must achieve	double	purple	flash.	S tay	in	this	mode	until just	prior	to	takeoff,	after	tak eoff	at	any	time,	or	do	not	use

.

o Do	not	engage	motors.	Set	throttle	to	center	position.	Must	ach ieve	single	purple	flash when	in	GPS	mode.

 To	verify	that	the	sticks	are	all	centered	properly:

 With	throttle	in	the	center	posi tion,	use	the	trim	buttons	on	t he	transmitter	to check	that	the	sticks	are	centered.	Trim	the	roll	(the	stick	lo cated	on	the	right side	of	the	transmitter	when	mov ed	to	the	right	and	left)	to	th e	right,	counting the	number	of	clicks	until	a	dou ble	flash	occurs.	Then	center	t he	trim.	Then	move the	trim	to	the	left,	counting	t he	number	of	clicks	until	a	dou ble	flash	occurs.	An equal	number	of	clicks	should	be counted	each	side	of	center.

 Do	this	check	for	the	3	stick	mo vements	other	than	throttle.

 Center	the	trim	such	that	when	t he	stick	is	in	the	neutral	posi tion	that	there	are equal	numbers	of	clicks	in	each	direction.	This	ensures	that	wh en	the	sticks	are neutralized	that	the	flight	cont roller	will	recognize	this	sign al	and	engage	GPS mode.

# o Calibrate	GPS/Compass	before	the	first	flight	each	day	or	if	re ceiving	continuous	red blinks	or	continuous	white	blinks.

 Flip	the	GPS	mode	switch	7	times very	quickly	from	manual	to	GP S.	End	with	the switch	in	the	manual	position.	The	indicator	light	will	be	blue .	Rotate	the	copter about	1.5	turns	in	a	horizontal position.	A	green	flashing	ligh t	indicates	that	this is	complete.	Then	hold	the	copte r	vertically	and	rotate	about	1 .5	turns.	A	white flashing	light	indicates	that	this	is	complete.	Repeat	if	neces sary	until	this	is completed.

o After	calibration,	reset	the	cop ter	by	cycling	battery	with	cop ter	pointed	in	the	correct heading	for	course	lock.

o Engage	Camera

o HDMI	switch	On

 This	will	stop	video	from	playin g	on	the	back	of	the	camera	and will	send	the video	signal	to	the	video	transm itter	via	the	HDMI	connection.

o Freestyle	switch	On	(FPV	Off)

 This	allows	the	camera	to	be	oper ated	freely	through	the	transm itter

o Verify	camera	operation

 Operate	the	shutter

 Set	the	focus	to	auto	or	manual.	Manual	setting	is	usually	set to	infinity	to	stop constant	focusing	of	the	camera.

o Verify	data	link	if	installed

 Roll	the	copter	about	45	degrees	on	its	side	by	lifting	one	sid e	of	the	copter	and resting	one	side	of	the	la nding	gear	on	the	ground

 A	corresponding	roll	should	be	seen	on	the	gauge.

 If	the	copter	is	rolled	to	the	r ight,	it	will	appear	on	the	gau ge	that	the	horizon rolls	to	the	left	–	not	the	right because	the	view	from	inside the	copter	is	that	the horizon	rolls	the	opposite	direction	of	the	copter.

o Verify	altitude	is	about	0	via	gauge	on	computer

 If	it	is	not	about	0,	the	altitu de	settings	for	the	waypoints	w ill	be	off	by	this amount.	This	could	cause	the	cop ter	to	fly	at	10	meters	or	30	m eters	if	the waypoint	is	set	for	20	meters	and	the	altitude	is	off	by	10	met ers	one	way	or another.	If	the	copter	thinks	it	is	at	10	meters	when	it	is	on the	ground,	then	it will	only	rise	10	meters	above	t he	ground	to	achieve	what	it	be lieves	it	to	be	20 meters	above	the	ground.

 The	altitude	can	be	reset	using the	ground	control	software	by going	to	altitude offset.

o Alternate	Emergency	Landing	Sites	Established

# NORMAL TAKEOFF

o Engage	GPS	mode	–	Double	purple flash	when	the	throttle	is	down

.

o Switch	to	Course	Lock	flight	mode	if	required.	Purple	flashes	a re	replaced	with	green flashes.	Flying	in	course	lock	is	not	required,	but	helpful	in many	instances.

o Announce	loudly:	“CLEAR	PROP”

o Move	both	of	the	sticks	to	the	b ottom	left	corners	to	engage	th e	motors.	Within	1 second	move	the	throttle	up	1/8	–	1/4.	The	copter	should	not	li ft	off	until	about	50% stick	is	reached.

o Verify	data	and	video	links	befo re	lifting	off.	If	anything	is not	working	properly,	move the	throttle	stick	to	low	to	dise ngage	the	motors	and	determine a	solution.

o If	all	flight	checks	are	passed, announce	loudly:	“TAKING	OFF”

o Advance	throttle	to	about	3/4.	Copter	must	jump	off	of	the	grou nd	to	avoid	one	skid coming	up	before	the	other	skid, and	the	skid	on	the	ground	get ting	caught	and	flipping the	copter	over	sideways.

o Ascend	to	3	meters.	Then	decrease	throttle	to	50%	to	engage	the GPS	hold.

o Verify	links,	GPS,	Attitude,	etc.	Should	be	single	purple	flash

.

o Verify	that	the	copter	is	holding	position	within	.5m	in	all	di rections.

o Verify	camera	operation

o Verify	course	lock	is	operational	by	rotating	90	degrees	and	pu shing	forward	on	stick.

o Verify	copter	stability.	If	unstable,	land	and	reset	gains,	rec alibrate,	or	retest	as
necessary.

o Proceed	with	manual	mission	or

o For	autopilot	operation

 Ascend	to	30	feet

 Command	aerial	vehicle	observer (AVO)	to	proceed	with	mission.

 Pilot	should	say	“It’s	yours”

 Response	from	AVO	“I	have	it”

o Manual	pilot/observer	must	monit or	the	informational	LED	and	be ready	to	take	over in	manual	mode	when	necessary.

 White	flashes	indicates	flight	controller	issue

 Amber	flashes	indicates	low	battery

 Red	flashes	indicate	loss	of	GPS or	severe	battery	condition

 Quick	decisions	are	required	when	red	flashes	are	indicated

 10	seconds	or	more	of	loss	of	GPS signal	will	stop	waypoint	gui dance	and any	GPS	hold	and	put	into	manual	mode.

#  Red	indicator	light	battery	warning	requires	immediate	landing

o Manual	pilot	to	request	copter	flight	battery	voltage	readout	f rom	AVO	periodically.

 Reset	the	first	and	second	indicator	lights	as	required	for	you r	set	up.

 Also	use	the	countdown	timer	on the	transmitter.	This	gives	a	g ood	indication	of battery	level	because	the	current used	is	fairly	constant	from flight	to	flight.

POST LANDING

o Note	flight	time	from	transmitte r.	Write	this	down	in	the	log	b ook.

o Note	battery	power	used	during	t he	flight.	Write	this	down	in	t he	log	book.

o ALWAYS	disconnect	the	main	power	to	the	AV	first,	then	turn	off the	transmitter.

o Check	motor	temperatures	by	touc hing	them	with	your	fingers.	An y	motors	which	are excessively	hot	should	be	furthe r	inspected	and	possibly	replac ed.

o Check	battery	temperatures	by	touching	them	with	your	fingers. Battery	temperatures should	not	be	hot	to	the	touch. Battery	temperatures	should	be slightly	above	ambient.

o Inspect	all	components	especia lly	the	propellers	for	wear.

o Note	in	logbook	which	batteries	were	used	to	calculate	life	cyc le.

AIRCRAFT FLIGHT LOG BOOK

o Keep	a	log	of	all	flights.

 Date

 Time	of	Day

 Time	in	Operation	(in	hours)

 Battery	serial	numbers

 Mah	used	in	flight

 Location

 Pilot,	Observer,	Sensor	Operator	Names

 Flight	Objective

 Remarks

# AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOG BOOK

o Keep	a	log	of	significant	inspections,	tests,	repairs,	alterati ons,	equipment	changes.

 Date	maintenance	is	performed

 Accumulated	hours	of	operation

 Remarks

PILOT LOG BOOK

o Keep	a	log	of	all	flights. Include	the	following:

 Aircraft	flown

 Aircraft	serial	number

 Date

 Time	of	Day

 Time	in	Operation	(in	hours)

 Location

 Flight	Objective

 Remarks

# SECTION 5 PERFORMANCE

FLIGHT TIMES

o The	AV	is	designed	to	hover	at	high	efficiency.	Hovering	is	muc h	less	efficient	than flying	on	a	wing,	thus	flight	times	are	low	compared	to	fixed	w ing	aircraft.

o All	the	weight	of	the	AV	is	supported	by	power	from	the	batteri es.	As	the	batteries	are used	in	a	flight,	the	amount	of	power	available	decreases.	Ther efore	the	power	reserve is	constantly	decreasing	as	the	battery	is	being	used.	Thus	loa ding	a	rotorcraft	above	its limit	is	not	recommended.	While	the	AV	may	have	enough	power	to lift	off	initially	on	a full	charge,	the	power	reserve	at partial	charge	may	be	too	low to	allow	for maneuvering	and	will	result	in	a	crash.

o High	lateral	speeds	will	add	lift to	slightly	improve	efficienc y.	The	rotors	act	similar	to fixed	wings	at	higher	speeds.	This	increase	in	efficiency	may	b e	negated	by	the increased	power	consumption	of	forward	flight.

o High	winds	or	gusts	decrease	efficiency/flight	time.	The	motors work	harder	to	hold position.

o As	weight	increases	flight	times	decrease.

WIRELESS TRANSMISSION

o Refer	to	the	specific	manual s	for	performance	ratings.

o Wireless	communications	utilized	provide	acceptable	communicati on	for	line	of	sight (LOS).

o In	general:

 LOS	is	required

 The	higher	the	GCS	antennas,	the	better	the	range

 R SSI	(Received	Signal	Strength	Indication)	should	be	monitored	f or	indication	of communication	drop	out.

# SECTION 6 WEIGHT AND BALANCE EQUIPMENT LIST

Center of Gravity (CG)

o CG	is	critical	to	the	efficient	operation	of	any	AV

o When	components	are	shifted,	the	CG	will	be	altered.

o The	main	components	which	are	moved	on	a	regular	basis	are	the sensors	and	the batteries.

o The	sensors	are	typically	in	the	front	of	the	AV,	and	the	batte ries	are	located	in	the correct	position	to	offset	all	the	components	on	the	AV.

o The	CG	must	be	tested	after	any change	to	the	components	or	the ir	placement.

o The	CG	should	be	tested	by	lifting	the	UV	with	fingers	on	the	b ottom	of	the	arms.	Check all	4	pairs	of	arms.	The	CG	should	be	no	more	than	2mm	off	in	a ny	on	the	3	checks.	The closer	the	CG	is	to	the	centerlines	of	the	arms	the	more	effici ent	and	the	more	stable	the AV	will	be.

WEIGHT

o Weight	is	critical	to	the	operation	of	any	aircraft

o Weight	is	especially	critical	to	a	rotor	wing	aircraft.	At	full throttle	the	motors	have	a finite	amount	of	thrust.	All	the weight	is	lifted	by	the	batter y	power,	there	is	no	wing	to assist	in	providing	lift.

o As	the	batteries	are	operated,	t hey	lose	power.	At	full	charge they	have	about	25v.	At 20%	remaining	capacity	they	hav e	about	21v.	This	is	a	loss	of	8 %	of	the	power	available which	is	significant.

o Do	not	overload	the	aircraft	or there	will	not	be	sufficient	re serve	power	to	maneuver at	low	battery	levels.

# SECTION 7 AIR VEHICLE AND SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION

FUEL/BATTERY REQUIRED

o Manufacturers:	Various	COTS	suppliers.

o Refer	to	manufacturer	data	sheet.

o Battery	chemistry	requi red:	Lithium	Polymer

o Battery	Capacity:	16,000	mah	(minimum)

o Battery	cell	count	required:	6S	(6	cells	in	series)

o Battery	Voltage:	21	V	minimum	at	hover,	22.2V	nominal,	25.2V	ma ximum

o Battery	Minimum	Rated	Discharge	Rate:	20C	minimum

o Batteries	used	simultaneously:	1‐4	typical

o Recommended	Battery	Discharge	Amount:	80‐90%

WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

o Refer	to	the	specific	manual s	for	performance	ratings.

o Never	power	a	video	transmitter	or	receiver	without	an	antenna connected	or	overload failure	will	occur.

o Wireless	communications	utilized	provide	acceptable	communicati on	for	LOS.

o In	general:

o LOS	is	required.

o Lower	frequencies	penetrate	objects	such	as	trees	better	than	h igher	frequencies.

o Lower	frequencies	have	longer	range	than	high	frequencies

o Higher	frequencies	can	transfer more	data	than	lower	frequencie s

o Higher	frequencies	use	smaller/shorter	antennas

o The	higher	the	GCS	antennas,	the	better	the	range	and	reception

o Frequencies	may	have	severe	degra dation	due	to	location	to	othe r	admitters	such	as cell	towers

o Range	must	be	constantly	monitored.

o Alternate	antenna	types	may	be	u tilized	to	improve	link/range. Patch,	helical,	omni,	etc. can	be	substituted.	They	mus t	be	verified	before	use.

o Alternate	frequencies	may	be	uti lized	to	improve	link/range.

# SECTION 8 HANDLING, SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

PROPELLER CARE

o Propellers	must	be	checked	each	flight	for	nicks	or	cracks

o Propellers	are	designed	to	last	indefinitely	if	they	do	not	imp act	dust,	dirt	or	more.

BATTERY CARE AND USE

o Refer	to	instruction	sheet	included	from	the	battery	manufactur er.	Typical	information follows.

o Batteries	are	highly	flammable	and	can	explode,	especially	when fully	charged. Improper	charging,	vibration,	impact,	high	discharge,	etc.	can lead	to	explosion	and	fire. Batteries	must	be	charged	under	constant	supervision	and	using proper	precautions.

o Batteries	fully	charged	must	be	handled	with	extreme	care.

o Any	battery	which	puffs	up	is	considered	damaged	and	must	not	b e	used.	It	is	in	a dangerous	state.	Never	charge	a	puffed	up	battery.

o Any	battery	which	holds	less	than	80%	of	its	rated	capacity	sho uld	be	discarded.

o Cycle	test	each	battery	after	ev ery	50	cycles	or	if	a	battery	i s	suspected	to	have	lost	as significant	amount	of	its	capaci ty	to	determine	the	current	cap acity.

o Properly	dispose	of	batteries.	First	discharge	the	battery	full y	using	a	battery	cycler. Bring	to	a	recycler	such	as a	home	improvement	store.

o Always	charge	flight	batteries	under	“balance”	mode.

o Flight	Battery	Recommended	Charge	Rate:	1	C

o Flight	Battery	Maximum	Charge	Rate:	May	exceed	5C.	Charge	rates higher	than	1C	will decrease	life	cycles.	Maximum	ch arge	rating	per	the	manufacture r	will	provide	300+ cycles.	Use	the	lowest	charge	rate	which	is	practical.

o Battery	Rest	Time	between	discharging	and	charging:	30	minutes minimum,	1	hour maximum.

o Do	not	charge	if	the	battery	is	more	than	2°C	warmer	than	ambie nt,	especially	if	the temperature	is	above	20°C.	The	outer	surface	is	cooler	than	the inner	core	after	use. Damage	will	occur	when	charging	a	warm	battery.

o Recommended	Battery	Discharge	Amount:	80%.	Using	more	of	the	ca pacity	of	the battery	will	decrease	the	life	cycles

o As	battery	temperature	approaches freezing	the	capacity	of	Lith ium	Polymer	batteries decrease.	Keep	warmer	than	5°C	b efore	installing	into	the	UV	(u nmanned	vehicle).

# o Battery	capacity	decreases	at	higher	discharge	rates.	Using	mor e	batteries	decreases the	discharge	rate	of	each	batte ry	thereby	extending	individual battery	capacity	slightly.

o Lower	discharge	rates	improve	the	life	cycles.

o Batteries	are	rated	at	greater	th an	300	life	cycles.	1,000+	lif e	cycles	are	possible.

o Batteries	must	not	be	stored	above	60%	charged	state	for	extend ed	periods.

o Batteries	should	be	stored	below	25°C	for	extended	periods

o Store	batteries	between	40%	‐	60%	charged	state.	Fully	charge	j ust	before	use.

o Fully	charged	batteries	which	are not	to	be	used	within	24	hour s	should	be	discharged to	40%	‐	60%	charged	state	using	the	battery	discharger.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

o ANNUAL	INSPECTION

 If	the	airframe	has	in	excess	of 300	hours	in	a	one	year	period ,	an	annual inspection	must	be	completed.

 Disassemble	the	AV	and	inspect	al l	components	for	wear	and	repl ace	any components	as	required.

 Test	all	batteries	for	capacity.

 Upgrade	firmware	and	software	to	latest	revisions

o 500	HOUR	Preventative	Maintenance

 Disassemble	the	AV	and	inspect	al l	components	for	wear	and	repl ace	any components	as	required.

 Replace	all	8	motors.

 Test	all	batteries	for	capacity.

 Upgrade	firmware	and	software	to	latest	revisions.

# SECTION 9 SUPPLEMENTS

COTS	components	have	been	utilize d	in	the	construction	of	this AV.	 All	instruction	manuals, operating	handbooks,	warning	not ices,	and	more	are	available	as separate	documents.		 Keep these	significant	documents	and keep	in	a	notebook	with	the	cop ter	at	all	times.

AIRFRAME

AUTOPILOT	SYSTEM

BATTERIES

BATTERY	CHARGER

CAMERA	MANUAL

CAMERA	GCS

DATA	WIRELESS	LINK

GIMBAL	CAMERA	MOUNT

GIMBAL	CAMERA	MOUNT	SERVOS

LAPTOP	COMPUTER

MOTORS

ONBOARD	REGULATOR

PROPELLERS RC/MANUAL	COMMAND	&	CONTROL	S YSTEM	SPEED	CONTROLS	(ESCs)

VIDEO	CAPTURE	HARDWARE

VIDEO	CAPTURE	SOFTWARE

VIDEO	WIRELESS	LINK

# Appendix C: Vantage Aerial Media sUAS Training Manual

# I. Vantage Aerial Media Pilot In Command (PIC) Training Requirements
A. The PIC will have the following qualifications.

1. Sport Pilot License

2. Third Class Medical Certificate or U.S. Driver’s License

3. Completion of DJI Factory

‐ Certified Basic Operator Course

B. Description of DJI Factory

‐ Certified Basic Operator Course

1. Ground Training

16 hour webinar topics

General UAV characteristics, types, uses Principals of Flight Weight and Balance ‐ Center of Gravity calculations and methods Operational limitations (vertical speed, horizontal speed, weight, horizontal distance, altitude, endurance, weather, etc.) Subsystem Operation and Maintenance (Flight controller, IMU, GPS, Compass, Gyros, Accelerometers, Brushless motors, Speed controllers, Propeller, Retractable landing gear, Airframe, Video Transmission and Reception, Antennas, Video displays, etc.) Battery care Transponder operation

Maintenance
Record Keeping, Logbooks, and other Documentation

Insurance Requirements

Remote sensing theory and practical application Autopilot operation and Mission Planning Aircraft flight simulation Federal, State, and Local laws, rules, regulations, policies, and good practice Right of Way rules

FAA Certificate of Authority (COA) process
Pilot in Command (PIC) qualifications and responsibilities

Observer qualifications and responsibilities

Sensor Operator qualifications and responsibilities Recognizing and setting Early Warning Alarms/Signals Emergency Procedures

## Integration with other aircraft in the national airspace Reading a sectional map for aircraft Preflight Checklist

In flight Checklist

Post flight Checklist

Autonomous Flight Preflight briefing
Checklist reviews Flight Certification Testing

How to start a UAV business Typical income for UAV businesses Typical charges for photography



# 2. Flight Training

a) Flight Training Day 1

– Quadcopters

 Preflight briefing on quadcopter operation

 LOS (Line of Sight) and FPV (First Person View) pilot flight training using quadcopters

Equipment Used: DJI	Phantom

# b) Flight Training Day 2

– Fixed Wing Aircraft

 Preflight briefing on fixed wing operation

 LOS (Line of Sight) and FPV (First Person View) pilot flight training using fixed wing aircraft

Equipment Used: TBM	Skyhunter,	MyFlyDream	Antenna	Tracker

. 

# c) Flight Training Day 3

– Autopilot Operation

 Autopilot Mission Training

 Create autopilot missions

 Pilot flight training via autopilot missions created by the student

Equipment Used: DJI	S1000	fully	equipped

# Appendix D: DJI S1000 Plus User Manual

# Appendix E: DJI A2 Flight Control System User Manual©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 1 

# A2 Flight Control System

User Manual V 1. 20

A pril 201 5 Revision

Thank you for purchasing DJI products. Please strictly follow these steps to mount and connect this system on your

aircraft, install the PC Assistant Software on your computer

, as well as install ing the DJI Assistant App on your

mobile device

.

Please regularly check the web page of corresponding product s on our website 

## www.dji.com , which is
updated regularly. Product information, technical updates and manual corrections will be av ailable on this website.
Due to unforeseen changes or product upgrades, the information contained in this manual is subject to change

without notice.

* This manual is for basic assembly and configuration; you can obtain more details and advanced instructi ons when

using the A ssistant S oftware. To assure you have the latest information, please visit our website and download the

latest manual and current software version.

If you have any problem s that you cannot solve during usage, please contact your author ized dealer.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 2 

## Content

INTRODUCTION

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

P RODUCT 

## I NTRODUCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 4

I N THE 

## B O X



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 4

E QUIPMENT 

## P REPARED BY 

## U SERS



## ................................ ................................ .............................. 4

S YSTEM 

## I NTRODUCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 5

S YMBOL 

## I NSTRUCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 5

1 ASSEMBLY AND CONFI GURATION

................................ ................................ ................ 6

1.1 H ARDWARE 

## I NSTALLATION AND 

## C ONNECTION



## ................................ ................................ ........ 6 1.1.1 Mixer Type Supported

................................ ................................ ........................... 6 1.1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram

................................ ................................ ............. 7 1.1.3 Important for Assembly and Connect ion

................................ ............................... 7

1.2 S OFTWARE 

## I NSTALLATION AND 

## C ONFIGURATION



## ................................ ................................ ... 15 1.2.1 Installing Driver and Assistant Software

................................ ............................. 15 1.2.2 Configure using Assistant Software on a PC

................................ ........................ 16 1.2.3 Configure the control mode switch

................................ ................................ ..... 17 1.2.4 Configuration Checking

................................ ................................ ....................... 1 9
1.2.5 Tools

................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 20

1.3 C OMPASS 

## C ALIBRATION



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

2 BASIC FLYING

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

2.1 C ONTROL 

## M ODE 

## I NSTRUCTION



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

2.2 F LYING 

## E NVIRONMENT 

## R EQUIREMENTS



## ................................ ................................ .............. 25

2.3 C HECK 

## L IST BEFORE 

## F LYING



## ................................ ................................ ............................... 25

2.4 P OWER ON AND 

## C HECK



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 26

2.5 S TART 

## M OTORS 

## M ETHODS



## ................................ ................................ ............................... 26

2.6 B ASIC 

## F LYING 

## T EST



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 28

3 PROTECTION FUNCTIO NS SETTING

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

3.1 F A IL 

## S AFE



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 30

3.2 L OW 

## V OLTAGE 

## P ROTECTION



## ................................ ................................ .............................. 31

4 ADVANCED FEATURES

................................ ................................ ................................ 33

4 .1 IOC (I NTELLIGENT 

## O RIENTATION 

## C ONTROL 

## ) FUNCTION



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

4.1.1IOC

................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 33©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 3



## 4.1.2 Cruise Control

................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 37

4.2 S ERVO 

## G IMBAL FUNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ 39

4.3 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 39 4.3.1 Max Height, Radius Limits & Home Fence

................................ ........................... 39 4.3.2 Flight Limits of Special Areas

................................ ................................ ............... 41 4.3.3 Conditions of Flight Limits

................................ ................................ ................... 43

4.4 P

ARACHUTE 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ .............................. 44

4.5 G EAR FUNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 44

4.6 A TTITUDE 

## C ONTROL 

## W HEN 

## O NE 

## M OTOR 

## O UTPUT 

## F AILS



## ................................ ........................ 45

4.7 DJI A SSISTANT 

## A PP 

## U SAGE



## ................................ ................................ ............................... 45

APPENDIX

................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 48

LED INDICATOR DESCRIPTIO NS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ 48

S PECIFICATIONS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 49

FAQ

................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 50

U SE WITH OTHER 

## DJI PRODUCTS



## ................................ ................................ ............................. 50

C HANNEL 

## M APPING 

## I NSTRUCTIONS FOR 

## PC A SSISTANT 

## S OFTWARE



## ................................ ................ 52

R ECOMMENDED 

## M APPING FOR 

## F UTABA 

## T RANSMITTER 

## (M ODE 

## 2) U SER



## ................................ ......... 54

S ETTINGS OF GAIN VALU ES FOR 

## Y OUR 

## R EFERENCE



## ................................ ................................ ....... 54

T HE 

## T RANSMITTER SETUP OF 

## FUTABA

................................ ................................ .................... 54

DISCLAIMER

................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 56

TRADEMARK

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 56©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 4 

# Introduction

Product Introduction

The DJI A2 Multi

- Rotor stabilization controller is a complete flight system for various multi

- rotor platform s for

commercial and industrial aerial photography . Based on the technology and design philosophy of DJI’s Ace

series of high

- performance controllers, the A2 offers you a brand new flight experience. Its flight mode provides

a seamless transition for curre nt Ace One, WKM AP professionals. A2 features includes :
(1) I ntegrated with high

- precision sensor components and a high

- performance GPS R eceiver

. (2) U tilizes high quality components precisely calibrated with temperature compensation in all gyros and

sensors, indu stry renowned flight algorithm in autopilot and UAV field.

(3) Designed with b uilt

- in vibration absorption , no extra mount frame or vibration absorption pad is required.

(4) P rovide high precision control and high performance handling experience.

(5) Based on the DESS T technology , it has a built

- in 16

- channel Receiver, and supports DSM2 satellite receiver.

(6) Optional DJI D

- BUS Adapter can be used with a traditional Receiver.



## In the Box

C ontroller Unit

(Built

- in Receiver DR16) PMU(Power M anage ment unit) IMU(Inertia M ea surement U nit)

LED

- BT

- I GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS A ccessories

M icro

- USB Cable (1)

S ervo Cables (2)

GPS Bracket

D ouble side s t icky pads

.


## Equipment Prepared by User s

Aircraft ( Take Quad

- rotor for example:

Red is nose, and B lack is rear ) Transmitter

( Take Mode2 for example ) Others

Battery

DJI D

- BUS Adapter

Mobile Device©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 5 

## System Introduction

The A2 flight control system use s the Controller Unit at its core, which is connected with the IMU,

GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS

、 LED

- BT

- I

、 PMU and ESCs to complete the system. T he system can achieve the

height

- lock and position

- lock functions by using the IMU and the GPS, to control the aircraft.

Please carry out the following procedures to finish assembly, configurat ion and flight

- testing

.



## Symbol Instruction General Symbol

Forbidden(Important) Cautions Tip s Reference

GPS Satellite number D istance T X signal g ood T X signal lost

Roll to left Roll to right P itch up P itch down



## LED Symbol

( N ) N=1 N=2 N=3 N=4 N=6 N=20 N= ∝

Meaning One Blink Two Blinks Three Blinks Four Blinks Six Blinks Twenty Blinks Continuous

Blinks

e.g. ( 3 ) means three Red blinks.

( ∝ ) LED blinks yellow and green alternatively.

( N ) N= ∝
Meaning Continuous Solid on

e.g. ( ∝ ) means Continuous Blu e Solid on. Configure the system us in g A2 Assistant software

.

Basic flying test FailSafe and Low

- voltage settings A dvanced functions: I OC, Gimbal, Gear M ount the A2 flight control system on your aircraft finish connection.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 6 

# 1 Assembly and C onfiguration

F or hardware installation, software configuration and compass calibration please adhere to the following

sections.



## 1.1 Hardware Installation and Connection

(1) P lease adhere to “ 1.1.1 Mixe r Type Supported ” to choose a mixer type and assemble your aircraft.

(2) P lease adhere to both “ 1.1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram ” and “ 1.1.3 Important for Assembly and

Connection ” to install and connect all units on your aircraft.



### 1.1.1 Mix er Type Supported

F ollowing Mixe r Type s are supported.

The direction of the arrow in diagram indicates the rotation di rection of the motor/propeller.

For coaxial propellers: Blue propeller is at TOP ; Red propeller is at Bottom . Otherwise all propellers

are at to p.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 7 

### 1 .1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram

1.1.3 Important for Assembly and Connection

This section describes all device port function s , assembly requirement s , connection requirements and tips
during usage. Also the linking proce dures between the built

- in Receiver DR16 and your Transmitter. Please read

all information below carefully, especially if you are a first time user. 

### (1) Controller Unit

The Control ler Unit is the core component of the A2 flight control system:

(1) M1~M8 are used to connect to the ESCs of the aircraft.

(2) The built

- in Receiver DR16 is based on DJI DESST technology, which can be used with the Futaba FASST

series and DJI DESST series Transmitter.

(3) CAN1 and CAN2 ports are working independent ly and should connect to diffe rent modules.

(4) 4 independent and c onfigurable outputs.
(5) I t is compatible with the external Receiver, e.g. DSM2 satellite Receiver.

(6) Use the optional DJI DBUS Adapter to support the traditional receiver. 

### Port Description©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 8 

### Mount ing Requirement s :

Install the C ontroller U nit in the proper position to make sure the ports are accessible. No specified direction is

required.

Place the antennas in an open space under th e aircraft, DO NOT block them. Position the heads of

two antennas at a 90

- degree angle. DO NOT bend or wind them.



### Receiver System

The A2 flight control system can use its own built

- in Receiver, and also can support external receiver s . Whatever

type of Receiver is used, please make sure that the Receiver and Transmitter is linked correctly before use.


### A. B uilt

- in Receiver

For e nhanc ing the system integration and reliability

, the A2 is integrated with a 2.4G receiver based on

frequency hopping technology. The built

- in Receiver can be used with the Transmitter of Futaba FASST s eries

or DJI DESST series after linking. F or users, you are only asked to carry out the link procedures, no extra

requirement for connection

. Please carry out the following procedures to finish the Link process , and the configuration in the A2 Assistant

so ftware

- >Basic

- >R/C

- >Receiver Type

. Select the DR16 option.

During use, you may see the following LED indication, please do the operation according to the table below.

LED Description Operation

( ∝ ) Signal from T ransmitter has been detected by the R eceiver, but not matched. Link operation required

( ∝ ) No T ransmitter signal is received, e.g. the flight control system is power ed on
but the Transmitter is power ed off. Switch on

( ∝ ) The R eceiver an d T ransmitter have been link ed to each other successfully

. C an work normally©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 9

T he DR16 Receiver is compatible with the Futaba transmitters which have optional FASS MODE MULT,

MLT2 or 7CH. U sers can find out more available Fu taba transmitters and configuration requirements

refer to the FAQ

- >The Transmitter setup of FUTABA

.



### B. DSM2 S atellite R eceivers

If us ing DSM2 satellite R eceiver s , please follow the diagram for connection, set the R eceiver referring to your

R eceiver m anual, and select the Receiver type as DSM2 in the A ssistant software

- >Basic

- >R/C

- > Receiver Type

.

Notes for the DSM2 users :

 T here is n o need to enable the Fail S afe function in the Transmitter

. I f the Receiver loses the sig n al

from the Transmitter, the controller unit will enter into FailSafe automatically, and the aircraft will©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 10 hover or Go

- home as configur e in the FailSafe in the Assistant software.

 When using the dual

- mode Transmitter, please set the transmiting mode as DS M2 in SYSTEM SET

UP

- >FRAME RATE

- >MODE, which should not be DSMX.

 Support DSM2 satellite Receivers used with all S PEKTRUM Transmitters, e.g. DX6I DX7S DX8

DX18 etc., as well as JR Transmitter s , e.g. DXS9II DXS11

. 

### C. S

- BUS Receivers

If us ing S

- BUS R eceive r s please follow the diagram for connection, set the R eceiver referring to your R eceiver

manual, and select the Receiver type as D

- BUS in the A ssistant software

- >Basic

- >R/C

- > Receiver Type

.

Notes for the S

- BUS users :

 It is n o need to enable the FailSafe function in the Transmitter

. O nce the Receiver loses the

signals from the Transmitter, the controller unit will enter into FailSafe automatically, and the

aircraft will hover or Go

- home as configurations of the FailSafe in th e Assistant software.



### D. PPM Receivers

If us ing PPM R eceiver s please follow the diagram for connection, set the R eceiver referring to your R eceiver

manual, and select the Receiver type as PPM in the A ssistant software

- >Basic

- >R/C

- > Receiver Type

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 11 

### E. Traditional Receivers

If us ing Traditional R eceiver s , the DJI D

- BUS Adapter is required. Please follow the diagram for connection, set

the R eceiver referring to your R eceiver manual, and select the Receiver type as D

- BUS in the A ssistant

software

- >Basic

- >R/C

- > Receiver Type

.

N otes for the traditional receiver users:

 W hen using the traditional receiver which doesn ’ t have endpoint adjustment operations to set

FailSafe in the U channel

, the Go

- H ome switch is recommended and users can use it to trigger

the FailSafe

.

 C onfigure the FailSafe function of your transmitter and receiver according to its instructions,

set the FailSafe position of the Go

- Home switch in the position triggering the FailSafe function

.
I f it is configured correctly as mentioned above , the FailSafe function will be activated

automatically if the receiver loses the signal from the transmitter.

 U sers can get more information about the FailSafe function referring to 3.1 FailSafe in this

manual and the help text in the Assistant software.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 12 

### (2) IMU ( Inertial Measurement Unit ) :

Built

- in inertial sensor s , for the measurement of aircraft attitude ; built

- in p ressure sensor for the detection of

aircraft altitude. Should be connected to the CAN1 port of the Control ler Unit, and be mount ed according to

the required location and orientation

. The IMU has been calibrated before delivery , it should be used under the

specified temperature ; otherwise the temperat ure may have an effect on the IMU performance.

Working environment temperature : - 5 o C ~60 o C Storage environment temperature : <60 o C

O rientatio n Requirement s :

P lease mount the IMU as one of the following options. C onfigure in the A2 Assistant software

- >Basi c - >Mount

- >

IMU

, and select the matched option.

Loc atio n Requirement s :

(1) The top side should be facing up. DO NOT mount upside

- down.

(2) DO NOT cover the ventil ation holes, keep them unblocked and clean.

(3) Take heat preservation measures if working in cold weather.

(1) Mount the IMU at a low vibrat ion position and the sides of the IMU should be precisely parallel

to the aircraft body. B ased on our experience , there is less vibrat ion near the aircraft’s center

of gravity

. (2) NOT water

- proof or oil

- proof.

(3) Check the double faced adhesive tape regularly to make sure that the IMU is fixed firmly.

There is a CAN

- Bus connector
, which can be used to connect to the GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS or other DJI

product

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 13 

### (3) G PS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS

GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS module has a b uilt

- in GPS and compass. The compass is used for geomagnetic field

measurement . It should be mount ed according to the required location and orientation

. Compass calibration is

required before use

. DO NOT use and store the compass i n the ferromagnetic material environment

.



### Mount ing Procedure :
a) Use the epoxy resin AB glue to assemble the GPS bracket first. The longest one is recommended.

b) Mount the bracket on the aircraft first, and then fix the GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS o n the plate of the

bracket ( using the 3M sticky pads provided ). 

### Mounting Position :

Usage Requirements

(1) The DJI logo should be fac ing the sky, with the orientation arro w pointing directly to the nose

direction ; otherwise it may lead to take off failure

. (2) Fly the aircraft in an open space without buildings or trees; otherwise it may have an effect on

the GPS.

(3) The c ompass is sensitive to magnetic interference, should be f a r away from electronic devices

, otherwise it may lead to abnormal flying

. (4) Please always keep the compass module away from magnet fields

. Otherwise it may damage

the compass module and lead the aircraft to work abnormally or even be out of control.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 14 

### (4) PMU ( Power Management Unit)

T he PMU provides dual BEC s ( Battery Eliminator Circuit ) :
(1) PW port outputs power for the whole Flight Control System with current no more than 2A

. (2) PX port outputs power (3A@5V) and V

- SEV signal using the low voltage protection functio n.

I n addition , there are two CAN

- Bus port s for LED

- BT

- I con nection and other DJI product s (e.g. DJI 2.4G Data

Link). 

### Port Description

Mount ing Requirements:

C hoose a ventil ated pla ce to mount the PMU for cooling , no mountin g orientation requirement.



### (5) LED

- BT

- I

T he LED

- BT

- I has integrate d LED Indicator, Bluetooth and USB port:

(1) The LED is mainly for f light control system status indicat ion during flying (e.g. Control Mode).

(2) Bluetooth is used for real

- time communication with your mobile device (e.g. iPhone), to realize parameter

configuration on a mobile device. F or parameter configuration using a mobile device, it is requir ed to
install the DJI Assistant App on the mobile device. When you mount the LED

- BT

- I, please make sure the

side with ANT LOGO is unsheltered after mount ing.

(3) In addition, there is a Micro

- USB port, make sure it is mounted for convenient connection.


### Port Description :

Mount ing Requirement s:
Mount in a good place to make sure the LED is visible during flying. Antenna of Bluetooth s hould be unobstruct ed

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 15 

## 1.2 Software Installation and Configuration

Please configure the A2 flight control system in the Assistant Software according to the following instructions.

Users are required to conf igure every item within the “Basic” page when use the A2 flight control system for the

first time. 

### 1.2.1 Installing Driver and Assistant Software
Installing and running on Windows

1. Download driver installer and Assistant Software installer in EXE format from t he download page of A2

on the DJI website.

2. Connect the A2 flight control system to a PC via a Micro

- USB cable. The Micro

- USB port of the A2 flight

control system is on the LED

- BT

- I module.

3. Run the driver installer and follow the prompts to finish in stallation.

4. Next, run the assistant software installer and follow the prompts to finish installation.

5. Double click the A2 icon on your Windows desktop to launch the software.

The 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 A ssistant S oftware installer in DMG format from the download page of A2 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 A2 Assistant software, Launchpad will not
allow access because the software has not been reviewed by Mac App Store.

4. L ocate the A2 icon in the Finder, p ress the Control key and then click the A2 icon (or right

- click the A2
icon using a mouse). Choose Open from the shortcut menu, click O pen in the prompt dialog box and

the n the software will launch

.
5. After the first successful launch, direct launching of the software can be achiev ed by double

- clicking the

A2 icon in the Finder or using Launchpad.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 16

Installer in DMG format supports only Mac OS X 10. 9 or above.

Usage of A2 Assistant software on Mac OS X and Windows are exactly the same. The Assistant

software pages appear in other places of this manual are on the Windows for example.



### 1.2.2 Configur e using Assistant Software on a PC

A 2 flight control system can takes power via t he USB port during c o nfiguration, no additional battery is required.

N ote that the USB port can supply power no more than 500mA, an ad ditional battery is necessary if connection

failure or intermittent working

. R un the assistant software, and follow the buil t

- in guide to carry out the configuration. Note that you may be asked
to register for first time use.



### 1. View 2. Restore &Upgrade 3.Set 4.Check

Click “Info” to view

user information

and software

version etc. Enter “Tools” to restore default

settings. And check whether the

firmware is the latest. Enter “ Basic” page

.
Set the Aircraft

, Mounting

, RC

, Gain”

in each tab. Enter “View”

page to check all

basic settings.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 17

“ RC

STATUS ”

description Normal : the transmitter and receiver are linked and communicating well.

Disconnect : t he A2 Flight Control System is power ed o n, but the transmitter is power ed off

.
RC

- LOST : RC signal is lost ( e.g. the transmitter is turned off after power on ) or the receiver

is send ing F/S signals ( e.g. the aircraft flies out of the range which transmitter is

controllable ).

The firmware version and the Assistant Softwa re version should be match ed when using the software
to configure the A2 flight control system, otherwise the software will not work. I t ’ s recommended to
keep the firmware version and Assistant Software version up to date to avoid this issues

.



### 1.2.3 Conf igure the control mode switch

Users should configure the control mode switch in the Assistant software in the following page. Only the control

mode switch has been set correctly, the control mode displayed in the left bottom corner will be the same to the

control mode pointed by the cursor o n the channel U.

C onfiguration steps Ex amble s

S tep 1.

Power on your Transmitter, map a 3

- position

switch on the transmitter to the U channel of

Controller Unit as the control mode switch, of

which two positions are de fault as Atti. Mode

a nd GPS Atti. Mode and the third position is
optional, users can set as Atti. Mode or

Manual Mode.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 18

S tep 2.

Toggle the control mode switch to its three

positions, accordingly the cursor will move to

some control mode.

S tep 3.

Power off the Transmitter , the FailSafe will be

enabled and the cursor will point to any area

out of the control mode s

.

S tep 4.

If all steps above are realized, that indicates the

control mode switch is set successfully

. Important

I n step 2, if the cursor doesn ’ t point to the correct control mode area (e.g. the following figures ) , that indicates

abnormal control mode switch configuration. U sers must re

- configure the Endpoint and FailSafe functions in the

Transmitter to make the cursor point to the ri ght control mode and the according area s become blue.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 19 

### 1.2.4 Configuration Checking

*Fig. above for reference only, please adhere to actual GUI.

Check List Description

1 Check the IMU orientation direction

.

2 Check the Mixer Type of aircraft.

Make sure the motors are rotating normally , and p ropeller installation is in correct direction.
3 The Receiver type is correct

. 4
、 5 Check the basic and attitude gains

.

6 Move the sticks to test whether the cursors moves following the sticks. T oggle the “ U ” switch to

test the control mode setting.

7 ~ 

# ○ 11 A dvanced configuration, users can configure it according to their requirements after reading the

manual.



# ○ 12 Check the Channel Map between the T ransmitter and A2 flight control system

.

1 2

3

4 5

6 7

8

9

10

11

1 2©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 20 

### 1.2.5 Tools

1 Config

E xport or import the tuning parameters and resto re the default setting and reset the BTU module. 2 Sensors

Read gyroscope, acceleration and compass sensor value. 3 IMU Calibration

Calibrate IMU base d on the gyroscope and accelerati on sensor reading s from Assistant. C alibrate is needed , when:

 Gyroscope Mo d value exceeds 1.5.

 Acceleration Mod value below 0.98 or exceeds 1.02.

Steps to follow when calibrating IMU:

1. Go to IMU Calibration section after power ing on A2, wait until A2 enters “ Ready ” status

.
2. Click “ Calibration ”, take note of the following warning message:

Place the IMU on a stationary and horizontal surface and ensure A2 logo faces upward.

3. Click “ OK ” to proceed.

1

2

3 4©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 21 4 Device Information and Connection Status

A ll devices that connected to the A2 f light controller are highlighted, however, disconnecte d devices appear grey.
Single click a highlighted device to upgrade its firmware. You can also upgrade all firmware by clicking the

“ Upgrade All ” button.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 22 

## 1.3 Compass Calibration

The Compass can assistant the GPS to position the aircraft, which is very i mportant during flight. As we know,
the compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference , which will cause abnormal compass data, and lead

to poor flight performance or even flight failure

. Compass Calibration MUST be done for first time use.

It i s recommended to calibrate the compass outdoor s after the C ontroller U nit finds 7 or more GPS satellites

. Regular calibration enables the compass to keep optimal performance

. 

### Calibration Caution s

(1) DO NOT calibrate your compass where there is strong magne tic interference, such as magnetite,
car park, and steel reinforcement under the ground.
(2) DO NOT carry ferromagnetic materials with you during calibration, such as keys or cell phones.
(3) Compass Calibration is very important; otherwise the flight control syst em cannot work. 

## Calibration Procedures

Choose an open space to carry out the following procedures.



### S ituations that require recalibration

S ituations Descriptions

Compass D ata abnormal LED blinks yellow and green alternative ly ( ( ∝ ) )

.
F lying field altered Flying field has changed over a long distance

.

M echanical alteration T he mount ing position of GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS module changes.

E lectronic units such as C ontroller U nit , CAN

- HUB, battery etc. have been added,

removed

, remou nted or other alterations.

Mechanical structures of the aircraft has changed

D rifting during fly ing E vident drifts occurred in flight such as the aircraft doesn ’ t fly straight

A ttitude errors LED often blinks error indicator when the aircraft turns a round.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 23 

# 2 Basic flying

Read this section before basic flight testing

.



## 2.1 Control Mode Instruction

The aircraft performs differently wh en using different control modes. Please read the following table to know

the different control modes, which may help you to achieve a more involved flight experience.

Control Mode GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI. Mode Manual Mode

Command
Linearity YES

Yaw Control the aircraft to rotate in clockwise and counter clockwise direction. Maximum rudder

angular velocity 150°/s

Rol l and Pitch Aircraft attitude control; Mid point of s tick is for 0 ̊ attitude,

and its endpoint is 35 ̊. Max

- angular velocity is 150°/s.
No attitude angle limit

.

Throttle Aircraft height control

. Maintain the altitude best above 1

meter from ground when the throttle stick is in mid position

. No altitude locking when the

throttle stick is in mid position.

All Sticks

Released Lock position if GPS signal is

adequate. Only attitude stabilizing.

No position l ock ing. Keep original attitude

.

GPS Lost Once GPS signal lost the flight

control syst em will enter ATTI

.
Mode aut omatic ally

. R eturn to

GPS ATT1. Mode after GPS signal

has recovered for 2 seconds. --- ---

IOC Supported CL/HL/POI / BTM CL None

Assign a 3

- position switch of the transmitter as the control mode switch

. The position

- 1 is defaulted as “ GPS

ATTI. Mode ” and the position

- 2 is “ ATTI. Mode ”

. T he position

- 3 can be set as “ Manual Mode ” or “ ATTI. Mode ” in

A2 assistant software.

C ontrol M ode

S witch position

- 1 position

- 2 position

- 3

Configur able

C ontrol M ode GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI

. Mode * ATTI

. Mode * Manual Mo de

FailSafe

Protection The flight control system will enter FailSafe

Mode if the Transmitter signal is lost and no
matter if Transmitter signal recovers or not,

system will not exit FailSafe mode automatically. The flight control system will enter

FailSaf e Mode if the Transmitter signal is

lost and the system will exit FailSafe once

the signal recovers.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 24

GPS I nvolved YES NO

Low

- voltage

Protection LED alert with D e s cending or Go Home &
Landing precautions Only LED alert

E nvironment

recommended Open flyin g field;

Good GPS signal Narrow Space;
GPS signal bad R egain control in emergency

The difference between ATTI . Mode of position

- 2 and ATTI . Mode of position

- 3 is that they are working differently

in p rotection situations.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 25 

## 2. 2 Flying E nvironment R equir emen t s

(1) Before use of the product, please accept some flight training (Using a simulator to practice flying,
getting instruction from a professional person, etc.).

(2) D O NOT fly in bad weather, such as rain or wind (more than moderate breeze) or fog.

(3) The fl ying field should be open without tall buildings or other obstacles; the buildings of steel

structure will interfere with the compass.

(4) Keep the aircraft away from obstacles, crowds, power lines, trees, lakes and rivers etc.

(5) Try to avoid interference betwee n the remote control T ransmitter and other wireless equipment.

(No base station or cell tower around)

(6) The flight control system can’t work at the South Pole and the North Pole.

(7) All parts must be kept out of the reach of children to avoid CHOKE HAZARD; if a child

accidentally swallows any part you should immediately seek medical assistance.



## 2. 3 Check List before Flying

Double check the following list, otherwise, if any one of the following item s is wrong it may lead to flight accident

.

(1) A ll parts are in good condition , no ageing or damaged components

(2) Motor rotating direction

(3) Propeller mounting direction

(4) Mixer Type set in assistant software

(5) IMU and GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS mounting direction

(6) T ransmitter channel mapping and sticks move ment direction correct
(7) Compass calibration

(8) ESC connection

(9) IMU and GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS firmly mounted

In addition , check the following items to make sure the system can work.

(1) The Transmitter battery is fully charged.

(2) The aircraft battery is fully charged.

(3) Do not over load the aircraft.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 26 

## 2. 4 Power on and C heck

(1) Control mode LED indicator

Power on the Transmitter then the flight control system

. Toggle the control mode switch to different positions.

Control M ode LED indicator

Control Mode

Switch GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI . Mode Man ual Mode

LED (Stick not in midpoint (2) ) (Stick not in midpoint (2) ) No LED indicator

Set Put the Control Mode switch to GPS position for basic flying test.

Note: when the GPS signal LED indicator is bad or worst ( (2) or (3) ) and last s for more

th an 3secs, the flight control system will enter into ATTI

. Mode.

(2) GPS signal LED indicator

GPS signal indicat ion blinks after every Control mode indicat ion

. We s uggest flying when GPS satellites are more

than 5.

GPS signal LED indicator

Worst ( < 5 ) : (3) Bad ( = 5 ) : (2) Well ( = 6 ) : (1) Best ( > 6 ) : No indicator



## 2. 5 Start M o tors Metho d s CSC (Combination sticks commands) is used to start motors instead of just pushing the throttle stick. O ne of the

following methods can be used to start/stop motors.

Under the conditions stated below, the motors will stop in ATTI

. Mode /GPS ATTI. M ode :
(1) The throttle sticks is under 10% for more than 3secs after motors start.

(2) The t hrottle sticks is under 10% for more than 3secs after landing.

(3) The throttle sticks is under 10% for more than 3secs and the inclined angle of aircraft exceeds

70°
。

I f motors fail to start, please refer to the following list for trouble shooting.

(1) T he Controller Unit fails to obtain the firmware version of IMU and GPS, please check the

connection or up grade the IMU and GPS.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 27

(2) T he firmware version of IMU and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of

IMU or Controller Unit.

(3) T he firmware version of GPS and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of

GPS or Controller Un it.

(4) The transmitter calibration has exited abnormally, please recalibrate.

(5) T he transmitter calibration results with big bias, please recalibrate.

(6) T he transmitter calibration results with big mid point bias, please recalibrate.

(7) Incorrect channel mappings

, please make sure the basic channels A/E/T/R/U are mapped

correctly

. (8) I nvalid SN or SN error; please contact your dealer or DJI custom service.

(9) T he Controller Unit is locked, please unlock the Controller Unit and reconfigure all the parameters

in the Assista nt software.

(10) IMU disconnected, please check the connection.

(11) C ompass data abnormal, please eliminate magnetic interference and recalibrate the compass.

(12) W hen F light limit function is enabled, if the aircraft fly out of the max

- radius in ATTI. mode and the

m otors are stalling, the motors will fail to spool up in GPS ATTI. mode cause the Flight limit

function works.

(13) T he attitude status is bad and the LED indicator blinks white, the motors will fail to spool up.

(14) T he Transmitter disconnected, the motors will fa il to spool up.

(15) The A2 flight control system is connecting and communicating with the Assistant software, the

motors will fail to spool up.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 28 

## 2. 6 Basic Flying T est
Carry out the following procedures to complete the basic flight test.



### 1. Wait the GPS s ignal to be well LED

Pl ace the aircraft away from you and others at least 3 met ers and wait the ≥6
( about 30 seconds)

. or no Red LED



### 2

. Start motors and takeoff aircraft

. LED

Execute CSC to start motors; all sticks back to midpoint as soon as motors start, then push

the throttle stick to take off the aircraft, meanwhile the home point is record ed

. NOTE:

3 6 secs after power on; 10secs after ≥ 6; Motors have been started, auto

- record the

position as home point at the first time the throttle stick is raised 

### ( ∝ 

### )

After the home point is recorded successfully and the distance from aircraft is less than 8m,

LED indicator will blink 6 violet conti nually. Note : only when GPS signal is good (no Red
LED) LED indicator will blink 6 violet continually

. 

### ( 6 

### )

3. Operate sticks to control the flying attitude of the aircraft during fl ight

Transmitter (Mode2) Aircraft Operations

Throttle

Stick Push Throttle sticks to control the aircraft

to elevate and descend. The aircraft can

lock to an altitude when the throttle stick
is at midpoint.

Yaw Stick Push the yaw stick to rotate the aircraft in

clockwise or counter clockwise direction.

Roll Stick Push roll stick to control the aircraft left
or right

, pitch stick to control forward or

backward. When both roll and pitch sticks are at
midpoint : (1) GPS ATTI. M ode : the aircraft will

be stabilized and locked in
horizontal position. (2) ATTI

. M ode : the aircr aft will be

stabilized but unlocked in
horizontal position. Pitch

Stick©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 29 

### 4.Hover

In GPS ATTI. M ode
, the aircraft will hover when the throttle/yaw/roll/pitch sticks are all released at mid

- point.



### 5.Landing

Use the throttle stick to control the landing speed, try to land your aircraft gently to avoid shock or crash.

Please refer to the next section “ P rotection F unctions S etting” to take precautions.

(1) Low voltage alert: yellow quick flashes or red quick flashes

. (2) FailSafe : LED indicator blinks blue

.
Moreover , you may come across the following abnormal situation, please carry out the operation below.

(3) Compass data is abnormal; the LED blinks yellow and green alternatively. P lease re

- calibrate the
Compass.

(4) IMU data is abnormal, the LED blinks fo ur green. P lease contact your dealer.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 30 

# 3 Protection Functions Setting

Set protect ion in the Assistant software

- > Advanced page

. FailSafe and Low voltage protections are required

.



## 3.1 FailSafe

FailSafe works when the Transmitter ( TX) signal is lost, the flight control system will auto matically control the

aircraft to reduce injuries or damage

.

TX

signal D escriptions

Home

Point

(HP)

≥

6 Home poin t will be recorded:

- After 30 seconds of strong GPS signal

- 10 seconds later after green LEDs have stopped blinking, when throttle sticks are

moved away from mid point.

FailSafe Customize the failsafe to define what happens if remote control signal is lost. Choose

from either a uto hovering, RTH or "RTH at a preset altitude in the A2 Assi s tant"

One

- Key

Go Home A switch can be set to trigger RTH without signal loss. If One

- Key RTH is enabled

duri ng flight, aircraft control will cease and LED lights will indicate Control Mode.

Release the RTH switch to regain control. If the Failsafe has been triggered the

switch will not work.

With One

- Key RTH in progress, aircraft orientation can be controlled wh ile the

aircraft returns.



### FailSafe and Go H ome procedures

(1) The aircraft will not go home (only attitude stabilizing) i n the condition that <6 o r GPS is not
working

, even if Transmitter signal is lost or Go Home switch is triggered.
(2) It is reco mmended to set the Go Home switch in the Assistant software. U sers are suggested to©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 31 enter FailSafe and go home by using the Go Home switch rather than turning off the Transmitter
in emergency situations.
(3) M ake sure there are no obstacles during aircraft go home and users are familiar with the methods
to regain control.



### H ow to regain con trol in FailSafe

3

- position

Switch Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

- 3

GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI

. Mode ATTI

. Mode Manual Mode

R egain control You have to t oggle the control mode switch

once to regain control if the signal recovers

. R egain control as soon as signal recovers

.



## 3.2 Low V oltage P rotection

Low voltage protection is used to alert low battery voltage during flight; in this case, users should promptly fly

back the aircraft and land to avoid unexpected damages.

T o use this function please set in As sistant software

- > Advanced

- > Voltage page to configure two voltage level s

.

P rotection s O ption Selected C onditions LED A ircraft

F irst level LED

---- ( ∝ ) N one

GH & Landing Make sure the home point is recorded and

no obstacles in going home and landing path

. ( ∝ ) Go

- Home & Landing

S econd

level LED

---- ( ∝ ) N one

D escending

---- ( ∝ ) D escending directly



### Go

- Home & Landing Usage Tips

(1) The h ome point recorded is the same in both FailSafe and Low voltage protection. The aircraft will not go

home in the follow ing cases :
a) Control mode switch is at the position

- 3 (M anual Mode or ATTI . Mode )

b) GPS signal is bad ( < 6 )
c) The distance between aircraft and the home point is less than 25m, and the height over the Home

point less than 20m.



### D escending Usage Tips

The aircraft will not hover when the throttle stick is at the mid point. Push the throttle sti ck to 90% of its

endpoint, the aircraft will still ascend slowly if you continue to pull the throttle stick, and the control of Pitch,

Roll and Yaw are the same as before.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 32

(1) Please pay atten tion to the LED alert of low voltage and make sure the power is enough for go

home and landing. I nsufficient power reserve will cause the aircraft to crash as well as other

consequences.
(2) I f the second level low voltage alert occurs in below procedures, the aircraft will descend

automatically.

a) W hen the aircraft is in Fa ilSafe and Go Home process
。 b) W hen the aircraft is controlled by the Ground Station.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 33 

# 4 Advanced Features

The advanced features of A2 include IOC (intelligent orientation control), gimbal control, parachute activation

and so on. It also enable users to tweak the A2 configuration via the A2 Assistant wirelessly through the

Bluetooth connection.



## 4.1 IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) function
4.1.1IOC

IOC Help users to set the Flying direction ; Should be enabled in Assistant software.

F lying dir ection T he flying direction of aircraft when pushing the Roll and Pitch sticks.

F orward direction T he flying direction of aircraft when the pitch stick is pushed forward.

N ormal flying IOC is disabled. Forward direction is pointing to the nose directi on and changes

along with the nose.

CL(course lock)

mode Its forward direction is pointing to the nose direction when recording, which is

fixed until you re

- record it or exit from CL.

HL (home lock) mode Record a Home Point (HP), push Pitch stick to co ntrol the aircraft far from or

near to the HP.

POI mode Point of Interest . Record a p oint of i nterest ( POI ), the aircraft can circle around

the POI, and the nose always points to the POI.

BTM (Banked Turn)

mode In this mode, the roll and yaw sticks ar e combined to help you perform banked

turns with only one hand.



### Conditions of IOC function

F lying IOC

Setting C ontrol M ode GPS

- COMPASS

PRO PLUS

R equired GPS Satellites D istance L imits

Normal

---- ---- ---- B asic to control mode N one

CL Enabled N ot Manual Mode Compass N one N one

HL Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥ 6

POI Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥ 6

BTM Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥ 6 N one



### Step 1 IOC switch set ting

P lease enable the IOC function in Adva nced

- > IOC page of Assistant software. T hen choose a 3

- positon switch on

the Transmitter to set as IOC switch, which is used to select the different IOC modes and manually record the©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 34 Forward direction , HP and POI recording

. There are six types of IOC switch setting. B elow are the three recommended options of IOC switch setting which

may be configured in the Assistant software.

Switch positions A B C

1 OFF OFF OFF

2 CL CL CL

3 HL POI BTM



### Step 

## 2 Forward D irection , HP and POI R ecording
After you enab le the IOC in assistant software, the flight control system will record the forward direction and home

point automatically after power on

, if the record ing condition s are met

. Y ou can manually re

- record the forward
direction, home point and POI during flyi ng. Note that no BTM recording is required. Read the following table for

the record ing method details.

CL HL POI

Recorded

Orientation Aircraft’s nose as forward

direction Home point The position that the user

wish to fly around.

C onditions 3 6 secs after power on 1 0 secs later after ≥ 6 ;
M otors have been started

. 1 0 secs later after ≥ 6

.

Auto matically A uto matically record at 3 6

secs after power on A utomatically record at the first

time you push the thrott le stick N o A utomatic record method

Manual A ccording to any option of IOC switch setting, quickly toggle the switch between adjacent

positions 3

- 5 times to record manually

.

Successful (20) ( 20 ) ( 20 )

(1) DO NOT toggle the switch between the position 1 and 3 frequently

, which may re

- recor d the

p osit i on 2.

(2) T he new Home Point and Forward Direction can be set only after one has already been recorded

automatically.

(3) HP is not only used in IOC, but also in FailSafe and Low voltage as go home and landing

destination

. T he flight control system will automatically record the HP even if IOC function is

dis abled in Assistant software but Forward direction and POI can be recorded only after IOC is

enabled.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 35

(4) O nce the Home Point is recorded successfully, LED will blink (6) continually under the

following co nditions. All conditions must be true.

1. ≥ 6

. 2. Distance bet ween aircraft and the recorded home point is less than 8m.

3. Current control mode is in GPS ATTI. Mode or ATTI

. Mode of switch position

- 2

.



### S tep 

## 3 CL, HL and POI flying test

P lease study the following diagram then make an I OC flying test. IOC LED indicator b links ( (2) means not all

stick ( s ) at the midpoint )

HP POI F lying direction F orward direction R out e Auxiliary line

F lying IOC

switch R ecord P itch stick control of aircraft R oll stick control of aircraft

N ormal OFF None

CL CL

HL HL

POI POI

DO NOT toggle the IOC switch frequently in HL flying to avoid re

- recording the HP unwittingly.

IOC function is available only when all the required conditions are satisfied. I f any condition is omitted

the flight control system will exit IOC. P lease keep an eye on the LED to know the current control mode

.

(1) I t is r ecommended to start the HL flight when the aircraft is > 10m away from the HP. If start ing

the HL when the distance between aircraft and HP is less than 10m and it ’ s the first time you

st art HL after power on, then the flight control system will only enter HL after flying out of the©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 36 10m range.

(2) D uring HL flying if one of the following condition s occur , the flight control system will exit HL and

enter into CL: the aircraft is within of 10m f rom HP; the control mode is changed to ATTI . Mode ;
<6( LED 

### ( 2 

### ) or 

### ( 3 

### ) )

.



### Step 4 Banked Turn m o de fl ying test

Banked Turn Mode is useful when you want to perform banked turns one handed. It allows you to pitch and roll to

turn without using the yaw stick.
Application examples:

1. Normal and FPV aerial photography in this mode is smooth and simple, giving a different visual feel to your

work.

2. In this mode, the roll and yaw sticks are combined to help you perform banked turns with only one hand.

Setting steps (Mode 2) :

1. To enable Banked Turn Mode , replace the POI gear of the IOC switch with Banked Turn gear.

2. With Banked Turn Mode activated, you can circle the aircraft with just one stick. To do this, Mode 2 (throttle

on the left stick) user s should select the “Use Roll” option while Mode 1 (throttle on the right stick) users

should select the “Use Yaw” option

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 37 U sin g Banked Turn Mode (Mode 2):

1. Select “ Use Roll ” to disable the yaw stick or select “ Use Yaw ” to disable the roll stick.

2. Push pitch stick to move the aircraft for ward or backward

.
3. After that, Push roll stick left or right to perform banked turn a s the following diagram shown. N o yaw stick

required.

4. When the aircraft is hovering, yaw is controlled by the roll stick instead.

5. Rapidly pull the pitch stick to the mid

- point to stop the aircraft.

F lying IOC

switch R ecord P itch stick Roll stick P itch stick Roll stick P itch stick Roll stick P itch stick Roll stick

BTM BTM No ne

(1) Banked Turn Mode works only with GPS

- ATTI mode (GPS ≥6 ). The aircraft will stop and hover when

less than 6 satellites are found.

(2) Onc e the aircraft performs side slip, adjust the drift damping value. Note that too big value may lead

to aircraft vibration.



### 4.1. 2 Cruise Control

Cruise C ontrol allows you to lo ck the speed of the aircraft

, freeing you to control the gimbal while maintai ning

flight.

Application examples:

1. By maintaining steady flight, you can focus more on your shots and gimbal control, and your total flight time is

increased by eliminating unnecessary speed changes.

2. Activate Cruise Control to lock your aircraft into its current horizontal speed when you release the control

sticks.

Cruise Control only works when IOC has been enabled. Tick the Cruis e Control box in the A2 Assistant to enable it.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 38 Assign a 3

- gear switch on the remote control for Cruise Control . Follow the steps below to use Cruise Control

. Use the control sticks to accelerate the aircraft to your target speed then toggle the assigned Cruise Control switch

to “ S et ” or “ Continue s ”.

The action of three different gears of the cruise speed is defined as follow :



###  Close

Deactivate Cruise Control

.


###  Set

Move the switch to this position in flight to “ S et ” the cruising speed. The speed at the point that the switch is

toggled will be maintained. If you use the control sticks to adjust aircraft speed, the aircraft will return to its

original speed once the control sticks return to center.



###  Continue s
In this position the aircraft will maintain its speed of flight however if you accelerate or slow down, it will

continue flying at the new speed once the control sticks retur n to center.

(1) Cruise Control only works in GPS

- ATTI mode ( GPS > 6 )

. (2) The aircraft will exit Cruise Control mode and hover at its current altitude when less than 6 GPS

satellites are detected , switches to ATTI. m ode or enters auto go home mode

. To enter “Set ” and

“ Continue ” modes, you must first go into “ OFF ” mode.

(3) Cruise Control is disabled during Banked Turn mode flying.

(4) M aximum speed is 15m/s under Cruise Control mode.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 39 

## 4.2 Servo Gimbal function

C onnect the servos of your gimbal to the Controller Unit as the fig. below
, roll servo connect s to F3 port and

pitch servo connect s to F 2 , and configure in Advanced

- > Gimbal page in the Assistant software. No Receive r

channel is asked to be mapped for the F2 or F3 port if gimbal function is enabled in the Assistant Software.

Note: Even you map Receiver channels to F3 and F 2 (Which are shown as D3 and D 2 in the Assistant Software

- > Channel Mapping), the F3 and F 2 will not give output signal s from the mapped Receiver channels.



## 4.3 Flig ht Limits

A ll unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators should abide by all regulations from such organizations as the ICAO

(Internationa l Civil Aviation Organization) and their own national airspace regulations. F or safety reasons, the flight

limits functio n is enabled by default to help users use this product safely and legally

. T he flight limits function

includes height, distance limits and safety zone

.

I n Ready to Fly mode

, height, distance lim its and No Fly Zones work together to manage flight. I n Ready to Fly

(non

- GPS) status , only height limit s applies and flights cannot go higher than 120m.

D efault parameters in A ssistant Software are compliant within the definitions of class G ruled by ICAO.

(Refer to Airspace Classification to get more details)

. A s each country has its own rules, make sure to

configure these parameters to comp ly with these rules before flying

.



### 4.3.1 Max Height , Radius Limits & Home Fence

The Max Height & Radius restri cts the flying height and distance. Configuration can be done in the A2 Assistant

. Once complete, your aircraft will fly in a restricted cylinder.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 40

GPS ATTI mode

Limits Ground Station Tips

Max Height Flight height must b e under the set height. W arning: Height limit reached.

Max Radius F light distance must be within the max radius. W arning: Distance limit reached.

ATTI mode

F light Limits Ground Station Tips

Max Height Flight height restricted to 120m and under. W arning: Height limit reached.

Max Radius No limits

(1) If you fly out of the limit, you can still control the aircraft , but cannot fly it further.

(2) If the aircraft flies out of the max radius in ATTI mode

, it will fly back within range automatically

.

H ome fenc e is a safety feature that prevent s the aircraft from coming in too close to an operator

. When enabled,

the aircraft will not be able to enter a safe area defined by the user.
Application examples:

1. S upply safe guard for new users in case of damage from wrong operation.

2. Keep users safe when aircraft flies close in a high spee d

. The safety radius can be set in the A2 Assistant as shown below:©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 41

Assign a switch on the remote control to turn the home fence feature on and off. The safety radius range can

be set between 12m and 100m.

(1) Home fence feature works only with GPS

- ATTI mode. NO home fence limit for ATTI mode and
navigation mode.
(2) Failsafe procedure overrides the home fencing feature.



### 4.3.2 Flight Limits of Special Areas

Restricted areas include airports worldwide. All restricted areas are listed on the DJI official website at
http://www.dji.com/fly

- safe/category

- mc . Restricted areas are divided into category A and c ategory B. Category A

areas cover major international airport such as LAX and Heathrow, while category B areas includes smaller airports.
Category A Safety Zone

 The category A “safety zone” is comprised of a small “no

- fly zone” and a range of “restricted

- altitude zones”.

Flight is prevented in the “no

- fly zone” but can continue with height restrictions in the restricted

- altitude zone.

 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around a designated safety zone is a no

- fly zone, inside which takeoff is prevented.

 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to 5 miles (8 km) around restricted areas are altitude restricted, with maximum altitude going

from 35 feet (10.5 m) at 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to 400 feet (120 m) at 5 miles (8 km).

 A “warning zone” has been set around the safety zone. When you fly within 32 0 feet (100m) of the safety zone, a

warning message will appear on the DJI Ground Station

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 42 Category A

Category B Safety Zone

 Category B “safety zone” is comprised of a “no

- fly zone” and a “warning zone”.

 0.6 miles (1 km) arou nd the safety zone is a designated “no

- fly zone”.

 A “warning zone” has been set around the safety zone. When you fly within 0.6 miles (1Km) of this zone, a warning

will appear on the DJI Ground Station

.

Category B

GPS ATTI mode

Zone Restriction R ear L ED Flight Indicator

No

- fly Zone Motors will not start.

I f the aircraft enters the restricted area in ATTI mode but

GPS ATTI mode activates, the aircraft will automatically

descend to land then stop its motors after landing. B link red q uickly and continue

for 3 seconds before normal

blinks.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 43

R estricted

- altitude

flight zone I f the aircraft enters a restricted area in ATTI mode and

GPS ATTI mode activates, it will descend to a safe altitude

and hover 15 feet below the sa fe altitude. B link yellow quickly and

continue for 3 seconds before

normal blinks. Warning zone No flight restriction applies, but there will be warning

message.

Free zone

No restrictions

. N one.

S emi

- automatic descen t : A ll stick commands are available except the throttle stick command during

the d escent and landing process

. M otors will stop automatically after landing

. U sers must toggle the S1

switch to regain control. This is the same as regaining control durin g Failsafe. P lease refer to r egain

c ontrol d uring f ailsafe p rocedure

. (1) When flying in the No

- fly Zone , 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 w hich point

it will switch back to red blinking.

(2) When flying in the Restricted

- altitude flight zone and Warning zone, LED flight indicators will

blink yellow 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.

(3) For safety reasons, please do not fly close to airports, highways, railway stations, railway lines,

city centers and other special areas. Try to ensure the aircraft is visible.



### 4.3 .3 Conditio ns of Flight Limits

In different working modes and flight modes, flight limits will differ according to number of GPS satellites found

.
The following table demonstrate s all the cases( √ : available; × :unavailable ).

All flights are restricted by height, dista nce and special areas simultaneously

. The Failsafe and Ground Station

operations are not restricted to flight l imits , but if Ground Station function is used, the flight will be restricted the

special area limits built in to Ground Station

. R efer to the Gro und Station manual for details.

C ontrol Mode number of GPS found Limits of Special A rea M ax Height Max Radius

GPS ≥ 6 √ √ √

< 6 × √ ×

ATTI. ≥ 6 √ √ ×©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 44 < 6 × √ ×

Manual ≥ 6 × × ×

Flight Limits can b e disabled in the Assistant as below.

Users cannot take off the aircraft in some Special Areas even the Flight Limits is disabled in the

Assistant

.



## 4. 4 Parachute Function

The A2 now supports the DJI Dropsafe parachute system which can be enabled in the A2 Assistant. The X3 and F4

ports should be connected. There are two methods to deploy the parachute.

1. Motors will automatically stop and the parachute will deploy by using switch on the remote control

.
2. In the event of an emergency (aircraft descends faster than 10 m/s), motors will automatically stop and the

parachute will deploy.

(1) P arachute will deploy once the aircraft descends faster than 10 m/s in manual mode.

(2) Once parachute function enabled, motors will automatically stop and the parachute will deplo y.
(3) Refer to DJI D ropsafe user manual for more details.



## 4. 5 Gear function

Once enable the Intelligent Gear function , the gear is default down on the ground or in case of emergency (e.g.
motor failure tolerance, auto landing); you can control it to be up or down by a switch when the aircraft altitude©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 45

is above 5m during flight.
Please configure in the Advanced

- > Gear page in the Assistant software. C onnect the landing gear of S800 EVO

to the Controller Unit as fig. below.

(1) Make sure to enable and config ure the Intelligent Gear function in the A ssistant software first,
and then connect the gear to the F1 port.
(2) T he Gear channel is required to be mapped with a channel on Receiver if the Intelligent Gear

function is enabled in Assistant Software, and the F1 port will give output s for retracting control.
(3) Once you map the Gear channel, F1 port will give output signal s from the controller for retract

control. Otherwise, even the Intelligent Gear function is enabled ; F1 will give output from D1 ( it ’ s

necessary to map the D1 channel with a channel on Receiver as your demands)

.



## 4. 6 Attitude Control When One Motor Output Fail s

For Hexa

- rotor, including Hexa

- rotor I, Hexa

- rotor V, Hexa

- rotor IY and Hexa

- rotor Y, the aircraft with A2 f light

control system is attitude controllable when one motor output fails

.

Select Course lock or home lock mode for flying the aircraft into a safe area to land when the aircraft is
far away or the attitude can’t be recognized.



## 4. 7 DJI Assistant App Usage

T here is a built

- in Bluetooth in the A2 LED

- BT

- I module . W ith a DJI Assistant App installed o n your mobile

device, remote parameter configuration can be obtained via Bluetooth communication between the A2 Flight

Control System and the mobile device

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 46 

### S upported iOS devices

i P hone 4s, i P hone 5, i P hone 5s, i P od T ouch 5, i P ad 3, i P ad 4, i P ad air, i P ad mini

, iOS6.1 or above is required. B luetooth version is required to be 4.0 or above.



### Required versions of DJI Assistant A pp & Firmware

Require DJI Assist ant App version 1.1.14 or above and the firmware of A2 Controller Unit version 2. 1 or above, as

well as the firmware of LED

- BT

- I module version 2.0 or above.



### Specifications

B luetooth version 4.0 E nvironment temperature

- 1 0 °C ~+50 °C

C ommunication distance 50m Consumption 240mw(0.04A@6V)



### DJI Assistant App Usage

Step 1 Download and installation

1. S earch the DJI Assistant in App store on mobile device and install it.

Step 2 Connect the A2 Controller Unit and the DJI Assistant App

1. Prepare an iOS device supported 4.0 B luetooth, and then enable the Bluetooth function on the mobile

device.

2. Power on the transmitter and the A2 Flight Control System, make sure the Bluetooth S tatus Indicator is

solid Red

.
3. Run the DJI Assistant App. You may be asked to register through internet when first login (the account of
PC Assistant software is OK for login) ; follow the tips to set Main Controller name and password.

4. Observe the indicators on the left bottom of the software. ( connection indi cator and

communication indicator) On the DJI Assistant App , if the communication indicator is , please double

check the connections and driver installation; otherwise if the indicator is blinking , go to next step.

5. Select the “Basic” option. Please follo w step

- by

- step for your first

- time

- configuration. Basic configuration

is necessary. Click the icon to get the configuration details.

6. You can click the “Advanced” option for more parameter settings. Advanced setting is optional. There are

Motor, F/S

, IOC

, Gimbal, V oltage, Limits, Gear, etc.

7. C heck all parameters in the View page

.
8. Select “More” to obtain more details. Including: Restore MC default s ettings, A ccount s , Main Controller

List, Information, wiki, Rate DJI Assistant, FAQ, Feedback, About

.

1. Make sure to upgrade the LED

- BT

- I module to the latest firmware via the PC Assistant software

on a PC before you use the DJI Assistant App with the A2 Flight Control System.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 47

2. Every time you run the DJI Assistant App, the App will search the Controller Unit autom atically

.
3. The gain value displayed on Mobile Device and PC may be a little different, that is OK for use.

Step 3 Flying Test Procedures

1. Get the aircraft ready, run the DJI Assistant and make sure it is connected with the main controller. (The

indicators on the DJI Assistant are )

2. Start the motors.

3. The “View” page shows the relative parameters real

- time when flying.

4. Go to the “Basic” and click into the “Gain” page to set the values of all gains real

- time during flying.

5. Go to the “ Basic ” and click into t he “ Tool ” page to view the values of IMU & Compass real

- time during

flying.

6. Finish the flying and land your aircraft.

Only the parameter referred above can be changed during flying. Others can be configure d after

landing.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 48 

# Appendix

L ED indicator descriptions

Control mode GPS signal

Manual Mode: No indicator Best ( > 6 ) : No indicat or

ATTI . Mode : ( 1 ) ( sticks not in mid

- point (2) ) Good ( = 6 ) : (1)

GPS ATTI. Mode : (1) (sticks not in mid

- point (2)) Bad ( = 5 ) : (2)

Ground Station: (1) Worst ( < 5 ) : (3)


### Flight Attitude
Attitude good : No indicator Attitude status bad: (3)

IMU data lost, calibrat e IMU needed : ( 4)



### Compass calibration

H orizontal calibration ( ∝ ) Calibration Failed ( ∝ )

Vertical calibration ( ∝ ) Abnormal Compass Data ( ∝ )


## Low voltage alert

First level alert ( ∝ ) Second level alert ( ∝ )



## FailSafe mode
During the Fai lSafe ( ∝ ) C ompass Abnormal after power on ( ∝ )



## E rrors

S ystem Error (4) C ompass Abnormal after power on ( ∝ ) 

## IOC Recording

Record home

- point successfully (20)

Aircraft is in the 8m range of HP (6)

Record forward direction s uccessfully ( 20)

Record a Point Of Interest success fully ( 20)



## Bluetooth

A2 Assistant is connected / dis connected to the flight control system ( ∝ )

When the LED blinks (3) , please hover or land the aircraft and wait for the white LED to go off

.
When the LED blinks ( 3), it is not recommended to fly.

When the LED blinks ( 4), please contact your dealer.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 49 

## Specifications

General

Built

- In Functions 

###  Built

- in Receiver



###  Multiple C ontrol Modes



###  2

- axle Gimbal Support ed



###  Enh anced FailSafe



###  Intelligent Orientation Control



###  D ynamical S ystems Protection



###  PC & Bluetooth Ground Station 

###  E xternal Receiver Supported



###  9 Types of Supported Multi

- rotor



###  Other DJI Products Support ed



###  Low Voltage Protection



###  4 C onfigurable Outputs



###  Sound Alarm



###  Co nfigure Parameters Via Bluetooth 

## Peripheral

Supported Multi

- rotor  Quad

- rotor: I4, X4

 Hexa

- rotor: I6, V6, Y6, I Y6

 Octo

- rotor: X8, I8, V8
Supported ESC output 400Hz refresh frequency.
Supported Transmitter for Built

- in Receiver Futaba FA SST (MULT, MLT2, 7CH) Series and DJI DESST Series

E xternal Receiver Supported Futaba S

- Bus, DSM2 , PPM
Recommended Battery 2S ~ 6S LiPo

Other DJI Products Support ed Z15

, iOSD Mark II

, D

- BUS Adapter , S1000,S900 EVO, 2.4G

Data Link , H3

- 2D

, H3

- 3D , DJI Dropsafe Parachute 

## Electrical & Mechanical

Power Consumption MAX 5W ( Typical Value: 0.3A@12.5V )
Operating Temperature

- 5°C to +60°C
Total Weight <= 224 g (overall)

Dimensions  MC: 54mm x 39mm x 14.9mm

 IMU: 41.3mm x 30.5mm x 26.3mm

 GPS

- COMPASS PRO PLUS : 62 mm (diameter) x 14.3 mm

 PMU: 39.5mm × 27.6mm × 9.8mm

 LED

- BTU

- I : 30mm x 30mm x 7.9mm 

## Flight Performance (can be effected by mechanical performance and payloads) Hovering Accuracy ( In GPS ATTI. Mode)  Vertical: ± 0.5m

 Horizontal: ± 1.5 m
Maxi mum Wind Resistance <8m/s (17.9mph / 28.8km/h)
Max Yaw Angular Velocity 150deg/s
Max Tilt Angle 35°
Ascent / Descent 6m/s©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 50 

# FAQ

U se with other DJI products

The A2 can be used with other DJI products such as iOSD Mark II

, Z15 series gimbals

, S800 EVO and 2.4G

Data Link (iPAD Ground Station function) , H3

- 2D, H3

- 3 D

, etc. U sers should connect them to the correct

CAN

- Bus port.

CAN1: iOSD Mark II , Z15 series

. CAN2: 2.4G Data Link (iPAD Ground Station function), H3

- 2D , H3

- 3 D

. The following 2.4G D ata L ink connection diagram is the connection for your reference

.

The following H3

- 2D connection diagram is the connection for your reference

.©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 51

(1) H3

- 2D /3D users should upgrad e the firmware to the latest version (GCU V1.6& IMU V1. 6 or
above).

(2) If the 2.4G Data Link and H3

- 2D /3D are used at the same time, a CAN

- HUB module is required.

When using the A2 flight control system firmware version V 2.1 , the firmware of other DJI products used in

conjunction must be matched with the requirements in the table below.

Other DJI Products F irmware/Software Version (or above) Assistant Software( use to upgrade)

iOSD Mark II V3.0 iOSD V4.0 & OSD Viewer V4.0

Zenmuse H3

- 2D /3 D GCU V1.6 & IMU V1.6 & CMU1.0 H3

- 2D V1.02

Z15

- GH3 GCU V0.12 & IMU V1.4 Z15

- GH3 V1.00

Z15

- 5D GCU V0.12 & IMU V1.4 Z15

- 5D V1.00

Z15

- 5N/7N/GH2/5R GCU V0.0.12 & IMU V1.0.18_beta Z15 V1.4

2.4G Bluetooth

Datalink T he Ground end V 1.0.1.5 & The Air End

V 1.0.1 .1 & BTU V1.0.1.2 2.4G Bluetooth Datalink V1.0.0.6

iPAD Ground Station V1.3.56

----©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 52 

## Channel Mapping Instruction s for PC Assistant Software

Basic Channel Default Settings Usage Description s

A Roll Control of the Controller Unit , mapp ed

to the Channel 1 of Receiver During Assistant Software usage, please click

the “ Calibration ” button, to calibrate the

Transmitter sticks travel. During calibrating,

make sure to operate strictly following the

prompts; otherwise may lead to calibration

failure.

Click the “ Map ” button , then you can re

- do

mapping for A/E/T/R/U

. E Pitch Control of the Controller Unit

,

mapped to the Channel2 of Receiver

T Throttle Control of the Controller Unit

,

mapped to the Channel3 of Receiver

R Yaw Control of the Controller Unit

, m apped

to the Channel4 of Receiver

U Control Mode Switch of the Controller Unit

,

mapped to the Channel7 of Receiver

Others Default Settings Usage Descriptions

K1~K6 Remote Gains Adjustment of the Controller

Unit , unmapped. Click “ Unmapped ” button to ma p K1~K6 to the

channels of Receiver.

Pitch Gimbal Pitch Control of the Controller Unit

,

unmapped. Click “ Unmapped ” button to map Pitch to a

Receiver channel f or the gimbal servo control.

D1~D4 Direct Channels (The corresponding ports

are F1~F4 on the Co ntroller Unit ) of Click “ Unmapped ” button to map D1~D4 to

the Receiver channels. If you enable the©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 53 Controller Unit , unmapped. Gimbal functions in Assistant Software, then

the F3/F2 are used for gimbal contro l; e ven D3/D2 are mapped to channels of Receiver,

and the signals from the mapped Receiver

channels will be ignored.

You can use F 4 for switch ing the video

channel of iOSD Mark II , then map D4 to a

Receiver channel.

IOC IOC function of the Controller Unit

,

unmapped. Click “ Unmapped ” button to map IOC to a

Receiver channel. It is recommended to use a

3

- position switch channel.

Go Home One

- Key Go Home function of the

Controller Unit , unmapped. Click “ Unmapped ” button to map Go Home to

the Receiver channel. It is recommended to

use a 2

- position switch chan nel.

Gear Intelligent Gear function of the Controller

Unit , unmapped. If you enable the Gear function in Assistant

Software, then the F1 is used for the gear

contro l of S800 EVO landing.

H3

- 2D /3D H3

- 2D /3D function of the Controller Unit,

unmapped. Click “ Unmapped ” button to map H3

- 2D /3D

to a Receiver channel. It is recommended to

use a Knob switch channel, which is only used

for H3

- 2D /3D pitch control.

H

- F ence( Home

Fence ) Unmapped Click “ Unmapped ” button to map Home

Fence on to the Receiver channel. It is

recommended to use a 2

- position switch

channel.

CC ( Cruise

Control ) Unmapped Click “ Unmapped ” button to map Cruise

Control to the Receiver channel. It is

recommended to use a 3

- position switch

channel.

The Pitch and the H3

- 2D /3D channels can be used at the same time. The Pitch is for the pitch

control of servo gimbal, and the H3

- 2D /3D is for the pitch control of H3

- 2D /3D gimbal©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 54 

## Recommended Mapping for Futaba Transmitter (Mode 2) User

Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitt er Switch

A Channe 1 (AIL) Joystick J1

E Channe 2 (ELE) Joystick J2

T Channe 3 (THR) Joystick J3

R Channe 4 (RUD) Joystick J4

U Channe 7 (AUX 5 ) 3

- Position switch

, e.g. SG

K1~K6 Channe 5 ( GEAR ) Knob switch

, e.g. LD

, RD

Pitch Channe 6 ( Vpp ) Knob swi tch

, e.g. LD

, RD

D1 / D 3/ D2

---- ----

D4 Channe 9 (AUX1) 2

- Position switch

, e.g. SF

IOC Channe 10 (AUX 2 ) 3

- Position switch

, e.g. SG

Go Home Channe 11 (AUX 3 ) 2

- Position switch with spring back function, e.g. SH

Gear Channe 8 (AUX4) 2

- Position switch

, e. g. SF

H3

- 2D Channe 12 ( AUX5 ) Knob switch, e.g. LD

、 RD



## Settings of gain values for Your Reference
To set the value of basic gain and attitude gain you can refer to the following diagram . T hese values are only for

reference and may vary in practice.



## The Transmitter setup of FUTABA

P lease configure the Frequency item on your Transmitter adhere to the table below . (The names of FASST modes

here are based to the Transmitter FUTABA T8FG, please ensure to select the most similar m ode as the names

differs for different Transmitters) A ircr aft Configuration Information Basic Attitude

Motor ESC Propeller Battery Weight Pitch Roll Yaw Pitch Roll Vertical

F450 DJI

- 2212 DJI

- 30A DJI

- 8 Inch 3S

- 2200 890 g 150 150 135 150 150 140

F550 DJI

- 2212 DJI

- 30A DJI

- 8 Inch 4S

- 3300 1530 g 170 170 150 160 160 150

S800 EVO / Z15 DJI

- 4114 DJI

- 40A DJI

- 15 Inch 6S

- 15000 7000g 140 140 130 140 140 130

S1000 / 5D gimbal/

5D camera DJI

- 4114 DJI

- 40A DJI

- 15 Inch 6S

- 15000 9200g 120 120 120 170 170 120

S1000 / 5D gimbal/

5D camera DJI

- 4114 DJI

- 40A DJI

- 15 Inch 6S

- 15000 9 3 00g 1 20 120 120 170 170 120©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 55 Transmitter type AREA FASST

FUTABA 18MZ Default FASST

- MULTI \ FASST

- 7CH

FUTABA 14MZ with TM

- 14 Default MULT \ 7CH

FUTABA 14SG FRANCE \ GENERAL FASST

- MULTI \ FASST

- 7CH

FUTABA 12Z 2.4G FASST with TM

- 14 Defaul t MULT \ 7CH

FUTABA 12FG 2.4G FASST with TM

- 14 Default MULT \ 7CH

FUTABA 10CG or 10C with TM

- 10 Default 7CH

FUTABA 9C SUPER with TM

- 7 or TM

- 8 Default 7CH

FUTABA 8FG SUPER FRANCE \ GENERAL MLT2 \ MULT \ 7CH

FUTABA 8FG FRANCE \ GENERAL MULT/7CH

FUTABA 7C 2.4G Defa ult Default

FUTABA 6EX FASST Default Default©201 3

- 2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 56 

# Disclaimer

Please read this discl aimer carefully before using th is product. By using this product, you hereby agree to this disclaimer and signify that you have read it fully.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT SUITABLE F OR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. A2 flight controller is designed for experience multi

- rotor enthusiasts providing excellent self

- leveling and altitude holding, which completely takes the stress out of flying RC multi

- rotors for both professional and hobby a pplications. Despite the product having a built

- in flight control system and our efforts in making the operation of the controller as safe as possible when the main power battery is connected, we strongly recommend users to remove all
propellers when calib rating and setting parameters. Make sure all connections are good, and keep children and animals away during firmware upgrade, system calibration and parameter setup. DJI Innovations accepts no liability for damage(s) or injuries incurred directly or indir ectly from the use of this product in the following conditions:

1. Damage(s) or injuries incurred when users are drunk, taking drugs, drug anesthesia, dizziness, fatigue, nausea
and any other conditions no matter physically or mentally that could impair your ability.

2. Damage(s) or injuries caused by subjective intentional operations.

3. Any mental damage compensation caused by accident.

4. Failure to follow the guidance of the manual to assemble or operate.

5. Malfunctions caused by refit or replacement with non

- DJI acc essories and parts.

6. Damage(s) or injuries caused by using third party products or fake DJI products.

7. Damage(s) or injuries caused by mis

- operation or subjective mis

- judgment.

8. Damage(s) or injuries caused by mechanical failures due to erosion, aging.

9. Damage (s) or injuries caused by continued flying after low voltage protection alarm is triggered.

10. Damage(s) or injuries caused by knowingly flying the aircraft in abnormal condition (such as water, oil, soil,
sand and other unknown material ingress into the airc raft or the assembly is not completed, the main components have obvious faults, obvious defect or missing accessories).

11. Damage(s) or injuries caused by flying in the following situations such as the aircraft in magnetic interference

area, radio interferenc e area, government regulated no

- fly zones or the pilot is in backlight, blocked, fuzzy sight, and poor eyesight is not suitable for operating and other conditions not suitable for operating.

12. Damage(s) or injuries caused by using in bad weather, such as a r ainy day or windy (more than moderate breeze), snow, hail, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes etc.

13. Damage(s) or injuries caused when the aircraft is in the following situations: collision, fire, explosion, floods,
tsunamis, subsidence, ice trapped, avalanche , debris flow, landslide, earthquake, etc.

14. Damage(s) or injuries caused by infringement such as any data, audio or video material recorded by the use of

aircraft.

15. Damage(s) or injuries caused by the misuse of the battery, protection circuit, RC model and b attery chargers.

16. Other losses that are not covered by the scope of DJI Innovations liability.



# T rademark

DJI and A2 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 copyrighted by DJI with all rights reserved. No part of this product or manual shall be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent or authorization of DJI. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the product or

information contained herein.