Draganfly SAVS Assembly instructions

1
DraganflyerSAVSManual
DraganflyInnovationsInc.
2108St.GeorgeAvenue
Saskatoon,SK S7M0K7Canada
18009799794/3069559907
www.rctoys.com[email protected]

2
WARNINGS
TheDraganflyerhelicopterisnotatoy.Thisisaprecisionmachinethatisvulnerabletomisuseandcan
provetobedangerousifnotproperlymaintainedorusedinaninappropriatemanor.
Throughoutthismanual,lookforthissymbol,whichwillbeusedtoremindyouaboutsafe
operatingprocedures.
Helicoptersbytheirnaturearenotpositivelystable.EvenifassembledandadjustedproperlytheDra
ganflyerwillnotholdaparticularpositionwithoutconstantcorrectionsfromtheoperatorandwillnot
automaticallyrecoverfromanunwantedattitudewithoutintervention.Pleasecompletelyreadandun
derstandallinstructionalinformationbeforeattemptingtoflytheDraganflyer.
Toprovideoptimumperformance,yourDraganflyerispoweredbyaLithiumPolymerbattery.The
samepropertiesthatmakethesebatteriesextremelypowerfulandlightweightalsomakethemdangerous
ifhandledincorrectly.Pleasereadandunderstandallinformationpertainingtothebatterybeforeat
temptingtouseorchargeit.
IFMISUSEDTHISAIRCRAFTISCAPABLEOFCAUSINGSERIOUSBODILYHARMTOTHE OP
ERATORANDSPECTATORSASWELLASPROPERTYDAMAGE.ANYDAMAGE ORINJURY
OCCURRINGDUETOMISUSEOFTHISPRODUCTISSOLELYTHEOPERATOR’SRESPONSI
BILITY.
WARNING!THISPRODUCTCONTAINSCHEMICALS WHICHAREKNOWNBY THESTATEOF
CALIFORNIATOCAUSECANCER,BIRTHDEFECTSAND/OROTHERREPRODUCTIVEHARM.
Manycommonmaterialssuchasmetals,plastics,glues,lubricantsandothercoatingscontainchemicals
invaryingamountandconcentrationswhichwillcauseharmifintroducedintothehumanbody.Forfur
therinformationontoxicordangerouschemicalspleaserefertoCalifornia’shealthandsafetycodes
sections25249.513
8/16/07

3
TheDraganflyerSAVS
CongratulationsonyourpurchaseoftheDraganflyerStabilizedAerialVideo
System(SAVS).Followingtheseinstructionscanhelpyourapidlyaddaerial
videotoyourlistofvaluedproductionservices.
CONTENTS
TheEssentials
SafetyFirst  Page3
TheSimulator  Page3
PreflightTheHelicopter Page4
PreflightFlyingConditionsPage4
FirstFlightsPage6
TheDetails
SafetyPrecautionsPage8
BatterySystemCarePage9
TheCameraSystemPage10
TechnicalSpecificationsPage12
VideographyTipsPage14
FlightControlsPage15
FlightTraining Page15
PreflightChecksPage19
ThermalIntelligencePage20
MaintenancePage21
TroubleshootingPage22
OrderingParts
&AccessoriesPage27
TheEssentials
SafetyFirstAlwaysAPriority
Usedcorrectly,theDraganflyerSAVSwillprovideexcellentaerial
videoproduction.Usedincorrectly,however,itcanresultinbodily
harmtoyouorothersandcanalsocausesignificantpropertydam
age.
•Don’tflyoverorclosetocrowdsorclosetoyourself.
•Usingincorrectstartup orshutdownprocedurescan
causesuddenuncontrolledstartupandincreasestheriskof
injury.
•MaintaintheDraganflyerasrecommendedinthismanual.
•Flyonlyunderacceptableweatherandfieldconditions.
•CarefullyfollowinstructionsforuseandcareoftheLithium
Polymerbatteries.
•Readthecompletesafetysectionin“TheDetails.”
TheSimulatorFlyMore,CrashLess
Ifyouareanexperiencedradiocontrolhelicopterpilot,youcanlift
theDraganflyerSAVSout oftheboxandbeginflying.Ifnot,you
willneedtolearnpilotingskills.DraganflyInnovationshascre
atedagreattooltohelp.IncludedwiththispackageistheDragan
flyerSimulatorprogramforyourPC.Yourlearningtimetomove
frombeginnertoexpertwillbemuchshorterandalotlessfrustrat
ingifyouspendacoupleofhourswiththisprogram.Thesimula
tormanualcontainssetupinstructionsplusfourvaluablelessonsto
getyoustarted.

4
PreflightTheHelicopter
CheckthepackinglistenclosedwithyourDraganflyertoensurethatyouhave
receivedallofthenecessarycomponentsandthatnonearebrokenordamaged.
Ifanythingisamiss,immediatelycontactDraganflyInnovations.
YourDraganflyerwasfullyassembledandtestflownbeforebeingpackedand
shippedtoyou.Forthisreason,itispossibletotakeitrightoutoftheboxand
beginflying.Thisisnotrecommendedunlessyouareanexperiencedradio
controlhelicopterpilot.
Instead,werecommendalittledisassemblybeforeyoubeginflying.Because
aninadvertentcrashcoulddamageordestroyyourcamerasystem,we
recommendtakingitoffthehelicopteruntilyouhaveenoughexperiencetobe
confidentinyourflyingability.
Howtoremovethecamerasystem:
· Disconnectthecablebetweenthevideoboardandthecamera.Then
disconnectthepowercablebetweenthemaincircuitboardandthe
videoboard.
· Removethefournuts,theclearLexanplate,the4nylonverticalriser
extensions,andtheprintedcircuitboardbaseplate.
· Loosenthecameramountingscrewsandremovethecamera.
· Replacethecameramountingscrewsensuringtheyaresnugbutnot
overtightened.
· Installthecarbonfiberbaseplate(withVelcrofacingup)inplaceof
thevideoboard andfasteninplacewiththe4acornnuts.
*Seepage11forinstructionsonreinstallingthecamera.
Thetransmitterforthehelicopterhasadetachableantennaanditneedstobeinstalledbeforeflying.The
silveradapterontheantennatwistsontotheadapter onthetransmitter.Wheninplaceyouwillbeable
tofeelandseeitlockinplace.
Aswithmostequipmentofthistype,youwillneedtochargethebatteriesforthehelicopterandthe
transmitter.Pleaserefertothe“Battery”sectioninDetailsforinstructions.Initialchargingtime16
hoursforthetransmitterand1.5hoursforthehelicopter,sothisisagoodtimetocarefullyreadthrough
thismanualaswellasinstallandusethesimulatorprogramtobeginthelearningprocess.
PreflightFlyingConditions
AsyoulearntoflytheDraganflyerSAVSandcaptureaerialvideo,youshouldpaycloseattentionto
flyingconditions.Perhapsthemostideallocationforyourinitialflightsisalargeflatopenfieldwithno
nearbyobstructions.Itwouldbegreatifatleastaportionofthefieldiscoveredintallgrass.Thistype
oflocationismoreforgivingofthoseinevitablebumpsyoumayexperienceduringyourfirstflights.Be
foreyourfirstflight,walkaround theareatomakesuretherearenohiddenobstacles,potholesordebris
thatmightruinyourexperience.
Payingattentiontoweatherconditionsisimportant.Becauseofitssize,theDraganflyerSAVScanbe
significantlyaffectedbywind.Youcanlearnbestby flyinginlittleornowind.Also,becausetheelec
tronicsonthehelicopterareextremelysensitivetomoisture,itshouldneverbeflownoutdoorsinrainy
weather.

5
TransmitterControls
ArmingButtonOn/OffSwitch
OnBoardControls
ThermalIntelligenceSwitch
Up:Activecontrol (Maximumresponse)
Down:Training/Video(Dampenedcontrol)
On/OffSwitch
Elevator
(pitch:forward/backward)
Aileron
(roll:right/left)
Throttle
Yaw
(rotate)
TrimControls

6
FirstFlights
Ifyoucanansweryestothefollowingchecklistquestions,thenyouarereadyforyourfirstflight:
 Haveyoucheckedthatyouhaveall of thecomponentsofyoursystem?
 Haveyoucompletedsimulatortraining,includingthefourpracticelessons?
 Haveyouchargedboththetransmitterandhelicopterbatteries?
 Haveyouchosenanappropriateflyinglocationbasedonourrecommendations?
 Haveyouremovedandcarefullystoredthevideosystem?
OnTheField
Caution:Thefollowingstartupsequenceismandatory.Failuretofollowthesestepscanresult in
theDraganflyerpoweringupsuddenlyanduncontrollably.Thiscaninjureyouanddamagethe
Draganflyer.
1. Makesurethedetachableantennaisinstalledandlockedontopofthetransmitter.Failure todo so canresult
inproblemswhenflying.Makesurethethrottlecontrolisatitslowestlevel.
2. Turnthetransmitter“On.”Open thefoldedrotorbladesandalignthem.(Donotskipthisstep!)
3. Setthetransmitterflightmodeswitchtothe“Training/VideoPosition.”ReadtheDetailssectiontounder
standwhatthisswitchdoes.
4. YouhavetwoothermodesofflightfortheDraganflyer:withThermalIntelligence“On”orwithit“Off.”For
yourfirsttrainingflightswerecommendthattheThermalIntelligenceswitchbeturned“Off.”Thisinvolves
bothturningtheThermalIntelligencetransmitterswitch“Off”andusingthearmingsequenceshownbelow.
5. InstallandconnecttheDraganflyer’sbattery.TurntheDraganflyerpowerswitch“On.”
6. AdvancethethrottleonthetransmitterandobservetheredlightontopoftheDraganflyer.Itshouldconfirm
thatthetransmitterandDraganflyerarecommunicatingproperlybyblinkingmorerapidlyasthethrottleis
advancedandmoreslowlyasthethrottleisreduced.Return thethrottletoitslowestsetting.
7. Thenextstepis“arming”thehelicopterwithoneofthesequencesbelow:
8.YourDraganflyerisreadytofly
ThermalIntelligenceOff
i. SettheThermalIntelligence
switchonthetransmitterto
“Off.”
ii. Holdingthehelicopteron
theground,reachintothe
canopywithafingerand
pressthe“armingbutton.”
iii. Theredlightontopofthe
‘copterwillnowblinkmore
slowly.
ThermalIntelligenceOn
i. SettheThermalIntelligenceswitchonthetransmitterto
“On”
ii. Holdthehelicopteratarmslength,baseplatefacingyou,
LED’sfacingup,whilestandinginagrassyarearatherthan
onconcreteorasphalt.
iii. ChecktoseethateitheroneortwoofthegreenLED’sare
lighted.
iv. Reachintothecanopywithafingerandpressthe“arming
button.”
v. Theredlightontopofthe‘copterwillblinkmoreslowly.
vi. TeachtheDraganflyerwhatlevelis.Placethehelicopter
onalevelsurface.Standinfrontofit1015feetaway and
holdtheleftcontrolstickfulldownandrightforacouple
ofseconds.ThetwogreenLEDswillblinktoconfirmthat
thelevelpositionhasbeensaved.

7
Duringthearmingsequence,alwaysbepreparedforthemotorstoturn on!Iftheydocomeon,the
factthatyouarecarefullyholdingthehelicopterwillpreventinjuryordamage.Ifyoucan’tthrottle
themotorsback,turnthehelicopterpowerswitch“Off”anddisconnectthebattery.Ifreviewofthe
TroubleshootingSectionofthismanualdoesnotidentifytheproblem,contactDraganflyInnovations.
•Throttleupandmakeyourtrimadjustments.It’sbettertomovetoahardsurfacetodothissoyoucanobserve
thehelicoptersmovementswithoutliftingoff.Themoretimeandcareyoutakeinsettingthetrimthemorelikely
thatthehelicopterwillliftoffintoastablehover.Keepinmindthatthetrimadjustmentsmayinteract.Thatis,
whenyoutrimoutyawmovement,itmaycauseapreviousadjustmenttoworsen.Thesearevery subtle effects
anditiseasytoovercorrect.Withexperienceandflighthours,thisprocesswillgeteasier.Thegoalofthisstepis
fortheDraganflyertoliftstraightupandnotdriftsignificantlyinanydirection.
•Useyourexperiencewiththe simulatortoguideyourfirstflights.Ontheinitialflightsgetafeelforthecontrols.
Developanunderstandingofwhatthehelicopterisdoingandhowyoushouldreact.BynotusingThermalIntel
ligence,thehelicopterwillbereactingonlytoyourmanipulationofthecontrols.However,useofTraining/Video
modewillmakethehelicopterreactmoregentlytoyourmovementofthecontrols.Aftertheexperienceofsev
eralflights,youcanmovetotheActivemodepositionandgetafeelformoreinstantreactionstoyouruseofthe
controls.
•Onafullychargedbattery,theDraganflyerwillstayairborneforabout12 to15minutes.Asthebatterynears
discharge,theDraganflyerwillautomaticallybegintoreduceitspowerconsumption.Youwillnoticethatitwill
takeincreasesinthrottletokeeptheaircraftatagivenaltitude.Whenyounoticethis,prepareforlandingimme
diatelywhileyoustillhavesufficientcontrol.
•Attheendofyourflight,thisshutdownprocedureMUSTbefollowedexactly.
Caution:Thefollowingendofflightsequenceismandatory.Failuretofollowthesestepscanresultthethe
Draganflyerpoweringupsuddenlyanduncontrollably.Thiscaninjureyouorothersanddamage
theDraganflyer.
•TurntheDraganflyerpowerswitch“Off.”
•DisconnecttheDraganflyer’sbattery.
•TurntheTransmitterpowerswitch“Off.”

8
Details
Wegaveyoutheessentialsfirstbecauseweknow
thelastthingyouwanttodoisspendtimereading
throughalongboringmanual.Butasyoubecome
familiarwiththeDraganflyer,weknowyouwillwant
toknowmoredetailsaboutitsoperationandcare.
CONTENTS
TheEssentials
SafetyFirst  Page3
TheSimulator  Page3
PreflightTheHelicopter Page4
PreflightFlyingConditionsPage4
FirstFlightsPage6
TheDetails
SafetyPrecautionsPage8
BatterySystemCarePage9
TheCameraSystemPage10
TechnicalSpecificationsPage12
VideographyTipsPage14
FlightControlsPage15
FlightTraining Page15
PreflightChecksPage19
ThermalIntelligencePage20
MaintenancePage21
TroubleshootingPage22
OrderingParts
&AccessoriesPage27
SafetyPrecautions
• AlwaysturntheDraganflyeroffbeforeturningoffthetransmit
ter.FailuretodosocouldcausetheDraganflyertobecomeair
borneandoutofcontrolresultingininjuryordamage.Wecan
notstressthisenough!
• DonotflymultipleDraganflyerssimultaneouslyonthesame
frequencyastheywillinterferewitheachotherandcausea
crash.
• Donotflyoutsideonrainyorwindydaysoratnight.
• Donotflynearpeopleonthegroundorobjectsintheair.
• Donotflynearhightensionlines,electricalsubstations,high
structuresorcommunicationfacilities.
• Ifyouplacethetransmitteronthegroundduringflightprepara
tions,besurethatthewindcannotknockitoverasthismay
causeseriousdamage.
• Neverflythisaircraftwheredamagetopropertyorinjurytoper
sonsmayresultiflossofcontroloccurs.
• NeverleavetheDraganflyerunattendedwiththebatterycon
nectedtoit.Alwaysdisconnectthebatterywhennotflying.
• AlwaysbesuretoeitherenableordisabletheThermalIntelli
gencebeforeeachflight.
• ThermalIntelligenceshouldonlybeenabledforoutdooruse.

9
BatterySystemCare
YourDraganflyerhelicoptercomeswithalithiumpolymerbat
terybalance chargerandaseparatetransmitterbatterycharger.
The balance chargerispoweredby apowersupply,whichoper
atesfromastandard110Vwalloutlet,orinternationaloutletsup
to240Vwhenusedwiththeappropriateplugadapter.The power
supplyoutputplugconnectstothe sideof the balance charger.
The balance chargerconnectstotheDraganflyerflightbattery
withashort chargingcable. TofullychargetheLithiumPolymer
batteryfortheDraganflyeritwilltakebetween1.5 and2hours,
oncecompletedthechargerwillturnoff.Thetransmitterwall
chargeralsooperatesfromastandard110Vwalloutlet,anditsoutputplugsintothechargejackonyourtransmitter.The
NiCadbatterypackintheradiotransmitterwilltakebetween14and16hoursforafullcharge,thechargerwillnotturnoff
oncethebatteryischarged andmustbeunplugged afterthe recommendedchargetimehaselapsed.TheNiCadbatterypack
inthetransmittercanexhibit“memory.”Forthisreasonitisimportanttousethebatteryuntilit dropsto about9.6voltsbe
forerecharging.
BEFORECHARGINGPLEASEUNDERSTANDALLBATTERYSAFETYINFORMATION
ChargingProcedure:
· Alwayschargeyourbatteriesonanonflammablesurfaceandensure that therearenoflammableobjectsintheneararea.
· Connectthepoweradaptertothe inputontheside of the balance chargerand thenplugitintoanACwalloutlet.The
powerlightonthe balance chargerwillcomeontoindicateitisreceiving power.
· TochargetheLithiumPolymermainflightbattery,first plugthechargecableintothefourpinreceptacleonthefrontof
thebalancechargerandthenconnectthe smallfourpinplugonyourflightbattery totheotherendofthechargecable.
Whenconnected, thechargelightwill beginflashingtoindicatecharging istakingplace. Ensurethatthemainbattery
plugisnotconnectedtoanythingwhenchargingistakingplace.Oncecompletelycharged,the chargelightwillstayon.
· TochargeasecondLithiumPolymerbattery,justdisconnectthechargedbatteryandconnectthebatteryyouwishto
charge.
· Whenthechargerisnotinuse,besuretodisconnectthepoweradaptorfromthewalloutlet.
· Tochargethetransmitterbattery,connect theroundleadfromthetransmitterchargerto
thechargingjackonthesideofthetransmitter,andplugthetransmitterchargerintoan
ACwalloutlet. Takecaretoensure that youdonotconnectthepowersupplyforthe
balancechargerbymistake,asthiswillcausedamagetoyourtransmitter.Whenprop
erlyconnected,theredlightlabeled“TX”willturnon.Chargingtakes14to 16hours
forafullcharge.Note thestarttimebecausetheredlightdoesnotgooffwhencharging
iscomplete.Note:theflatsquareplugonthetransmitterchargerisunused.
· Donotleavethetransmitteronchargeforextendedperiods(morethan2days)asthe
batterymaybecomeoverchargedanddamaged.Inextremecasesthismaycauseafire.
Youmaynoticethatthechargerandbatterybecomewarmduringcharging,thisisnormal.However,if eitherthebatteryor
chargerbecometohottocomfortablyhold, discontinuechargingimmediately.Tohelppreventthebatteryfromoverheating
duringchargingorinflight,allowthebatterytocooldownbeforeusingorcharging.Thiswillnotonlygetyoubetterflight
performancebutalsolongerbatterylife.
Neverleavechargingbatteriesunattended.

10
TheSAVSCameraSystem
YourDraganflyerSAVScomeswiththecomponentslistedbelow.Pleasecheckthepackagecontentsagainstthe
listandifyoufeelthatanyitemsaremissingpleasecontactDraganflyInnovationsbeforeuse.
1–1/3inchCCDcamerawithwhitebalance
1–Antivibrationcameramount
1–Baseplate2.4GHztransmittercircuit
1– Clearprotectorplate
1–3pinpowerlead
4–Nylonverticalriserextensions
BaseStationincluding:
1–Diversity2.4GHzreceiver
2– Circularpatchantennas
1–3cell1320mAhbatteryforreceiverpower
1–Videocable
1–Voltagecutoff(9volt)
• TheSAVSvideosystem transmitsvideoonly.
• The SAVSvideosystem hasbeenpreinstalledandtestflown.However,unlessyouareanexperiencedhelicop
terpilot,youshouldfirstflythehelicopterwithoutthecamerauntilyouareconfidentofyourskill.
• Bestvideoresultsareachievedwhenthereisaclear“lineofsight”betweenthe SAVSvideo transmitterandthe
receiver.
• Don’tflyclosetoobstaclessuchastrees,walls,cars,orbuildings.
• Interferencefromcertainelectronicequipmentand 2.4GHzdevicescanlimittherangeandqualityofthevideo.
• Forbestreception,positiontheantennasofthereceiver1.5to2metersabovetheground,pointedinthedirec
tionoftheDraganflyer.
• Donottouchtheantennaswheninuseasthiswillcauseinterference.
• The SAVSvideosystem doesnotcomewithaviewingorrecordingdevice.Acamcorder,digitalvideore
corder,oranydevicecapableofacceptingstandardanalogvideoisrequiredinordertodisplayorrecordvideo.
Precautions
• Toavoidtheriskofdamagetothe SAVSvideosystem,useonlythesuppliedpowerconnectors.
• Donotplaceanycomponentsnearasourceofheatasthismaycausetheequipmenttooverheat.
• Avoidhumidconditionsascondensationmayforminsidethecameraandcausedamage.Ifthecamerasystem
appearstobewetorcondensationoccurs,discontinueuseuntilthecamerasystemhascompletelydried.
• Neverpaintorattachmetallicstickersofanykindtoanyofthecomponentsinthecamerasystem.
• Donotoperatethe SAVSvideosystem intemperaturesexceeding 104degreesF(40degreesC)orbelow14
degreesF(10degreesC)

11
Uninstalling/InstallingtheSAVSCameraSystem
YourDraganflyerSAVScomescompletewiththeSAVSvideosystem preinstalled.However,fortrain
ingpurposeswerecommendthatyouremovethecamerasystem.Onceyouarecomfortableflyingthe
Draganflyeryoucaneasilymountthecamerausingthefollowingsteps.
• Removethe4nylonacornnutsandcarbonfiberbaseplatefromtheverticalrisers
• Removetheleftandrearboltsfromthecentercrosspiece
• Slidethecenterpivotofthecameramountthroughthemotionlimiterringandpositionitsothebrass
eyeletsareintheleftandrearboltholesofthecentercrosspiece
• Installandtightentheleftandrearcentercrosspiecebolts; donotovertighten
• Installthebaseplatecircuitboardontothefourverticalriserswiththepopulatedsideoftheboardon
thebottomofthehelicopter.TheVelcroforthebatteryshouldbefacingupbetweentheleftandrear
motors
• Threadthenylonverticalriserextensionsontothebottomoftheverticalriserssecuringthebaseplate
circuitboardinplace
• InstalltheclearLexan protectorplateandfouracornnutsontotheverticalriserextensions
• Locatethevideocameraconnectorandplugitintothe4pinconnectorontherightsideofthebase
platecircuitboard
• Connectthepowercableintothe3pinconnectorontherightsideofthemaincircuitboardandalso
the3pinconnectorontherightsideofthebaseplateconnector
Whitebalance
YourSAVSvideosystem isequippedwithamanualwhitebalance
switch.Thisfeature tellsthecamerawhatcolor tointerpretaswhite.
Thisimprovesthequalityofcolorinyourvideo. Toactivatethe
whitebalanceonthecamerasystem,followthesesteps:
• Beforeturningyourhelicopteron,locatethewhitebalanceswitch
onthecameraenclosureandmoveittotheOFF position
• Powerupyourhelicopter
• PositionawhitesheetofpaperinfrontofthecameraandswitchthewhitebalancetotheONposition
• Waitafewsecondsbeforeremovingthepaper.LeavethewhitebalanceswitchintheONposition.
Thewhitebalanceisnowactivatedandyourcolorswillstayconsistent.
NOTE:Thewhitebalancesettingsaredeletedwhenthehelicopterturnedoff.
WhiteBalanceSwitch

12
SAVSVideoSystemTechnicalSpecifications
VideoCamera:
EffectivePictureElement: 1/3"HighResolutionCCD768(H)x494(V)Horizontal
Resolution:480Lines
SyncSystem: Internal
MinimumIllumination: 0.5Lux@F1.2,50IRE
Gamma: 0.44
WhiteBalance: manualorfullauto
ElectronicShutter: 1/60to1/100,000sec
OperatingTemperature: 14°Fto113°F(20°Cto45°)
PowerSupply: 12voltsDC
Dimensions(LxWx D): 1.28”x1.28”x1.04”(32mmx32mmx20mm)
Lenssize: 4mm
Diagonalfieldofview: 80degrees
Horizontalfieldofview: 62degrees
Verticalfieldofview: 48.5degrees
Cameratransmitter:
Operatingfrequency: 2.410GHz
2.430GHz
2.450GHz
2.470GHz
Powerconsumption: 5voltsDC
Transmissionrange: 1500feet
TransmissionPower: 50mW
Operatingtemperature: 14to104degreesF(10 to40degreesC)
Operatinghumidity: 20to80%

13
DiversityReceiver:
Switchesbetweentwoindividualreceiverstogetclearestsignal
OperatesonbothNTSCandPAL
Operatingfrequency: 2.410GHz
2.430GHz
2.450GHz
2.270GHz
Powerconsumption: 600mAat12voltsDC
Operatingtemperature: 14to104degreesF(10to40degreesC)
Operatinghumidity: 20to80%
Receiversensitivity: 83dBm
Switchingtime: <2ms
Processorspeed: 20MHz
Videooutput: standardcomposite,1voltpeaktopeak
Antennaconnections: SMAstyle
Dimensions(LxWxH): 5.4”x7.2”x1.6”(13.5cmx18.0cmx4.0cm)
GroupSetting: 2
ChannelSetting: 1
Receiverpatchantenna:
Rightandleftcircularpolarized
OperatingFrequency: 2.4to2.5GHz
Gain: 8dBi
Horizontalbeamwidth: 65degrees
Verticalbeamwidth: 65degrees
Impedance: 50Ohm
Operatingtemperatures: 40to85C
Dimensions(LxWxH) 4.5x4.5x0.9(114x114x23mm)
Radomematerial: UVinhibitedPolymer
Receiverconnections: SMAstyle

14
VideographyTips
CreatinggreatvideowiththeDraganflyerismuchlikecreatinggreatvideowithanyothertool.Every
typeofshot,beitaboomshotordollyshot,requiresskillandpractice.
So,thefirststeptogoodvideoistobecomeanexperiencedpilot.Thefastestwaytodothisistostartby
usingtheDraganflyersimulatorprogram.Acoupleofhourspracticeusingthesimulatorwillmakeyou
comfortablewiththecontrols.NextmovetotheDraganflyerwiththecamerasystemremoved.
AfteryouareconfidentflyingtheDraganflyerwithoutthecamerasystem,additbacktotheassembly.
•Planyourshotscarefully,takingintoconsiderationthelocaleandcurrentconditions.Windisnotyour
friend.Youcanflyifthereislightwindbutitwilladdasignificantlevelofdifficulty.
•Considerlightingasyouwouldanyothershot.Shootwiththesunbehindyouunlessyouaretryingto
developadramaticbacklitscene.
•Whileyoucanflyandshootalone,itisbettertohavesomeonewatchingtheincomingvideoandgiv
ingyoudirections.Flyingishardenoughwithouttryingtowatchamonitoratthesametime.
• TheDraganflyershouldbemovingbeforetheactionstartsyouwanttouseinyourshot.Thiswillal
lowyoutostabilizethehelicopterandachieveasmoothmotion.
• Film5to10secondsbeforeandaftercapturingthefootage toleaveroomforeditinglater.
•Planseveral takesvaryingyourspeedandothermovements.Thiswillgiveyoumorechoiceswhen
youedit.
•Trydifferentmotionapproaches.Rememberthatrisingverticallyismoreeasilycontrolledthande
scending.
•Instablehover,usetheyawcontrol(leftstick)tocreateaslowcircularpan.
•Combinemovementslikeliftingoffwhileusingyawtocreateinterestingnewperspectives.
OnceyouareconfidentinyourabilitytomaketheDraganflyergowhereyouwantittogotheskyisno
longerthelimit.Besafe,havefunandcreateawesomevideo.

15
FlightControlsandFlightTraining
TheflightcontrolsusedontheDraganflyeroperateindependentlyofoneanotherandeffectthehelicop
terindifferentways.In order tosuccessfullyfly theDraganflyer,allofthecontrolswillneedtobeused
simultaneously.However,wewillfirstreviewtheirindividualfunctionsandeffects.Theyarefairly
simpleandcanbeeasilylearnedwithpractice.
Pitch(RightStick Forward/Backward)
Movingtherightcontrolstickforwardandbackwardwillmakethehelicopterflyforwardorbackward.
When therightstickispulledback,theDraganflyerwillmovebackward.Whentherightstickispushed
forward,thehelicopterwillmoveforward.
Roll(RightStick Left/Right)
Therightcontrolstick,whenmovedleftandrightcontroltheleftandrightmotionofthehelicopter,
calledRoll.Whentherightcontrolstickismovedtotheright,theDraganflyerwilltilttotheright.
Whentherightcontrolsstickismovedtotheleft,theDraganflyerwilltilttotheleft.
ThrottleAscend/Descend(LeftStick Forward/Backward)
TheDraganflyersthrottleiscontrolledbymovingtheleftcontrolstickforwardandbackward.Whenthe
controlstickispushedforward,allofthemotorswillincreaseinspeedcausingthehelicoptertoclimb.
PullingthecontrolstickbackwardwilldecreasethespeedofallofthemotorsandtheDraganflyerwill
descend.
YawRotatingClockwise/Counterclockwise(LeftStick Left/Right)
Theruddercontrolor yaw,asitiscommonlycalled,willmaketheDraganflyerrotateorspinwhilere
mainingatthesameheightabovetheground.Thismotioniscontrolledbymovingtheleftcontrolstick
totheleftandright.BymovingthecontrolsticktothelefttheDraganflyerwillspin(yaw)totheleftor
counterclockwise.MovingthecontrolsticktotherightwillmaketheDraganflyerspin(yaw)rightor
clockwise.
TheDraganflyerisalsoprogrammedtohavetwoseparateflyingmodes,“training/video”and“active”
bothofwhichhavedifferentcharacteristics.Thetraining/videomodewillhavelessresponsivecontrols
makingtheflightsmootherandlessaggressive.WhenonactivemodetheDraganflyerisfarmorere
sponsiveandagileallowingformoreaggressivemaneuvering.Switchingbetweenthesetwoflight
modesisaccomplishedwithatoggleswitchlocatedonthetoprightcornerofthetransmitter.The
ThermalintelligencefeatureontheDraganflyeriscontrolledbythetoggleswitchonthetopleftof the
transmitter.Thisswitchwillbelabeled“thermalintelligenceon/off”.Seepage20formoredetails.
Thefollowingpagesprovideaseriesofpracticelessons.

16
Lesson1:Familiarizationandtrimming:
StartwiththeDraganflyeronasmooth,flatsurfacesuchasapaveddriveway,patioorlinoleumfloor.
SlowlyincreasethethrottleuntiltheDraganflyerjuststartstogetlightandslightlycomesoffthe
ground,donotincreasethethrottleanyfurtheratthispoint.Movethepitch(rightstick,up/downmotion)
toobserveitseffectonthehelicopter.
Repeatthiswith theroll (rightstick,left/rightmotion),andyaw(leftstick,left/rightmotion)controls
oneatatime.ByusingallofthecontrolstryyourbesttokeeptheDraganflyerstationary.The
Draganflyerwillprobablywanttowanderoffonitsowninoneormoredirections.Thisiswhatthetrim
tabsonthetransmitterarefor.Thesetrimtabsshouldbemovedintheoppositedirectionthatyour
helicopteriswandering.
Forexample,iftheDraganflyerwanttoscoottotherightyouwouldneedtoapplyleftrolltrim.When
inputtingtrimcorrectionsonlyuseverysmallamountsandobservetheeffect.InmostcasestheDragan
flyerwillbewanderinginmorethanonedirection.Startbycorrectingfortheworstnoticeablemove
mentthenmoveon tothenextone.Youshouldbecomecomfortablewithtrimmingthehelicopterasit
mayneedtobedoneafteracrashorroughlanding.Onceallofthetrimsareadjustedcorrectlyyoucan
moveon tothenextlesson
Lesson2:Basichovering
Inthislesson,wewilllifttheDraganflyeroffofthegroundasmalldistanceandpracticehoveringin
onespot.Forthislessonitisbesttoflyoveraflat,smoothsurfaceagain.Staylessthanonefootabove
theground,thiswillgreatlylessenthechancesofacrash.Rememberthatifyougetdisorientedorlose
controlsimplyreducethethrottletominimumimmediately.TrimmingtheDraganflyerisveryimportant
andmustbedoneeachflightsothatitdoesnotwanderoffonit’sown.Forsafety,standabout1520
feetawayfromtheDraganflyer,slowlyincreasethethrottleuntilitbeginstoliftofffromtheground.
Usegentle,smoothmovementsof thepitch,roll,andyawcontrolstokeepthehelicopteronastable,
levelposition.Itisimportantthatyouusetheyawcontrol(leftstick:leftandright)tokeepthefrontof
theDraganflyerpointedawayfromyourself.Atthispointdonotworryaboutmaintainingaperfect
hover,justconcentrateonkeepingtheDraganflyerlevelandwithinanimaginary10footby10foot
square.Ifthehelicopterstarts tooscillatebackandforthsimplyreducethepowertolandandstartagain.
Learningtohoveristhemostdifficultpartofflyingaradiocontrolhelicoptersoitisokifittakesa
while.
Remembertotakeabreakevery510minutestoallowtheDraganflyer’sbatteryandmotorstocool
downandtogiveyourself arest.Onceyouareabletocomfortablymaintainasteady hoverfor1–2min
utesyoucanincreasethethrottletoallowtheDraganflyertoclimbuptowaistorstomachheight(For
safetyreasons,youshouldneverflyatorneareyelevel).Atthisaltitude,controlwillactuallybeeasier,
andyoucanpracticetighteningupthatimaginarysquareuntilyoucanmaintainasteadyhover.

17
Todescendforlanding,decreasethethrottleasmallamount(23“clicks”onthethrottlestick)andal
lowtheDraganflyertogentlysettletotheground.Keeppracticinghoveringasitisarequirementbefore
beingabletotakeoffandland,aswellasperformmanyothermaneuvers.Mostpeoplewilltake12
hoursofpracticetobeabletohoversteadily,sodon’tgetdiscouragedifyoudonotpickuptheskill
immediately.
Lesson3:Movements
Thistime,wewilllearntomovetheDraganflyeraroundinahover.Thiswillteachyouhowtotransi
tionfromahovertomovingflightandbackagain.PreparetheDraganflyerusingthesamechecklistand
trimmingtechniquewehaveusedinpreviouslessons.Forthislessonyoushouldalsoselectalocation
whereyoucantakeoffandlandonasmoothsurfaceandflyoveragrassyarea.Theedgeofyourdrive
wayorpatiowouldbewellsuitedforthisiftheareaisfreeofobstructions.Ifyouarecomfortable
enough,youcanbeginthislessonbytakingoffclosertoyourself(5feetwouldbeaminimumsafedis
tance).ThiswillallowyoutokeeptheDraganflyeroverthegrassyareaforthedurationoftheflight.
Lift23feetoffthegroundandgentlypushforwardonthepitchcontrolmomentarilytomoveasafe
distanceawayfromyourself.Returnthepitchcontroltoneutralonceforwardmovementhasbegun.Pull
backgentlytocausetheDraganflyertodecelerateandthenattempttoestablishahoveratthe
waist/stomachlevel.AnytimeyougiveacontrolinputtotheDraganflyeryouwillhavetogivetheop
positecontrolinputtoleveloutthehelicopter.Soifyouinputforwardpitchthehelicopterwillcontinue
flyingforwardsuntilyougiveitanequalbackwardspitchinput.Now,imaginealargesquaredrawnon
thegroundinfrontofyou.
Usingverygentlemovementsatfirst,andkeepingthefrontoftheDraganflyerawayfromyourselfatall
times,trytoflyfromonecornerofthesquaretoanotheralongtheedges.Allowaslightdelayafteryour
controlinputfortheDraganflyertoaccelerate/decelerate.Asyoumakechangestothepitchandroll
controlsyoumayneedtoadjustthethrottletomaintainasteadyaltitude.
ItisbettertoloseasmallamountofaltitudethantoapplytoomuchthrottleandhavetheDraganflyer
climboutofyourcontrol,sobegentleonanythrottleadjustments.Useappropriatepitch/rollcontrol
inputstodecelerateasyouapproachthecornersoftheimaginarysquare.Onceyouarecomfortablefly
ingfront,back,left,orright,trycombiningthepitchandrolltoflydiagonallyacrosstheimaginary
square.Asyoupractice,slowlystartaddingmorecontrolinputstoincreasethespeedofthemovements
untilyoucanflyaroundthatimaginarysquareatacomfortablewalkingpace.
Asalways,remembertotakeabreakevery510minutes.Ifyouchoosetolandinthegrassensurethat
thethrottleisreducedtothelowestpossiblesettingonceonthegroundtoavoidstallingamotor.Take
offsfromgrassarenotrecommendedasthebladesofgrasscanbehardontherotorsanddrivetrain.
Lesson4:Orientation
TheobjectofthislessonwillbetoteachyoutocontroltheDraganflyerinorientationsotherthan“nose
out”(frontofthehelicopterpointingaway).TakeoffwiththeDraganflyerandestablishastablehover.
Keepthehelicopterfairlylowtothegroundasitislikelythatyouwilllosecontrolatleastonceduring
thislesson.
StartbyusingtheyawcontroltoslowlyrotatetheDraganflyerfromlefttorightandbackagain(donot
rotatefurtherthan1015degreesinitially).OnceyouarecomfortablespinningtheDraganflyer,startro
tatingfurtheruntilyouhavespunit90degreesfromthestartingpositionandmaintainahoverwiththis

18
orientation.ItwillhelpifyouturnsoyouarefacinginthesamedirectionasthefrontoftheDraganflyer
andwatchingitoveryourshoulder.Remembertotakeabreakevery510minutes.
OnceyoumasterhoveringtheDraganflyerwithitturned90degrees,youcanthinkaboutbeginningto
practice“nosein”flight.Todothis,youwillbebestservedtorepeatlessons1,2,and3,butcomplete
allthesewiththefrontoftheDraganflyerturnedtowardsyourself.Therollandpitchcontrolswillbe
reversedinthisorientation,sodon’trush!Learningtofly“nosein”willbejustlikelearningtoflyall
overagain,butdon’tgetdiscouraged!Trytopracticeafewminutesofnoseineachtimeyouflythe
Draganflyer,andcontinuethroughtherestoftheflyinglessons.
Lesson5:ClimbsandDescents
NowyouarereadytobeginflyingtheDraganflyerathigheraltitudes.Thehelicopterdoesnotknowit
hasgoneanyhigher,sotheonlyrealfactorhereisyourownnerves.Climbingiseasy;justaddpower
anditwillsmoothlyclimb up.Reducethethrottlesettingtohover,andtheclimbwillstopnaturally
(remember,smallmovementsareessential).Descendingismoredifficult,becausetheDraganflyer
forcesairdownwardstogeneratetheliftitneedstofly(thisiscalleddownwash),asyoudescend
vertically,youwillpassintoairthatismovingdownwards,causingthehelicoptertoaccelerateasit
descends.Tocounterthis,youcaneitherbeginthedescentandthenaddsmallamountsofpoweras
necessarytooffsetthedownwardsacceleration,oryoucandescendwhilemovingtheDraganflyer
forwards,backwards,left,orright.Descendinginthismannerwillallowyoutoflyoutsideofthe
downwashthehelicoptergenerates.Setupforthislessonbyfirstmakingsureyourbatteriesarefully
charged(becauseyouwillnowbeflyinghigherabovetheground,theriskisgreaterifthebatteriesdie
unexpectedly).
Standwellaway,asyouwillbepassingthroughyoureyelevel,andmakesureanyspectatorsarealsoa
safedistanceaway.Startbyestablishingahover,thenaddpowertoclimbtojustaboveyourhead.
Reducepowertostoptheclimb,settlebackintoahover,thenslowlydescend.Keepthefrontofthe
Draganflyerawayfromyouatalltimes.Repeatthisprocessuntilyoucanclimbanddescend
comfortably.
Nowyoucanbeginclimbinghigherandfaster.Howeverkeepinmindthatthehigheryoufly,the
greatertheriskofcausingdamageinacrash.Aswell,youshouldkeeptheremainingpowerinthe
batteryinmind,asyouwillbedrawingmorepowerfromtheflightbatterybyclimbingrepeatedly.
CONGRATULATIONS.YouhavenowlearnedtoflytheDraganflyer.Theabilitiestotransitionfrom
ahovertoaclimborsidewaysmovementwhilemaintainingdirectionalcontrolaretheessentialskills
neededtofly.Youshouldnowbeabletotakeoff,land,andflyaroundatwill.Keeppracticing,youwill
soonbeflyingjustliketheprofessionalpilotsinourvideos!
TherearetwoadditionallessonsthatwillteachyoutocontroltheDraganflyerwhileinforwardflight.
Theseareadvancedtopics,andyoushouldbeverycomfortablewithflyingaroundrapidly,climbing,
anddescendingbeforeyouattempteitherofthese.Youmayalsowanttogobackovertheprevious
lessonsexceptwiththehelicopterin“active”moderatherthan“training/video”mode.
Lesson6:IntroductiontoForwardFlight
AnytimetheDraganflyerismovinghorizontallythroughtheair,itisconsideredforwardflight;this
couldbeforwards,backwards,leftorright.Thisisanadvancedtopic,sothislessonwillbefairlybrief.
Selectalarge,openarea,awayfromanythingoranybodythattheDraganflyermightcausedamageto.
Prepareforflightandtrimthehelicopter.Beginbyestablishingahoverjustaboveyourheadandatleast
2530feetawayfromyourself.

19
Turn90degreesandstartmovingforwards.Continuetheforwardmotion,andturntobeginflyingina
circlearoundyourself.Donotflyaroundyourselfcontinuouslyasyoumaygetdizzy;instead,flyafew
circlestotheleftandthentotheright,takingbreaksoften.Trytomaintainaconstantaltitudeandto
keepthefrontoftheDraganflyercontinuouslypointedinthedirectionofmotion.Onceyoucanflycir
clesaroundyourself,tryreversingdirectionasyoucompleteeachcircleandclimbing/descendingasyou
fly.
Lesson7:AdvancedForwardFlight
Ifyouhavemasteredbasicforwardflightandnoseinflight,youaretrulyamasteroftheDraganflyer.
Flyingfigure8swillbethelasttest.Onceyoucanflythefigure8consistentlyandrepeatedly,youare
readytoperformanyotheradvancedmaneuverssuchaspirouettes,fastforward(andbackward!)flight,
rapidclimbsanddescents,andanythingelseyoucanthinkof.Pleaserememberhowever,tokeepsafety
first.It’snofunwhensomebodygetshurt.
PreflightChecks
BeforeflyingyourDraganflyeritisessential
todoapreflightchecktoensurethatyour
helicopterisingoodflightcondition.Thislist
ofsimpleprocedureswillnotonlymakeyour
flyingexperiencemoreenjoyablebutcould
alsosaveyoutimeandmoneybypreventing
inflightfailures.
• Ensurethatthebatteriesarefullycharged,a
weakhelicopter batterywillresultinpoor
flightperformance.A depletedtransmitter
batterywillleadtobadsignalreceptionand
erraticflightcharacteristics,possibly even
crashes.
• Visuallyinspectallframecomponentsfor
damagesuchascracksandbreaks.Any
damagedcomponentsshouldbereplaced
beforeattemptingtofly.
• Inspectall rotorbladestoensure thatthey
arefreeofcracks,asthismaycausethero
tortofailinflight.
• Ensureallrotormountingboltsaresecurely
tightened.Looserotormountingboltsmaycomeoutduringflight.
• CheckthemotoralignmenttoensurethatthemotorsarepointingdirectlyverticalwhentheDragan
flyerisonaflatlevelsurface.Loosenmotormountandtwisttheframetoadjust.Retightenmotor
mounts.

20
ThermalIntelligence
ThermalIntelligence(TI) isatechnologydevelopedbyDraganfly
InnovationsInc.thatmakesuseoftheprinciplethattheearthand
theskyareusuallydifferenttemperatures.Yourhelicopter
recognizesthatdifferenceandusestheinformationtohelpit
maintainlevelflight.
EachtimeyouflytheDraganflyerwiththeThermalIntelligence
enabled,youmustfirstteachthethermalsensorsthedifference
betweentheskyandtheground.Whileoutside,holdthe
DraganflyerbythebaseplatewiththeLEDsfacingtowardthe
sky.Thisorientationwillallowthethermalsensorstoseeboththegroundandsky.ThegreenLED
lightswillletyouknowhowwellthethermalintelligenceisworking,ifyoulookatthetwolightsoneof
threethingswilloccur.(AlwaysholdtheDraganflyerasafedistancefromyourfaceandeyes.)Donot
conducttheprocedurewhilestandingonasphalt.Theheatradiatingfromthesurfacemayconfusethe
thermalsensors.
• Ifbothgreenlightsareilluminated,theDraganflyerisreceivingastrongreadingofthetemperature
differencebetweentheearthandthesky andthethermalintelligencewillworkwell.
• Ifonlyonegreenlightisilluminated,theDraganflyerishavingdifficultytellingthedifferencebe
tweenskyandground.ThethermalintelligencewillworkbuttheDraganflyermay notbeasstable.
• Ifneitherofthegreenlightsareilluminated,theDraganflyercannottellthedifferencebetweensky
andgroundandthethermalintelligencewillnotwork.Inthissituationyoushoulddisablethethermal
intelligencebeforeflying.Thiscanbedonebysimplymovingthethermalintelligenceswitchtothe
offpositionandarmingthehelicopterasdescribedabove.
IfoneorbothoftheLEDsarelighted,youcancalibrateandarmthehelicopter.Tocalibratesimply
pressandholdthearmingbuttonfor3secondswhilethefrontoftheDraganflyerispointeddirectlyver
tical.BesuretoholdtheDraganflyerbythebaseplatesothesensorsdonotgetconfusedbyyourbody
heat.
NOTE:Oncearmed,bothgreenLEDswillstaylitandwillnotchangewhenThermalIntelligenceis
turnedonoroff.IfbothLEDsstartflashingatthesametimealongwiththeredLEDontopthisindi
catesthatthebatteryisdepletedandyoushouldimmediatelylandandchargethebattery.
ToimprovetheaccuracyoftheDraganflyer'sselflevelingitisimportanttoteachitwherelevelis.Place
theDraganflyeronalevelsurfacestandbackabout1015feetandholdtheleftcontrolstickfulldown
andright.ThetwogreenLEDswithblinkalternatelyindicatingthatthelevelsettingisbeingstored.
NOTE:YouwillhavetoretrimyourDraganflyerwhenyoudisableorenablethethermalintelli
gence.
KeepinmindthattheThermalIntelligencesystemcanbeconfusedifyouflythroughchangingtem
peratureconditions.Forinstance:ifyouflyintoacoolshadyareafrombrightsunlightorflyfroma
grassyareaoverwaterorhotpavement.Ifyouneedtomakethesemaneuvers,bepreparedtodisable
ThermalIntelligenceinflightandcontinueyourflightmanually.Onecaution:turningTIoffduring
flightwillremovethetrimyouset.Youwillhavetocompensateforthisasyouflymanually.
ThermalIntelligenceSensors