COMMANDER

USER MANUAL

Draganflyer Commander

Version 1.6
Operator Notice

The responsibility to operate in a safe manner, prevent injury to persons or damage to 

property, and to take no unnecessary risks falls upon the owner and those whom the 

owner authorizes to pilot and operate the Draganflyer Commander helicopter.

Furthermore the onus is upon each owner/authorizer/pilot to comply with all regulations 

pertinent to the use of the Draganflyer Commander helicopter and associated 

components at the location of operation with regards to the use of airspace as well as 

radio communications. 

Draganfly Innovations Inc. does not accept any responsibility for damages or financial 

compensations which may arise as the result of an owner/authorizer/pilot failing to 

comply with any regulations which would lead to a claim against the user.

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Warning

The Draganflyer Commander helicopter is a precision machine that is vulnerable to 

misuse and can prove to be dangerous if not properly maintained or used in an 

inappropriate manor.

Helicopters by their nature are not positively stable. Although the Draganflyer 

Commander can maintain an attitude and a position relative to wind movement without 

constant control input; operators should always be aware of its position and be able to 

take immediate control of the helicopter to recover from an unwanted position and avoid 

any mishaps. Please completely read and understand all Draganflyer Commander 

instructional information before attempting to fly the Draganflyer Commander. 

To provide optimum performance, a Lithium Polymer battery powers your Draganflyer 

Commander. The same properties that make these batteries extremely powerful and 

lightweight also make them dangerous if handled incorrectly. Please read and 

understand all information pertaining to the battery before attempting to use or charge it.

IF MISUSED THIS AIRCRAFT IS CAPABLE OF CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY HARM 

TO THE OPERATOR AND SPECTATORS AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE. ANY 

DAMAGE OR INJURY OCCURRING DUE TO MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT IS 

SOLELY THE OPERATOR’S RESPONSIBILITY. 

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Special notice:

Throughout this manual, look for and pay special attention to these information 

boxes for tips, tricks, safety information, or serious warnings and risks, 

associated with this product.
DO NOT PLACE YOUR HANDS OR ARMS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ROTORS 

OR ATTEMPT TO STOP SPINNING ROTORS WITH YOUR HANDS AS SERIOUS 

INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT.

THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS CHEMICALS WHICH ARE KNOWN BY THE STATE OF 

CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER, BIRTH DEFECTS AND/OR OTHER 

REPRODUCTIVE HARM.

Many common materials such as metals, plastics, glues, lubricants and other coatings 

contain chemicals in varying amount and concentrations which will cause harm if 

introduced into the human body. For further information on toxic or dangerous 

chemicals please refer to California’s Health and Safety Codes Sections 25249.5-13

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Special notice:

Please out of curiosity do not disassemble the aircraft. If you ever have a 

system problem do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll be more than 

happy to assist you or get the system serviced. Meanwhile enjoy the 

helicopter, the amazing performance, and let your imagination soar with 

this incredible aerial tool.

- Understand there is no need to lubricate the motors and if you do, there 

is a strong possibility you will damage them.

- Please also understand that each motor is coded to a specific position on 

the aircraft so don’t move or swap motors. The motors must remain in their 

assigned position. 

If you are experiencing a problem with the aircraft please call our support 

line at 1-800-979-9794 or drop us an e-mail to support@draganfly.com.
Safety Precautions

As the pilot in command you are responsible for the safety of yourself and others 

whether it be in the immediate takeoff and landing area, or the general flight path area. 

Please take safety very seriously.

• Always wear protective eyewear.

• Do not use batteries other than those specifically designed for the Draganflyer 

Commander; doing so may cause erratic flight performance and void the 

warranty.

• Do not fly the Draganflyer Commander in excessive winds.

• Do not fly the aircraft system in rain.

• Do not fly near people on the ground or objects in the air.

• Do not fly near pets or other animals.

• Do not fly near high-tension lines, electrical substations, high structures or 

communication facilities.

• Do not operate the system in environments where High Intensity Radiated 

Fields (HIRF) may be present

• Do not operate in weather where precipitation is forecast or likely to occur

• Do not operate in weather where any known atmospheric icing conditions are 

forecast or likely to occur

• Be careful where you place the controller and helicopter during flight 

preparations, be sure the equipment will not be dropped or suffer an 

accidental fall as this may cause serious damage.

• Never fly this aircraft where damage to property or injury to persons may 

result if loss of control occurs. 

• Never leave the Draganflyer Commander unattended with the batteries 

connected. Make it a habit to always disconnect the batteries when not 

flying.

• When possible fly with a spotter or observer

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Meet your Draganflyer Commander

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Draganflyer Commander helicopter 

system. Both you, and your new Commander will have many adventures together. We 

believe this amazing aerial tool will provide you with a new perspective in your work and 

edge to your creativity. Here’s a quick look at the helicopter:

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Quick release carbon fiber 

props and powerful custom 

made brushless motors provide 

amazing power and flight 

performance

Carbon fiber landing gear 

retracts to quickly provide a 

compact package for transport 

Powerful custom designed 

dual LiPo battery packs and 

GPS receiver 

Terrain sensor and auto 

stabilization with 11 onboard sensors.

• 3 gyros

• 3 accelerometers

• 3 axis magnetometer

• 1 barometric sensor

• 1 GPS

High intensity 

programmable 

navigation LEDs

Folding carbon fiber airframe for 

easy setup and transportation

Draganflyer Commander 
Contents

Chapter 1: Draganflyer Commander Setup

This is probably the most fun chapter of all. In this chapter 

you will unfold the frame, the landing gear, install the props, 

better understand the LiPo batteries, discuss operating the 

aircraft safely, and get the helicopter ready for flight.

Chapter 2: Dual Battery Overview and Charging

One of our more serious chapters but extremely important. 

Learn about these new high-tech batteries and how they 

track their history. Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery technology 

can be very dangerous so please read this chapter.

Chapter 3: Ready for flight

You have the helicopter fully assembled, batteries charged 

and you’re excited to get it in the air, so now what? This 

chapter discusses some of the first flights and covers 

several flight training exercises.

Chapter 4: Aircraft technical data

Here you’ll find all the specifications and technical data 

required to answer many of the questions asked by your 

agency responsible for the Air Space or the neighbor down 

the street.

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Chapter 1

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Commander Helicopter Setup

We had a great time building and flight testing your aircraft. In this section we’ll go over 

the steps required to assemble the aircraft in preparation for launch. Because the aircraft 

can be equipped with several different payload packages, please refer to the individual 

payload manual for details about the payload set-up and how to get the most from it. To 

attach the various payloads is simple ... just twist and lock using the quick release 

system.

Extend helicopter booms

Start by unfolding the helicopter booms and snapping them into position. As they are 

unfolded, the front booms will “pass thru” the rear clips. Continue to bring the booms 

forward until firmly snapped in their front position. The rear booms will “lock” into the 

rear clips and with all four booms extended the frame is ready for the next step.

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Swing booms one-at-a-time 

towards the front. 

Front booms pass through rear 

clips and rear booms will lock in 

Snap front booms into clips place.

and make sure they lock
Extend Landing Gear

There are several helicopter systems on the market but we think you’ll be hard pressed 

to find an aircraft where so much effort and design was involved to create a lightweight 

and incredibly strong airframe. In addition to it’s strength, the airframe design allows the 

aircraft to quickly fold into a small package; light weight improves overall performance 

and folding, reduces transport case size making it easier to get out on scene or out 

working on that next project.

To extend the landing gear, simply 

pull them down and rotate forward 

until you feel and hear them snap 

into position. Double check and 

make sure they are locked and 

that’s all that’s required.

To retract the landing gear, pull 

down on the leg and allow the 

spring to rotate and pull the leg 

back parallel to the helicopter 

boom.

Fast, simple, lightweight, and very 

strong.

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To extend landing gear pull 

down and rotate forward 

until they snap in place.

Landing gear will lock into this 

position. To retract the landing 

gear, pull down to unlock the 

leg and let the gear rotate 

back parallel to the boom.
Install Rotor Blades

We put some effort into making this a simple, fast process, to best ensure the correct 

prop gets on the correct motor. Your helicopter flies with two props spinning in a 

clockwise (CW) direction, and two spinning in a counter clockwise direction (CCW). 

The props have a keyed locking ring so only a CCW prop can be installed in a CCW 

mount, and we even included arrows on the mount to indicate the direction of prop 

rotation for that given motor.

To install the rotor blades, place the prop on the 

corresponding rotor mount, press down to 

seat the prop and while holding the 

mount, rotate the prop 1⁄4 turn until the 

blade clicks into place. To help 

make this a little easier, there is a 

nice serrated thumb grip to help 

latch and unlatch the props.

Please install all four props on 

the helicopter and give them 

a good spin once they are 

seated.

When you have completed 

your work and it’s time to pack 

up the system, gently push 

down on the locking tabs of the 

rotor mount and twist in the 

opposite direction to unlock each 

prop.

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The props are keyed so 

there is no mixing up what 

prop goes where.

No we didnʼt do this to 

trick you, these arrows 

indicate the prop 

rotation in flight.
Remove Canopy

You really want to do this right or you can damage the canopy. The canopy removal 

process is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Position your hands as shown. Using your left thumb 

push the rear latch pin forward. When the orange locking tabs are inside the canopy, 

slide the rear canopy up and towards the front of the aircraft to remove.

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1

2

3

Canopy removal is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Push the release pin until 

the orange locking tabs go inside canopy, lift the rear portion of the 

canopy and slide canopy forward towards front and remove.
Install Flight Batteries

The Draganflyer Commander main power source is dual, removable, rechargeable, HV 

lithium-polymer batteries. We put extra effort into designing a battery system that is 

redundant, safe, powerful, and optimized to provide extended flight performance. 

The Draganflyer Commander system has been designed and precisely tuned for these 

batteries. Only use Draganflyer Commander batteries with this aircraft or you will void 

your warranty.

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LEDs indicate charge

Military grade connector

Note: When not in use, 

always protect yourself 

and the connector with 

the included safety cap

Press button to test the 

battery fuel gauge

Special notice:

The helicopter autopilot expects to be flying with these batteries. If you try to 

use a different battery, please keep in mind the autopilot will “log” the error and 

you will void the system warranty for the life of the aircraft.

Battery latch plate
To provide a solid battery mount, and to ensure they are positioned correctly, the 

batteries “clip and latch” in place.

To install, first slip the rear of the battery into the receiving slots. With the other hand, 

push in the spring loaded battery latching tab. Pushing in the tab “opens” the receiving 

slots. When open, lower battery and release the locking tab. 

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Push in locking tab to open slots and lower 

batteries in place - then release locking tab.

Please Note:

To provide a snug fit the batteries have a 

small layer of soft foam under then. From 

time-to-time you might have to gently press 

the batteries down to close/secure the latch 

assembly.

Slide rear clips into slots

2 1
When you’re ready to fly, plug-in the batteries by pushing “in” and “hold” the rear latch 

plate post as illustrated below. With the plate pushed in, plug in and seat the battery 

power plugs. When both plugs are installed, release the latch plate, and the plate will 

secure the battery plugs holding them in place.

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Special notice:

We know you’re excited to get out flying but only connect the main power 

cables when you’re ready to get up in the air. Leaving them plugged in for any 

length of time even when powered off, will slowly drain the battery.

Push the rear latch post in 

and hold it while you “plug in” 

batteries. 

When batteries are plugged 

in, release the rear latch to 

secure the plugs.

Seat the battery plugs and 

after releasing the latch 

plate, the plate will secure 

the plugs.
Install Canopy

Installing the canopy is the reverse process. Start by placing the canopy over the front of 

the helicopter and rotate/lower the rear while gently pushing it back to engage the front 

latch clip.

At the rear push the latch post in, which in turn pushes in the locking tabs. Lower the 

rear of the canopy and line the rear canopy slots with the latching tabs, then slowly 

release the latch post so the tabs lock the canopy in place.

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Slide onto front canopy latch

Push the rear latch post in to retract 

the orange locking tabs. 

Slide the rear of the canopy down to 

line up the slots with the latching tabs 

and carefully release latching post.
Helicopter assembled

The helicopter is now fully assembled and ready for flight. Even if you have been through 

our flight training program, we recommend that for your first flights that you fly in very 

light wind conditions, and without a payload, to test the system and get reacquainted 

with the aircraft.

In this manual we will discuss flying the helicopter and provide some tips and tricks to 

get the most from the aircraft. The actual mechanics of flying, such as details to arm the 

motors, engage motors, describe telemetry data, and setting up live streaming video are 

discussed in the handheld Ground Control System (GCS) manual and also the standard 

Handheld Controller manual (HHC).

Most importantly we thank you for selecting the Draganfly product, hope you enjoy your 

flying, and believe the helicopter will prove to be an excellent aerial tool for you.

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Install helicopter payload system

Draganfly offers several different payload options for the Draganflyer Commander 

system and each payload features an easy to use quick release system. All electrical 

connections pass through the quick release eliminating messy cables or the possibility 

of inadvertently not connecting something before take-off.

All payloads attach in the same fashion, using the quick release payload system. With 

the payload facing forward position and twist the quick release mount in place and make 

sure the locking pin is fully seated.

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Special notice:

Please take your time to line the payload up correctly and double check to 

make sure it seated properly and is locked in place.

Rotate the quick release plate 

into the spring loaded retainer 

until seated and front retaining 

pin is locked in place.
Chapter 2

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Commander Battery Overview

The new intelligent battery system from Draganfly Innovations provides robust power 

and a new real-time power management system. During flight the system is constantly 

measuring how much current is being consumed versus just looking at voltage. This new 

way of power management provides you, the pilot in command, with very accurate flight 

information.

At take-off, the helicopter will come-up into a hover and based on the power required for 

the payload being flown, calculate an estimated “flight time” and “mission time” 

transmitted to the handheld controller. During the flight, the system constantly measures 

the amount of power being consumed and in real-time, updates the remaining flight time 

estimates to the handheld controller display.

The handheld controller displays estimated “flight time” of the battery and estimated 

“mission time”. Flight time is all about the batteries while “mission time” includes safety 

buffers for warning messages. Understand the times will be different because if you fly 

the “flight time” to zero, that means the batteries are completely exhausted and the 

system could fall out of the sky, so please observe and respect the warning messages 

based off the “mission time”.

To get a quick status check, press the battery fuel gauge button and read the battery 

fuel gauge, but before flying that critical mission or video project, you can view the 

charge and discharge history, maximum temperature, and easily view all this information 

using the provided battery APP for your android 

device. 

Draganfly intelligent batteries feature a Near Field 

Communication (NFC) wireless interface that will 

automatically connect to your android device, 

allowing easy access to battery history and 

performance data. 

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Battery fuel gauge
Draganfly battery fuel gauge:

The following describes the fuel gauge features and how to interpret the LED display.

Fuel Gauge Button

Press to display battery status on the Fuel Gauge LEDs.

Fuel Gauge LEDs

When the button is pressed the LEDs will light up as follows:

• All six LEDs solid: 100% full (can be between 90-100% State-Of-Charge)

• First five LEDs solid: 80% full (can be between 70-90% State-Of-Charge)

• First four LEDs solid: 60% full (can be between 50-70% State-Of-Charge)

• First three LEDs solid: 40% full (can be between 30-50% State-Of-Charge)

• First two LEDs solid: 20% full (can be between 10-30% State-Of-Charge)

• First LED solid: 0% full (can be between 0-10% State-Of-Charge)

• First LED slowly blinking: over-discharged (below 0% State-Of-Charge)

When the button is not pressed, the LEDs can indicate the following conditions:

• Solid green “100% LED”: battery is requesting that the user wait to begin charge 

until after this LED goes out (will go out in 12 minutes or less - this wait time is 

needed for battery capacity estimation and also allows a cooling period after use)

• Pulse of two red + two yellow: cell under-voltage, pack will shut-down soon if not 

in flight

• Pulse of two red with no yellow: short-circuit detected

• Pulse of two yellow with no red: charge over-current detected

• Pulse of two green: cell over-voltage

• All LEDs blinking: pack is about to shut-down due to under-voltage (only when not 

in flight)

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Discharge for storage:

To store your battery for long periods it’s recommended to bring the pack to between 

50% and 65% charge. This can be achieved by charging to storage level on your 

charger, or by discharging to storage level using the battery discharge-to-storage 

function of the battery. 

To activate this function, press the battery fuel gauge button five times. When activated 

all of the LEDs will light and stay lit to indicate discharge-to-storage mode. The LEDs will 

stay lit for as long as it takes to “trickle discharge” the pack down to the proper storage 

level. Please note: this process may take as long as one week if the pack started out 

fully charged. 

To speed this process use storage-discharge mode after a flight that brings your packs 

down to around 65% (but not lower than 50%). To cancel storage-discharge mode at 

any time, press the button five times.

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Draganfly Battery APP:

The battery APP is either pre-loaded on the tablet included with your system, or if 

purchased without a tablet, included on the Draganfly memory stick along with other 

system documentation.

After launching the APP simply place 

the Andriod device very near to, or on 

top of the battery, and the APP will 

automatically connect and update the 

battery status screen.

The APP provides a wealth of 

information but the most commonly 

used screens providing you with a 

quick summary are the “Charge 

History” and “Advanced Info” screens. 

Pay special attention to the battery age, number of cycles, cell balance, and max 

temperature. The following provides a break-down of the information.

Charge History

Battery Type: Displays the battery model type

Battery Charge: Displays charge level in percent (0% corresponds to the battery 

needing a charge, 100% corresponds to a fully charged battery)

Battery Voltage: Displays battery voltage

Removed Since Full: Displays the number of mAh removed from the battery since the 

last full charge

Temperature: Displays the temperature of the battery in degrees Celsius (only charge 

the battery if the temperature is between 0 and 50 degrees Celsius, warnings will replace 

the ‘Good Condition’ status when outside this range)

Imbalance: Displays the voltage difference between the highest and lowest cell

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Charge History Advanced Info Estimated Capacity Charge Graph Discharge Graph

Battery Type: 4S6750-HV

Battery Charge: 6%

Battery Voltage: 14.79V

Removed Since Full: 6218mAh

Temperature: 19C

Imbalance: 0.003V

Cell 1: 3.700V

Cell 2: 3.697V

Cell 3: 3.699V

Cell 4: 3.697

GOOD CONDITION

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

048 12 16 20

245

210

175

140 

105

70

35

0

Peak Current mA

Highest Cell Max mV

Imbalance mV

Peak Temperature C
Cell 1/2/3/4: Displays the corresponding cell voltage

Advanced Info

Total Cycles: Displays the total number of complete discharge and charge cycles for 

the life of the battery

Battery Age: Displays the age of the battery in days

Health: A general estimation for the health and condition of the battery. This is displayed 

as a percentage with 100% being a new battery in good condition

UID: Displays a diagnostic code containing details about the batteries condition and any 

alarms that may have triggered. This code may be used by Draganfly technical support 

staff for troubleshooting.

Status Flags: Displays eight bits in binary representing the internal battery status, used 

for troubleshooting

Current: Indicates the power “flowing into the battery” during charging. This value will 

always display 0 unless the battery is actively being charged when scanned. This is 

displayed in Amps.

Max Temp: Displays the maximum temperature that the battery has ever experienced in 

degrees Celsius

Cell 1/2/3/4 Min: Displays the minimum voltage ever recorded for each cell.

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As they say a picture is worth a thousand words and so for advanced users, we have 

include graphs of the battery usage and history, so you can visually monitor usage 

trends and condition of your battery over time. Please note that all three of these graphs 

will automatically scale to fit the number of cycles performed on the battery.

Estimated Capacity Graph

X axis units: The total number of discharge and charge cycles conducted on the 

battery. This axis will automatically scale to fit the number of cycles on the battery

Y axis units: Displays capacity measured in mAh

Cycle Size mAh: This line represents the estimated battery capacity consumed and 

replenished on each use of the battery. This is shown in mAh using the left hand Y Axis 

of the graph. This will help you determine if you are getting the full power available out of 

the battery.

Short Circuit Flag: A small indicator will appear on the graph if a short circuit was 

detected by the battery on a specific usage cycle. This short may be on the helicopter, 

camera system, or battery itself. If a short circuit is indicated, contact Draganfly 

technical support as this may indicate a serious problem with your equipment

Power Off Flag: A small indicator will appear on the graph if the battery has 

experienced an automatic shutdown due to low voltage. This may indicate that the flight 

battery was over discharged which can decrease its performance.

Estimated Capacity mAh: This line shows the estimated capacity of the battery in mAh. 

This capacity is based on previous usage of the battery and can be used to help you 

determine its condition. As the battery wears this line will gradually begin to decrease. 

Once this has decreased to consistently show approximately 5000mAh the battery is 

considered to be worn out.

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Charge Graph

X axis units: Displays the number of charges conducted on this battery. This axis will 

automatically scale to fit the number of charges performed.

Y axis units: The charge graph uses information on both left and right sides of the of the 

Y Axis. The left of the graph is used to represent both milliamps (mA) and millivolts (mV). 

The right side of the graph displays temperature in celsius and mV.

Peak Current mA (left y-axis): Shows the peak current level into the battery during 

reached during each charge. This is displayed in mA on the left side of the graph.

Highest Cell Max mV (left y-axis): Displays the maximum voltage reach by the highest 

cell in the battery per charge. This is shown in mV on the left side of the graph. This will 

help identify if a cell has been overcharged as this may impact performance of the 

battery.

Imbalance mV (right y-axis): The imbalance show the voltage difference between the 

highest and lowest cells in the battery during each charge. This is displayed in mV on 

the right side of the graph. A consistent imbalance of greater than 100mV may indicate 

damage or wear to a cell or the battery.

Peak Temperature C (right y-axis): Displays the maximum temperature the battery has 

experienced in the specific cycle. This is shown on the right side of the graph in degrees 

Celsius. Operating temperature should remain below 65 degrees and the battery should 

not be exposed to temperatures above 75 degrees.

Discharge Graph

X axis units: Displays the number of discharges conducted on this battery. This axis will 

automatically scale to fit the number of discharges performed.

Y axis units: The disccharge graph uses information on both left and right sides of the 

of the Y Axis. The left of the graph is used to represent both milliamps (mA) and millivolts 

(mV). The right side of the graph displays temperature in celsius and mV.

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Peak Current mA (left y-axis): Shows the peak current draw from the battery during 

each discharge, this is displayed in mA on the left side of the graph.

Lowest Cell Min mV (left y-axis): Displays the minimum voltage reach by the lowest 

cell in the battery per discharge. This is shown in mV on the left side of the graph. This 

will help identify if a cell has been over-discharged as this may impact performance of 

the battery.

Imbalance mV (right y-axis): The imbalance shows the voltage difference between the 

highest and lowest cells in the battery during each discharge. This is displayed in mV on 

the right side of the graph. A consistent imbalance of greater than 100mV may indicate 

damage or wear to a cell or the battery.

Peak Temperature C (right y-axis): Displays the maximum temperature that the battery 

has experienced in the specific cycle. This is shown on the right side of the graph in 

degrees Celsius. Operating temperature should remain below 65 degrees and the 

battery should not be exposed to temperatures above 75 degrees.

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Lithium Battery Safety Instructions and 

Warnings

Please read and fully understand all of the instructions and warnings below before using 

or charging your lithium polymer batteries. Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries are 

volatile; improper use or failure to follow these instructions and warnings may 

result in fire, personal injury and/or damaged property. Draganfly Innovations and its 

affiliates assume no liability for the improper use of this battery, or failure to comply with 

these instructions and warnings.

General Guidelines and Warnings

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• Your batteries are not fully charged 

upon receiving them, the batteries 

must be charged before use.

• Use Lithium Polymer specific 

battery chargers only, such as the 

charger provided in your 

Draganflyer package. Use of any 

other type of charger can result in a 

fire which may result in personal 

injury and damage to property.

• Always keep batteries in a flame 

retardant container, such as the 

LiPo Sack included in your 

Draganflyer package during 

charging, storage and 

transportation.

• Never leave charging batteries 

unattended. When charging LiPo 

batteries you must constantly 

monitor the charging process and 

be there to react to any undesired 

results.

• If at any time the battery becomes 

swollen, immediately discontinue 

use or charging; disconnect the 

battery and place it in a safe 

observation area for 15 minutes. 

Charging a battery that has 

become swollen may result in fire.

• A safe observation area should be 

outdoors away from any property, 

vehicles or combustible material. 
Page 28

Do NOT leave a battery indoors for 

observation even if in a flame 

retardant container.

• Do not short the battery; shorts 

can cause fires. If you 

accidentally short the battery it 

must be placed in a safe 

observation area for 15 minutes. 

Be cautious of potential shorts 

and burns that may occur due to 

jewellery, such as rings or 

bracelets.

• Chemical reactions are not 

instantaneous; a battery that has 

been shorted or damaged will not 

ignite immediately; this may takeup to or longer than 15 minutes. 

Any battery that has been 

damaged or shorted, must be 

observed in a safe area for a 

minimum of 15 minutes.

• Any battery involved in a crash, 

whether deformed or not, must 

be placed in a safe observation 

area for 15 minutes.

• Discontinue use if the battery has 

been exposed to temperatures in 

excess of 170F (75C).

 Charging:

• Before charging visually inspect 

the battery and connectors for 

any damage, signs of swelling, or 

any other irregularities.

• Before charging, press the battery 

test button on your flight battery 

to check the status and voltage 

level. One or more of the status 

LED’s should turn on and remain 

on while the button is held. Any 

other flashing pattern on the 

status LED’s may indicate 

damage to the battery; please 

contact Draganfly Innovations 

Technical support.

• If you are unaware of the battery 

voltage, check the voltage of the 

battery before charging.

• Do not attempt to charge a 

battery with a voltage less than 

3.1V per cell. For a flight battery 

and GCS this would be 12.4V and 

9.3V for the standard style 

handheld controller battery.

• Never charge batteries 

unattended.
Page 29

• Always keep the battery in a 

flame retardant container for 

charging.

• Allow the battery to cool to room 

temperature before charging.

• Do not attempt to charge multiple 

batteries in series.

• Do not attempt to charge multiple 

batteries in parallel.

• When selecting the cell count or 

voltage for charging, ensure to 

select the cell count and/or 

voltage that appears on the 

battery label. Selecting an 

incorrect cell count or voltage 

may result in a fire.

• Do not exceed the maximum 

charge rate current listed on the 

battery label.

• Always connect the balance 

cable between the battery and 

charger while charging or 

discharging.

• Always ensure flight batteries are 

selected as "LiPO HV" for 

charging.

• Always ensure HHC and GCS 

controller batteries are selected 

at "LiPo" for charging

• Only use a good quality charger 

rated for LiPo batteries, such as 

the charger including in your 

Draganflyer system. A low quality 

charger may damage the battery 

and result in fire.

 Storage & Transport:

• Never ship, transport, or travel 

with a damaged LiPo battery.

• Store batteries at room 

temperature for the best longevity 

between 3 degrees C (40 F) and 

20 degrees C (70 F).

• Do not store batteries in a vehicle 

even if in a flame retardant 

container.

• Do not store or expose batteries 

to direct sunlight for extended 

periods of time.

• Do not store batteries near a 

source of heat.
Disposal:

Lithium Polymer batteries that have lost 20% of their total capacity are considered worn 

and should be disposed of. Any worn or damaged battery should be immediately 

removed from service and disposed of. Never charge or use a worn or damaged battery.

To properly dispose of a LiPo battery fully submerge and soak the battery in saturated 

salt water for 48 hours. In most locations the battery can now be disposed of in 

household waste. Please check local waste management and recycling regulations for 

disposal of LiPo batteries. Do Not dispose of batteries in fire.

For assistance or additional information on Lithium Polymer batteries please contact 

Draganfly Innovations technical support.

Page 30

• Exposing LiPo batteries to 

temperatures in excess of 65 

degrees C (150 F) may cause 

permanent damages and 

premature deterioration to the 

battery.

• Do not expose batteries to 

temperatures in excess of 75 

degrees C (170 F). Exposure for 

longer than 2 hours may cause 

fire.

• Before travelling with LiPo 

batteries always check with your 

airline for their policies and 

regulations regarding 

transportation of LiPo batteries.

• If shipping batteries, always 

discuss safe packaging and 
Battery Charging System

Please fully read and understand the Lithium battery safety instructions and 

warnings section of this manual before using or charging your batteries. The 

operator assumes full responsibility for all risks associated with the use of this 

product.

Your Draganflyer Commander system comes equipped with a complete charging kit for 

the helicopter and controller batteries used with the Commander system. The charging 

system has been designed for ease of use, portability, safety, and convenience, to keep 

your systems charged and flying. 

Page 31

Port #2 charge 

dongle

Power adapter

Port #1 charge 

dongle

Thunder Power TP820CD 

LiPo Charger

(2) Charger adapter cables for 

charging handheld controllers 

and IP Base Station
Included with the Draganflyer Commander charging system is:

1 – TP820CD Dual Port battery charger (users manual included)

2 – High power AC/DC power adapter

2 – Draganflyer charging dongles

2 – Draganflyer controller and IP base station charging adapter cables

Setup and Operation

Your charger can be powered from a 110-240 volt AC wall outlet or an 11-18 volt DC 

power source such as a car battery. If using an AC wall outlet, remove the AC/DC power 

adaptor from the case, connect it to the power input of the charger, and plug the cable 

into an AC outlet.

If you are using a 12V battery (car battery), connect the DC cable provided to the 

charger. After connecting the cable to the charger first, then connect the alligator clips to 

the terminals of your 12V battery (red clip to positive, black clip to negative). When 

power is applied, the charger will automatically turn on.

When the charger is powered on, the + and – buttons allow you to scroll up/down 

through menus before and during battery charging/discharging. These buttons also 

allow you to change values/settings for options after they have been selected (typically 

when flashing after pressing the ENTER button). 

The SEL/MODE button functions only when you’re not charging or discharging a 

battery. Pressing the MODE button will allow you to scroll between the three available 

modes:

• Charge/Discharge/Cycle/Storage Modes

• Setting Data Mode

• Data View Mode

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The ENT/STOP button allows you to select and validate values/settings for options that 

can be changed (using the +/– buttons to change) before and during charging/

discharging. Pressing and holding the ENTER button also allows you to start and stop 

charging/discharging.

After powering on the charger by default it’s set to ‘Charge Mode’. Before shipping your 

system, your charger has been pre-programmed for the different equipment making up 

the Draganflyer system:

• M01 = Commander flight batteries

• M02 = Standard Handheld Controller (HHC)

• M03 = IP base station battery

• M04 = Handheld Ground Control System (GCS) 

Charging helicopter batteries

Power on the charger and confirm the charger is set to program M01. The display 

should read:

M[01] LiHV Charge 4S 1 for port #1 and a 2 when port #2 is selected

CP: 7000mAh 5.00A 0.000V

Connect the main power connector from each battery to a corresponding charge dongle 

and when doing so, the charger will indicate the current voltage of each battery on the 

LCD display. To switch between the ports, press the “port” selector to step between 

them.

Place each battery into a separate LiPo fire resistant bag and press/hold the “Enter” 

button. A confirmation screen is displayed to confirm you are charging HV LiPo 

batteries. Select the “+” to confirm and then press/hold the enter button to begin 

charging. Repeat this process for the other port and wait for the charge to complete.

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Charging other system batteries

Whether you are charging the handheld controller batteries or the IP base-station battery 

the process is the same. The only difference is selecting the proper charging program. 

The following details the programs and what they should display when selected:

Handheld Controller = M02

M[02] LiPo Charge 3S 1 for port #1 and a 2 when port #2 is selected

CP: 1350mAh 1.35A 0.000V

IP Base Station = M03

M[03] LiPo Charge 4S 1 for port #1 and a 2 when port #2 is selected

CP: 1350mAh 1.35A 0.000V

Handheld GCS = M04

M[04] LiPo Charge 4S 1 for port #1 and a 2 when port #2 is selected

CP: 2700mAh 2.70A 0.000V

Select the correct program, using the adapter cable provided, plug-in the balance port 

connector and then the main power connector to the battery or controller, then plug the 

large power connector to the charger dongle. Depress and hold the “enter” button and 

the battery or device will begin charging.

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Balance port

Main power connector
Summary:

The battery charger provided has been preset at the factory to charge the helicopter HV 

LiPo battery packs, controllers and IP base station. The charger connects to the 

batteries or controllers through the charger dongle. When charging the controllers or IP 

base station batteries, an intermediate adapter cable is used between the dongle and 

the device.

For additional instructions on your battery charger please refer to the TP820CD battery 

charger operator’s manual included in your package

Page 35
Things you need to know

Special notice:

You might think that we’re exaggerating the issue but no, LiPo battery safety is 

something to be taken seriously. If you want to see examples of what can go 

wrong just search YouTube for LiPo fire examples. It’s common to think “this will 

never happen to me” but that’s why they call them accidents, so please take 

battery safety very seriously and here are some tips to consider:

1. When charging your batteries, always place them in a fire proof LiPo sack or 

case and be in the immediate area to listen for any errors detected by the 

charger during the charging process or if an explosion or fire takes place, 

you’re there to deal with the situation.

2. After charging is complete, always remove/disconnect the battery from the 

charger.

3. Keep your batteries out of direct sunlight or high heat conditions. For 

example don’t set them on the dashboard of your car. You want to keep the 

batteries protected, cool, and safe.

4. Some people think “more is better” but no, not with a LiPo battery. Please 

only charge the batteries at the prescribed cell count and current ratings. Trying 

to “over fill” a battery will result in damage or possibly fire.

5. If a battery is either old or damaged in a crash follow the proper battery 

disposal guidelines provided above, by submerging and soaking the battery in 

a salt water solution. And please, some people want to try and salvage the 

power connector from the battery or the electronics but no, don’t do it, you are 

placing yourself in serious risk of being injured.

Page 36
Chapter 3

Page 37
Your first flight

One of the great things about a helicopter is that you can fly it a quarter-of-an-inch at-atime. And even better, you have the flexibility to fly in a wide open area, more restricted 

space, and if you have enough room, you can even fly indoors.

If you haven’t taken the Draganfly certified flight training we highly encourage you to get 

the proper training. The two day, one-on-one training is designed to provide you with the 

essential knowledge, skills, and develop confidence to get you flying safely. 

In situations where it’s more cost effective to have a flight instructor fly out to your 

location versus bringing a team of three or four people to Canada, for an additional fee, 

Draganfly offers training worldwide at your location. If you have any questions about 

training, getting set-up for training, or having someone come out to your location, call 

Draganfly Innovations now.

Whether you’ve had training or not, for these first few flights we strongly suggest that 

you start out very slow, low, and just enjoy 

getting a feel for the aircraft and controls. 

Pick a day with very calm or no wind conditions, 

and simply takeoff and land several times 

because honestly, if you can’t comfortably 

takeoff and land, stop right there before you 

damage the aircraft and make arrangements for 

flight training.

Auto-takeoff versus manual takeoff

Throughout this document we describe the 

takeoff process both ways but keep in mind 

whether it’s an automated takeoff or you lift off 

manually, the process is basically the same.

Page 38
Both takeoffs are considered “automated” but with one you don’t have to worry about 

controlling the position of the aircraft and with the other, you are responsible to fly the 

aircraft and maintain position during the lift off.

The difference being, that with an automated precision takeoff the helicopter system 

must be in GPS position hold mode, must have a GPS position lock, and other than that 

the takeoff process from the pilot perspective is exactly the same. So lets talk about this 

a bit more.

Auto-takeoff

To execute an automated takeoff, you must first wait to get a GPS position lock. Place 

the system in GPS Position Hold and go through the takeoff process described later in 

the manual. During lift-off the aircraft position is maintained using the GPS, and altitude 

is controlled by the terrain sensor.

Manual takeoff

With a manual takeoff there is no need for GPS lock. Place the system in Altitude Hold 

Mode and and go through the takeoff process described later in the manual. During liftoff helicopter altitude is controlled by barometric pressure and the position of the aircraft 

is controlled by the pilot.

So why the difference? Auto-takeoff requires GPS and takes the helicopter to about 10’ 

at takeoff. There might be situations where you must fly in GPS denied areas or in 

confined spaces. For the author, I once had to fly inside a cave and in this situation with 

no GPS, and a low ceiling, a precision auto-takeoff would never work. 

Covered in this section:

• Power management

• Understand the environment

• Helicopter pre-flight

• Helicopter training exercises

• Helicopter flight

Page 39
Power management

It’s very important to understand the power management system and even more 

important to understand what the system is telling you. Some basic terms and concepts 

to understand:

Flight time

The flight time displayed on the handheld controller is an “estimated” flight capacity of 

the battery. Payload types and weight can vary, so from the moment the helicopter first 

takes-off and settles into a stationary hover, the system “calculates” the estimated flight 

time of the batteries and continues to constantly recalculate this time based on payload, 

wind, temperature, and altitude.

This is a literal value meaning when the countdown timer gets to ZERO, there is 

absolutely NO POWER left to fly the helicopter and you’re at risk of damaging the 

batteries and falling from the sky. NEVER fly past zero or you will VOID the system 

warranty.

Mission time

The mission time, is the amount of time you can expect to safely fly the mission or 

project. The Mission time will always be LESS than the estimated flight time because it 

has safety buffers included to provide battery warnings and fail-safes.

For example in the diagram on the next page, at take-off the system calculates an 

estimated 38 minute flight time and a 36 minute mission time. With 3 minutes remaining 

in the mission, the pilot receives the “first” battery low warning and is instructed to land. 

If for some reason the pilot ignores this message (please don’t unless it’s an emergency) 

when the mission time reaches ZERO, a critical battery warning will be issued and a few 

seconds later the aircraft will begin an “Auto-Landing” procedure.

1st battery warning

The first mission flight time battery warning will appear when there are approximately

three minutes remaining in the mission. It is highly advised to use your best judgement 

and bring the aircraft back for landing. If you ignore the warning and fly to zero, the 

critical battery warning will be triggered and the helicopter will begin to auto-land at its 

current position.

Page 40
Critical battery warning

A critical warning will trigger an auto-landing. If the helicopter is in a GPS position hold, 

it will remain in the same position and land. Whether you’re in GPS position hold or 

altitude hold mode, you still have full control of the aircraft.

For example, if the aircraft begins an auto-landing and you determine it will hit a tree, hit 

a fence, or some obstacle, you can slow/stop the descent and maneuver the aircraft to 

avoid the obstacle. If you continue to fight the auto-landing and hit zero flight time 

remaining, you run the risk of damaging your batteries, crashing the aircraft, and voiding 

your product warranty.

Summary

In summary be certain to understand the difference between flight time and mission 

time. Flight time is all about battery capacity. Mission time is all about the safe time-inthe-air that is estimated for the current configuration of the aircraft, temperature, winds 

etc.

Also be aware the calculated values represent an estimated time. Some calculated 

minutes might be a bit longer or shorter based on the amount of current being drained 

from the system. For example, the aircraft is flying downwind requiring less power, but 

when it turns and flies into the wind, consumes more power. The time remaining will 

dynamically be recalculated and adjusted during the flight.

During each flight, include MISSION TIME in your scan of the handheld controller 

telemetry data screen and always adhere to the warning messages provided.

Page 41

38 minutes

36 minutes 3 0

5 2 0

Estimated Flight Time

Estimated Mission Time

Critical Warning

Auto-Landing

1st Warning

Serious Risk 

of Crashing

PLEASE NOTE: Warning times may vary
Understand the environment

If you think of your helicopter as if it were a balloon, you can quickly get an idea of the 

issues involved when flying in windy conditions. As you get more comfortable flying in 

wind, under certain circumstances letting your helicopter “float” with the wind is a good 

technique to shoot both smooth video or get crisp photos. And truly just like a balloon, 

on a strong windy day the helicopter will maintain it’s altitude and float across the sky.

The aircraft has it’s own limitations and 

based on skill level, combined with 

experience, different pilots have their own 

self imposed limitations. Quite often the 

helicopter will exceed personal limits, but 

care must be taken as you develop your 

flying skills.

And keep in mind there are different types 

of wind. Flying in straight line, steady 

winds like you find coming off a large lake 

or along the ocean are much easier to fly in 

than for example gusty, and changing 

winds, that you find in a canyon. Gusty and 

changing conditions are a challenge 

combined with strong up, and down drafts, 

that can make for an exciting day.

With experience you can comfortably fly in 

these conditions but please understand, 

this comes with experience. As the pilot in 

command, it’s your responsibility to determine if the weather conditions are suitable to 

execute the mission. Most people run into problems when they’re flying the aircraft in 

conditions beyond their skill level so it’s much better to stop the flight and wait for better 

Page 42
weather. Always keep in mind that no matter what the project, as the pilot you determine 

when it’s safe to fly.

The helicopter and wind:

Although the helicopter system is actually very sophisticated there are times when you 

might think it’s not. For example, let’s assume we’re flying in a 16kph (10mph) steady 

wind from the north. Before you takeoff, point the helicopter into the wind and because 

of your experience, you know that upon 

liftoff you’ll need to “pitch” the aircraft 

forward to penetrate the wind and 

maintain a hover position. In this 

scenario the helicopter is flying forward 

at 16kph (10mph) to maintain 0mph 

ground speed in the hover.

As you’re hovering in the wind, lets 

assume you gain a little altitude and if 

you were to “yaw” the helicopter, you 

know in advance of this maneuver, that 

you will need to apply pitch and roll to 

maintain the hover as the heading of 

the aircraft changes. As the pilot, when 

ever possible you want to mentally 

“stay ahead” of the aircraft. 

So in this example we’re hovering at 3 

meters altitude, the helicopter is 

pointed straight into the wind blowing 

at a steady speed of 16kph (10mph). To 

maintain a static hover position we 

must pitch the aircraft forward to 

essentially be flying at 16kph (10mph) 

into the wind. Under these 

WIND 16kph (10mph)

Pitch is required at 

takeoff to maintain 

a hover position in 

the wind

Page 43
circumstances our ground speed is 0mph. If we begin to yaw the helicopter clockwise 

90 degrees, we know that through the rotation of the aircraft, we’ll need to introduce left 

roll, and reduce forward pitch, as the aircraft rotates to maintain the hover position.

WIND 16kph (10mph) WIND 16kph (10mph) WIND 16kph (10mph)

To hover in this scenario 

requires pitch forward to 

match wind speed and 

maintain position

As you yaw clockwise you must 

introduce some roll during the 

aircraft rotation to maintain 

position

When helicopter approaches 90 

degrees into the wind, pitch is 

reduced and roll increases 

because the helicopter is now 

flying sideways into the wind

Page 44
When the helicopter reaches the 90 degree clockwise position, the nose of the aircraft is 

now pointing east. To maintain a steady hover, we’ll need to control the aircraft with roll 

“left” because the helicopter is now broadside to the wind, flying sideways at 16kph 

(10mph).

At first this might sound complicated but with experience, flying the aircraft in different 

conditions is a learned skill that you’ll develop.

GPS position hold and wind:

If you’re out shooting photos or flying a mission there might be special occasions when 

you want to manually fly the helicopter to maintain a stationary hover as described 

above. However, most often, you will manually fly the aircraft into the desired position 

and assuming you have enough GPS satellites, switch the aircraft into a GPS position 

hold and let the autopilot do the work for you.

In the previous example we assumed you were manually flying the helicopter to maintain 

a stationary hover in a 16kph (10mph) wind. Let’s use that same scenario again, but 

illustrate the benefits of using the GPS position hold feature.

Page 45

Special Notice:

Throughout this document you will hear both auto-takeoff and manual takeoff 

referenced. Manual takeoff is more involved and discussed more often.

Auto-takeoff is performed in a GPS position hold. Aircraft position is 

controlled by the GPS and altitude is controlled by the range sensor. 

Manual takeoff is performed in Altitude Hold Mode. Takeoff height is 

controlled by the barometric sensor plus, you’re responsible to control the 

aircraft in pitch, roll, and yaw. Once stabilized the pilot has control of throttle.
Before takeoff wait for a good GPS position lock. Place the system in a GPS position 

hold and go through the procedure to takeoff. Upon liftoff the GPS is doing the work for 

you, to maintain the position of the aircraft over the takeoff point and the terrain sensor 

is aiding the aircraft determine altitude. After the helicopter settles into a stable hover, 

note your estimated flight time and once again - thinking ahead of the aircraft, pitch the 

aircraft slowly forward to penetrate the wind and release the GPS position hold to fly out 

to your mission position.

When you have flown the aircraft into the desired position, slow the aircraft into a good 

stable hovering position, double check your aircraft GPS position accuracy and switch 

the aircraft back into a GPS position hold. 

The helicopter will automatically hold its position, altitude and heading. If you wish to 

either reposition the aircraft or yaw the aircraft to change heading, you can do this even 

when the aircraft is in a GPS position hold. Clearly the primary benefit of the GPS 

position hold feature is to dramatically reduce the pilot involvement to maintain a hover 

position. This frees the pilot to focus more attention on getting the perfect photo, 

searching an area, or conducting the mission.

Forward flight & ballooning:

Because the helicopter is primarily flying in altitude hold mode you will notice a tendency 

for the aircraft to balloon (rise or fall) when coming to an abrupt stop. There is nothing 

wrong, nothing is broken; its only because altitude is controlled by the barometric sensor 

onboard the aircraft.

When the aircraft is traveling fast and comes to an abrupt stop the barometric pressure 

in the body of the aircraft changes suddenly, causing the aircraft to either rise or dip.

When you’re flying in strong gusty winds whether you’re in a GPS position hold or flying 

manually, you will see some variation in altitude resulting from sudden pressure changes. 

Even flying indoors on very windy days you will see changes in altitude because of the 

varying air pressure inside the building. 

Page 46
It’s important that you understand this and again we stress, that you need to “stay 

ahead” of the aircraft by anticipating what the aircraft will do when you’re out flying.

Extreme temperature conditions:

Draganflyer systems have been rigorously tested in extreme temperature conditions not 

just for a few weeks or months, but for years of operation. The aircraft perform well in 

these harsh conditions but when you’re dealing with extremes, some precautions are 

required. First and foremost is the safety of the pilot, crew, and people supporting the 

mission.

In regards to the helicopter, in extreme cold it’s advised to keep your LiPo batteries 

warm before use. Once the batteries are under load they will start to generate their own 

heat but to get the best performance a warm (not hot) battery will deliver the type of 

power you are use to seeing.

In very hot temperatures it’s important to keep the batteries out of direct sunlight and 

out of containers that might get very hot. For example if you place the batteries in a 

small black pelican style case, yes, they are out of direct sunlight but the air temperature 

inside the case may be very hot. Batteries exposed to temps in the range of 65 to 75 

degrees C (150 - 170 degrees F) will be damaged.

The operating temperature of the flight batteries and each motor are monitored and 

recorded during flight. Should any of the motors or flight batteries reach an unsafe 

temperature an alarm will be displayed on your controller indicating a system overheat 

Page 47

Special notice:

The aircraft will rise slightly or drop when making fast or abrupt changes to 

speed. You might also see altitude variations hovering in strong winds or even 

flying indoors on very windy days due to changes in air pressure.
condition. If if this alarm is displayed land immediately and allow the system to cool 

before continued operation.

When you are flying mid-day or late in the afternoon be aware of heat generated 

thermals. Unless a thermal is raising dust on the ground they are invisible to the naked 

eye. Along the outside edge of a thermal you often find very strong vertical down-draft 

wind currents. At the center of the thermal, very strong up-draft wind currents. Flying 

into a thermal is first detected by a sudden rise in helicopter rotor rpm as the autopilot 

tries to maintain altitude, while the aircraft is being pushed down by the strong wind 

along the outer edge of the thermal.

The best way to recover from this situation is to “fly out” of the thermal. When you hear 

or see this take place your first instinct is to increase throttle and assist the autopilot, but 

at the same time, try to turn away and fly forward out of the thermal.

Does this happen very often? No, but we take the time to point this out because it’s one 

of the dangers flying in very hot conditions mid-day or later in the afternoon hours. 

Special notice:

Thermals are invisible to the naked eye but most commonly occur on very hot 

days mid to late afternoon in flat areas and mixed terrain such as large asphalt 

parking lots and large open fields.

Page 48
Helicopter preflight

Just like a real aircraft it is very important to pre-flight the Draganfly helicopter to make 

sure it’s airworthy. We recommend a static on-the-ground pre-flight as illustrated below, 

and once you have taken off, we suggest a second flight check in a hover to make sure 

the aircraft and system are behaving properly. If you have any doubt, or suspect a 

problem, either cancel the mission or abort the flight until the problem is corrected.

Page 49

Check your props to make sure 

they are locked securely in 

place and double check props 

for nicks or cracks

Double check and make sure 

landing gear is firmly locked in 

place

Double check to ensure the 

canopy is secured tightly

If you are flying with a 

payload, make sure the 

quick release is securely 

fastened and camera is 

properly secured to the 

camera mount

Spin all motors by hand 

to make sure they spin 

smoothly

Ensure booms are 

locked firmly in place

Draganflyer Commander System Pre-flight Check
Pre-flight system checks:

As illustrated above it’s very important to pre-flight your aircraft before every flight. The 

system pre-flight is a quick but important procedure to follow even between flights. 

Never take anything for granted because more times than not, when you “assume” 

something is okay, that is the day you experience a problem.

Boom check

Check to make sure all four of the booms are locked in place and inspect each of the 

boom lock clips to make certain they are not cracked or showing signs of wear. If any of 

the clips are loose or damaged service the aircraft before flying.

Canopy check

Give the canopy a tug to make certain the nose of the canopy is locked firmly in place. 

Also inspect the rear slots to make sure the canopy is not cracked or torn. If you suspect 

a problem of any kind with the canopy do not fly the aircraft. For anyone that has 

experienced an in-flight canopy failure the results can be catastrophic.

Motor check

Rotate the prop on each motor slowly for one or two revolutions to check and make sure 

the motor is not binding. After a slow spin test, using your finger, give the prop a good 

fast spin and listen to the motor. Make sure to check all four motors and if you suspect a 

problem do not fly the aircraft and contact Draganfly.

Prop and prop installation check

Inspect the props for nicks, dents or cracks. If a prop is damaged either replace the prop 

or abort the flight. In regards to installation, the props are keyed so they can only be 

installed on the correct motor. Please, double check to make certain the props are 

mounted properly and firmly locked in place. At the same time inspect the prop latching 

mechanisms to make sure they are not worn or cracked. If you suspect a problem with 

the prop mounting system do not fly the aircraft.

Page 50
Landing gear

Make certain each landing gear strut is extended and locked firmly in place. Also take 

this time to look them over carefully for any cracks or possible damage from a hard 

landing.

Aircraft payload

If you are flying with a payload, make certain all four of the payload quick release is 

firmly secured. Check the camera cables to make certain they do not bind as the 

camera is rotated in the mount and most importantly, make certain the camera mounting 

screw is secure.

Antenna orientation

This is also covered in the handheld controller manuals but please note, the strongest 

signal is achieved when the antenna is perpendicular to the aircraft. The weakest signal 

is off the “tip” of the antenna. Many people position the controller antennas sideways or 

on the GCS, pointing straight back off the controller.

Control system check

Check to confirm the handheld controller is communicating with the aircraft and execute 

a few quick tests before getting the helicopter in the air. If you are not familiar with using 

either the standard Handheld Controller (HHC) or the handheld Ground Control System 

(GCS) refer to their specific manuals for in-depth details about their operation and 

control over the aircraft.

Page 51

Special notice:

Avoid pointing the handheld controller antennas directly at the aircraft. The 

signal will be degraded if the “tips” of the antennas are pointed at the aircraft. In 

the event of a datalink error, quickly move the orientation of the controller.
Variable aircraft and GCS settings:

And what we’re referring to is aircraft settings that are most often used such as 

Navigation LED brightness, Altitude limit, GCS display brightness, GCS volume and your 

camera gimbal tilt angles. You want to double check these settings to make sure they 

are to your personal or mission specific preferences before getting in the air.

For example if you’re conducting flight training indoors, setting the altitude limit for the 

room will help prevent you from going into the ceiling, or flying for example a mission 

under a bridge or overhanging structure. Setting the limit with some buffer is a good idea 

to help prevent an accident. 

The list below details a control system check using the handheld GCS:

• Power-on the GCS and power on the helicopter.

• The GCS will boot-up and the helicopter navigation lights will begin blinking 

• Establish the wireless connection between the GCS and the aircraft.

• When connected, you will see aircraft telemetry displayed on the GCS.

• Because the motors are NOT ARMED, you can raise the throttle to test the GCS 

and helicopter data link.

• As the throttle is increased, the rear, white navigation lights will blink faster.

• If the payload is attached to the aircraft you can also tilt the camera and if the 

camera is powered on, take a photo using the shutter button on the handheld 

GCS.

• Take this time to also test the live streaming video link. With the camera powered 

on and the video network established, select the blue “play” arrow displayed on 

the video screen to enable streaming video.

Documentation and observers:

Log book entries

There’s an old saying that your work isn’t done until the paperwork is completed. Very 

few people enjoy paperwork but when it comes to operating an aircraft it’s an important 

and valuable part of the job.

Page 52
Included with your system is a Draganfly Systems Log Book and we highly recommend 

that you get into the habit of using it. The log book will detail flight times, any problems 

encountered, what batteries were flown and most importantly it’s a good place to 

“match-up” comments about a flight with the flight data log recorded on the GCS or 

handheld controller. In the long run you will find the comments, history and information 

recoded in the log book to be of great value. Please use the log book.

Spotter or observer

In some countries it’s a requirement to have a trained spotter or observer working sideby-side with the pilot in command. Check with your local air space regulatory agency to 

understand the operating requirements in your country.

And whether it’s a requirement or not, it’s often a good idea to have a spotter or 

observer. The Draganfly aircraft camera controls can be wirelessly paired to an observer 

handheld controller, and working together, the pilot and observer fly the mission much 

the same as what’s done in full size aircraft. 

Page 53
Flight drills

After your flight training it’s important to keep flying and hone your flying skills. We have 

seen instances where people have come back for the training of two, three or four pilots 

but they only have one helicopter system. Over time it works out that one or two people 

are the primary pilots and the others are not able to fly often. Because they are not flying 

on a regular basis they quickly loose their skills and confidence.

If you can’t afford multiple Draganfly systems another approach is to compliment the 

helicopter system with an inexpensive aircraft like the “Lil’ Draganflyer” that is provided 

along with your purchase. The Lil’ Draganflyer is not as sophisticated but it serves as a 

good training platform to maintain your basic flight skills.

Understand that just “flying 

around” isn’t practice. To really 

practice your skills you need 

to have clear goals and fly 

structured flight drills. 

You were exposed to flight 

drills during your Draganfly 

training and we encourage you 

to continue running drills with 

the same course using small 

soccer or traffic cones flying 

either your Draganflyer 

Commander system or the Lil’ 

Draganflyer pictured here.

The following provides some suggested ideas for various flight drills and feel free to get 

creative and create some of your own. The important thing is to have clear goals and fly 

over a course of specific objects to provide some form of measure to determine how 

well you are doing. For example flying with the helicopter “nose-in” in a stationary hover 

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over a cone for one minute, rotate 90 degrees over the same cone and hold for one 

minute. With clear goals you will get results.

Training course:

A typical exercise course is created using 9 small 

traffic or soccer cones. The spacing between the 

cones varies on the size helicopter you are flying and 

the amount of space that you have available. With 

Draganfly training we will often use the training 

course for indoor flight instruction but the same 

exercises can be run outdoors on a much larger 

scale.

You can master the flight drills indoors and simply 

moving outdoors, creates an interesting challenge by 

simply having to deal with wind and the environment.

Flight exercise #1 - practice hover:

In this exercise you will simply takeoff, hover briefly and move out over a practice cone 

in a stationary hover.

• Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone

• Hold hover position for one minute

• Remain over the center cone and yaw the helicopter 90 degrees

• Hold hover position for one minute

• Repeat this sequence for a complete 360 rotation over the center cone

• Return and land

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Typical training course layout using 9 cones
Flight exercise #2 - practice roll:

During your Draganfly flight training you might recall the term “safety position”. The 

navigation LEDs on the Draganfly helicopters are very bright and at the rear of the 

aircraft you see two bright white LEDs. When both of these LEDs are pointed in your 

direction we call this the safety position because the helicopter heading is pointed in the 

same direction you are. This makes it easier to fly the aircraft because if you roll right, 

the aircraft moves right. You move pitch forward and the helicopter goes that direction.

The LED navigation lights on the Lil’ Draganflyer have been setup to match the Draganfly 

helicopter systems and whenever in doubt, always yaw the helicopter to the safety 

position and recovering from a disorientation problem will be much easier.

In this exercise you will fly in the safety position, meaning the rear of the aircraft will be 

pointed at you at all times.

• Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter sideways over the right middle cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter left back over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter left over the left middle cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter right to get back over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Return and land

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Flight exercise #3 - practice pitch:

This exercise is very similar to what we just did in exercise number two except we’re 

primarily using pitch to change our position moving forward and backwards over the 

course.

• Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter forward over the far middle cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter left back over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter back over the rear middle cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter forward to get back over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Return and land

Flight exercise #3 - practice pitch & roll:

It’s now time to combine the two movements of pitch and roll to move around the 

training course. Do your best to maintain a constant altitude, take it slow and hold your 

hover position over the cones always flying in the safety position at all times.

You can fly several different patterns in different directions so have fun with this but 

again, always hold your hover over each target cone. If you just go sailing past a cone 

you’re flying the helicopter but you’re not developing the skills required to control the 

helicopter. There is a big difference between just flying and really being in control.

• Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter forward over the far middle cone

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• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter left over the far left corner cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter back over the rear left corner cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter right to the rear far right cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter forward to the front far right cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter left over the far center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Slide the helicopter back over the center cone

• Hold hover position for thirty seconds

• Return and land

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Flight exercise #4 - practice combined pitch & roll:

It’s now time to keep the helicopter in a safety position but slide the helicopter on the 

diagonal from corner to corner. To accomplish this you will need to move the helicopter 

in both pitch and roll to create the diagonal movement. When you get to a corner, hold in 

a hover for 30 seconds and slide sideways to the next corner, then back on the diagonal.

Flight exercise #5 - 90 degrees out:

The exercises get a little more difficult as we move away from the safety position. The 

secret to maintain your orientation is to mentally place yourself inside the helicopter. If 

you can mentally see your surroundings from the perspective of the aircraft, you will 

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always know whether you need to pull roll or pitch one direction or the other, to maintain 

proper control.

Earlier in the manual we also discussed the concept of “staying ahead” of the aircraft. 

Remember you’re the one that’s in control. Much like an F1 driver, at the speeds they’re 

traveling the racers adjust their entry speed and start to turn, before they get to a corner. 

And as the pilot in command as best as you can, you need to mentally stay ahead of the 

aircraft.

For this exercise you will: 

• fly out to the center cone and hover for 30 seconds

• yaw the helicopter 90 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone

• yaw back to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds

• yaw 90 degrees counter clockwise and hover 30 seconds staying over the cone

• yaw back to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds

• return and land

Don’t make things anymore difficult than they are already. When you’re 90 degrees out 

either clockwise or counter clockwise and you want to get back to your safety position, 

always take the shortest path around. For example if the nose is 90 degrees clockwise 

pointing to the right, when you yaw back to your safety position, yaw counter clockwise. 

Why? Because if you were to continue yawing clockwise the helicopter requires another 

270 degrees of rotation to regain your safety position. Remember to mentally stay ahead 

of the aircraft to anticipate your control inputs.

Flight exercise #6 - nose in:

Practice your 90 degree out flying quite a bit before you launch into nose-in flying. With 

the 90 degree out orientation have some fun and fly different patterns around the 

training course. And you might think it sounds silly but this can be mentally tiring so take 

a few breaks between these practice drills.

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With nose-in flying you’ll hear some people say “all the controls are backwards” but 

honestly don’t fall into that trap. If you think this way, you will struggle with nose-in flight 

for the rest of your life. It’s a mental leap to get yourself into the cockpit of that aircraft 

but you can do it. When you’re out flying the helicopter in flight drills or a specific 

mission, imagine your surroundings from the viewpoint of the helicopter. If you can do 

this - flying nose-in is easy.

Take your time and work your way into it:

• fly out to the center cone and hover for 30 seconds

• yaw the helicopter 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone

• yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone

• yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone

• yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and at this point the helicopter is nose-in, 

pointing straight at you. Hover over the center cone for 30 seconds

• yaw 180 degrees clockwise to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds

• return and land

Flight exercise #7 - combined skills:

By now you are very comfortable flying the aircraft in several different orientations so at 

this point try different exercises flying around the training course, taking time to stop, 

think, and hover over target cones.

And there is no such thing as style points, so if you’re more comfortable turning your 

body or the controller to help with your control/orientation of the aircraft go ahead and 

do what works for you.

Enjoy your flying!

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Helicopter flight

Leading up to this section we’ve talked about wind, temperature, basic pre-flight checks 

and training exercises. And as we’ve said before, the great thing about a helicopter is 

that we don’t need to be going 56kph (35mph) to takeoff like an airplane; the helicopter 

can be flown a quarter-of-an-inch at a time, meaning you can take things at your own 

pace.

Before you take the helicopter up high or far away, you need to be in control at closer 

distances and lower altitudes so please take it low, and slow, to get started. The 

illustration above is no joke, in operation at altitude, the helicopter gets very small very 

quickly.

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In this section we’ll cover flying the aircraft but keep in mind we won’t be covering the 

detailed interaction with the handheld controllers. We assume that you have already 

looked over the start-up guide or handheld controller manuals and are familiar with 

connecting to the aircraft, arming the motors, engaging motors, engaging a GPS hold, 

and all the steps required to disarm, and disengage motors.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about - stop now, and read over the GCS and 

handheld controller manuals.

Getting ready:

For your first flight it’s a good idea to get out by yourself on a nice calm day. We’ve had 

many people contact us after either crashing or loosing their aircraft because they went 

out with a friend, or group of friends, and instead of listening to common sense they 

were listening to their friends say ... how high will it go, how fast will it go, and under 

peer pressure have done something they were not ready for. On the other hand, if you 

have a friend that gets you to slow down, to think things through, and error on the 

cautious side, they would be good to have by your side.

Safety

We talk about safety a lot because in the end, safety, and the safe operation of the 

aircraft is your responsibility. When the props are spinning and when the helicopter is in 

the air it can potentially hurt someone if it is flown into them or drops on them. Just like 

a real helicopter pilot that’s scanning for places to set-down the helicopter in the event 

of an emergency, you need to be thinking about the people and property around and 

below the aircraft.

If you don’t wear glasses, you and anyone near you should be wearing safety glasses. 

We provided you with one pair and if you need more, you can contact us or even better, 

purchase a couple pair locally to have on hand. Your eyes are a precious thing not easily 

repaired, so take all the steps required to protect them.

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For your first flights if you’re flying indoors make sure you have looked around the 

immediate area and along the ceiling, or roof area, to make sure there are no dangling 

strings, ropes or wires. Quite often people will hang a sign or something but when it 

comes time to take things down, the sign is gone but the cables or wires are still left 

hanging there.

If you’re flying outdoors be aware of the wind and other people in the immediate area. 

Ideally you want the sun to your back, light or calm wind conditions and no people 

around.

Pre-flight

Go through the list of pre-flight items we discussed earlier and double check to make 

sure everything is in good working order. Run through the pre-flight to inspect:

• Boom check

• Canopy check

• Motor check

• Prop check

• Landing gear check

• Payload check

• Handheld controller battery

• Handheld controller antenna orientation

• Variable aircraft and GCS parameters check

• Control system check

• Fully charged helicopter flight batteries

Look over the area

Whether you’re indoors or outside look around the immediate area and think of places to 

easily set the aircraft down if needed. Also position any people or helpers behind you 

and instruct them to stay in one area.

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If you’re flying in a public area be aware that people will be curious and often in flight 

you’ll be happily hovering the helicopter and all of a sudden someone will speak-up and 

ask you a question. You didn’t even notice them approach you so it can be startling to 

find you have one or two people with you. Often people have several questions so it 

might just be better to bring the aircraft back, land, power down, answer their questions 

and before you know it they are gone. If you think it’s dangerous to drive a car while 

talking on the phone it’s even more dangerous to be distracted while flying.

Power on systems

Okay, time to power-up the helicopter and either the GCS or standard handheld 

controller.

• Power-on the GCS or standard handheld controller

• Power-on the helicopter

• Position helicopter pointing into the wind if any

• Establish wireless connection between controller and helicopter

• Double check telemetry, battery health, signal strength, and GPS satellites

It’s time to takeoff

Assuming everything looks good it’s time to takeoff. Step back away from the aircraft at 

least 3 to 5 meters (10 -15 feet) and if anyone is with you, make sure they have eye 

protection and are standing back behind you.

• Wait for a GPS position lock and switch to GPS position hold mode

• Clearly announce that you are taking off

• Arm the motors

• Engage motors and ensure all props are spinning

• Scan the immediate area and double check your airspace to be clear

• To takeoff. In one motion, raise the throttle and lower to center.

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When you execute an automatic takeoff the prop speed will increase and the helicopter 

will come up off the ground and settle at an altitude of about 3 meters or 10 feet. In this 

manual we have talked about “staying ahead” of the aircraft so keep in mind that 

although the helicopter is in a GPS position hold you should be ready if needed to 

control pitch, roll and yaw to maintain a stationary hover or switch to altitude hold mode 

if there is an unexpected problem.

During takeoff the throttle control is basically locked out until the aircraft reaches the 

target altitude. When the aircraft settles into a nice hover, let it sit there briefly to evaluate 

system power and calculate estimated flight and mission time.

Get some altitude

Assuming an auto-takeoff, the helicopter is in GPS position hold and will remain in 

position. After you’re comfortable the system has calculated the estimated flight time, 

conduct a secondary preflight to make sure all the controls are functioning properly.

Satisfied the aircraft is good to go, increase altitude and execute your flight flying in 

either GPS position hold mode, or in Altitude hold mode.

Landing and disconnect

For this first flight let’s bring the aircraft down for a manual landing. Keep the helicopter 

in a stationary hover and slowly decrease altitude. As the skids near the ground the 

helicopter will hit what’s called ground effect, being buffered by the prop downwash and 

creating a cushion of air. At times it feels like you have to push the aircraft down to the 

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Special notice:

During an automated takeoff the helicopter is in GPS position hold and should 

remain stationary. If at anytime something doesn’t look or feel right, be 

prepared to take manual control by switching over to Altitude Hold Mode.
ground so as you get close to the ground keep descending and when the struts touch, 

pull the throttle all the way back, wait a second or two, and disengage motors.

• Decrease altitude

• When helicopter is down, pull throttle all the way straight back and hold

• Disengage motors

• Motors will automatically disarm

• Disconnect from aircraft

• Power down systems

Let’s do some real flying:

In the beginning you need to run through flight drills with your helicopter and get really 

good at taking off and landing. If you can’t takeoff and land or you’re really nervous 

about it, you need to be comfortable doing this before you consider flying around higher 

or further away. So for now, let’s assume you can easily fly all the flight drills and 

without even breaking a sweat, takeoff and land in varying environmental conditions.

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Special notice:

When you land the aircraft and pull the throttle all the way back it’s very 

important to pull straight back. If not you’ll introduce a yaw command and the 

helicopter will attempt spinning around on the ground. 

Also keep in mind the throttle needs to be pulled straight back and held for at 

least one second before you attempt to disengage motors. See your handheld 

controller manual for more details.
In this scenario we’ll fly up and away to shoot photos of the estate illustrated below. At 

the same time, we’ll pass along some tips, and tricks, in an attempt to circumvent 

problems some people have experienced. Notice the helicopter is quite a bit closer than 

the graphic at the beginning of this section. Until you build more confidence please keep 

the aircraft within 60 to 80 meters (197-263 feet) of your position and whenever possible, 

operate into the wind.

Pre-planning:

Before you just takeoff and go, set aside a few minutes to look at the area, get a feel for 

the weather, wind, and mentally rehearse the shots that you want to capture. In this 

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scenario we are operating in a light breeze blowing from the direction of the estate and 

the sun is low in the horizon to our back.

Power-up and go:

After a complete pre-flight and payload check, also check the airspace for any aircraft or 

low flying birds. Most birds will fly around the aircraft but the larger birds like geese are 

more unpredictable so just keep an eye open for them. Okay, let’s power-up and takeoff:

• Power-on the GCS or standard handheld controller

• Power-on the helicopter

• Power-on the camera

• Position helicopter pointing into the wind

• Establish wireless connection between controller and helicopter

• Double check telemetry, battery health, signal strength and GPS satellites

• Enable streaming video to the handheld GCS

• Wait for a GPS position lock and place system into GPS position hold mode

• Clearly announce that you are taking off

• Arm the motors

• Engage motors and ensure all props are spinning

• Scan the immediate area and double check the airspace to be clear

• To takeoff. In one motion, raise the throttle and lower to center

• Let system hover and execute a secondary pre-flight control check

• Increase throttle and pitch forward in a steady climb at moderate speed

As you Increase throttle and pitch forward in a steady climb, the helicopter will be flying 

away from you at a moderate speed. To fly faster, switch to altitude hold mode. For this 

flight stop climbing at an altitude of 30 meters (98 feet) and keep the helicopter no more 

than 60 to 80 meters (197-263 feet) away. 

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As you near your target destination slow the aircraft and double check your helicopter 

GPS position accuracy. If everything looks good, bring the aircraft to a stationary hover 

at 30 meters (98 feet) altitude and switch back over to a GPS position hold.

At this point the autopilot onboard the aircraft is holding position and altitude for you at 

the given location. Be aware that although the autopilot is doing most of the work for 

you, your job is to make sure everything is going okay and be prepared to fly the aircraft 

at a moments notice. Often “listening” to 

the aircraft is as important as watching it 

and why? Because you will hear when the 

aircraft is fighting the wind or having a 

good/bad time up there so keep your ears 

open.

Toggle your GCS screen to full screen 

video and adjust the helicopter yaw 

position as well as the camera tilt position 

to frame the shots you want to capture. 

After taking a few photos you can either 

move the helicopter while it’s in GPS 

position hold, or release the GPS hold and 

fly to the next location; hover, and switch 

back over to GPS position hold.

So what’s the difference? Flying in a GPS position hold is slow because you’re basically 

overriding the GPS hold information. As a result, the helicopter moves at a much slower 

speed but for minor adjustments in position this works very well. As a rule of thumb if 

you plan to move a large distance, disengage the GPS hold and manually fly to the next 

location. For minor adjustments and position changes, stay locked in GPS hold mode 

and move the aircraft to the new location.

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Remember that when you turn off the GPS position hold, you’re flying the aircraft again 

so as we have said over and over, you want to “stay ahead” of the aircraft whenever 

possible. 

In this scenario we’re hovering in a wind so the instant the GPS hold is turned off the 

helicopter will start blowing back towards our location. If you want the helicopter to 

come back your way that’s fine but, if you want to move in any other direction; to help 

get ahead of this, start by moving pitch forward so the helicopter begins penetrating the 

wind, then turn off the GPS position hold and fly to your new location.

At the new location, slow to a steady hover and turn-on GPS position hold to frame and 

get more photos.

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When you get your first battery low alarm, it’s time to start bringing the helicopter back. 

In this scenario the helicopter is up-wind from your location. Yaw the helicopter to the 

safety position and when the GPS position hold is turned off, the wind will blow the 

helicopter back towards you.

When descending it’s always best to “fly” the helicopter back down to the ground and 

what we mean is, let the helicopter keep moving as you descend so the helicopter is 

coming down through clean air. 

If you’re ever in a situation where you must descend vertically, you’ll notice the 

helicopter will be fighting very turbulent conditions on the way down. This happens 

because the aircraft is coming down through it’s own turbulence. To avoid this, bring the 

helicopter down at an angle, almost like the glide angle of an airplane.

In this scenario, announce to those around you that you’re landing the aircraft. Turn off 

the GPS position hold and the wind will start blowing the helicopter back towards you. If 

it’s going too slow, add some backwards pitch to adjust speed while at the same time 

reduce throttle and start descending. Try adjusting the speed and descent rate so the 

helicopter ends up at a low but comfortable altitude near your takeoff position. As the 

aircraft nears this spot, hover the helicopter in this position and prepare to land.

Keep the aircraft in a steady hover, descend and make your landing by:

• Decrease altitude and keep aircraft stationary

• When helicopter is down, pull throttle all the way straight back

• Disengage motors

• Motors will automatically disarm

• Disconnect from aircraft

• Power down camera

• Power down systems

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Automated landings:

In the manual so far we have discussed landing manually because it’s an important skill 

to develop. There are situations however when you might like some help, so the system 

has the ability to automatically “return home & land” or you can fly the aircraft back 

manually and execute an “automated landing”. At the time of this writing, return to home 

and auto-landing are not supported on the GCS.

Return Home:

It’s a good habit to always wait for a GPS position lock before taking off and it’s 

essential to implement an automated Return to Home (RTH). Without a GPS position 

lock before takeoff the aircraft has no idea where to go - so always make sure you have 

a good GPS position lock before takeoff.

To implement an RTH on the standard handheld controller navigate to the GPS screen 

and select Return. If too low, the aircraft will immediately climb to the desired RTH 

altitude and at speed, fly home. The aircraft will stop over the takeoff point, descend to 

about 4 meters, and hover/wait for you to select “Land Now” or manually take over 

control and land. During an auto-landing you can adjust or nudge the aircraft position by 

controlling pitch, roll, and yaw.

Auto-landing:

The process is the same except you manually fly the aircraft back to an area where you 

want to land. Place the aircraft in a GPS position hold, make sure the area below is flat 

and clear of obstacles and from the GPS screen select “Land Now”. As the aircraft 

descends straight down, if needed, you can adjust the aircraft position using pitch, roll, 

and yaw. When the aircraft lands it will disengage the motors, disarm the system, and 

you’re ready to power-off.

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Special notice:

If at anytime you want to manually take over control you can ... simply place the 

aircraft in Altitude Hold mode, and you have full manual control.
Aggressive flying skills:

After weeks and months of developing your flying skills, confidence builds and control 

inputs become reflex actions versus something you need to process and execute. 

Instinctive reflex reactions help you “stay ahead” of the aircraft and when this happens, 

you’re ready to tackle more aggressive flying skills.

The vast majority of the work you do with the aircraft will be the typical flight earlier 

described where you fly out, hover, shoot photos or gather data, and return. Simple up, 

out, hover and back work, but when the time comes to get up quickly, reposition quickly 

or shoot more interesting and creative video, the Draganflyer system is up to the task.

Drag racing:

Not only is this fun, but it’s a great flight training exercise to become familiar with flying 

your helicopter at higher speeds, high speed banking, and slowing to a stop.

Take the helicopter to an open area so there is no concern about running into a tree, 

light pole or other obstacle. And as always you don’t want this to be a crowded area. If 

at all possible you want to be free of people, trees, poles or anything that will get in the 

way.

As we’ve mentioned altitude will vary with changes in air pressure so understand that 

you will need to “stay ahead” of the aircraft and control throttle throughout this 

maneuver. 

Special notice:

Autopilot altitude is determined by barometric pressure. In strong winds or at 

high speeds the air pressure inside the bodywork will change causing 

momentary variations in altitude.

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For this first pass bring the aircraft up to about 10 or 15 meters (32-50 feet) and fly off to 

the right about 20 meters (66 feet) (lets call this an easterly direction) at normal speed. 

Hover the aircraft and yaw so the helicopter is pointed west. Lets ease into this by 

making a few runs at medium speed before a high speed pass so to get going, ease 

pitch forward and fly straight west past your position. After traveling another 20 meters 

(66 feet) past your position maintain your speed and introduce both yaw and roll to bank 

and turn left. As needed correct altitude throughout the flight.

The coordinated turn will require the use of all four controls. Maintain pitch forward, roll 

left and yaw left to bank the aircraft left through a wide 180 degree turn. Use throttle to 

maintain altitude. 

As you fly back and around to your original start location, begin slowing the aircraft as 

you make your next left turn, slowing to a hover at your original start point. Repeat this 

pattern three or four times until you are very comfortable flying the circuit. During 

practice work on perfecting your coordinated turns.

With some practice now work on building speed. To get a quick start push pitch all the 

way forward and increase throttle at the same time to maintain altitude. As your speed 

builds bring throttle back to the center position and as you start your left hand turn, 

begin easing back on pitch, slowing the aircraft through the turn.

On the return leg of the circuit, travel at a moderate speed and when you enter the next 

left turn, slow the aircraft to a hover at your original start point.

Have fun with this and pay attention to maintaing altitude and speed. practice the 

coordinated turns and always keep in mind that a good way to slow down the aircraft is 

a nice coordinated turn.

Quick stops:

In flight training and during routine practice, quick stops are something full size 

helicopter pilots practice often. It’s a safety maneuver and at the same time whether 

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you’re flying a full size aircraft, RC helicopter or the Draganflyer, it’s a fun, coordinated 

skill to execute.

In a full size aircraft the pilot will pull pitch back and drop collective pitch at the same 

time to maintain altitude and stop the aircraft. As airspeed drops the aircraft looses 

transitional lift and the pilot must quickly pull collective to maintain altitude. The same is 

true with a traditional RC helicopter and with the Draganflyer, you have the benefit of the 

autopilot system helping you through the process.

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Using the same drag racing circuit we’ll execute the same basic pattern but instead of 

making a left hand turn, we’ll stop, hover, yaw 180, and come back the opposite 

direction at a high rate of speed. At the end of the run execute a quick stop, hover, yaw 

180 and race back the other way to repeat the exercise.

To get started it’s very much the same as what we described in the drag racing section 

but as you near the end, you will execute a quick stop by quickly pulling back on pitch.

This control input will suddenly, and abruptly, pitch the nose of the aircraft up and “stop” 

the aircraft. It’s just like slamming on the brakes but be prepared on the throttle to help 

the autopilot maintain altitude.

Like all the exercises we have described work your way up to this maneuver starting 

slow and building up your speed.

Rapid ascent and descent:

If you push throttle all the way up, you’re commanding the autopilot to increase altitude 

at the maximum programmed climb rate of 2 meters (6.5 feet)/second. And the same is 

true for the descent, pulled all the way back the helicopter will drop at about 2m/s 

(6.5 f/s).

Execute your preflight, auto takeoff and move the helicopter out about 6 meters (20 feet) 

in front of you. From a hover increase throttle all the way and the helicopter will climb 

quickly. At 30 meters (98 feet) slow the ascent and bring the throttle to the center 

position, hovering at that altitude.

It’s a matter of personal preference. If you descend vertically at a fast descent rate the 

helicopter will get caught up in it’s own turbulence so it’s preferred to fly forward in a 

turn to quickly descend and land the aircraft. So lets give it a try.

From your hovering position at 30 or 40 meters (98-140 feet) fly the aircraft forward at a 

good speed and execute a coordinated turn either clockwise or counter clockwise 

around your location and while maintaining your speed and the coordinated turn pull 

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throttle all the way back to the maximum descent rate. What you’re doing is “flying the 

aircraft down” through clean air making for an amazing and impressive descent.

As the aircraft gets lower start slowing the aircraft, reducing your descent rate by 

bringing throttle back up towards the center position until you are in a stable hover at 

chest height out in front of your starting position.

Professional approach & landing:

Earlier we had you flying the helicopter back from your photo taking position in the 

safety position, essentially flying backwards to your landing spot but with more practice 

and the skills just described you have the option to bring the aircraft back with style.

When it’s time to head back for a landing, point the helicopter nose in flying forward to 

your landing location. As the helicopter approaches a good way to slow and descend is 

a nice coordinated turn. As the aircraft approaches start reducing throttle, and in this 

example we’re flying counter clockwise around our position with a coordinated turn, 

constantly descending and slowing through the turn. Slow to a hover at chest height 

near your landing spot and land the aircraft.

Summary:

We covered a lot of material in this section from:

• power management - flight time and mission time

• environmental concerns like wind and temperature

• flight training exercises

• your first flight

• basic mission flights

• more aggressive flying and skill development

We hope you found this document useful, informative, and very possibly it has given you 

some ideas and insight to help get the most out of the complete helicopter system. The 

Draganflyer Commander system is a precision tool designed to provide you with a new 

aerial perspective and new creative edge to your work.

Page 78
Chapter 4

Page 79
Maintenance

The Draganflyer Commander features a direct drive system requiring minimal 

maintenance as compared to a tradition style helicopter with servo linkages, gears, drive 

shafts, clutch, rotor head, swash plate, tail rotor and pitch change mechanisms.

However, as the pilot in command, in addition to the health of your batteries, you are 

responsible for the mechanical integrity of the aircraft, so it’s a good idea to inspect the 

aircraft on a regular basis for any wear or damage. Should any component on the 

helicopter or support equipment show signs of fatigue or damage, immediately 

discontinue use until the component has been properly replaced.

To help ensure safe operation and keep your Draganflyer running at its best we 

recommend that you inspect or service the aircraft at the following intervals listed below. 

Every Flying Session:

• Inspect folding mechanisms and all joints for damage or wear

• Inspect LEDar sensor and clean if needed

• Inspect motors for rough motion

• Inspect all props and mounting clips for damage

• Inspect batteries for damage or puffing

• Inspect payload attach points and cable

• Check to ensure the hand held controller is recording a log file.

• Clean all components with a soft damp cloth or compressed air

Every 3 months:

• Check for software updates

• Check mounting bolts on rotor mounts to ensure they are tight

• Perform a motor test and inspect for rough sounding motors

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• Cycle flight batteries

• Inspect canopy mounting latch and slot for tears or cracks

Every Year or 300 flight hours:

Please contact Draganfly Innovations Customer Service Department for assistance with 

the following service requirements.

• Inspect and clean all electrical connections

• Inspect all crimps and solder connections on movable components

• Inspect all moveable components for wear

• Recalibration of magnetometer and main circuit board

• Inspect motor assemblies and replace all that are worn

• Inspect all fasteners, linkages and joints

• inspect all rubber mounting brackets

• Cycle and test flight batteries

• Cycle and test hand held controller battery

• Cycle and test base station battery

• Check for software updates

Every 600 flight hours:

Congratulations for hitting the 600 hour mark. Please contact Draganfly Innovations 

Customer Service Department for assistance to overhaul or replace all motor 

assemblies.

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Troubleshooting

Problem: The aircraft will not power-on... nothing happens.

Possible cause: 

• Make certain the helicopter battery is connected

• Check the battery charge by depressing the battery selftest button

• Possibly one of the motor fuses have blown

Solution: At the rear of the Commander helicopter, under the deck plate, you will see 

four fuses. Assuming your battery was connected and charged it’s time to check the 

fuses so to begin, first start by “disconnecting” the power cable to helicopter battery.

With the battery disconnected, remove and inspect each fuse. Often you can visually 

inspect a fuse but the better test, is to check them with a continuity tester, or ohm meter 

to make sure they are good.

If all the fuses test good and you still can not power on the helicopter after reinstalling 

the fuses and battery, contact Draganfly Innovations by phone or e-mail for more 

assistance.

Problem: In flight the helicopter requires excessive stick input to remain level and 

hover in one position.

Possible cause: 

• You’re manually trying to hover in a strong wind

• Pitch or Roll trim set to an excessive value

• Damaged rotors or motor

• Insecure circuit board or battery is hitting electronics assembly

Solution: There are some quick and simple things you can check to address this 

problem. If you’re flying in a strong wind, you’ll be more than aware of the conditions 

and if you have access to a large indoor area, or a place protected from the wind double 

check to see if you really have a problem.

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Another possibility is that you or someone has adjusted either the pitch or roll trim to an 

excessive position. To check this, reset and make sure your trim tabs are in the “zero” 

position. If you’re not familiar with what we’re describing here, look in your GCS manual 

to get more information on setting pitch and roll trim.

Assuming this is not a wind or trim problem, also inspect your motors and props for any 

damage. The props are visually inspected as well as running your hands over the leading 

edge of the props trying to feel for any damage.

To test the motors, use your finger and simply give the prop/motor a good spin. The 

motors should all spin and sound about the same. If you see or detect a problem 

contact Draganfly to get more information.

If none of these ideas have solved your problem another possibility is that your flight 

battery is touching or pushing on the electronics directly in front of it. When you install 

the battery, you need to take care and leave a small gap or space, between the battery 

and electronics.

Also inspect the electronics mounting to make sure the circuit board assembly has not 

come loose, or that one of the vibration isolators haven’t broken.

If none of these suggestions have helped, contact Draganfly Innovations by phone or email for more assistance.

Problem: From the time it takes off to the time I get it back on the ground the 

helicopter is spinning in circles.

Possible cause: 

• Yaw trim adjusted to an extreme limit

• Aircraft calibration error

Solution: If the problem is the same using either the GCS or the Standard Handheld 

Controller (HHC) there is a serious calibration problem with the aircraft and you’ll need to 

contact Draganfly.

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The GCS doesn’t have a yaw trim adjustment so if the helicopter flies fine with the GCS 

and not the HHC, you need to check the HHC yaw trim value. If you’re not familiar with 

adjusting the trim values, reference the HHC user manual and set it to zero.

Problem: I wait and wait, but I’m not getting a GPS position lock.

Possible cause: 

• Poor satellite conditions

• You are indoors

• You are possibly surrounded by large buildings or trees

Solution: Even out in wide open spaces on a nice sunny warm day, there will be 

instances when it takes several minutes to get a solid GPS position lock. The great thing 

about the Draganfly system is that the helicopter can be easily flown manually under 

GPS denied conditions. That’s great but you want to use the GPS...

The GPS receiver needs to “see the sky” and as a result, you typically will not receive a 

GPS position lock if you are indoors, under a canopy of trees, in a forested area or a 

dense urban area with tall skyscrapers.

If you are in what we would consider “ideal” conditions and if after 5 - 7 minutes you’re 

not getting satellites there is more than likely a problem with the GPS receiver. Contact 

Draganfly to get more information.

Problem: When I snap one of the booms in place it just doesn’t feel right and seems 

loose.

Possible cause: 

• Worn boom latch clip

• Damaged airframe

Solution: DO NOT fly the aircraft until this problem is resolved; closely inspect the 

boom latch for cracks or damage. If that’s the only boom affected and the others are 

solid, more than likely the latch clip of the suspect boom is at fault or the boom hinge 

Page 84
assembly is broken. Contact Draganfly to discuss this further and have the aircraft 

serviced. 

Do not fly until this problem is resolved.

Problem: It feels like a motor is loose.

Possible cause: 

• Motor mount screws missing

• Internal motor mounting has come loose

• Broken motor mount

• Damaged airframe

Solution: DO NOT fly the aircraft until this problem is resolved. The motors are held in 

place with five small set screws around the top lip of a motor pod. The motor pods are 

molded as one piece making up a helicopter boom.

Take a look and make sure all five screws are in place and also inspect to make sure the 

motor pod is not cracked around the screw holes.

If the motor is physically coming out of the motor pod this is a serious problem but if you 

can grab a prop and push the motor around a little - some movement is normal because 

internally the motors are mounted on rubber bushings. Test all motors and if they all feel 

the same you more than likely don’t have a problem.

If there is any doubt, contact Draganfly to get more information.

Problem: I’m in a GPS position hold but the helicopter is wandering all over the 

place.

Possible cause: 

• Poor GPS position lock

• Heavy, gusty, wind conditions

Page 85
Solution: In windy conditions it is normal to have the helicopter move around a little 

and it will also vary in altitude. When you are in a position hold take note of the GPS 

accuracy number on the GCS and write it down. If you’re seeing numbers like 1.6 or 2 

the helicopter will be moving anywhere in the range of 2 meters (6.5 feet) either direction. 

If you’re seeing numbers like .6 this is a much tighter GPS position lock and the aircraft 

should stay in position within a meter either direction.

Understand that in windy conditions the helicopter will be moving around within limits 

determined by the GPS position accuracy.

If your GPS numbers look good and you’re still having problems, contact Draganfly for 

more information.

Contacting Draganfly Service:

When you contact Draganfly Innovations for service before making the phone call or 

sending the e-mail, it’s best to gather up and write down some information. Please be 

prepared to tell the support specialist your:

• Account ID number

• Company or customer name

• Helicopter firmware revision level

• GCS firmware and DraganView software revision level

• Standard handheld controller firmware revision level

Page 86
Draganflyer Airframe Data Sheet

Model Name Draganflyer Commander airframe

Applicable Model 

Revision Number(s) Draganflyer Commander all build revisions

Permissible Payloads ASMI-2B, QX100I-1D, DF-ADC-1B, DF-ADC-1C, TAUx-1D 

(all supported cameras on the above payloads are permissible.)

Permissible control 

stations

HHCx-1C and newer

GCSx-1A and newer

Page 87 Units in inches
Operational Characteristics and Limitations:

Maximum expected/

achievable during operation Sustained before failure Safety factor

Maximum Takeoff Weight 3.57kg (125.9oz) do not exceed 3.57kg (125.9oz)

Maximum payload weight 1.0 kg (35.2oz) do not exceed 1.0 kg (35.2oz)

Empty Weight 2.57 kg (90.7oz) N/A

Climb rate 393.7 ft/min (2m/s) N/A

Descend rate 393.7 ft/min (2m/s) N/A

Maximum operating speed 26.9 knots (50km/hr) Not achievable

Maneuvering speed 26.9 knots (50km/hr) Not achievable

Stall speed N/A N/A

Glide speed N/A N/A

Autorotation speed N/A N/A

Maximum endurance 55 minutes N/A

Maximum operating range Direct visual line of sight Do not exceed rated limit

Maximum controller signal 

range 1 km (0.62miles) Do not exceed rated limit

Maximum Attitude angle 34 degrees Not achievable

Max turn rate (yaw) 90 degrees/sec Not achievable

Page 88
Sound at 1 meter / 3meters 79db / 71db N/A

Width 87cm (34.4”) N/A

Length 87cm (34.4”) N/A

Height 30.7cm (12.1”) N/A

Top diameter 106cm (42.0”) N/A

Service Ceiling 2438m (8000ft) ASL N/A

Maximum operating altitude 242m (794ft) AGL N/A

G Limit 1.89G 6.48G 3.4

Yaw Torque limit 0.25N.m (Newton Meters) 2.1N.m (Newton Meters) 8.4

Max Rotor RPM 5000 RPM >12000 RPM >2.4

Disc Loading 3.38 kg 23.2kg 6.8

Airframe Loading

(distributed on two props) 6.75 kg 23.2 kg 3.4

Power consumption

Sustained for normal 

operating conditions: 390W

Peak during maximum 

expected operating 

conditions:

690W

>880W

Operating Temperature -25C to +38C (-13F to 

100.4F) Do not exceed rated limits

Max Wind speed up to 35km/hr (21mph) Do not exceed rated limits

Relative humidity 0% to 90% non-condensing Do not exceed rated limits

Page 89
Icing

Flight prohibited with any 

known atmospheric icing 

conditions

Do not exceed rated limits.

UAV Description

Multi rotor VTOL, fixed pitch, rotary wing

Composition

• Carbon fiber

• Glass filled injection molded nylon

• FDM ABS plastic

• SLS nylon plastic

• Aluminum

• Aluminum and stainless steel fasteners

• PETG 

Propulsion system

Four non serialized brushless electric motors 

Manufacturer: Draganfly Innovations Inc.

Model: X4P-MOTOR-1C

Revision: HC4212-480-C

Fuel/Energy System

Dual 4 cell 14.8 Volt 6750mAh lithium polymer battery with integrated protection and 

logging circuit.

Method of Take-off/Launch

VTOL, no external equipment required. Altitude control assisted by barometric pressure 

and Leddar range finder.

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Method of Landing/Recovery

VTOL, no external equipment required. Altitude control assisted by barometric pressure 

and Leddar range finder.

Navigation equipment/capability

Operation within direct visual line of sight, control and command inputs giving by Pilot in 

Command. Automated flight possible for limited range using Draganfly Surveyor 

software using GPS and IMU data, PIC remains in control loop.

Electronic Surveillance Equipment

UAV system has no electronic surveillance equipment.

Flight Sensors

• 3 axis accelerometer

• 3 gyro 

• 3 axis magnetometer

• GPS (position and altitude)

• Barometric pressure

• Leddar LED range sensor 

Redundant Systems

Redundant power system, failure of a single battery or battery connection will still have 

adequate power for normal operations

Page 91
Visual Detectability

• High visibility 40lm luminious flux navigation lights following standard marking 

colors.

• Optional high visibility paint scheme using day-glow and/or high contrast colors

Control Methods and Failsafe

During operation there is always pilot in the loop regardless of flight mode. Available 

flight modes are manual flight, GPS position hold and preprogrammed automatic flight 

using Surveyor mapping software. Failsafe is user adjustable before flight as either land 

immediately or return to base, this is triggered by a loss of control communication signal 

between the controller and UAV.

Flight Instrumentation

The following real time flight data is presented on a sunlight readable display on the 

ground station.

• UAV battery voltage

• Control station battery voltage

• Control communication signal strength

• GPS position and altitude

• GPS signal strength, accuracy and position errors

• Aircraft heading and bearing

• Aircraft altitude (AGL an ASL)

• Aircraft horizontal and vertical velocity

• Aircraft attitude

• Flight time

• Current time

• Aircraft internal system temperature

• Current throttle position 

• System alarms and messages

• Flight time and mission time remaining

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Systems diagnostic and monitoring information

System messages and alarms for changes in the operating status, system failures and 

flight conditions are presented to the operator by visual messages on a sunlight readable 

display screen and through audio alarms. Alarms and system messages include but are 

not limited to:

• Aircraft low battery voltage

• Controller low battery voltage

• Weak or degraded communication signal

• System failures and alarms

• Acquisition or loss of GPS lock

• Indicators for flight conditions and settings (motor engages, landing initiated, 

position hold engaged, etc.)

Environmental warnings

The UAV system does not have an integrated weather station or environmental detection 

equipment. Environmental and weather conditions are to be observed by the operator to 

ensure compliance with the following limitations and warnings.

• Maximum wind speed for operation is 35km/hr, do not operate in wind exceeding 

this

• Do not operate in conditions where precipitation is forecast or may be present.

• Do not operate in conditions where any known form of atmospheric icing is 

forecast or may be present

• Do not operate in environmental or weather conditions that may exceed the 

specified operating limitations.

• Do not operate within 100 meters of active power lines, electrical substations or 

similar structures.

• Do not operate in areas where HIRF may be present

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Control Station power source

For Hand Held Controller (all build revisions)

	 	

• 3 cell 11.1 Volt 1350mAh internal rechargeable lithium polymer battery.

For GCS controller (all build revisions)

• 4 cell 14.8 Volt 2700mAh internal rechargeable lithium polymer battery.

Equipment in control station

Control station has integrated sunlight readable display screen which is illuminated for 

night operations.

Command and Control links

North America:

Control comms

Operating frequency: 902 to 928 MHz

Transmit power: 250mW

RF Data rate: 200kb/s

Range: up to 2 km

Frequency hopping spread spectrum

International:

Control comms

Operating frequency: ISM 2.4GHz

Transmit power: 63mW

RF Data rate: 250kb/s

Range: up to 1 km

Direct sequence spread spectrum

Page 94
Both North American and International data packets sent to the aircraft are encrypted 

and the aircraft will only accept command signals issued from the MAC address of the 

control station. Neither system has redundancy on the communication signal.

Lost link indications

The control station displays a real time indicator the communication signal strength, if 

the communication signal becomes degraded or lost a visual and audible alarm will be 

presented on the control station.

Payload

Only the listed permissible payloads may be used on the UAV system. None of the 

permissible payloads are dangerous goods or include items such as explosive, lasers or 

pesticides. None of the permissible payloads have secondary purposes intended for 

navigation or flight decision making and control.

Page 95
Contact Information

Page 96

This product and manual are copyrighted by Draganfly Innovations Inc. with all rights 

reserved. No part of this product or start-up guide shall be reproduced in any form 

without the prior written consent or authorization of Draganfly Innovations Inc. No patent 

liability is assumed with respect to the use of the product or information contained herein.

Document Revision Level: v1.6

Draganfly Innovations Inc.

Sales information:

Phone: 1-800-979-9794

International: 1-306-955-9907

Online: www.draganfly.com

e-mail: sales@draganfly.com

https://www.draganfly.com

Product support:

Phone: 1-800-979-9794

International: 1-306-955-9907

e-mail: support@draganfly.com

Mailing address:

Draganfly Innovations Inc.

2108 St. George Avenue

Saskatoon, SK S7M0K7

Canada