Kestrel Aerial Video UAV Flight Operations Manual 

# Kestrel Aerial Video UAS Flight Operations Manual

Introduction This manual describes the operations of Kestrel Aerial Video. This includes the mission statement, general operations, roles and responsibilities, check-lists and specific flight operation procedures.
The intent is to document everything that is needed to be done before, during and after a mission.



## Mission Statement We conduct business with the ethic that people, animals, plants and the world itself are valued and respected. We provide timely, high quality, video and photos at an affordable rate using a mature, safe, reliable UAS platform. Safety comes first and all UAS operations are conducted using standardized processes and procedures that will help achieve a consistent, safe and robust operation that produces a first rate product. Our goal is to be easy to work with and a model for UAS operations in the region and to continue to develop a reputation for safety and professionalism. We aim to become an authority in UAS operations and aerial video production while being a trusted, contributing and respected member of the local business community. We value our business peers and developing and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship of trust, respect and friendship are core values which will direct us toward sustained profitability.



## Roles and Responsibilities Primary UAS Operator Tommy Garrison is the primary UAS operator. The UA operator is considered the Pilot In Command (PIC) during UAS operations. The PIC has the ultimate responsibility for safety of the aircraft and the safety of persons and property in and around the flight operations area during flights. The PIC is expected to place safety as the highest priority during flight, and will sacrifice the aircraft if the UA threatens or becomes an imminent danger to people or property. The PIC is expected to know and follow all applicable and pertinent rules and regulations that govern the operation of a UAS in the U.S. National Air Space (NAS) as overseen by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This includes the PIC personally holding all identification and certificates proving the PIC is qualified and authorized to operate an aircraft in the NAS, including but not limited to a US state issued motor vehicle operators license, an FAA issued pilot or operator license, an FAA issued Section 333 exemption, and any other license or permit required by NC or other state or federal entity.

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### Gimbal and Camera Operator Jonathan is the UA gimbal and camera operator. The camera operator is responsible for ensuring the payload is secure and will not pose any safety risk during flight operations. The camera-op is responsible for getting the shot. The camera-op will ensure the camera is ready for production by using the Camera-Op Checklist and verbally acknowledge completion to the PIC during pre-flight operations. The process includes ensuring that:

● Gimbal and camera are secure (Lock Screw in place and tight). ● Camera battery is fully charged. ● SD card with sufficient space free is in the camera. ● Camera mode is appropriate (Movie,Picture) ● Camera settings are appropriate ● Camera focus is appropriate (Auto, Manual) and checked (focus in FPV). ● Camera is recording or responds to Tx record toggle. ● Gimbal responds to Tx stick input. ● Aircraft is double checked for critical issues or items (pilot checklist) ● PIC is given a verbal OK that camera is secure and safe to fly. 

### Visual Observer (VO) The VO, also know as the safety observer, has the primary responsibility to full-fill the aviation rule to see and avoid other aircraft and obstacles in and to flight and to communicate instructions to the PIC such as to avoid incident or accident. To do this, the VO must maintain visual line of sight (VLOS) with the UA in the event the PIC is unable to do so. This can occur in two situations during normal operations. When obstacles in and around the flight path obstruct the direct visual line of sight of the PIC for more than a brief moment. Also when the PIC is more than occasionally or briefly focused on the OSD and FPV monitor and relying on only those forward facing views from the FPV and telemetry data to maintain orientation and control of the UA during the flight. Both of these two situations must be identified and accounted for during the on-site survey and flight planning stage. The point where the VO must be positioned, relative to the PIC, such that either the PIC or VO will have VLOS to the UA at all times during the flight, must be determined prior to lift-off. The VO and the PIC must be in clear, constant verbal communication at all times the VO is the primary VLOS reference to the aircraft. Radios may be used to augment verbal communication to ensure clear and constant communication.



## Emergency Procedures To facilitate rapid and efficient communication between VO and PIC the following table of voice communications, and the actions expected on the part of the PIC or VO is provided. In the table, an optional “Emergency!” can be prepended to the command if warranted or necessary to accentuate it. The background fill of the table cell provides the convention of whether the action or command is done or given by either the VO or the PIC as follows.

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VO action or command. PIC action or command. [ Emergency] stop! Sticks to neutral. UA immediately hovers. [ Emergency!] Fail-safe! Immediately toggle fail-safe.
Descend N meters! Right stick neutral, immediately descend N meters. Ascend [N meters]! Right stick neutral, immediately ascend [N meters.] Roll Right! Left stick neutral, immediately roll right.
Roll Left! Left stick neutral, immediately roll left. [Status] AOK -or- [warning or command] [VO] Status?

Below the common causes of an emergency situation are listed and discussed.


### Loss of RC control link There are several reasons and causes for the loss of RC control link or signal. The general action on the part of the PIC is to observe the aircraft and attempt to regain control if and once the RC control link is re-established. The aircraft will respond to loss of RC by commands programmed in the flight controller software. The aircraft will either hover in place or initiate a RTH if GPS lock is active. The PIC re-acquires control by switching to manual flight mode, providing a positive control input and then switching back to GPS mode. Otherwise the PIC is expected to manually fly and land the aircraft in the most expedient and safe manner possible.



### Loss of GPS Results in the flight controller going into manual mode. The PIC is expected to manually fly and land the aircraft as safely as possible. During the site survey and/or pre-flight checks the quality of the GPS signal should be monitored and assessed. Most of the advanced flight modes requires a GPS lock with six or more satellites to be established and maintained during flight. If the GPS signals are weak or blocked the flight plan must be a purely VLOS operation without and significant use of the FPV for aircraft orientation control. Manual flight mode is allowed if the PIC is confident that the flight path can be flown safely. 

### Loss of engine power The DJI S900 is a hexacopter. The A2 flight control is capable of maintaining attitude control in the case of a motor failing. It requires the PIC to place the aircraft in manual mode and carefully fly and land the aircraft.



## Advanced Flight Exercises These exercises, flight procedures and techniques are to be used to establish and maintain proficiency requirements. The PIC is expected to perform all exercises smoothly, safely without issue or incident. Successful execution of all exercises shall constitute and satisfy Kestrel Aerial Video PIC proficiency and competency training required before flying on a job.

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Note: These practice procedures and maneuvers should be conducted at a designated RC field or in a wide open field with no obstacles or people present other than operators and essential persons. Refer to the appropriate aircraft manual and the DJI A2 Flight Control System manual for details not included or explained below.

➢ Basic Flight and Tx/Controller Scenarios or Exercises

 Pre-flight and Basic Flight

 Aircraft configuration using PC software. The PIC is expected to be familiar with the software and knowledgeable about the appropriate options and values for all supported aircraft. Currently the aircraft are a DJI Phantom 2, a DJI S900, and a 3DR Iris+. The DJI Phantom and S900 aircraft software is called the DJI Assistant. The 3DR Iris+ is configured using open source software and Ipad/Android applications. The important aspect is the fail-safe behavior of the craft. When the Iris loses GPS signal in a flight mode that requires GPS (loiter, auto, return-to-launch, guided), it lands automatically,as indicated by a blinking blue-and-yellow status LED and a highhigh-high-low tone. If the drone loses contact with the RC transmitter, the LED will blink yellow and, if less than ten meters from home, land automatically, otherwise and if on a mission, it returns to the launch point before landing. Using the supported software, settings can be changed such that the Iris will go into manual mode instead of landing. Similarly, the DJI Assistant software can be used to hover rather than RTH if the transmitter signal is lost and also enter manual flight mode rather than land. The PIC will assess the flight plan and the surrounding environment to determine if clear VLOS conditions can be met and set the flight mode to hover and manual mode in the event of RC signal loss or GPS reception is poor or problematic. The PIC must be ready to fly the aircraft manually at any time during the flight. It is at the discretion of the PIC whether to abort the flight and land immediately or continue the flight plan. If there is significant time when VLOS cannot be maintained, the default of rising to a height that clears the tallest obstacle, and returning to home before landing is appropriate. The PIC will ensure there is sufficient battery reserve to allow the craft to execute this emergency procedure. For best GPS-signal strength, always fly outside in an open area.

 Pre-flight operations and checklist routine. Before beginning it is assumed there is a flight plan filed which will be executed upon take-off. All quad-locked components are checked to be secure. The aircraft is inspected for damage or other issue that might affect flight since the last take-off or storage assignment. All safety ties and storage components are removed from the aircraft. Motor arms are raised and locked into position. Rotors are spread evenly

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and attachment bolts or fasteners are checked for tightness. GPS stanchion is raised and locked into position. Battery is securely cinched onto the mounting sled with the quad-locked tabs aligned in the pre-balanced position and the battery/sled is inserted into the battery compartment and locked into place. Connect the red positive battery terminal and the corresponding red terminal on the aircraft. Using only opposing motor arms lift the aircraft from the ground, check the balance of the aircraft, and walk the craft to the take-off point. The tail of the aircraft should point to the PIC. PIC and Camera-Operator will check everything on their respective check-lists. If a VO will be necessary, the VO should observe and conduct a third-party verification of the pre-flight procedures as the VO will be the primary safety observer who maintains VLOS with the aircraft for a portion of the flight. Before first flight and after any significant repair or alteration, the following inspection checks are recommended by the manufacturer.

• All parts are in good condition, no aged or damaged components.

• ESC mounting and connections good, motor and propeller rotation direction verified.

• Mixer Type set in assistant software and Transmitter channel mapping and stick movement direction correct.

• IMU and GPS-COMPASS PRO mounted firmly and in correct direction.

• All CAN-bus and other connections are tight and secure

• Gimbal, controller, and connections are securely mounted to the airframe.

 Aircraft Power-up, Spin-Up and Kill motors. Power on all ground control (GC) transmitters and OSD monitors. Verify GC Transmitters are transmitting and connect the black neutral connectors of the battery and aircraft to power up the UA. Observe the UA LED-BT module for status codes being displayed. Consult the A2 Flight Control System manual for meaning of the different codes that are displayed. The important status lights are the four rapid green flashes signalling a successful GPS lock and home position location has been acquired from more than six satellites followed by single purple flashes indicating GPS mode with more than six satellites used. Transmitters should indicate zero trim settings for all controls, GPS mode, zero meters AGL, full battery charge and nominal values for the remaining telemetry data.

 All toggles forward and bring both sticks in and down to spin-up the motors, or to kill motors if spinning. Slowly bring right stick (roll) to neutral and left stick (throttle) to the minimum center position after spin-up to prepare for take-off.

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 Perform Take-offs and landings. Aim at smooth and firm acceleration up off the ground and through the ground effect layer to hover at the intelligent gear setting height required for the landing gear to be retracted. Landings should be smooth and controlled, close to the intended landing location, with a soft andlevel touchdown attitude. The motors should be immediately shutdown if the flight is being terminated upon landing. Power to the aircraft should be turned off and battery connection broken and RC transmitter turned off to prevent any unintended motor spin-up or take-off. Get used to announcing the spin-up and actual take-off,gear down and landing in a clear and loud voice. Use the loudspeaker/radio/public address system to become familiar with the process.

 Perform basic flight manoeuvres and patterns such as flying a triangle, box, cross X, figure 8, etc. keeping the craft oriented such as the tail of the craft points back at the operator. And perform the same flight patterns with different craft orientations (front of the craft oriented left, right, and rearward). Flight should be in a well controlled and smooth manner with large or abrupt inputs to the controls avoided unless an emergency occurs. Practice aborting a

maneuverand landing immediately.

 Hovering. After take-off with the gear down or up, establish a hovering attitude a safe distance from the PIC and others. Note the status LED and confirm signal lock on more than six (6) satellites and GPS mode is active by the regular blink of pink LED. Use the OSD monitor and note the number of GPS satellites detected. Gently rock the craft by rolling left and right to verify full control and release the sticks and let the flight controller maintain attitude and position. Observe the precision maintained by noting the horizontal and vertical drift distances. Flip the basic flight mode from GPS to ATT (Attitude), which removes the GPS positional lock from flight controller, and try to maintain position with the same precision as the A2 does in GPS mode. Finally, toggle to ATT/Manual mode, which puts the aircraft under direct, manual control of the operator. In this mode, both altitude lock and positional lock are disabled. Try to fly the aircraft and maintain position and altitude.

 Orient the UA to point to the home position using the Home position indicator in telemetry OSD interface. After take-off hove the aircraft at least ten (10) meters away from the home position. Slowly yaw the aircraft until the diamond symbol sweeps across the display. Using the yaw control, position the diamond in the center of the display and observe that the aircraft now has the nose of the aircraft pointing home. Pitch the aircraft forward and the aircraft will move toward the home position. This method can be used to orient the aircraft to a known position and can be used to bring the

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UA back to the home position in case the operator loses orientation of the aircraft.

 Home Lock operation is a procedure used to regain positive control of the UA when aircraft orientation becomes unknown or problematic. In Home Lock, set by toggling the HL switch out at least 10m from the home point. Yaw the UA so that it points in a direction other than directly away from you. Then, pitching the aircraft rearward will cause the aircraft to travel toward the home position regardless of the orientation of the aircraft. This method brings the aircraft back towards the home position faster than using the Home position indicator in the OSD. Rolling the aircraft left or right will cause the aircraft to circle the home point with a radius equal to the distance to the aircraft. Rolling left while pitching rearward will result in the aircraft spiralling toward the home point regardless of any yaw control input.

 Course Lock. Similar to setting Home Lock, once the UA is further than 10m from the home point, orient the craft and begin to fly on that heading. Toggle the switch to the CL position and note how pitching the craft forward or rearward causes the craft to fly on that heading or the reverse heading regardless of the orientation of the aircraft. This flight mode is a technique used to allow you to fly straight past a subject and keep the nose of the aircraft pointed directly at the subject at the same time using the yaw stick.

 Point-Of-Interest. Position the aircraft at least ten meters away and above a point of interest. Toggle the IOC switch from off to POI six times leaving the switch the POI position. Observe the LED-BT module flash blue rapidly 20 times signalling POI successfully set. Pitch the craft forward or back from the POI at least five meters to set the radius (up to 500 meters). Roll the craft right or left to circle the POI counter-clockwise or clockwise respectively.

 Banked turn. This IOC setting combines yaw and roll input together such that a coordinated banked turn is achieved with only input to the roll control stick. The forward direction of the aircraft becomes a tangent to a circular flight path with radial arc controlled with the pitch and roll controls alone.

 Proportional Control Settings. The Futaba transmitter used with the S900 has a three-way switch dedicated to the normal 100%, 50%, and 30% proportional input control settings. If a control stick is moved to maximum, or 100% of its travel, the transmitter sends a 100%, 50%, or 30% control input to the aircraft flight controller. For example pitching the craft forward with the right stick fully forward, will result in the aircraft accelerating to 100%, 50%, or 30% of its maximum speed. This flight mode is sometimes called slow pan

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mode and is often used to achieve smooth, stable flight needed for videography and cinematic film work.

➢ GCS and Fail-safe Scenarios or Exercises

 Return-to-launch or Return to home (RTL/RTH). On both the Futaba and the DJI transmitter there is a dedicated switch assigned to the RTH function. Software settings control aircraft behavior when the RTH switch is triggered. Toggling the RTH switch when the craft is further that ten meters away from home point results in the aircraft stopping and ascending to the altitude set by software, flying straight back to the home point and descending to land. Care should be exercised to set this altitude to clear the highest obstacle in the flight area.

 RC transmitter signal lost results in two behaviors depending on software settings. Either it triggers a RTH fail-safe, or it causes the aircraft to stop and hover at the last position and altitude before the loss of signal. Regaining control of the aircraft once the RC signal is established again is the same in both cases. The flight mode switch is set to ATTI or Manual mode and a control stick input is made gently and smoothly and the PIC or VO verifies the correct response from the aircraft, and then positions the switch back to GPS mode. Care should exercised to minimize control input when switching from one flight mode to another. If the GPS signal was maintained, control should be regained in GPS mode. If the GPS signal is also lost, depending on software setting, the flight controller either lands the aircraft directly, or sets Manual mode and the PIC is expected to immediately and active take control the aircraft and fly or land the craft.

 Manual mode. RC transmitter signal loss is not often easy to simulate or test. To practice flying the flight mode and be toggled to Manual mode and the PIC will fly the aircraft without positional or altitude lock. Care should be exercised that this procedure be conducted only after the PIC is fully competent in flying the aircraft in GPS mode and in a clear and open area well away from people and property.

 Low Battery Fail-safe. There are two battery level triggers available in the A2 flight controller. The first level triggers a warning flash of repeating yellow. Software can be used to set a RTH at this level, but normally only LED indication is given. Note that the battery level is also shown in the OSD and begins to blink when the first level is reached. The second level triggers a warning flash of repeating red followed by the aircraft immediately descending to land. Software can be used to set just the LED indicating blink but it is not recommended. In a clear, level and wide open smooth area

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allow the craft to fly beyond the battery levels and allow the aircraft to land automatically to experience the behavior.



## Flight Check List

Ensure motor arms raised, packing foam removed, props spread

Check GPS mast raised and all electronics are secure Check all props for damage

Confirm launch area clear for take-of Confirm Controllers are transmitting Check battery is secure and connect battery leads

Confirm Init. Successful with GPS lock Confirm PIC FPV, Battery Volt., GPS, All switches forward Perform compass calibration, if first flight Confirm gimbal function and settings Confirm camera settings, focus and FPV monitor Announce camera recording (Cam-Op) Announce motor spin up (PIC) Check airspace and announce take-of Announce landing Announce camera recording stop Confirm camera power of and aircraft power of

Confirm transmitters and OSD monitors of
Confirm camera lens cover on, transmitters secure, aircraft in storage configuration with props secure.

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