## Kenneth Banks , Real Estate Investor , Houston TX

- Section 333 Exemption Petition



# June 1 6 , 2015
U. S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590

Re: Exemption Request Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act of the Federal Aviation Regulations from 14 C.F.R. 45.23(b); 14 C.F.R. Part 21; 14 C.F.R. 61.113(a)&(b); 91.7(a); 91.9(b) (2); 91.103(b); 91.109; 119.121; 91.151(a); 91.203(a)&(b ); 91.405(a); 91.407(a) (1); 91.409(a) (2); 91.417(a)&(b)



# Dear Sir or Madam,

I, Kenneth Banks , am writing pursuant to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and the procedures contained within 14 C.F.R. 11, to request that I, Kenneth Banks , an owne r and operator of small unmanned aircraft, be exempted from the Federal Aviation Regulations (“FARs”) listed below so that I, Kenneth Banks , may operate my small ultra light weight unmanned aircraft system (“UAS”) commercially in airspace regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”).

As described herein I, Kenneth Banks , real estate investor within the State of Texas ; experienced in flying hobby helicopters for recreational purposes. I have added a hobby grade quad

- copter 1 

# UAS to my inventory equipped with a GoPro3+ Black camera with intent for aerial videography/cinematography to enhance academic community awareness for those individuals and companies unfamiliar with the geographical layout of the metro Houston area, and au gment real estate listing /investment videos; following exemption and approval by the FAA. Thereby enhancing their academic research experience for the metro Houston area.
I have flown small RC electric helicopters for over six (6) years without incident. Committed to safety with each flight. My, Kenneth Banks 's, exemption request would permit operation of ultra light weight, unmanned (piloted by remote control) and comparatively inexpensive UAS(s) in tightly controlled and limited airspace. 2 

# Conducting predetermined operation in areas away from general public, airports, heliports and vehicular traffic for community videos, and within property boundaries for individual homeowner real estate listing videos/photos. Currently, similar lightweight, remote co ntrolled UAS's are legally operated by unmonitored amateur hobbyists with no safety plan or controls in place to prevent catastrophe. I, Kenneth Banks , have personally instilled safety protocols and controls 3 

# to avoid and prevent public hazard, as well as manned aircraft hazards/catastrophe. This will act to further safety protocols exclusive to lightweight UAS's specific to real estate video and photography usage as I, Kenneth Banks , record

1 

### Appendix A

– Phantom 2 quad

- copter User Manual
2 

### Appendix B

– Houston metro area 5 mile airport radius map
3 

### Appendix C

- Personal Protocols and Controls Checklist

# flight data and other information gained through permitted fli ght operations to share with the FAA through any required FAA reports to assist with future protocol and safety regulation.

Granting my, Kenneth Banks ’s, request comports with the Secretary of Transportation’s (FAA Administrator’s) responsibilities and authority to not only integrate UAS's into the national airspace system, but to “...establish requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft system s [UAS's] in the national airspace system” under Section 333(c) of the Reform Act specific to the use of UAS's for real estate/Realtor purposes. Further I, Kenneth Banks , will conduct my operations in compliance with the protocols described herein or as ot herwise established by the FAA. For the reasons stated below I, Kenneth Banks , respectfully request the grant of an exemption allowing me to operate ultra light weight, remote controlled UAS’s for academic community awareness to benefit/stimulate attractio n to the metro Houston area and to enhance real estate listing videos for homeowners who cannot afford expensive manned aircraft for the same purpose. Both of which will promote local economic growth through increased employment and increased tax base. Bot h with public safety in mind by keeping heavier manned aircraft containing combustible fuel that that poses potential public hazard.

I. Contact Information: Kenneth Banks , Real Estate Investor Houston KACO 5318 Weslayan, Suite 192 Houston, TX 77005 Office: ( 713 ) 203

- 2505 Email: KBanks @ HoustonKaco .com



# II

. The Specific Sections of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations From Which Kenneth Banks Requests Exemption are:

14 CFR 21; 14 C.F.R. 45.23(b); 14 CFR 61.113 (a) & (b); 14 C.F.R. 91, et seq.; 14 CFR 407 (a) (1); 14 CFR 409 (a) (2); and, 14 CFR 417 (a) & (b).



# III. The Extent of relief Kenneth Banks seeks and the Reason He Seeks Such Relief:

I , Kenneth Banks , submit this application in accordance with the Reform Act, 112 P.L. 95 §§ 331

- 334, see king relief from any currently applicable FARs operating to prevent me, Kenneth Banks , contemplated commercial cinematic, academic and other flight operations within the national airspace system. The Reform Act in Section 332 provides for such integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into our national airspace system as it is in the public’s interest to do so. My, Kenneth Banks ’s, ultra

- light weight UAS meets the definition of “small unmanned aircraft” as defined in Section 331 and therefore the integration of my ultra light weight UAS is expressly

# contemplated by the Reform Act. I would like to operate my ultra light weight UAS prior to the t ime period by which the Reform Act requires the FAA to promulgate rules governing such craft. Thereby, providing direct experience and valuable information for formal regulation that can be administered uniformly to all real estate related UAS aerial video and photography. The Reform Act guides the Secretary in determining the types of UAS's that may operate safely in our national airspace system. Considerations include: The weight, size, speed and overall capabilities of the UAS's; Whether the UAS will be operated near airports or heavily populated areas; and, Whether the UAS will be operated by line of sight. 112 P.L. 95 § 333 (a). Each of these items reflect in favor of an exemption for me, Kenneth Banks . My UAS utilizes four (4) counter

- rotating propelle rs for balance, control and stability. My UAS is equipped with GPS and auto return safety technology. Weighing less than five (5) pounds (far below the maximum 55 pound limit); including camera with gimbal.

I, Kenneth Banks , consider safety as foremost wi th each flight. My small unmanned aircraft is designed to hover in place via GPS and operate in less than a 24 knot (15 mph) wind. For safety, stability and fear of financial loss I will not fly in winds exceeding 16 kph (10 mph). Built in safety systems i nclude a GPS mode that allows my UAS to hover in place when radio controls are released. With three modes to choose from, I utilize the Smart Mode 4 

# for aerial videography/photography. This is the safest, most reliable and stable mode to prevent acciden t and hazard. When pilot communication is lost this UAS is designed slowly descend to point of take off. I do not operate my UAS near airports, Hospitals nor Police heliports, and do not operate near areas where general public is within fifty to one hundre d (50

- 100) yards depending on location, conditions and weather. I am constantly on alert for any manned aircraft (Police/Medical helicopters, etc.) and prepared to land/abort immediately to the nearest and safest ground point should a manned aircraft appro ach my location or I suspect manned aircraft may approach near my location. My UAS is capable of vertical and horizontal operations, and are flown only within my line of sight of me, as the remote control pilot. Utilizing battery power rather than combusti ble fuels, flights generally last between three (3) to seven (7) minutes, with an altitude under one hundred fifty (150) feet. I, Kenneth Banks , utilize a fresh fully charged battery with each flight as a safety precaution; full flight time limit for each battery is nine (9) to twelve (12) minutes as tested. I do not operate my UAS at or below manufacture recommend minimum charge levels for operation; preferring to remain well within a safe operating range to insure adequate communication between radio cont rol and UAS to eliminate potential for crash, loss of control or hazard. Reserve batteries are at hand with each exercise to insure replacement for sufficient safe level of operation. I do not believe in taking risk that may cause a crash, that could creat e hazard to the public/property/manned aircraft, and have no desire to lose an investment. I have clocked numerous practice flights in remote areas as a hobbyist simulating flights for future commercial use to gain familiarization with the characteristics of this specific UAS's performance under different temperature and weather conditions. I also practice

4 

### Smart Mode includes safe circle for operation, position hold, self

- leveling, altitude command, GPS, return home feature, and safety control to return home or land in the event of communication interr uption between RC transmitter and UAS. See Appendix A

- Operator Manual.

# computerized simulated flights to maintain adequate skills and response reflex time. All for the sake of safety.

I, Kenneth Banks , am extremely cautious when operating of my UAS/ultra light weight unmanned aircraft and will not “create a hazard to users of the national airspace system or the public.” 112 P.L. 95 § 333 (b). Given the small size and weight of my UAS it falls well with in Congress’s contemplated safety zone when it promulgated the Reform Act and the corresponding directive to integrate UAS's into the national airspace system. Kenneth Banks ’s UAS, used in hobby flight, has a demonstrable safety record and does not pose an y threat to the general public or national security.

IV. How Kenneth Banks ’s Request Will Benefit the Public As A Whole:

Aerial videography for geographical awareness and for real estate marketing has been around for a long time through manned fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. For small budget real estate companies and average homeowners the expense of such aerial videogr aphy is cost prohibitive. Only large companies and high end Realtors or luxury homeowners can afford to absorb such expense. Depriving non

- luxury homeowners and lower budget Realtors from a valuable marketing tool. Manned aircraft pose a threat to the publ ic through potential catastrophic crash that the Houston community has experienced in the past with military aircraft and medical helicopter crashes within the city of Houston . Each resulting in loss of life. Each with combustible fuel that exploded and bu rned on impact. Police helicopters have made emergency hard landings within city limits. My, Kenneth Banks 's, UAS pose no such threat since size and lack of combustible fuel alleviates any potential threat to the public. Congress has already proclaimed tha t it is in the public’s interest to integrate commercially flown UAS's into the national airspace system, hence the passing of the Reform Act. Granting my, Kenneth Banks ’ , exemption request furthers the public interest through academic/visual awareness of the geographical benefits in and around the metro Houston area. My ultra light weight UAS is battery powered and creates no emissions that can harm the environment. The consequence of my ultra light weight UAS crashing is far less than a full size helicopt er or fixed wing aircraft; which are heavy, contain combustible fuel and can cause catastrophic devastation to the public.

The public’s interest is furthered by minimizing ecological and crash threat by permitting aerial video/photo capture through my bat tery operated ultra light weight UAS's. Permitting me, Kenneth Banks , to immediately fly within national air space furthers economic growth. Granting my exemption request substantially furthers the economic impact for the metro Houston community for compan ies looking to relocate or build in the Houston metro area as well as individuals looking to relocate for career advancement through academic and geographical awareness. Both of which serve as a stimulus to the community.

V. Reasons Why Kenneth Banks ’s Ex emption Will Not Adversely Affect Safety Or How The Exemption Will Provide a Level of Safety At Least Equal To Existing Rule:

# My, Kenneth Banks ’s, exemption will not adversely affect safety. Quite the contrary, for the reasons stated permitting me, Kennet h Banks , to log more flight time in FAA controlled airspace, with communication with the FAA, will allow me to contribute to the innovation and implementation of new and novel, as of yet undiscovered safety protocols for Realtors that can be embraced by th e NAR 5 

# , T AR 6 

# , and H AR 7 

# for development in cooperation with the FAA. In addition I, Kenneth Banks , submit the following representations of enhancements to current aerial videography and photography for real estate:

My UAS weighs less than 5 pounds complete with a small ultra light weight high quality GoPro 3+ Black camera; I only operate my UAS below 200 feet (well within the 400 foot permissible ceiling set by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012); my UAS only operate for 3

- 7 minutes per flight; I land my UAS prior to manufacturer recommended minimum level of battery power;

• I pilot my UAS through remote control only by line of sight;

• My UAS has GPS a flight safety feature whereby it hovers and then slowly lands if communication with the remote control pilot is lost;

• I actively analyze flight data and other sources of information to constantly update and enhance safety protocols;

• I only operate in reasonably safe environment that are strictly controlled, are away from power lines, elev ated lights, airports and actively populated areas;

• I conduct extensive pre

- flight inspections and protocol, during which safety carries primary importance;

• I always obtains all necessary permissions prior to operation; and,

• I have procedures in place to a bort flights in the event of safety breaches or potential danger.

My, Kenneth Banks ’s, safety protocols provide a level of safety equal to or exceeding existing rules. It is important to note that absent the integration of commercial UAS into our national airspace system, helicopters are the primary means of aerial video and photography for community awareness and real estate. While the safety record of such helicopters is remarkably astounding, there has been local incident involving loss of life as well as extensive property damage; it is far safer to operate a battery powered ultra light weight UAS.

First, the potential loss of life is diminished because UAS's carry no people on board and I only operates my UAS in specific areas away from mass populations. Second, there is no fuel on board a UAS and thus the potential for fire or explosions is greatly diminished. Third, the small size and extreme maneuverability of my UAS allow me to remotely pilot away from and avoid hazards quickly and safely. Lastly, given its small size and weight, even when close enough to capture amazing images, my UAS need not be so close to the objects they are focused on through the technology and use of post editing software allowing pan and zoom.

5 

### National Association of Realtors, http://www.realtor.org/
6 

### Texas Association o f Realtors, http://www.texasrealestate .com/
7 

### Houston Association of Realtors, http://www. har .com/

# Accordingly, my UAS h as been experimentally operated for familiarization/competency and will continue to operate at and above current safety levels.

VI. A Summary The FAA May Publish in the Federal Register:

A. 14 C.F.R. 21 and 14 C.F.R. 91: Airworthiness Certificates, Manua ls and The Like. 14 C.F.R. 21, Subpart H, entitled Airworthiness Certificates, sets forth requirements for procurement of necessary airworthiness certificates in relation to FAR § 91.203(a)(1). The size, weight and enclosed operational area of my, Kenneth Banks ’s, UAS permits exemption from Part 21 because my UAS meets (and exceeds) an equivalent level of safety pursuant to Section 333 of the Reform Act. The FAA is authorized to exempt aircraft from the airworthiness certificate requirement under both the A ct (49 U.S.C. § 44701 (f)) and Section 333 of the Reform Act. Both pieces of legislation permit the FAA to exempt UAS's from the airworthiness certificate requirement in consideration of the weight, size, speed, maneuverability and proximity to areas such as airports and dense populations. My, Kenneth Banks ’s, current and projected UAS's meet or exceed each of the elements.
14 C.F.R. 91.7(a) prohibits the operation of an aircraft without an airworthiness certificate. As no such certificate will be applicab le in the form contemplated by the FARs, this Regulation is inapplicable. 14 C.F.R. § 91.9 (b) (2) requires an aircraft flight manual in the aircraft. As there are no on board pilots or passengers, and given the size of the UAS's, this Regulation is inapp licable. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by maintaining a safety/flight manual delineating areas of where safety can be defined. 8 

# The FAA has previously issued exemptions to this regulation in Exemption Nos. 8607, 8737, 8738, 9299 , 9299A, 9565, 9565B, 10167, 10167A, 10602, 10700 and 32827. 14 C.F.R. § 91.121 regarding altimeter settings is inapplicable insofar as my UAS utilizes electronic global positioning systems with a barometric sensor.
14 C.F.R. § 91.203 (a) and (b) provides for the carrying of civil aircraft certifications and registrations. They are inapplicable for the same reasons described above. The equivalent level of safety will be achieved by maintaining any such required certifications and registrations by me, Kenne th Banks

. B. 14 C.F.R. § 45.23: Marking of The Aircraft. Applicable Codes of Federal Regulation require aircraft to be marked according to certain specifications. My UAS are, by definition, unmanned. They therefore do not have a cabin, cockpit or pilot station on which to mark certain words or phrases. Further, two

- inch lettering is difficult to place on such small aircraft with dimensions smaller that minimal lettering requirement. Regardless, I will mark its UASs in the largest possible lettering by pl acing the word “EXPERIMENTAL” on its fuselage as required by 14 C.F.R. §45.29 (f) so that I the pilot, or anyone assisting me as a spotter with the UAV will see the markings. The FAA has previously issued exemptions to this regulation through Exemptions No s. 8738, 10167, 10167A and 10700.

8 

### Appendix D

- Safety/Flight Manual

## C. 14 C.F.R. § 61.113: Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations: PIC. Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. §§ 61.113 (a) & (b), private pilots are limited to non

- commercial operations. I, Kenneth Banks , can achieve an equivalent level

o f safety as achieved by current Regulations because my UAS does not carry any pilots or passengers. Further, while helpful, a pilot license will not ensure remote control piloting skills. The risks attended to the operation of my UAS is far less than the r isk levels inherent in the commercial activities outlined in 14 C.F.R. § 61, et seq. Thus, allowing me, Kenneth Banks , to operate my UAS meet and exceed current safety levels in relation to 14 C.F.R. §61.113 (a) & (b).

D. 14 C.F.R. 91.119: Minimum Safe Al titudes. 14 C.F.R. § 91.119 prescribes safe altitudes for the operation of civil aircraft. It allows helicopters to be operated at lower altitudes in certain conditions. My UAS will never operate at an altitude greater than 200 AGL; safely below the standa rd of 400 AGL. I, Kenneth Banks , will however operate my UAS in safe areas away from public and traffic, providing a level of safety at least equivalent to or below those in relation to minimum safe altitudes. Given the size, weight, maneuverability and sp eed of my UAS, an equivalent or higher level of safety will be achieved.
E. 14 C.F.R. 91.405 (a); 407 (a) (1); 409 (a) (2); 417(a) & (b): Maintenance Inspections. The above

- cited Regulations require, amongst other things, aircraft owners and operators to “have [the] aircraft inspected as prescribed in subpart E of this part and shall between required inspections, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, have discrepancies repaired as prescribed in part 43 of this chapter. . . .” These Regulatio ns only apply to aircraft with an airworthiness certificate. They will not, therefore, apply to my, Kenneth Banks 's, UAS. However, as a safety precaution I inspect my UAS before and after each flight.


# A Summary The FAA May Publish in the Federal Register: A. 14 C.F.R. 21 and 14 C.F.R. 91: Airworthiness Certificates, Manuals and The Like. 14 C.F.R. 21, Subpart H, entitled Airworthiness Certificates, sets forth requirements for procurement of necessary airworthiness certificates in relation to FAR § 91.203(a )(1). The size, weight and enclosed operational area of my UAS permits exemption from Part 21 because my, Kenneth Banks ’s, UAS meets an equivalent level of safety pursuant to Section 333 of the Reform Act. The FAA is authorized to exempt aircraft from the airworthiness certificate requirement under both the Act (49 U.S.C. § 44701 (f)) and Section 333 of the Reform Act. Both pieces of legislation permit the FAA to exempt UAS's from the airworthiness certificate requirement in consideration of the weight, siz e, speed, maneuverability and proximity to areas such as airports and dense populations. My UAS meets or exceeds each of the elements. 14 C.F.R. 91.7(a) prohibits the operation of an aircraft without an airworthiness certificate. As no such certificate wil l be applicable in the form contemplated by the FARs, this Regulation is inapplicable. 14 C.F.R. § 91.9 (b) (2) requires an aircraft flight manual in the aircraft. As there are no pilots or passengers, and given the size of the UAS's, this Regulation is in applicable. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by maintaining a manual. The FAA has previously issued exemptions to this regulation in Exemption Nos. 8607, 8737, 8738, 9299, 9299A, 9565, 9565B, 10167, maintenance program that involves regular s oftware updates and curative measures for any damaged hardware. Therefore, an equivalent level of safety will be achieved.

In summary, Kenneth Banks seeks an exemption from the following Regulations:

# 14 C.F.R. 21, subpart H; 14 C.F.R. 45.23(b); 14 C.F.R. §§ 61.113 (a) & (b); 14 C.F.R. § 91.7 (a); 14 C.F.R. § 91.9 (b)(2); 14 C.F.R. § 91.103(b); 14 C.F.R. § 91.109; 14 C.F.R. § 91.119; 14 C.F.R. § 91.121; 14 C.F.R. § 91.151(a); 14 C.F.R. §§ 91.203(a) and (b); 14 C.F.R. § 91.405 (a); 14 C.F.R. § 91.407 (a)(1); 14 C.F.R. § 91.409 (a)(2); 14 C.F.R. § 91.409 (a ) (2); and, 14 C.F.R. §§ 91.417 (a) & (b) to commercially operate my, Kenneth Banks 's, small unmanned vehicle/lightweight unmanned aircraft vehicle in community awareness and real estate operations, and to develop economic platforms for real estate to enhance the experience of those seeking to relocate to the metro Houston area. Currently, area awareness and real estate aerial videography/photography rel ies primarily on the use of larger aircraft running on combustible fuel. Posing potential risk to the public. Granting my, Kenneth Banks ’s, request for exemption will reduce current risk levels and thereby enhance safety. My UAS craft do not contain potent ially explosive fuel, is smaller, lighter and more maneuverable than conventional real estate video and photographic aircraft with much less flight time. Further, I operate at lower altitudes and in controlled airspace eliminating potential public risk fly ing to and from established air fields. I, Kenneth Banks , have been informally analyzing flight information and will compile safety protocols and the implementation of a flight operations manual for real estate usage that exceeds currently accepted means a nd methods for safe flight. Formal collection of information shared with the FAA will enhance the FAA's internal efforts to establish protocols for complying with the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. There are no personnel on board my, Kenneth Ban ks ’s, UAS and therefore the likelihood of death or serious bodily injury is significantly diminished. My, Kenneth Banks ’s, operation of my UAS, weighing less than 5 pounds and travelling at lower speeds within limited areas will provide an equivalent level of safety as that achieved under current FARs. Accordingly I, Kenneth Banks , respectfully request that the FAA grant my exemption request and am willing to cooperate in sharing information to benefit the FAA, safety of manned aircraft, and the general pub lic at large.

Respectfully submitted,

Kenneth Banks, Real Estate Investor Houston KACO 5318 Weslayan, Suite 192 Houston, TX 77005

# A ppendix A

Kenneth Banks

PHANTOM 2 USER MANUAL

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 1 | 

# PHANTOM 2 User Manual V1. 4

For PHANTOM 2 Flight Controller Firmware version V 3

. 10
& PHANTOM 2 Assistant version V 3. 8
& PHANTOM RC Assistant version V1.1 

## 201 5.01

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

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

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

wit hout notice.

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

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

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

.

### ©2013

- 2015 DJI. All Rights Reserved. 2 | 

## C ontent

CONTENT

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

IN THE BOX

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

LEGEND

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

1. PHANTOM 2 AIRCRAF T

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

1.1 B UILT



## - IN 

## F LIGHT 

## C ONTROL 

## S YSTEM 

## I NSTRUCTIONS



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

## O THER 

## DJI P RODUCTS



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

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

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

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ................................ ................................ ............... 11
1.4 N OTES FOR 

## PHANTOM 2 USING WITH OTHER 

## DJI PRODUCTS



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

2 PROPELLERS

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

2.1 A SSEMBLY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 13
2.2 D ISASSEMBLY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 13
2.3 N OTES



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 13

3 REMOTE CONTROLLER

................................ ................................ ............................... 14

3.1 P OWER ON THE 

## R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER



## ................................ ................................ ............... 14
3.2 R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## LED I NDICATOR 

## S TATUS



## ................................ ................................ .... 15
3.2.1 Remote Controller Power LED Indicator Status

................................ ................... 15
3.2.2 Remote Controller Battery Level Indicator Status

................................ ............... 15
3.3 A NTENNA 

## O RIENTATION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 16
3.4 R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## O PERATION



## ................................ ................................ .................... 16
3.5 L INKING THE 

## R EMOTE 

## C ONTROLLER 

## & B UILT



## - IN 

## R ECEIVER



## ................................ ...................... 18

4 INTELLIGENT BATTER Y

................................ ................................ ............................... 19

4.1 C HARGING 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 19
4.2 I NSTALL THE 

## B ATTERY



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 20
4.3 B ATTERY 

## U SAGE



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 20
4.4 D ESCRIPTION OF THE 

## B ATTERY 

## L EVEL 

## I NDICATOR



## ................................ ................................ ... 21
4.5 C ORRECT 

## B ATTERY 

## U SAGE 

## N OTES



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

5 CALIBRATING THE CO MPASS

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 3 | 

## 5.1 C ALIBRATION 

## W

ARNINGS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ . 23
5.2 C ALIBRATION 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ .............................. 23
5.3 W HEN 

## R ECALIBRATION IS REQU IRED



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

6 FLIGHT

................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 24

6.1 F LYING 

## E NVIRONMENT 

## R EQUIREMENTS



## ................................ ................................ .............. 24
6.2 S TARTING THE 

## M OTORS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 24
6.3 T AKEOFF 

## /L ANDING 

## P ROCEDURES



## ................................ ................................ ....................... 24
6.4 F AILSAFE 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 25
6.5 L OW 

## B ATTERY 

## C APACITY 

## W ARNING 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ..... 27
6.6 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS 

## F UNCTION



## ................................ ................................ ................................ . 27 Max Height & Radius Limits

................................ ................................ ......................... 27
6.7 F LIGHT 

## L IMITS OF 

## S PECIAL 

## A REAS



## ................................ ................................ ...................... 28
6.8 C ONDITIONS OF 

## F LIGHT 

## L IMITS



## ................................ ................................ ......................... 30 Disclaimer

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

7 ASSISTANT INSTALLA

TION AND CONFIGURATI ON

................................ ...................... 31

7.1 I NSTALLING 

## D RIVER AND 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT



## ................................ ............................... 31
7.2 U SING THE 

## PHANTOM 2 A SSISTANT ON A 

## PC

................................ ................................ .... 32
7.3 F IRMWARE UPGRADE OF 

## PHANTOM 2

................................ ................................ ............. 33
7.4 PHANTOM RC A SSISTANT 

## D ESCRIPTION



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

8 APPENDIX

................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 35

8.1 S PECIFICATIONS



## ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 35
8.2 LED F L IGHT 

## I NDICATORS 

## D ESCRIPTION



## ................................ ................................ ............... 35

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 4 | 

## I n the Box

PHANTOM 2 Remote Controller

- 2.4 GHz Propeller Pair

Intelligent Battery Charger Plug Set

Screwdriver Assistant Wrench Cables

Micro

- USB Cable Screws Accessories Box



## Legend Forbidden(Important) Caution Tip Reference

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 5 | 

## 1 PHANTOM 2 Aircraft

Figure 1

- 1 Figure 1

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

- USB Port [6] Landing Gear [7] Receiver

Antenna [8] CAN

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


### 1.1 Built

- in Flight Control System Instructions
The built

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

contains the MC (Ma in Controller), IMU, GPS, compass, receiver.

The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) has a built

- in inertial sensor and a barometric altimeter that measures both attitude and altitude. The compass reads geo magnetic information which assists the GPS (Global Position System) to accurately calculate the aircrafts position and height in order to lock the aircraft in a stable hover. The receiver is

used to communicate with the remote controller and the MC acts as the brains of the complete flight control
system connecting and controlling all the modules together.

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

- M mode or P hantom 2 mode.

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

- M V2 Quick Start Manual for more

information.


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

- 2D and H3

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

Figure 1

- 3

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 6 | Important Notes of Using with Other DJI Products

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

wireless video transmission module. ( 3 ) PHANTOM 2 uses a 2.4GHz RC system. To avoid communication interference, it’s not recommended to use other 2.4GHz devices (including 2.4G Wi

- Fi or 2.4G wireless video transmission module) except the

2.4G Bluetooth and 2.4G Datalink. ( 4 ) Be sure to keep the wireless video transmission module and other communicating devices away from the compass during installation and connection to avoid interference. ( 5 ) To improve the compatibility with ZENMUSE gimbals, the latest factory deliveries of PHANTOM 2 has updat ed to the Version 2 shown below. H3

- 2D / H3

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

while for Version 1 , a H3

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

- 3D gimbal

.

Figure 1

- 4 ( 6 ) When using the H3

- 3D gimbal, please connect the 8

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

- 3D

shown below.

Figure 1

- 5

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 7 | Connection s with Other DJI Products ( 1 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as a n example.

F ig ure 1

- 6 ( 2 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

below uses H3

- 2D as an example.

F igure 1

- 7

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 8 |

( 3 ) Connecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as an example.

F igure 1

- 8

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

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

- ports.

( 4 ) C onnecting the H3

- 2D and H3

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

- 2D as an example.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 9 | F igure 1

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

.

Use the 8

- Pin cable in the iOSD Mar k II package when connecting to the DJI specified wireless video

transmission module AVL58.

( 5 ) U sing the i Pad Ground Station

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 10 | Figure 1

- 10

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

- Bus port of iOSD if an iOSD is used.
( 6 ) U sing the PC Ground Station

Figure 1

- 11

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 11 | 

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

up.



### A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions

Power On Self

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

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors

Remote Controller Signal Lost

1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning

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

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

- magnetic interference or
the compass needs calibration.

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

- M mode, LED indicators

will work according to the Naza

- M flight control system

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

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

have s pooled up

.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 12 | 

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

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

Zenmuse H3

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

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 13 | 

## 2 Propellers

PHANTOM 2 use s the original 9

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

p ropellers should be replaced by purchas ing new ones if necessary. Propellers Grey Nut (94 50 ) Black Nut (94 50 R)

Diagram

Assembly Location Atta ch to the motor thread that does

not have a black dot

. Atta ch to the motor thread that has a

black dot

. Fastening/Un

- fastening

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



### 2

. 1 Assembly
1. ( Figure 2

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

2. ( Figure 2

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

.

Figure 2

- 1 Figure 2

- 2 Figure 2

- 3


### 2

. 2 D isassembly ( Figure 2

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

. 

### 2

. 3 Notes

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

. 4. Check that the propellers and motors are installed correctly and firmly before every flight.

5. Check that all p ropell e rs are in good condition before flight. DO NOT use any ageing , chipped, or broken

p ropellers

. 6. To avoid injury, STAND CLEAR of and DO NOT touch the propellers or motors when th ey are spinning.

7. ONLY use original DJI propellers for a better and safer flight experience

.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 14 | 

## 3 Remote Controller

T he PHANTOM 2 remote controller can be configured in the PHANTOM RC Assistant

. T he sticks mode is Mode 2
on delivery.

For upgraded remote controller (models: NDJ6 or NRC900), select “Upgrade Version” in Phantom Assistant.

For basic remote controller (models: DJ6 or RC900), select “Basic Version” in Phantom Assistant.

F igure 3

- 1 Figure 3

- 2 [1] Antenna [2] Carrying Handle [3] Left Dial [4] 3

- Position Switch S1 [ 5 ] 3

- Position Switch S2 [ 6 ] Joystick1 ( J1;J2 )
[ 7 ] Joystick2 ( J3;J4 ) [ 8 ] Neck Strap Attachment [ 9 ] Power Switch [ 10 ] Power Indicator
[ 1 1 ] Battery Level Indicator s LED1/LED2/LED3/LED4 (from left to right) [ 12 ]Trainer Port
[13 ] Battery Charge & RC Assistant Port (m icro

- USB p ort ) [ 1 4 ] Potentiometer



### 3.1 Power on the Remote Controller
1. Set the S1 and S2 switches to the upper most position and ensure both joy sticks are at

the mid

- point position. Then toggle on the power switch.

2. P ush the power switch to the right to power on the remote controller

. I f the power LED

indicator is solid on, the remote controller is functioning normally. The batt ery level

indica tors display the current battery level

.

1. P lease make sure the battery level of remote controller is enough . If the low voltage warning alert

sounds ( refer to < Remote Controller Po wer LED Indicator Status >), please re charge the battery as soon as possible.

2. Charge the remote controller ’s battery by using the included micro

- USB cable. Using the incorrect
type of charging cable may cause damage.

3

. Turn off the remote controller before charging. The power LED indicator will display solid red when charging is in progress. The LED indicators will display solid green when the battery is fully charged.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 15 | 

### 3.2 Remote Controller LED Indicator Status 3.2.1 Remote Controller Power LED Indicator Status

Power LED Indicator Sound Remote Controller Status
None Functioning n ormal ly

. None Charging( remote controller is powered off)
None Remote controller joysticks calibration error , need to be re
- calibrate.
BB

--- BB

--- BB Low voltage (from 3. 5 V

- 3.53 V) , rec harge the remote controller

.

B

- B

- B

...... Critical l ow voltage ( from 3. 4 5 V

- 3.5 V)

. Recharge the remote

controller immediately

.

B

-- B

-- B

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

start using the remote controller

.

T he remote controller will power off automatically when battery voltage drops below 3.45 V

. Land and

re charge the battery as soon as possible when the low voltage alert occurs to avoid loss of control
during flight.



### 3.2.2 Remote Controller Battery Level Indicator Status The battery level indicators will show the current battery level during both the discharging process

. T he following is
a description of the indicators.

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

: The LED is light off

D ischarging process
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level

75 %~100%

50 %~75%

2 5%~50%

12.5%~25%

0%~12.5%

<0%

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 16 | 

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

F igure 3

- 3


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

. 

### Definitions

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

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal.

Remote Controller (Mode 2) Aircraft

( nose direction ) Operation details

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

. The aircraft will automatically hover and hold its
altitude if the stick s are centered.
P ush the throttle stick above the centered (mid

- point ) position to make the aircraft tak e off. When flying, we suggest that you push the throttle stick slowly to prevent the aircraft from sudden and unexpected elevation changes.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 17 | The y aw stick controls the aircraft rudder.
Push the stick left and the aircraft will rotate counter
clock

- wise

. Push the stick right and the aircraft will rotate
clock

- wise

. If the stick is centered, the aircraft will remain facing the same direction. The yaw stick controls the rotating angular velocit y of
the aircraft. Pushing the stick further away from center results in a faster aircraft rotation velocity. The pitch stick controls the aircraft’ s front & back tilt

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

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

. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the
stick is centered. Pushing or pulling the stick further away from center will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum of is 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity.
The roll stick controls the aircraft ’s left & right tilt. Push the stick left and the aircraft will tilt and fl y left.
Pu sh the stick right and the aircraft will tilt and fl y right. The aircraft will keep level and straight if the stick is
centered. Pushing the stick further away from center will result in a larger tilt angle (maximum of 35 ̊) and faster flight velocity.

Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

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

- 1 to po sition

- 3 and back to position

- 1 at least 5 times, which will force the aircraft to enter into compass calibration mode. U sers can configure position 3 (bottom position) of the S1 switch to trigger the Failsafe in the Assistant

.

OFF Course Lock Home

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

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

.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 18 | The l eft d ial control s the pitch of the H3

- 2D and H3

- 3D gimbal. T he position of left dial determines the pitch angle relative to the horizontal level. Turn the left dial to the right to make th e gimbal pitch

up

. Turn the left dial to the left to make the gimbal pitch
down. Th e gimbal will keep its current position if the dial is
static.

( 1 ) For ‘ R eady to F ly’ the aircraft will hover when all stick s are released. ( 2 ) For ‘ Ready to Fly (non

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


### 3.5 Linking the Remote Controller & B uilt
- in R eceiver
PHANTOM 2 has a built

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

in the Figure 3

- 4

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

F igure 3

- 4 Linking procedures

1. Power on the PHANTOM 2.

2. Turn on the remote controller and place it 0.5m~1m away from the aircraft.

3. P ush the link button with a thin object and hold it until the Link indicator blinks red , then r elease it

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

- in receiver has been successfully established.

Link Indicator S tatus

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

. T he receiver is ready for linking

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 19 | please carry out the linking procedures.
T he remote controller is linked with the receiver successfully. 

## 4 Intelligent Battery

The i ntelligent battery is specially designed for the PHANTOM 2 , with a battery capacity of 5200mA h, voltage of

11.1 V and charge

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

I ntelligent Battery Charger

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

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

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

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

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

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

power

. The static current is 10nA in sleep mode when the battery is
powered on without connecting to other de vices

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

~ 55 °C

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

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

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


### 4

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

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

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 20 |

level indicator description for details.

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

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

.



### 4

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

F igure 4

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


### 4

. 3 Battery Usage

F igure 4

- 2 (1) Checking the battery level: When t he battery is powered off; press ing the battery power button once will
indicate the current battery level. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details. (2) Powering on: When t he battery is powered off; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn on the intelligent battery. (3) Powering off: When the battery is powered o n ; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn off the intelligent battery. LED3

LED4 Battery Power Button
(Built

- in Battery Power Indicator) LED2

LED1 Battery Level Indicator

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 21 | (4) Checking the battery life: When t he battery is powered off; press and hold the battery power button for 5
seconds to check the battery life. T he battery level indicators will show the life and the battery power indicator will blink for 10 seconds, then all LEDs will light out and the intelligent battery will turn off

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

. 

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

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

: The LED is light off

C harging process
LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level

0%~25%

25%~50%

50%~75%

75%~100%

F ull charged

D ischarging process

LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery level

87.5%~100%

75%~87.5%

62.5%~75%

50%~62.5%

37.5%~50%

25%~37.5%

12.5%~25%

0%~12.5%

<0%

B attery life

LED1 LED2 LED3 LED4 C urrent battery life

90 %~100%

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 22 | 80 %~ 90 %

70 %~ 80 %

60 %~ 70 %

50 %~ 60 %
40 %~ 50 %

30 %~ 40 %

20 %~ 30 %

L ess than 20 %



### 4

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

environment that is between

- 20 °C to 50 °C

. B oth charging and discharging should be in an environment

where the relative humidity is lower than 80%.

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

be turned on. U sers should then fully recharge the battery to maximum capacity. This power cycling

proc edure will ensure the battery is working at its optimal level.

4. F or long term storage please p lace the battery with only a 40~50% capacity in a strong battery box
securely. W e recommend discharging and charging the battery completely once every 3 months to keep it in good condition. The capacity should be varie d in such a cycle ( 40%~50% )

— 0%

— 100%

— ( 40%~50% )

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

Please completely discharge a batter y prior to disposal

. 6. It’s suggested that you purchase a new battery if the current battery is swollen or damaged in any way.

7. Never try to recharge or fly with a battery that is swollen or damaged in any way.

8. Never charge the battery unattended. Always charge the battery on a non

- flammable surface such as
concrete and never near any flammable materials.

9. S afety is extremely important and users can get more information in the DISCLAIMER.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 23 | 

## 5 Calibrating the Compass
IMPORTANT: Make sure to perform the Compass Calibration procedure s prior to the first flight.

The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference which cause s abnormal compass data and lead s to

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


### 5

. 1 Calibration Warnings

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

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

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

. 

### 5 .2 Calibration Procedures Please carry out the calibrating procedures in the flight field before flight. Please watch the quick start video of the

PHANTOM 2 for more compass calibration details.



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

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 24 | 

## 6 Flight
6 .1 Flying Environment Requirements ( 1 ) Before your first flight, please allow yourself some flight training (Using a flight simulator to practice flying, getting instruction from an experienced person, etc.). ( 2 ) D O NOT fly in bad weather, such as rain or wind (more than moderate breeze) or fog. ( 3 ) The flying field should be open and void of tall buildi ngs or other obstacles; the steel structure within buildings may interfere with the compass. ( 4 ) Keep the aircraft away from obstacles, crowds, power lines, trees, lakes and rivers etc. ( 5 ) Try to avoid interference between the remote controller and other wireless equipment (No base

stations or cell towers around ). ( 6 ) The flight control system will not work properly at the South Pole or North Pole. ( 7 ) N ever use the aircraft in a manner that infringes upon or contravenes international or domestic lays and regulations.



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

. Push the sticks according to one of the options

below to start motors. Once the motors have started , release both stick s simultaneously. The same CSC is used to

st op the motors

.

F igure 6

- 1


### 6 .3 Takeoff/Landing Procedures
1. Start by placing the PHANTOM 2 on the ground with the battery level indicator s facing you

. 2. T urn on the remote controller

. 3. Power on the aircraft by turning on the intelligent battery

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

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

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

. R efer to < Remote Contr oller Operation >

for more details.

6. Be sure you are hovering over a level surface. Pull down the throttle stick to descend. The stick will lock into

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 25 |

place and the aircraft will descend steadily.

7. After landing, leave the throttle stick down for 3 to 5 second s to stop the motors. Return throttle stick to
middle position after the motors have stopped.

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

aircraft to descend rapidly and drop without any type of control. ( 1 ) When the LED flight indicator blinks yellow rapidly during flight , the aircraft has entered in to
Failsafe mode , refer to <Failsafe Function> for details. ( 2 ) A low battery capacity warning is indicated by the LED flight indicator blink ing red slowly or rapidly during flight . R efer to the <Low Battery Capacity Warning Function> for details. ( 3 ) Watch the quick start video about flight for more flight information. ( 4 ) Aircraft and battery performance is subject to environmental factors such as air density and
temp erature. Be very careful when flying 3000 meters (9800 feet) or more above sea level, as battery and aircraft performance may be reduced. ( 5 ) When used with a H3

- 3D gimbal, a GoPro camera, and the iOSD mini, your Phantom 2 will be very

close to its maximum tak eoff weight. It is not recommended that you attach the Phantom 2 propeller guards at this weight. Otherwise, the aircraft will be unable to fly normally.


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

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

. ( 3 ) The aircraft has flown out of the effective co mmunication range of the remote controller

. ( 4 ) There is an obstacle obstructing the signal between the remote controller and the aircraft, essentially reducing the distance the signal can travel. ( 5 ) There is interference causing a signal problem with the remote controller

.

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

- GPS) mode. Ready to Fly (non

- GPS)

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

Ready to Fly

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 26 | Home Point

When the aircraft is initializing the Ready to Fly status, the aircraft will record the current GPS coordinates as

the home point. I t is recommended to lift off only after Ready to Fly status is confirmed for the safety of being

able to fly back to home point successfully in case the Failsafe mode is initiated.
Go Home Procedures

Figure 6

- 2 ( 1 ) I n a Failsafe situation, if less than 6 GPS satellites are found for more than 20 seconds, the aircraft will descend automatically. ( 2 ) When the aircraft is landing automatically, users can control the aircraft’s position and altitude if the remote controller signal is recovered.
In Phantom 2 mode, users can set a new home point manually when the aircraft is in “ Ready to fly ” status as long as a home point has been recorded automatically. Q uickly flipping the S2 switch of the remote

controller from upper most to lower most positions 5 times or more w ill reset the current aircraft position as a new home point of PHANTOM 2. When successfully reset, you will see a series of rapid green blinks on the LED Flight Indicator. T he definition of “ home point ” is: ( 1 ) The home point is the place PHANTOM 2 returns to when the control signal is lost , which is

recorded last time

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

Position of Switch S1 Position

- 1 Position

- 2 Position

- 3 (No triggering the Failsafe)

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

- 1,

toggle the S1 switch to any other position once to regain control

. I f remote controller ’s signal is recovered, control is returned back to the pilot. R egain control as soon as signal is

recover ed.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 27 | 

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

less than 15 % power

. ( 1 ) When battery power drops below 30% and LED indicator will blink red slowly

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

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

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

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

cause a communication failure.



### 6

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

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

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

(1) The default parameters in the Assistant is compl iant within the definitions of class G ruled by
ICAO. (Refer to Airspace Classification to get more details). As each country has its own rules,

make sure to configure the parameters to comp ly with these rules too , before using the

PHANTOM 2

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

. 

### Max Height & Radius Limits The Max Height & Radius restricts the flying height and distance. Configuration can be done in the PHANTOM 2

Assistant . Once complete, your aircraft will fly in a restricted cylinder.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 28 | Figure 6

- 3 Figure 6

- 4

Ready to Fly

Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

under the max height. Warning: Height limit

reached. None.

Max Radius The flight distance is restricted to fly

within the max radius. Warning: Distance limit

reached. Rapid red flashings

when close to the Max radius limit.

Ready to Fly(non

- GPS)

Flight Limits Ground Station Rear LED flight indicator

Max Height The flight height is restricted to fly

under the minor height between the Max height and 120m. Warning: Height limit reached.

None.

Max Radius Not limited, no warnings or LED indicators.

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

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



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

- safe/category

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

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 29 | Category A Category B

Ready to Fly

Airspace Limits Rear LED Flight Indicator

A Orange Motors will not start.

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

- GPS) mode and Ready to Fly mode activates, it will
automatically descend and land then stop its motors.

B

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

(non

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

.

C

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

Category A, the aircraft can fly free, but it will not enter Airspace B through Boundary b & d. Around Category B sites, the phantom can fly freely, but it will not enter into Airspace A through Bou ndary a.
D

Blue No restrictions. None.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 30 |

Semi

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

once the motors have stopped. There is no need to toggle the S1 switch.
(1) When flying in the airspace (A/B/C) of restricted special area, LED flight indicators will blink red
quickly and continue for 3 seconds, then switch to indicate current flying status and continue for 5 seconds at which point it will switch back to red blinking.
(2) For safety reasons, please do not fly close to airports, highways, railway stations, railway l ines, city centers and other special areas. Try to ensure the aircraft is visible.



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

The following table demonstrates all the cases( √ : available; × :unavailable ). All flights are restricted by height, distance and special areas simultaneously.

Phantom mode

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

- GPS) × √ ×

Naza

- M mode

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

GPS ≥ 6 √ √ √

< 6 × √ ×

ATTI. ≥ 6 √ √ ×

< 6 × √ ×

Manual ≥ 6 × × ×

< 6 × × ×


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

administrative rules and social habits thereof.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 31 | 

## 7 Assistant Installation and Configuration
7. 1 Install ing Driver and PHANTOM 2 Assistant
Install ing and run ning on Windows

1. Download driver installer and Assistant installer in EXE format from the download page of PHANTOM 2

on the DJI website.
2. Connect the PHANTOM 2 to a PC via a Micro

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

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

Install ing and run ning on Mac OS X

1. Download the Assistant installer in DMG format from the download page of PHANTOM 2 on the DJI

website.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts to finish installation.

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

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

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

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

- clicking

the PHANTOM 2 icon in the Finder or using Launchpad.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 32 |

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

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



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

- USB

cable. DO NOT disconnect until configuration is finished.

2. Run the PHANTOM 2 Assistant and wait for the PHANTOM 2 to connect to the Assistant

. Observe the

indicators on the bottom of the screen. When connected successfully, the connection indicator is

and communication indicator is blinking

. 3. Choose [Basic] or [Advanced] configuration page s

. 4. View and check the current configuration in the [View] page.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 33 |

( 1 ) Users should not enable the Naza

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

- M mode is enabled, users can

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

Naza

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

Naza

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

- M

mode

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

. All parameters

will be returned to factory settings

. 

### 7

. 3 F irmware upgrade of PHANTOM 2
Please re fer to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant to install d river and PHANTOM RC Assistant
, and then follow the
procedure s below to upgrade the software and firmware; otherwise the PHANTOM 2 might not work properly

. 1. An internet connection is required to upgrade PHANTOM 2’s firmware.

2. Click the [ U pgrade] icon to check the current firmware version and whether the installed firmware is the

latest version

. I f not, click the relative links to upgrade.

3. Be su re to wait until the Assistant shows “finished”. Click OK and power cycle the PHANTOM 2 after 5

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

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

F irmware upgradable items: ( 1 ) Main Controller ( 2 ) P330CB (Main Board) ( 3 ) Receiver ( 4 ) Gimbal

C MU ( 5 ) Gimbal IMU ( 6 ) Battery



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

.

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 34 |

1. Turn off the remote controller and find the Micro

- USB port on the bottom of it.

2. Start up the PC, power on the remote controller , and then connect the remote controller to the PC with a

Micro

- USB cable. DO NOT disconn ect until the configuration is finished.

3. Run the PHANTOM RC Assistant and wait for the remote controller to connect to the Assistant

. Observe

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

indicator is and communication indicator is blinking

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

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

.

M ain P age of the 2.4G Hz Remote Controller

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 35 | 

## 8 Appendix
8. 1 Specification s 

## A ircraft
O perating environment temperature

- 10 °C to 50 °C

P ower consumption 5.6W

S upported Battery DJI Intelligent battery

W eight (including the battery) 1000g

Take

- off W eight ≤ 1300g Hovering Accuracy ( Ready to Fly ) Vertical: 0.8m ; Horizontal: 2.5m Max Yaw Angular Velocity 200°/s

Max Tilt Angle 35° Max Ascent / Descent Speed Ascent: 6m/s; Descent: 2 m/s

Max Flight Speed 15 m/s (Not Recommended)

W heelbase 350mm 

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

- 9 7 dBm

W orking Current/Voltage 1 2 0 mA@ 3.7 V

Built

- in LiPo Battery Working Current/Capacity 3.7V, 2000mAh 

## DJ I Intelligent Battery

T ype 3S LiPo Battery

C apacity 5200mAh
, 11.1V Charging Environment R ange 0 °C to 40 °C Discharging Environment R ange

- 20 °C to 50 °C



### 8

. 2 LED Flight Indicators Description
A ircraft in Normal status 

### D escriptions

Power On Self

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

- GPS)


### Aircraft in abnormal status 

### W arnings and errors

Remote Controller Signal Lost

1 st Level Low Battery Capacity Warning

### ©2013

- 201 5 DJI . All Rights Reserved. 36 | 2 nd Level Low Battery Capacity Warning
Not Stationary or Sensor Bias is too big

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

- magnetic interference or
the compass needs calibration.

* U sers can connect to the PHANTOM 2 Assistant to get detailed information about warnings and errors.

# A ppendix B

Kenneth Banks

H OUSTON AREA 5 MILE AIRPORT RADIUS M AP

# A ppendix C

Kenneth Banks

P ERSONAL PROTOCOLS & CONTROLS CHECKLIST

# Name : _______________ Date : ________________

Kenneth Banks, Houston KACO

— Houston, Texas 1 

# Personal Safety Protocols & Control s Checklist : PHANTOM 2 Safety for the public on the ground as well as manned aircraft is an essential and utmost priority for aerial videos and photography. Safety protocols and controls must be closely followed through pre

- flight preparation and during and after flight.



# PREFLIGHT PROTOCOL Inspect UAS Check batteries for leaks and damage Inspect propellers for cracks, chips, or other damage Ensure flight battery is fully charged with voltage meter Ensure remote controller battery is fully charged Ensure Wi

- Fi range extender is fully charged Ensure camera is fully charged Verify Satellite Connections Inspect Surroundings Is the area wide open? Is the area away from people and property? Is the area clear of flocks of birds? Are you within 5 miles of airport airspace? ( Consult airport radius map ) Are you in the optimal point of control for best visual site of UAS Check weather forecasts for conditions that may affect flight Post warning signs if within 150 f eet of residential street: “ ATTENTI ON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN PROGRESS

- REMAIN BACK 150 FEET!”



# AFTER TAKEOFF PROTOCOL Hover approximately 10 feet above ground to confirm UAS is under user control Test all control sticks to ensure they are working correctly while in hover Wait f or strong GPS connection



# FLIGHT PROTOCOL Take off and land from same location Remain alert to birds, weather, other aircraft, public activity, and approaching vehicles Do not allow anyone to engage in conversation or other distraction Restrict flight to minimal elevation Remain prepared for emergency landing at all times Pay attention to flight time (use timer as safety alert)

# Name : _______________ Date : ________________

Kenneth Banks, Houston KACO

— Houston, Texas 2 

# END OF O PERATION PROTOCOL End camera/video recorder Confirm clear and safe landing zone Shut down propulsion immediately following landing Remove battery Turn off transmitter
In spect UAS for worn/damaged parts Remove residential warning signs



# IF EMERGENCY OR SUSPECTED HAZARD Immediately land UAS at safest and clos et ground location in the event that: Manned aircraft is heard/seen in the vicinity of flight A public gathering of observers within established safety boundaries occurs Pilot becomes distracted from focusing on flight and safety Sudden change in weather conditions (ie, wind bursts, rain) Sudden increase in vehicular traffic Flock of birds enters into the proximity of flight Any and ALL sudden unsafe events that can cause collision, distraction or unsa fe interruption of control

# A ppendix D

Kenneth Banks

SAFETY FLIGHT MANUAL

## Safety Flight Manual : Phantom 2 Aerial Community and Real Estate Videos

Safety for public on the ground as well as manned aircraft above is an essential and utmost consideration for aerial videos and photography. Maintaining a record of safe flight for FAA request and for determining future UAS safety protocols is imperative.



## Date: Location:

Pre

- flight Inspection: Yes No Comment:

Nearest major intersection:
Proximity to medium traffic road:

Proximity to heavily traveled roadway road:

Proximity to congested population:

Unedited flight video/photos available for FAA upon written request within 180 days of flight: Yes No

kb Kenneth Banks
, Houston KACO
, Houston, Texas 

## Additional Comments: Safety Concerns: Approx. Takeoff Time Approx. Landing Time Estimated Elevation Proximity to airport: (see attached map pinpointing approximate location of flight) Airport notified Yes No Date: Time: Phone Number: Contact Name: Elements (circle) (circle) 

## Comment Weather Good Fair Visibility Good Fair Wind Speed Low Medium