## April 21, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590

F LIGHT 

## G UARDIAN 

## , LLC’ S 

## P ETITION FOR 

## E XEMPTION TO 

## O PERATE 

## U NMANNED 

## A IRCRAFT 

## S YSTEMS 

## P URSUANT TO 

## S ECTION 

## 333 OF THE 

## FAA M ODERNIZATION AND 

## R EFORM 

## A CT OF 

## 2012

Proposed Use: Closed-Set Filming In The Motion Picture And Televisions Industries
Proposed Aircraft: DJI Phantom 2

Petitioner’s Name and Address: F LIGHT 

## G UARDIAN 

## , LLC Attention: David Paul Hilton 3535 Peachtree Road Suite 520-425 Atlanta, Georgia 30326

Phone: 404.229.3043 Email: david.hilton@flightguardian.com

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 2

I. Summary. Pursuant to Section 333(a) through (c) (“Se ction 333”) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 ("Reform Act") 1 

## and the Federal Aviation Administrations’ (“FAA”) general exemption authority under 49 U.S.C. § 44701(f), Flight Guardian, LLC (“Petitioner”) petitions for exemption from 14 Code of Fede ral Regulations (“CFR”) sections: 61.113(a) & (b), 61.133(a), 91.7(a), 91.9 (b)(2), 91.103(b)(1), 91.119 (c), 91.121, 91.151, 91.203(a) & (b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(2), 91.417(a) & (b). The proposed exemptions, if granted, would allow Petitioner to operate small unmanned aircraft systems ( "UAS") weighing 55 pounds or less for the purpose of closed-set filming of motion pictures, music videos, web videos, corporate videos, television progra ms and commercials, and still photography. Additionally the collection of agriculture and co nservation supporting scientific data in FAA approved COE’s.
Based on the small size of Petitioner’s UAS, the qualifications and experience of Petitioner’s UAS operators, and the restricted, sterile environment within which Petitioner will operate, the requested exemptions fall square ly within the zone of safety envisioned by Congress and set forth in Section 333. Additi onally, the enhanced safety achieved by replacing significantly larger manned aircraft carrying crew and flammable fuel with small UAS carrying no passengers or crew and oper ated under the specific guidelines and procedures proposed by Petitioner gives the FAA good cause to find that the UAS operations enabled by this petition are in the public interest. Moreover, the requested exemptions are similar in all material aspe cts to the requests for which exemptions have been previously granted, e.g., Exemption Nos. 11289, 11062, 11109, 11112, and 11213. Thus, the requested exemptions should be granted.

II. Identity of Petitioner. Flight Guardian is a Georgia limited li ability company presently managed by a seasoned business owner familiar with fede rally regulated operations, a veteran lawenforcement professional experienced in the process for obtaining emergency COAs, and a commercial pilot.

III. Statutory Authority for Exemptions. The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) possesses both general and specific authority to grant the requested exemption.
First, the FAA Administrator may exempt an operator from FAA safety regulations and minimum standards when the Administrator concludes that the exemption is in the public interest. See 49 U.S.C. §§ 106(f), 40113, 44701(±) (permitting exemptions from§§ 44701(a), (b) and§§ 44702-44716, et seq.). A party requesting an exemption must explain

1 

## Pub. L. 112-95 (2012), 126 Stat. 11 (2012).

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 3

why the exemption: (1) would benefit the pub lic as a whole, and (2) would not adversely affect safety (or how it would provide a level of safety at least equal to the existing rules). See 14 C.F.R. § 11.81 (petitions for exemption).
Second, Section 333 of the Reform Act spec ifically authorizes the FAA Administrator to grant exemptions for operation of UAS. In deed, the Reform Act directs the Administrator to (1) undertake formal rulemaking to speed up the integration of UAS into the national airspace (“NAS”) but in the meanwhile, (2) to permit unmanned aircraft systems to operate in the NAS if doing is in the public interest, does not pose a threat to national security, and does not create a hazard to users of the NAS, taking into consideration the following:

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

 How close the UAS would operate to airports and populated areas;

 That the operator would keep the UAS in his direct, visual line of sight. Thus, the FAA has full authority to grant the requested exemptions.

IV. Specific Regulations for Which an Exemption is Sought. Petitioner requests exemptions fr om the following regulations:

Section 61.113 prescribes that “no person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as a pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft,” (see Section 61.113(a)), and that “a private pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in co mmand of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if: (1) The flight is on ly incidental to that business or employment; and (2) The aircraft does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire,” (see Section 61.113(b)).
Section 61.133(a) sets forth privileges for pers ons holding commercial pilot certificates, including a provision impliedly li miting to persons holding a commercial pilot certificate the ability to act as pilot in command of an aircraft “[f]or compensation or hire.”
Section 91.103(b)(1) prescribes, in pertinent part, that each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight, to include, “For any f light, runway lengths at airpo rts of intended October 1, 2014 use, and the following takeoff and landing distance information:... For civil aircraft for which an approved Airplane or 5 Rotorcraft F light Manual containing takeoff and landing distance data is required, the takeoff and landing distance data contained therein.”
Section 91.119(c) prescribes that, except when nece ssary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the follo wing altitudes: “Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surf ace, except over open water or sparsely

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 4

populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft ma y not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.”
Section 91.121 requires, in pertinent part, each person operating an aircraft to maintain cruising altitude by reference to an al timeter that is set “to the elevation of the departure airport or an appropriate altime ter setting available before departure.”
Section 91.151(a) prescribes that no person may begin a flight in an airplane under VFR conditions unless (considering wind and fo recast weather conditions) there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and, assuming normal cruising speed, (1) during the day, to fly after that for at least 30 mi nutes; or (2) at night, to fly after that for at least 45 minutes.
Section 91.203 prohibits, in subpart (a) , any person from operating a civil aircraft unless it has within it (1) an appropriate and current airworthiness certificate; and (2) an effective U.S. registration certi ficate issued to its owner or, for operation within the United States, the second copy of the Aircraft Registrati on Application as provided for in October 1, § 47.31(c). Section 91.203 prescribes, in subpart (b) , that no person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate or a special flight authorization issued under §91.715 is displayed at the cabin or cockpit entr ance so that it is legible to passengers or

crew. Section 91.405(a) requires, in pertinent part, that an aircraft operator or owner shall have the aircraft inspected as prescribed in subpart E of the same part and shall, between required inspections, except as provid ed in paragraph (c) of the same section, have discrepancies repaired as prescribed in Part 43 of the chapter.
Section 91.407(a)(1) prohibits, in pertinent part, any person from operating an aircraft that has undergone maintenance, preventative maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration unless it has been approved for retu rn to service by a person authorized under § 43.7 of the same chapter.
Section 91.409(a)(2) prescribes, in pertinent part, that no person may operate an aircraft unless, within the preceding 12 calend ar months, it has had an inspection for the issuance of an airworthiness certificate in accordance with part 21 of this chapter.
Sections 91.417(a) and (b) prescribe, in pertinent part, that-
(a) Each registered owner or operat or shall keep the following records for the periods specified in paragraph (b) of this section: (1) Records of the maintenance, preventative maintenance, and alteration and records of the 100-hour, annual, progressive, and other required or approved inspections, as appropriate, for each aircraft (including the airframe) and each engine, propeller, rotor, and appliance of an aircraft. The records must include-

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 5

(i) A description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of the work performed; and (ii) The date of completion of the work performed; and (iii) The signature, and certificate number of the person approving the aircraft for return to service. (2) Records containing the following information: (i) The total time in service of the airframe, each engine, each propeller, and each rotor. (ii) The current status of life-limited parts of each airframe, engine, propeller, rotor, and appliance. (iii) The time since last overhaul of all items installed on the aircraft which are required to be overhauled on a specified time basis. (iv) The current inspection status of the aircraft, including the time since the last inspection required by the inspection program under which the aircraft and its appliances are maintained. (v) The current status of applicable airworthiness directives (AD) and safety directives including, for each, the method of compliance, the AD or safety directive number and revisions date. If the AD or safety directive involves recurring action, the time and date when the next action is required. (vi) Copies of the forms prescribed by § 43.9(d) of this chapter for each major alteration to the airframe and currently installed engines, rotors, propellers, and appliances. (b) The owner or operator shall retain the following records for the periods prescribed: (1) The records specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall be retained until the work is repeated or superseded by other work or for 1 year after the work is performed. (2) The records specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall be retained and transferred with the aircraft at the time the aircraft is sold. (3) A list of defects furnished to a regist ered owner or operator under § 43.11 of this chapter shall be retained until the defects are repaired and the aircraft is approved for return to service.

V. Petitioner’s Proposed Operations Satisfy Section 333.

A. Unmanned Aircraft System The UAS to be operated under this request are less than 55 lbs. fully loaded, will be operated at a speed of no more than 87 knots ( See, e.g ., Exemption No. 11289 (Bird’s Eye Solutions), p. 3, Condition (“C.”) 3), carry ne ither a pilot nor passenger, carry no explosive materials or flammable liquids, and operate excl usively within a secured area. Petitioner’s

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 6

UAS use a radio frequency spectrum for operat ion and control that complies with Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) requirements, and Petitioner has integrated safety features into the UAS, as described in the Film and Motion Picture Flight Operations Manual (“FMPFOM”) and Appendix A. Petitioner is tendering the FMPFOM under separate cover as a Confidential document as defined in 14 C.F.R. § 11.35(b). The entire FMPFOM contains confidential commercial and proprietary information that the Petitioner has not and shall not share. The operating conditions and procedures contained in the Operations Manual are not available to the pub lic and are protected from release under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq., and any other requirements established by the FAA pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act.
Petitioner’s UAS are equipped with red undant safety mechanisms allowing them to operate safely after experiencing certain in-fl ight failures. If a lost-link event occurs, including the loss of ground communications and/or the loss of a GPS signal, Petitioner’s UAS have the ability to perform a pre-coordinat ed, predictable, automat ed flight maneuver and return to a predetermined location within a designated security perimeter for landing. The UAS further have the ability to abort a flight in the event of unpredicted obstacles or emergencies. All flights will be terminated after a maximum of 30 minutes or with 25% remaining battery power, whichever occurs fi rst. Thus, good cause exists for granting Petitioner’s requested relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.151(a) (setting forth fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions).
Petitioner’s UAS will be identified by seri al number, registered in accordance with 14 C.F.R. Part 47, and have identification (N-Number) markings in accordance with 14 C.F.R. Part 45, Subpart C. Markings will be as large as practicable.
Regarding Petitioner’s requested relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.121 (Altimeter Settings), Petitioner seeks such relief because Petition er will not have a typical barometric altimeter onboard the UAS. Instead, altitude informat ion will be provided to the UAS PIC via a digitally encoded telemetric data feed, which do wnlinks from the aircraft to a ground-based on-screen display. The altitude informatio n will be generated by equipment installed onboard the UAS, using GPS triangulation, di gitally encoded barometric altimeter, radio altimeter, or any combination thereof. Prior to each flight, a zero altitude initiation point will be established and confirmed for accuracy by the UAS PIC. Thus, good cause exists for granting the requested relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.121.
Given the size, weight, speed, and limited op erating area associated with the aircraft to be utilized by the applicant, an exem ption from 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H (Airworthiness Certificates), subject to certain conditions and limitations, is warranted (if necessary) and meets the requirements for an equi valent level of safety under 14 C.F.R. Part 11 and Section 333. The UAS operated wi thout an airworthiness certificate in the restricted environment and under the conditions and limitations proposed by Petitioner will

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 7

be at least as safe, or safer, than a conventio nal aircraft (fixed wing or rotorcraft) operating with an airworthiness certificate issued und er 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H, and not subject to the proposed limitations and conditions.
Petitioner will strictly comply with safety and maintenance procedures included in all applicable UAS manufacturer’s instructions and operating manuals. To the extent such information is not included in the guidelines developed by the manufacturers, Petitioners will develop and document maintenance, overhaul, replacement, and inspection requirements, procedures to document and ma intain maintenance records with regard to Petitioner’s UAS, and UAS technician qualific ation criteria. Petitioner’s operations manuals will include maintenance requirements for Petitioner’s UAS, including “oncondition” maintenance and modifications. In lig ht of these mitigating factors, exemptions from 14 C.F.R. §§ 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) and (2), and 91.417(a) and (b) are warranted.

B. UAS Pilot in Command Petitioner’s UAS pilot in command (PIC) shall hold a recreational or sport pilot certificate, and valid driver’s license to sati sfy the medical requirement. According to the FAA, “the FAA considers the overriding safety factor for the limited operations proposed by the petitioner to be the airmanship skills acquire d through UAS-specific flight cycles, flight time, and specific make and model experience, culminating in verification through testing.” See Exemption No. 11062, Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2014-0352, at p. 18. With those factors in mind, Petitioner’s UAS PIC shall be required to meet several conditions and limitations as outlined in the FMPFOM, including the following:

 The UAS PIC will have accumulated and logged a minimum of 200 flight cycles and 25 hours of total time as a UAS pilot and at least 10 hours logged as a UAS pilot with a similar UAS type (single blade or multirotor).

 The UAS PIC will have accumulated and logged a minimum of five hours of flight time with the specific make and model of the UAS to be utilized for operations under the exemption and th ree take-offs and landings in the preceding 90 days.

 The UAS PIC will have successfully completed the qualification process as specified in the operations manuals, to include a knowledge and skill test.
Regarding Petitioner’s requested relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a), it is Petitioner’s understanding that Petitioner’s UAS will no t require an airworthiness certificate in accordance with 14 C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H, and that exemption from 14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a) is therefore unnecessary. To the extent such an exemption is deemed necessary, Petitioner asserts that it should be granted in light of the safety procedures proposed herein. In accordance with the pertinent part of 14 C.F.R. § 91.7(b), the operator in command of

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 8

Petitioner’s UAS shall be responsible for de termining whether the aircraft is in a safe condition for flight. Petitioner’s manuals fo r maintenance and operations shall include safety checklists to be used by the op erator in command prior to each flight.
Regarding Petitioner’s requested relief fr om 14 C.F.R. § 91.9(b)(2) (Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requireme nts and § 91.203(a) and (b), (Civil aircraft: certifications required), it is Petitioner’s under standing that relief from these regulations is no longer necessary in light of the FAA Me morandum “Interpretation regarding whether certain required documents may be kept at an unmanned aircraft’s control station,” dated August 8, 2014. To the extent the FAA deems an exemption from this section necessary for Petitioner’s proposed operations, such exem ption should be granted in light of the mitigating fact that Petitioner will maintain the documents required under 14 C.F.R. §§ 91.9 and 91.203 at the UAS ground control stat ion during flights. Additionally, 100% of Petitioner’s operations will utilize a visual obse rver (“VO”). The VO may be used to satisfy the VLOS requirement as long as the PIC always maintains VLOS capability. The VO and the PIC will be able to communicate verbally at all times during operational flights.
Regarding Petitioner’s requested relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.103(b)(1), Petitioner will comply with the other applicable procedures and requirements stated in § 91.103(a) and (b). Specifically, the PIC will take all actions in cluding reviewing weather, flight battery requirements, aircraft performance data, and landing and takeoff distances before initiation of a flight. The PIC will also account for all relevant site-specific conditions in their preflight procedures. Risks presented by sun glare will be mitigated by the PIC’s and VO’s ability to see other air traffic and initiate a return-to-home sequence if needed.

C. Operating Parameters of Petitioner’s UAS Petitioner’s UAS operations will be conducte d within a sterile environment of closedset filming. In this controlled environment, Petitioner’s operations will remain within VLOS of the PIC and VO, below 400 feet AGL, and at speeds below 87 knots. See Exemption No. 11289, p. 3, C. 3, 4) Only part icipating persons will be permitted within the operating area. Consistent with the relief ty pically provided to manned operations under FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 3, Chapter 8, Section 1, Petitioner requests relief from 14 C.F.R. § 91.119(c) with respect to those participating persons, vehicles, and structures directly involved in the performance of the actual filming. Regarding distance from participating persons, the operations manuals set forth sa fety factors for authorized and consenting production personnel. Because those procedures are specific to participating persons, no further FSDO or aviation safety inspector ap proval is necessary for reductions to the distances specified in Petitioner’s manuals.
Regarding the distance from nonparticipating persons, Petitioner will ensure that no persons are allowed within 500 feet of the operating area except those consenting to be

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 9

involved and necessary for the filming produc tion, with the possibility of reducing this distance to no less than 200 feet if it would not adversely affect safety and the Administrator has approved it. This is co nsistent with FAA Order 8900.1, V3, C8, S1.
Petitioner will not conduct UAS operations within 5 nautical miles of the geographic center of a non-towered airport unless a letter of agreement with that airport’s management is obtained and the operation is conducted in accordance with a Notice to Airmen (“NOTAM”). Additionally, Petitioner will not operate in Class B, C, or D 13 airspace without written approval from the FAA. No r will Petitioner operate the UAS less than 500 feet below or less than 2,000 feet horizontally from a cloud or when visibility is less than 3 statute miles from the PIC.

Petitioner’s UAS will remain clear and yield the right of way to all manned operations and activities at all times (inclu ding, but not limited to, ultralight vehicles, parachute activities, parasailing activities, and hangliders).
Although Petitioner seeks to comply with the waiver process as described in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 3, Chapter 8, Section 1 (Issue a Certificate of Waiver for Motion Picture and Television Filming), the current section of Order 8900.1 has specific processes that preclude a jurisdictional FAA FSDO from issuing the required Certificate of Waiver, because the section did not originally provid e for UAS operations. Thus, Petitioner seeks exemption from the applicable regulations norma lly waived during that process. Petitioner proposes that the FAA include the required notifications and coordination with jurisdictional FSDOs through the conditions and limitations accompanying the requested exemption, and that the exempt ion sought herein will take the place of the Certificate of Waiver normally issued by a jurisdictio nal FSDO under 8900.1. Under this rubric, Petitioner will notify every FSDO with jurisdi ction over the area that Petitioner plans to operate, just as with manned filming operat ions, and those FSDOs will have the ability to coordinate further conditions and limitations with the UAS Integration Office to address any local concerns.
Petitioner will obtain an Air Traffic Org anization (“ATO”) issued Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (“COA”) prior to cond ucting any operations under this grant of exemption. In fulfilling its requirements under the COA, Petitioner will be required to request a NOTAM not more than 72 hours in ad vance, but not less than 48 hours prior to the operation.

D. The Requested Exemption Promotes the Public Interest The enhanced safety achieved by replac ing significantly larger manned aircraft carrying crew and flammable fuel with sma ll UAS carrying no passengers or crew and operated under the specific guid elines and procedures proposed by Petitioner gives the FAA

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 10

good cause to find that the UAS operations enabl ed by the instant Petition are in the public interest. Moreover, as the FAA has already reco gnized, “UAS provide an additional tool for the filmmaking industry, Agriculture and Conservation adding a greater degree of flexibility, which supplements the current ca pabilities offered by manned aircraft.” See Exemption No. 11062, Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2014-0352, at p. 22.

VI. Privacy 

# All flights will occur over private or controlled access property with the property owner’s prior consent and knowledg e. Filming will be of people who have also consented to being filmed or otherwis e have agreed to be in the area where filming will take place.

VII. Conclusion For the reasons explained above, the regu latory exemptions requests should be granted, and Petitioner should be permitte d to conduct small UAS operations for the purpose of closed-set filming using the DJI Phantom 2 UAS.

Respectfully submitted,

F LIGHT 

## G UARDIAN 

## , LLC

/s/ David Paul Hilton David Paul Hilton Manger

## Petition of Flight Guardian, LLC  Page 11



# Appendix A – Flight Manual

Flight Restrictions (1) No flight will be made with a UA Gross weight exceeding 55 pounds; (2) All operations must occur in FAA approved airspace at no more than 400' AGL, at an airspeed of no more than 87 knots and no further than 3/4 NM from the PIC; (3) All operations must utilize a visual observer (VO) . The VO and PIC must be able to communicate verbally at all times duri ng a flight operation; (4) Operations will be restricted to flights over priv ate property with the perm ission of the property owner; (5) The PIC must have accumulated and logged, in a manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51 (b), a minimum of 100 flight cycles and 25 hours of tota l time as a UA rotorcraft pilot and at least ten hours logged as a UA pilot with a similar UA type; (6) All required permits will be obtained from st ate and local government prior to operation; (7) The UA will not be operated ov er densely populated areas; (8) The UA will not be operated at air shows; (9) The UA will not be operated over any open-air assembly of people; (10) The UA will not be operated ov er heavily trafficked roads; (11) The UA will not be operated within 5 NM of an airport or heliport with out written permission Airport Manager. (12) Operations will be restricted to day only and weather conditions equivalent to VFR; (13) The PIC will brief the VO and proper ty owner about the operation and risk before the first flight at each new location; (14) No flight may be made without a successful Pre-Flig ht Inspection by the PIC before each operation to ascertain that the UA is in a condition safe for flight. 

## Pic Should Verify The Following Items Before Starting The Pre-Flight Process (1) Verify COA Approved (2) Verify NOTAM Filed (if applicable) (3) Verify FSDO coordination completed (4) Verify closest Unicom/Tow er Frequency for Monitoring.


## Pre-Flight Checklist (1) Check UA battery health (press self ch eck button) verify 4 green bars illuminate (2) Check all wiring co nnections are tight; (3) Check all propellers are unda maged and no cracks exist in any structural members of the UA; (5) Turn on radio controller, move all control switches to forward or UP position and throttle control stick neutral position; (6) Turn On UA power (7) Await Aft Lights to flash green (8) Turn on transmitter and camera.



## Pre-Takeoff Checklist (1) Confirm Green Lights on aircraft (2) Confirm Observer is ready (3) Confirm area cleared of all non-essential personnel

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 1 | 

# PHANTOM 2 User Manual V1. 1

For PHANTOM 2 Main Controller Firmware version V 3 .0 2 & PHANTOM 2 Assistant version V 3.0 & PHANTOM RC Assistant version V1.1 

## April 30 , 2014 Revision

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

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

## www.dji.com which is updated on a regular basis. This will provide services such as product information, technical updates and manual corrections. Due to any unforeseen changes or product upgrades, the information contained within this manual is subject to change

wit hout notice.
DJI and PHANTOM 2 are registered trademarks of DJI. Names of product, brand, etc., appearing in this manual are

trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owner companies. This product and manual are copy righted by DJI with all rights reserved.

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

.

### ©2013 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 2 | 

## C ontent
CONTENT

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

IN THE BOX

................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 4
REQUIRED ITEMS

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

SYMBOL LEGEND

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

1. PHANTOM 2 AIRCRAF T

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

1.1 B UIL T



## - IN 

## F LIGHT 

## C ONTROL 

## S YSTEM 

## I NSTRUCTIONS



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

## O THER 

## DJI P RODUCTS



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

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

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

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ................................ ................................ ............... 10 1.4 N OTES FOR 

## PHANTOM 2 USING WITH OTHER 

## DJI PRODUCTS



## ................................ ................ 11

2 PROPELLERS

................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 12

2.1 A SSEMBLY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 12 2.2 D ISASSEMBLY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 12 2.3 N OTES



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

3 REMOTE CONTROLLER

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

3.1 P OWE R ON THE 

## R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER



## ................................ ................................ ............... 13 3.2 R EMOTE CONTROLLER 

## P OWER 

## LED I NDICATOR 

## S TATUS



## ................................ .......................... 13 3.3 A NTENNA 

## O RIENTATION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 14 3.4 R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## O PERATION



## ................................ ................................ .................... 14 3.5 L INKING THE REMOTE CO NTROLLER 

## & BUILT



## - IN RECEIVER



## ................................ ........................ 16

4 INTELLIGENT BATTER Y

................................ ................................ ............................... 17

4.1 C HARGING 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 17 4.2 I NSTALL THE 

## B ATTERY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 18 4.3 B ATTERY 

## U SAGE



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 18 4.4 D ESCRIPTION OF THE 

## B ATTERY 

## L EVEL 

## I NDICATOR



## ................................ ................................ ... 19 4.5 C ORRECT 

## B ATTERY 

## U SAGE 

## N OTES



## ................................ ................................ ...................... 20

5 CALIBRATING THE CO MPASS

................................ ................................ ...................... 21

5.1 C ALIBRATION 

## W

ARNINGS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ . 21

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 5.2 C ALIBRATION 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ .............................. 21 5.3 W HEN 

## R ECALIBRATION IS 

## R EQUIRED



## ................................ ................................ .................. 21

6 FLIGHT

................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 22

6.1 F LYING 

## E NVIRONME NT 

## R EQUIREMENTS



## ................................ ................................ .............. 22 6.2 S TARTING THE 

## M OTORS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 22 6.3 T AKEOFF 

## /L ANDING 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ ....................... 22 6.4 F AILSAFE 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 23 6.5 L O W 

## B ATTERY 

## C APACITY 

## W ARNING 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ..... 24 6.6 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ . 25 Max Height & Radius Limits

................................ ................................ ......................... 25 6.7 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS OF 

## S PECIAL 

## A REAS



## ................................ ................................ ...................... 26 6.8 C ONDITIONS OF 

## F LIGHT 

## L IMITS



## ................................ ................................ ......................... 27 Disclaimer

................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 28

7 ASSISTANT SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND CON FIGURATION

................................ .... 29

7.1 I NSTALLING 

## D RIVER AND 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT 

## S OFTWARE



## ................................ ............... 29 7.2 U SING THE 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT 

## S OFTWARE ON A 

## PC

................................ ..................... 30 7.3 F IRMWARE UPGRADE OF 

## PHANTOM 2

................................ ................................ ............. 31 7.4 PHANTOM RC A SSISTANT 

## S OFTWARE 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ................................ ............................ 32

8 APPENDIX

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

8.1 S PECIFICATIONS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 33 8.2 LED F LIGHT 

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



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

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## I n the Box
PHANTOM 2 2.4 GHz Remote Controller Propeller Pair

Intelligent Battery Charger Plug Set

Screwdriver Assistant Wrench Cables

Micro

- USB Cable Screws Accessories Box



## Required Items

AA Batte ry X 4



## Symbol Legend

Forbidden(Important) Caution Tip Reference

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 1. PHANTOM 2 Aircraft

Figure 1

- 1 Figure 1

- 2 [1] Propeller [2] Motor [3] Front Side [4] Front LEDs [5] Micro

- USB Port [6] Landing Gear [7] Receiver
Antenna [8] CAN

- Bus Connector [9] LED Flight Indicators [10 ] DJI Intelligent Battery [11] Compass


### 1.1 Built

- in Flight Control System Instructions
The built

- in flight control system is u s ed to control the entire aircraft’s functions in flight such as Pitch (forwards and backwards), Roll (left and right), Elevator (up and down) and Yaw (turn left or right). The flight controller
contains the MC (Ma in Controller), IMU, GPS, compass, receiver.

The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) has a built

- in inertial sensor and a barometric altimeter that measures both attitude and altitude. The compass reads geomagnetic in formation which assists the GPS (Global Position System) to accurately calculate the aircrafts position and height in order to lock the aircraft in a stable hover. The receiver is
used to communicate with the remote controller and the MC acts as the brains of the complete flight control system connecting and controlling all the modules together.

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

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

- M V2 Quick Start Manual for

more information.


### 1.2 Connections with Other DJI Products PHANTOM 2 is compatible with other DJI products, inclu ding ZENMUSE H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal , iOSD mini , iOSD Mark II. Below are connections for these products and wireless video transmission module.

Figure 1

- 3

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. Important Notes of Using with Other DJI Products

( 1 ) The video cable can provide power for the wireless video transmission module with a battery voltage (11.1V~12.6V) and a maximum current 2A. ( 2 ) Make sure the working current of the wireless video transmission module you connect can work with an operational voltage between 11.1V~1 2.6V and the total working current of the iOSD and wireless video transmission module is under 2A, as an overcurrent will damage the central board’s components. If the total current exceeds 2A, please be sure to provide power supplied from a separate power source for the

wireless video transmission module. ( 3 ) PHANTOM 2 uses a 2.4GHz RC system. To avoid communication interference, it’s not recommended to use other 2.4GHz devices (including 2.4G wifi or 2.4G wireless video transmission module) except the
2.4G Bl uetooth and 2.4G Datalink. ( 4 ) Be sure to keep the wireless video transmission module and other communicating devices away from the compass during installation and connection to avoid interference. ( 5 ) To improve the compatibility with ZENMUSE gimbals, the latest factory deliveries of PHANTOM 2 has updat ed to the Version 2 shown below. H3

- 2D / H3

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

while for Version 1 , a H3

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

- 3D gimbal

.

Figure 1

- 4 ( 6 ) When using the H3

- 3D gimbal, please connect the 8

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

- 3D

shown below.

Figure 1

- 5

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. Connection s with Other DJI Products ( 1 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as a n example.

F ig ure 1

- 6 ( 2 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as an example.

F igure 1

- 7

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

( 3 ) Connecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as an example.

F igure 1

- 8

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

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

- ports.

( 4 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as an example.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. F igure 1

- 9 The diagram below illustrates the conneciton between the iOSD Mark II and the wireless video transmission module

.

Use the 8

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

( 5 ) U sing the i Pad Ground Station

Figure 1

- 10

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

- Bus port of iOSD if an iOSD is used.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

( 6 ) U sing the PC Ground Station

Figure 1

- 11


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

up.



### A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions

Power On Self

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

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors

Remote Controller Signal Lost

1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 2 nd Level Low Battery Capacity Warning Not Stationary or Sensor Bias is too big

Error s & Aircraft c annot fly. Compass data abnormal because of ferro

- magnetic interference or the compass needs calibration.

( 1 ) The LED indicators diagram above are for P hantom 2 mode. In Naza

- M mode, LED indicators

will work according to the Naza

- M flight control system

. ( 2 ) Conn ect to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant S oftware for detailed information about warnings and

errors.
2. The front LEDs are f or indicating where the nose of the aircraft is. They light up solid red only after the motors

have s pooled up

.



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

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

Zenmuse H3

- 2D CMU V1.0 , IMU V1.6 or above PHANTOM 2 V1.0 8 or above iOSD Mark II V3. 0 1 or above iOSD V 4.0 or above iOSD mini V1.0 6 or above iOSD V 4.0 or above

* T he iOSD Assistant S oftware is applied to both iOSD Mark II and iOSD mini.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 2 Propellers
PHANTOM 2 use s the original 9

- inch propellers which are classified by the color of each central nut. Damaged

p ropellers should be replaced by purchas ing new ones if necessary. Propellers Grey Nut (9443) Black Nut (9443 R)

Diagram

Assembly Location Atta ch to the motor thread that does

not have a black dot

. Atta ch to the motor thread that has a

black dot

. Fastening/Un

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


### 2

. 1 Assembly
1. ( Figure 2

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

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

.

Figure 2

- 1 Figure 2

- 2 Figure 2

- 3


### 2

. 2 D isassembly ( Figure 2

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

. 

### 2

. 3 Notes

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

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

p ropellers

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

.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 3 Remote Controller
T he PHANTOM 2 remote controller can be configured in the PHANTOM RC Assistant S oftware. T he sticks mode is Mode 2 on delivery.

F igure 3

- 1 Figure 3

- 2 [1] Antenna [2] Carrying Handle [3] 3

- Position Switch S1 [4] 3

- Position Switch S2 [5] Joystick1 ( J1;J2 ) [6] Joystick2 ( J3;J4 ) [7] Neck Strap Attachment [8] Power Switch [ 9] Power Indicator [ 10] Battery C ompartment [11]Micro

- USB Port [ 12 ]Slide Lever [13] P otentiometer


### 3.1 Power on the Remote Controller
1. Install the four AA Batteries (not included) in to the battery compartment on the back of

the remote controller according to the negative and positive poles.
2. Set the S1 and S2 switches to the upper most positi on and all sticks are at mid

- point

before switching on the power switch.
3. P ush the power switch to the right to power on the remote controller. I f the power LED
indicator is solid on, the remote controller is functioning normally.

( 1 ) P lease make sure the batteries have enough capacity before use. If the low voltage warning
alert sounds ( refer to the < Remote Controller Power Indicator Status Information>), please
replace batteries as soon as possible. ( 2 ) Using the correct type of battery wi ll pre v ent risk of damage or malfunction

. ( 3 ) For long term storage, be sure to remove the batteries from the remote controller.



### 3.2 R emote controller Power LED Indicator Status
Power LED Indicator Sound R emote Controller Status
None N ormal
B

- B

- B

...... Low voltage (at 4V

- 4.3V)

. R eplace the batteries immediately

B

-- B

-- B

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

using the remote controller

.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

T he remote controller will power off automatically when battery voltage drops below 4V

. Land and change batteries as soon as possible when the low voltage alert occurs to avoid loss of control during flight.


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

F igure 3

- 3


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

. 

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

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal.

Remote C ontroller (Mode 2) Aircraft ( nose direction ) Operation details

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

. The aircraft will automatically hover and hold its
altitude if the stick s are centered. P ush ing the throttle stick above the centered (neutral) position will result in the aircraft tak ing off. We suggest that you push t he throttle stick slowly to prevent the aircraft from sudden and unexpected ascent

.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. The y aw stick controls the aircraft rudder. Push the stick left and the aircraft will rotate counter clock

- wise

. Push the stick right and the aircraft will rotate clock

- wise

. If the stick is centered, the aircraft will always fly in the same direction. The command stick controls the rotating angular velocity of the aircraft. Increasing movement of
the command stick results in faster aircraft rotation velocity. The pitch stick controls the aircraft’ s front &
back tilt

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

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

. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the stick is centered. Increasing movement of the command stick will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum is 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity. The roll stick controls the aircraft left & right tilt. Push the stick left and the aircraft will tilt and fl y left. Pu sh the stick right and the aircraft will tilt
and fl y right. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the stick is centered. Increasing movement of the command stick will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum is 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity.

Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

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

- 1 to po sition

- 3 and back to position

- 1, 5 times or more to enter into compass calibration mode. U sers can configure position 3 (bottom po sition) of the S1 switch to trigger the Failsafe in the A ssistant S oftware.

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

- M mode

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

.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. Slide Lever control s the pitch of the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal. T he position of slide lever determines the pitch angle relative to the horizontal level. S lide the lever left to make th e gimbal pitch down up to a
- 90 ° position. S lide the lever right to pitch up to + 0 ° position resulting in gimbal being at a horizonta lly level orientation.
( 1 ) For ‘ R eady to F ly’ the aircraft will hover when all stick s are released. ( 2 ) For ‘ Ready to Fly (non

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


### 3.5 Linking the remote controller& built

- in receiver PHANTOM 2 has a built

- in receiver, the link button and indicator located on the bottom of the aircraft as i llustrated

in the Figure 3

- 4

. The link between the remote controller and a ircraft is already established for you so you can initially skip this procedure . If you ever replace the remote controller, re
- establishing the link is required.

F igure 3

- 4 Linking procedures

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

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

- in receiver has been successfully established.

Link Indicator S tatus

T he remote controller is linked with the receiver successfully

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

. T he receiver is ready for linking

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

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. please carry out the linking procedures. 

## 4 Intelligent Battery
The i ntelligent battery is specially designed for the PHANTOM 2 , with a bat tery capacity of 5200mA h, voltage of
11.1 V and charge

- discharge management functionality. The battery should only be charged with the DJI charger

.

I ntelligent Battery Charger

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

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

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

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

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

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

power
. T he static current is 10nA in sleep mode when the battery is powered on without connecting to other devices

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

~ 55 °C

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

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

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


### 4

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

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

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

level indicator description for details.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

4. T he battery is full y charged when t he Battery Level indicator light s are off

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

.



### 4

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

F igure 4

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


### 4

. 3 Battery Usage

F igure 4

- 2 (1) Checking the battery level: When t he battery is powered off; press ing the battery power button once will indicate the current battery level. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details. (2) Powering on: When t he battery is powered off; press the battery power button once an d then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn on the intelligent battery. (3) Powering off: When the battery is powered o n ; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn off the intelligent battery. (4) Checking the battery life: When t he battery is powered off; press and hold the battery power button for 5

seconds to check the battery life. T he battery level indicators will show the life and the battery power indicator LED3
LED4 Battery Power Button (Built

- in Battery Power Indicator) LED2

LED1 Battery Level Indicator

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

will blink for 10 seconds, then all LEDs will light out and the intelligent battery will turn off

. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details. More battery information is available in the battery tab of the PHANTOM 2 Assistant S oftware.


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

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

C harging process
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level

0%~25%

25%~50%

50%~75%

75%~100%

F ull charged

D ischarging process
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level
87.5%~100%

75%~87.5%

62.5%~75%

50%~62.5%

37.5%~50%

25%~37.5%

12.5%~25%

0%~12.5%

<0%

B attery life
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery life

90 %~100%

80 %~ 90 %
70 %~ 80 %
60 %~ 70 %
50 %~ 60 %

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 40 %~ 50 %
30 %~ 40 %
20 %~ 30 %
L ess than 20 %



### 4

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

- 20 °C to 50 °C

. B oth charging and discharging should be in an environment

where the relative humidity is lower than 80%.

3. It’s recommended to charge and discharge the battery thoroughly once every 20 charge/discharge cycles. Users should discharge the battery until there is less than 8% power left or until the battery can no longer

be turned on. U sers should then fully recharge the battery to maximum capacity. This power cycling procedure will ensure the battery is working at its optimal level.
4. F or long term storage please p lace the battery with only a 40~50% capacity in a strong battery box securely. W e recommend discharging and charging the battery completel y once every 3 months to keep it in good condition. The capacity should be varie d in such a cycle ( 40%~50% )

— 0%

— 100%

— ( 40%~50% )

. 5. It’s suggested you purchase a new battery after you have discharg ed your current battery over 300 times.

Please completely discharge a batter y prior to disposal

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

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

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 5 Calibrating the Compass
IMPORTANT: Make sure to perform the Compass Calibration procedure s prior to the first flight.
The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference which cause s abnormal compass data and lead s to

poor flight performance or even flight failure . Regular calibration of the compass enables the compass to perform at its optimal level.


### 5

. 1 Calibration Warnings

( 1 ) DO NOT calibrate your compass where there is a possibility for the existence of strong
magnet ic interference such as magnetite, parking structures, and steel reinforcement underground.

( 2 ) DO NOT carry ferromagnetic materials with you during calibration such as keys or cell ular phones.

( 3 ) Compass Calibration is very important; otherwise the flight control system will work abnormal ly

. 

### 5 .2 Calibration Procedures Please carry out the calibrating procedures in the flight field before flight. Please watch the quick start video of the
PHANTOM 2 for more compass calibration details.



### 5 .3 When Recalibration is Required ( 1 ) When Compass D ata is abnormal
, the LED flight indicator will blink alternating between red and yellow. ( 2 ) Last compass calibration was performed at a completely different flying field/location. ( 3 ) T he mechanical structure of the aircraft has changed, i.e. changed mounting position of the compass

. ( 4 ) E vident drifting occurs in flight , i.e. the aircraft doesn ’ t fly in straight lines.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

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


### 6 .2 Starting the Motors
A Combination Stick Command (CSC) is needed to start the motors

. Push the sticks according to one of the options

below to start motors. Once the motors have sp u n up, release both stick s simultaneously. The same com mand is

used to st op the motors

.

F igure 6

- 1


### 6 .3 Takeoff/Landing Procedures
1. Start by placing the PHANTOM 2 on the ground with the battery level indicator s facing you
. 2. T urn on the remote controller.
3. Power on the aircraft by turning on the intelligent battery

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

- GPS) mode. Start the motors with the CSC command.

5. Push the throttle stick up slowly to lift the aircraft off the ground

. R efer to <Remote Controller Operation >
for more details.
6. Be sure you are hovering over a level surface. Pull down on the throttle stick gently to de scend and land.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

7. After landing the aircraft on the ground, keep the throttle stick at its lowest position for about 3 to 5

seconds which will automatically stop the motors.

You SHOULD NOT execute the CSC during normal flight ! This will stop the motors and cause the

aircraft to descend rapidly and drop without any type of control. ( 1 ) When the LED flight indicator blinks yellow rapidly during flight , the aircraft has entered in to
Failsafe mode , refer to <Failsafe Function> for details. ( 2 ) A low battery capacity warning is indicated by the LED flight indicator blink ing red slowly or rapidly during flight . R efer to the <Low Battery Capacity Warning Function> for details. ( 3 ) Watch the quick start video about flight for more flight information.


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

situations w ould make the aircraft fail to receiv e a signal from the remote controller and enter Failsafe mode: ( 1 ) The remote controller is power ed off. ( 2 ) The remote controller is power ed on but the S1 is toggled in the position triggering the Failsafe (this must have been configured in t he PHANTOM 2 Assistant S oftware )

. ( 3 ) The aircraft has flown out of the effective communication range of the remote controller. ( 4 ) There is an obstacle obstructing the signal between the remote controller and the aircraft, ess entially reducing the distance the signal can travel. ( 5 ) There is interference causing a signal problem with the remote controller.

Failsafe works different ly depending on the mode the aircraft is in when Failsafe mode is initiated whether it i s in the Ready to Fly or Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) mode. Ready to Fly (non

- GPS)

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

Ready to Fly

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

Home Point

When the aircraft is initializing the Ready to Fly status, the aircraft will record the current GPS coordinates as
the home point. I t is recommended to lift off only after Ready to Fly status is confirmed for the safety of being

able to fly back to home point successfully in case the Fail safe mode is initiated.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. Go Home Procedures

Figure 6

- 2 ( 1 ) I n a Failsafe situation, if less than 6 GPS satellites are found for more than 20 seconds, the aircraft will descend automatically.
In Phantom 2 mode, users can set a new home point manually when the aircraft is in “ Ready to fly ” status as long as a home point has been recorded automatically. Q uickly flipping the S2 switch of the remote controller from upper most to lower most positions 5 times or more w ill reset the current aircraft position as a new home point of PHANTOM 2. When successfully reset, you will see a series of rapid green blinks on the LED Flight Indicator. T he definition of “ home point ” is: ( 1 ) The home point is the place PHANTOM 2 returns to when the control signal is lost , which is
recorded last time

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

Regaining Control during Failsafe Procedure

Position of Switch S1 Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

- 3 (No triggering the Failsafe)

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

- 1,

toggle the S1 switch to any other position once to regain control . I f remote controller’s signal is recovered, control is returned back to the pilot. R egain control as soon as signal is

recover ed.



### 6 .5 Low Battery Capacity Warning Function
The low battery capacity warning alerts users when the battery is close to depletion during flight. When it appears, users should promptly fly back and land to avoid accidental damage. The PHANTOM 2 has two levels of low battery capacity warning. The first appears when the batter y has less than 30% power and the second appears when it has

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. less than 15 % power
. ( 1 ) When battery power drops below 30% and LED indicator will blink red slowly

. ( 2 ) At lower than 15 % the LED indicator will blink red rapidl y, the PHANTOM 2 will also begin to desce nd and land automatically. After it has landed, keep the throttle stick at its lowest point or execute CSC

. ( 3 ) There is a hidden third low battery threshold in addition to the 1st and 2nd level warnings. This uses 10.65V as its threshold. Both this voltage th reshold and the 2nd Level Low Battery Warning will trigger auto

- landing. Altitude can be maintained if necessary by pu sh ing up on the throttle stick

. ( 1 ) Remember to fly your P HANTOM 2 back as soon as you see a low battery capacity warning. ( 2 ) Keeping the battery contact needles and pads clean is very important. Any dirt and dust may

cause a communication failure.



### 6

. 6 Flight Limits Function All UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators should abide by all regulations from such organizations at ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and per country airspace regulations. For safety reasons, the flight limits function is enabled by default to help users use this product safely and legally. The flight limits function includes height, distance l imits

. In Ready to Fly status, height, distance limits works together to restrict the flight. In Ready to Fly (non

- GPS) status, only height limit works and the flying height restricted to be not over 120m.

(1) The default parameters in the Assistant Software is compliant within the definitions of class G ruled by ICAO. (Refer to Airspace Classification to get more details). As each country has its
own rules, make sure to configure t he parameters to comp ly with these rules too , before using

the PHANTOM 2

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

. 

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

Figure 6

- 3 Figure 6

- 4

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

Ready to Fly

Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

under the max height. Warning: Height limit

reached. None.

Max Radius The flight distance is restricted to fly

within the max radius. Warning: Distance limit

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

Ready to Fly(non

- GPS) Flight Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

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

Max Radius Not limited, no warnings or LED indicators.

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

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



### 6. 7 Flight Limits of Special Areas Special areas include airports worldwide. All special areas are listed on the DJI official website. Please refer to http://www.dji.com/fly

- safe/category

- mc for details. These areas have been divided into category A and category B.

Category A Category B

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

Ready to Fly

Airspace Limits Rear LED Flight Indicator

A Orange Motors will not start.

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

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

(non

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

.

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

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

Semi

- automatic descent : All stick commands are available except the throttle stick command during the descent and landing process. Motors will stop automatically after landing. Users must toggle the S1

switch to regain control. This is the same as regaining control during Failsafe. Please refer to Regaining Control During Fails afe Procedure (Page 23 )

. (1) When flying in the airspace (A/B/C) of restricted special area, LED flight indicators will blink red
quickly and continue for 3 seconds, then switch to indicate current flying status and continue for 5 seconds at which point it will switch back to red blinking. (2) For safety reasons, please do not fly close to airports, highways, railway stations, railway l ines, city centers and other special areas. Try to ensure the aircraft is visible.


### 6. 8 Conditions of Flight Limits In different working modes and flight modes, flight limits will differ according to number of GPS satellites found.

The following table demonstrates all the cases( √ : available; × :unavailable ). All flights are restricted by height, distance and special areas simultaneously. The Failsafe and Ground Station operations are not restricted to flight limits, but if Ground Station function is used , the flight will be restricted the special area limits built in to Ground Station. Refer to the Ground Station manual for details.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

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

- GPS) × √ ×

Naza

- M mode

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

GPS ≥ 6 √ √ √

< 6 × √ ×

ATTI. ≥ 6 √ √ ×

< 6 × √ ×

Manual ≥ 6 × × ×

< 6 × × ×


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

administrative rules and social habits thereof.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- clicking

the PHANTOM 2 icon in the Finder or using Launchpad.

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

Installer in DMG format supports only Mac OS X 10.6 or above.

Usage of PHANTOM 2 Assistant S oftware on Mac OS X and Windows are e xactly the same. The
Assistant S oftware pages appear in other places of this manual are on the Windows for example.


### 7 .2 Using the PHANTOM 2 Assistant Software on a PC
1. Start up the PC, power on the PHANTOM 2 , then c onnect the PHANTOM 2 to the PC with a Micro

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

Software

. Observe the indicators on the bottom of the screen. When connected successfully, the

connection indicator is and communication indicator is blinking

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

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved.

( 1 ) Users should not enable the Naza

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

- M mode is enabled, users can

switch the control mode between ATTI. Mode, GPS Mode or Manual Mode , and access the advanced settings (e.g. IOC). In addition, the LED located on the rear frame arms will display

Naza

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

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

- M

mode

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

. All parameters

will be returned to factory settings

. 

### 7

. 3 F irmware upgrade of PHANTOM 2
Please re fer to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant S oftware to install d river and PHANTOM RC Assistant S oftware, and

then follow the procedure s below to upgrade the software and firmware; otherwise the PHANTOM 2 might not

work properly

. 1. An internet connection is required to upgrade PHANTOM 2’s firmware.
2. Click the [ U pgrade] icon to check the current firmware version and whether the installed firmware is the

latest version

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

after 5 seconds. Once completed, t he firmware is up to date.

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

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

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

### 7 .4 PHANTOM RC Assistant S oftware Description Please follow the procedures to finish the configuration of the remote controller.

1. Turn off the remote controller and find the Micro

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

- USB cable. DO NOT disconnect until the configuration is finished.
3. Run the PHANTOM RC Assistant Software and wait for the remote controller to con nect to the Assistant

Software

. Observe the indicators on the bottom left of the screen. When connected successfully, the

connection indicator is and communication indicator is blinking

. 4. Finish c onfiguration in the [ Main ] page.

5. Finish upgrade in the [ Info ] page if necessary

.

M ain page of the 2.4G Hz remote controller

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 

## 8 Appendix
8. 1 Specification s 

## A ircraft
O perating environment temperature

- 10 °C to 50 °C

P ower consumption 5.6W
S upported Battery DJI Intelligent battery
W eight (including the battery) 1000g Recommend payload ≤ 1300g Maximum payload 1350g Hovering Accuracy ( Ready to Fly ) Vertical: 0.8m ; Horizontal: 2.5m Max Yaw Angular Velocity 200°/s Max Tiltable Angle 35°
Max Ascent / Descent Speed Ascent: 6m/s; Descent: 2 m/s
Max Flight Speed 15 m/s (Not Recommended)
W heelbase 350mm 

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

- 9 7 dBm
W orking Current/Voltage 100 mA@ 6 V Battery 4 AA Batteries 

## DJ I Intelligent Battery

T ype 3S LiPo Battery
C apacity 5200mAh
, 11.1V Charging Environment R ange 0 °C to 40 °C Discharging Environment R ange

- 20 °C to 50 °C



### 8

. 2 LED Flight Indicators Description A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions

Power On Self

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

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors Remote Controller Signal Lost

### ©2013

- 2014 DJI Innovations. All Rights Reserved. 1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning

2 nd Level Low Battery Capacity Warning Not Stationary or Sensor Bias is too big

Errors & Aircraft c annot fly.* Compass data abnormal because of ferro

- magnetic interference or the compass needs calibration.

* U sers can connect to the PHANTOM 2 A ssistant S oftware to get detailed information about warnings and errors.