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X4-ES USER MANUAL - Cabezon Group Inc.

1. Page 15 Install helicopter payload system Draganfly offers several different payload options for the Draganflyer X4 ES system and each payload features an easy to use quick release system All electrical connections pass through the quick release eliminating messy cables or the possibility of inadvertently not connecting something before take off All payloads attach in the same fashion using the quick release payload system With the payload facing forward position and twist the quick release mount in place and make sure the locking pin is fully seated Rotate the quick release plate into the spring loaded retainer until seated and front retaining pin is locked in place Special notice The helicopter battery MUST be disconnected before you either plug in or un plug the the payload cable to the helicopter Failure to do so can damage both your payload or helicopter system Page 16 Chapter 2 Lithium Battery Safety Instructions and Warnings Please read and fully understand all of the instructions and warnings below before using or charging your lithium polymer batteries Lithium Polymer LiPo batteries are volatile improper use or failure to follow these instructions and warnings may result in fire personal injury and or damaged property Draganfly Innovations and its affiliates assume no liability for the improper use of this battery or failure to comply with these instructions and
2. No we didn t do this to trick you these arrows indicate the prop rotation in flight Please install all four props on the helicopter and give them a good spin once they are seated When you have completed your work and it s time to pack up the system gently push down on the locking tabs of the rotor mount and twist in the opposite direction to unlock each prop The props are keyed so there is no mixing up what prop goes where Page 10 Remove Canopy You really want to do this right or you can damage the canopy The canopy removal process is as simple as 1 2 3 Position your hands as shown Using one finger pull the latch pin forward then start to lift using the carbon fibre tabs and rotate the canopy while sliding it back and off the aircraft Canopy removal is as simple as 1 2 3 Pull the release pin lift the canopy nose and slide the canopy off the back of the helicopter Page 11 Install Flight Battery The Draganflyer X4 ES main power source is a removable rechargeable lithium polymer battery We put extra effort into designing a battery system that was safe powerful and optimized to provide maximum flight performance The Draganflyer X4 ES helicopter system has been designed and precisely tuned for this battery Only use Draganflyer X4 ES batteries with this aircraft or you will void your warranty LEDs indicate charge Balance port Press button to test battery charge level
3. Height 25cm 10 Data Link RF Communications Link Type 2 4GHz two way Helicopter Antenna Wired Whip Antenna Controller Antenna Omni Directional Whip Transmission Power North America 5 0mW 18dBm International 10mW 10dBM RF Data Rate 250kbps Receiver sensitivity 100dBm Transmission Technique DSSS Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Frequency Band 2 400 2 4835 GHz Certification CE FCC IC ETSI Data Link Channel Selection Automatic 13 channels Page 77 Video Link RF Communications Sensors e e e GPS e e e e Link Type 5 8GHz two way Transmitter Antenna Wired Whip Antenna Receiver Antenna Internal flat patch amp external Omni directional whip Transmission Power 19dBm RF Data Rate 54 Mbps Transmission Technique 802 11n Frequency Band 5 180GHZz 5 825GHz Certification FCC IC CE 3 Solid State MEMS Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Gyros 3 Solid State MEMS Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Accelerometers 3 axis Magnetometer Magnetoresistive Sensors 1 Barometric Pressure Sensor GPS Used For Position Hold Location amp Velocity Data Maximum Satellites Tracked Simultaneously 16 Position Update Rate 5 Hz GPS Antenna Ceramic Patch Flight Data Recorder Standard Flight Data recorded on GCS controller saved to internal memory Advanced Flight Data recorded to a 2Gb micro SD memory card in the helicopter Weight and Payload Helicopter Weight with b
4. Page 60 When you get your first battery low alarm it s time to start bringing the helicopter back In this scenario the helicopter is up wind from your location Yaw the helicopter to the safety position and when the GPS position hold is turned off the wind will blow the helicopter back towards you When descending it s always best to fly the helicopter back down to the ground and what we mean is let the helicopter keep moving as you descend so the helicopter is coming down through clean air If you re ever in a situation where you must descend vertically you ll notice the helicopter will be fighting very turbulent conditions on the way down This happens because the aircraft is coming down through it s own turbulence To avoid this bring the helicopter down at an angle almost like the glide angle of an airplane In this scenario announce to those around you that you re landing the aircraft Turn off the GPS position hold and the wind will start blowing the helicopter back towards you it s going too slow add some backwards pitch to adjust speed while at the same time reduce throttle and start descending Try adjusting the speed and descent rate so the helicopter ends up at a low but comfortable altitude near your takeoff position As the aircraft nears this spot hover the helicopter in this position and prepare to land f Keeping the aircraft in a steady hover descend and make your landing by e Decrease altit
5. 5 45A Press and hold the ENT STOP button to begin charging When the battery is fully charged the charger will display F in the top left corner of the display screen Page 25 Charging the Handheld Controller batteries Included with your system is the handheld Ground Control System GCS and a standard handheld controller The GCS is powered by a smaller capacity 4 Cell LiPo battery and the standard handheld controller is powered by a 3 Cell LiPo battery Handheld Ground Control System GCS Standard Handheld Controller HHC Charger setting 4sPACK 1 7 Amps Charger setting 3sPACK 1 7 Amps Charging these batteries is just as simple as charging your helicopter battery The connections are the same using the balancer cable and main power charge plug but you always need to remember that when charging the standard controller you need to change the charger cell count from 4 to 3 and reduce your charge current To make this change for the standard HHC from the main charging screen you need to use the ENT STOP INC and DEC buttons Using these controls adjust the charger to 3sPACK C 1 70A for the Standard controller Page 26 Summary The battery charger provided has been preset at the factory to charge the helicopter LiPo battery pack The charger connects to the batteries or controllers using two cables One cable is a cell balancer cable and the othe
6. 90 degree clockwise position the nose of the aircraft is now pointing east To maintain a steady hover we ll need to control the aircraft with roll left because the helicopter is now broadside to the wind flying sideways at 16kph 10mph At first this might sound complicated but with experience flying the aircraft in different conditions is a learned skill that you ll develop GPS position hold and wind If you re out shooting photos or flying a mission there might be special occasions when you want to manually fly the helicopter to maintain a stationary hover as described above However most often you will manually fly the aircraft into the desired position and assuming you have enough GPS satellites switch the aircraft into a GPS position hold and let the autopilot do the work for you In the previous example we assumed you were manually flying the helicopter to maintain a stationary hover in a 16kph 10mph wind Let s use that same scenario again but illustrate the benefits of using the GPS position hold feature Special notice With a GPS position hold in windy conditions the aircraft will move around and experience variations in altitude Do not be alarmed this is normal If movement becomes excessive resume manual contro of the aircraft At takeoff you want to mentally stay ahead of the aircraft and be prepared to fly the helicopter from the moment the skids leave the ground Assume the helicopter is p
7. Not currently used Main power connector Special notice The helicopter autopilot expects to be flying with this battery If you get the idea to try and use something else please keep in mind the autopilot will log the error and you will void the system warranty for the life of the aircraft Battery position is important so please pay close attention to centering the battery under the GPS antenna flap Also be very careful to make sure the battery doesn t make contact with the electronics directly in front of the battery Double check and make sure you have a gap between battery and electronics To install lift the GPS antenna mounting flap and place the battery on the helicopter deck plate Ensure the battery is not SN si touching the GPS module e e lt l j located in front of the battery and double check to make certain the Velcro is secure Leave a gap between battery and electronics Once the battery is seated allow the GPS antenna flap to rest on top and wrap around the battery Attach the flap to the Velcro mount along the side of the battery Before you re ready to fly connect the main power cable from the helicopter to the battery The connector is polarized so it will only connect in one orientation Special notice We know you re excited to get out flying but only connect the main power cable when you re ready to get up in the air Leaving it plugged in for any length of time even when p
8. do not fly the aircraft Page 39 Landing gear Make certain each landing gear strut is extended and locked firmly in place Also take this time to look them over carefully for any cracks or possible damage from a hard landing Aircraft payload If you are flying with a payload make certain all four of the payload quick release is firmly secured Check the camera cables to make certain they do not bind as the camera is rotated in the mount and most importantly make certain the camera mounting screw is secure Antenna orientation This is also covered in the handheld controller manuals but please note the strongest signal is achieved when the antenna is perpendicular to the aircraft The weakest signal is off the tip of the antenna Many people position the controller antennas sideways or on the GCS pointing straight back off the controller Special notice Avoid pointing the handheld controller antennas directly at the aircraft The signal will be degraded if the tips of the antennas are pointed at the aircraft In the event of a datalink error quickly move the orientation of the controller Control system check Check to confirm the handheld controller is communicating with the aircraft and execute a few quick tests before getting the helicopter in the air If you are not familiar with using either the standard Handheld Controller HHC or the handheld Ground Control System GCS refer to their specific manuals for i
9. for hitting the 600 hour mark Please contact Draganfly Innovations Customer Service Department for assistance to overhaul or replace all motor assemblies Page 69 Troubleshooting Problem When try to engage motors the motors won t start Possible cause e The handheld controller might not be connected to the aircraft e You overlooked first arming the motors e The aircraft hold mode switch must be in the center altitude hold position Solution Power on the aircraft and the handheld Ground Control System GCS When the aircraft completes it s power up self test the navigation LEDs will be blinking When the GCS boots up it will beep and also display the home screen The GCS is always looking for an aircraft to connect with and lists all Draganflyer aircraft it detected in the status window area When the GCS detects the aircraft the aircraft identification ID will be listed in the status window To connect simply click the helicopter ID and the GCS will establish the wireless datalink connection When the connection is made you ll hear the audio confirmation and see the aircraft telemetry displayed on the GCS home screen Make sure the aircraft hold mode switch is in the center position and arm the motors When the motors are armed you ll receive an audio confirmation and the helicopter LEDs will stop blinking and remain on Depressing the engage motor switch will start the
10. important to keep the batteries out of direct sunlight and out of containers that might get very hot For example if you place the batteries in a small black pelican style case yes they are out of direct sunlight but the air temperature inside the case may be very hot Batteries exposed to temps in the range of 65 to 76 degrees C 150 170 degrees F will be damaged When you are flying mid day or late in the afternoon be aware of heat generated thermals Unless a thermal is raising dust on the ground they are invisible to the naked eye Along the outside edge of a thermal you often find very strong vertical down draft wind currents At the center of the thermal very strong up draft wind currents Flying into a thermal is first detected by a sudden rise in helicopter rotor rpm as the autopilot tries to maintain altitude while the aircraft is being pushed down by the strong wind along the outer edge of the thermal Page 36 The best way to recover from this situation is to fly out of the thermal When you hear or see this take place your first instinct is to increase throttle and assist the autopilot but at the same time try to turn away and fly forward out of the thermal Does this happen very often No but we take the time to point this out because it s one of the dangers flying in very hot conditions mid day or later in the afternoon hours Special notice Thermals are invisible to the naked eye but most commonly occur on very ho
11. note of the GPS accuracy number on the GCS and write it down If you re seeing numbers like 1 6 or 2 the helicopter will be moving anywhere in the range of 2 meters 6 5 feet either direction If you re seeing numbers like 6 this is a much tighter GPS position lock and the aircraft should stay in position within a meter either direction Page 75 Understand that in windy conditions the helicopter will be moving around within limits determined by the GPS position accuracy If your GPS numbers look good and you re still having problems contact Draganfly for more information Contacting Draganfly Service When you contact Draganfly Innovations for service before making the phone call or sending the e mail it s best to gather up and write down some information Please be prepared to tell the support specialist your e Account ID number e Company or customer name e Helicopter firmware revision level e GCS firmware and DraganView software revision level e Standard handheld controller firmware revision level Product support Phone 1 800 979 9794 International 1 306 955 9907 e mail support draganfly com Page 76 Technical Specifications Airframe Dimensions assembled Diameter rotor span 106cm 42 Width 87cm 34 Length 87cm 34 Height 28cm 11 Landing Gear footprint 63 5cm x 63 5cm 25 x25 Airframe Dimensions folded with rotors Width 35cm 14 Length 70cm 28
12. on board sensors Carbon fiber landing gear retracts to quickly provide a compact package for transport 3 gyros 3 accelerometers 3 axis magnetometer 1 barometric sensor 1GPS Draganflyer X4 ES System Page 5 Contents Chapter 1 Draganflyer X4 ES Setup This is probably the most fun chapter of all In this chapter you will unfold the frame the landing gear install the props better understand the LiPo battery discuss operating the aircraft safely and get the helicopter ready for flight Chapter 2 Battery Safety and Charging One of our more serious chapters but extremely important Lithium Polymer LiPo battery technology has improved greatly over the years but if not cared for properly the batteries can be very dangerous Chapter 3 Ready for flight You have the helicopter fully assembled batteries charged and you re excited to get it in the air so now what This chapter discusses some of the first flights and covers several flight training exercises Chapter 4 Aircraft technical data Here you ll find all the specifications and technical data required to answer many of the questions asked by your agency responsible for the Air Space or the neighbor down the street Page 6 Chapter 1 SS u 7 0 Page 7 X4 ES Helicopter Setup We had a great time building and flight testing your aircraft In this section we ll go over the
13. recommend that you inspect or service the aircraft at the following intervals listed below Every Flying Session e Inspect folding mechanisms and all joints for damage or wear e Inspect motors for rough motion e Inspect all props and mounting clips for damage e Inspect batteries for damage or puffing e Inspect payload attach points and cable e Check to ensure the hand held controller is recording a log file e Clean all components with a soft damp cloth or compressed air Every 3 months e Check for software updates e Check mounting bolts on rotor mounts to ensure they are tight e Perform a motor test and inspect for rough sounding motors e Cycle flight batteries Page 68 e Inspect canopy mounting latch and slot for tears or cracks Every Year or 300 flight hours Please contact Draganfly Innovations Customer Service Department for assistance with the following service requirements e Inspect and clean all electrical connections e Inspect all crimps and solder connections on movable components e Inspect all moveable components for wear e Recalibration of magnetometer and main circuit board e Inspect motor assemblies and replace all that are worn e Inspect all fasteners linkages and joints e inspect all rubber mounting brackets e Cycle and test flight batteries e Cycle and test hand held controller battery e Cycle and test base station battery e Check for software updates Every 600 flight hours Congratulations
14. refer to California s Health and Safety Codes Sections 25249 5 13 Special notice We are always shocked and you might also find it hard to believe that upon getting their new helicopter system many people want to take it apart to see how it works Often to their dismay all they learn is the helicopter is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside but more times than not they mix up the motors or break something so our advice is please just enjoy the helicopter the amazing performance and let your imagination soar with this incredible aerial tool Understand there is no need to lubricate the motors and often people that don t listen to us and do it anyway end up damaging them Please also understand that each motor is coded to a specific position on the aircraft so don t get the wild idea to move a motor from the back up to the front If you are experiencing a problem with the aircraft please just call our support line at 1 800 979 9794 or drop us an e mail to support draganfly com Safety Precautions As the pilot in command you are responsible for the safety of yourself and others whether it be in the immediate takeoff and landing area or the general flight path area Please take safety very seriously Always wear protective eyewear Do not use batteries other than those specifically designed for the Draganflyer X4 ES doing so may cause erratic flight performance and void the warranty Do not fly the D
15. required to disarm and disengage motors If you have no idea what we re talking about stop now and read over the GCS and handheld controller manuals Getting ready For your first flight it s a good idea to get out by yourself on a nice calm day We ve had many people contact us after either crashing or loosing their aircraft because they went out with a friend or group of friends and instead of listening to common sense they were listening to their friends say how high will it go how fast will it go and under peer pressure have done something they were not ready for On the other hand if you have a friend that get s you to slow down to think things through and error on the cautious side they would be good to have by your side Safety We talk about safety a lot because in the end safety and the safe operation of the aircraft is your responsibility When the props are spinning and when the helicopter is in the air it can potentially hurt someone if it is flown into them or drops on them Just like a real helicopter pilot that s scanning for places to set down the helicopter in the event of an emergency you need to be thinking about the people and property around and below the aircraft If you don t wear glasses you and anyone near you should be wearing safety glasses We provided you with one pair and if you need more you can contact us or even better purchase a couple pair locally to have on hand Your eyes are a precio
16. the other to maintain proper control Earlier in the manual we also discussed the concept of staying ahead of the aircraft Remember you re the one that s in control Much like an F1 driver at the speeds they re traveling the racers adjust their entry speed and start to turn before they get to a corner And as the pilot in command as best as you can you need to mentally stay ahead of the aircraft For this exercise you will e fly out to the center cone and hover for 30 seconds e yaw the helicopter 90 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone e yaw back to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds e yaw 90 degrees counter clockwise and hover 30 seconds staying over the cone e yaw back to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds e return and land Don t make things anymore difficult than they are already When you re 90 degrees out either clockwise or counter clockwise and you want to get back to your safety position always take the shortest path around For example if the nose is 90 degrees clockwise pointing to the right when you yaw back to your safety position yaw counter clockwise Why Because if you were to continue yawing clockwise the helicopter requires another 270 degrees of rotation to regain your safety position Remember to mentally stay ahead of the aircraft to anticipate your control inputs Flight exercise 6 nose in Practice your 90 degree out flying quite a bit before you
17. Power e Recharge Time 1 hour after typical flight Materials e Carbon Fiber e Glass filled injection molded Nylon e ABS and Nylon plastic e Aluminum nylon and stainless steel fasteners e RoHS compliant Operating Requirements e Recommended Pre Use Temperature 10 to 35 C 50 to 95 F e Maximum Environmental Operating Temperature 25 to 38 C 13 to 100 F e Relative Humidity 0 to 90 Non condensing e Maximum Wind speed Varies based on payload and mission Page 80 Contact Information Draganfly Innovations Inc Product support Phone 1 800 979 9794 International 1 306 955 9907 e mail support draganfly com oranancr y Sales information Phone 1 800 979 9794 International 1 306 955 9907 Online www draganfly com e mail sales draganfly com Maili ng address https www draganfly com Draganfly Innovations Inc 2108 St George Avenue Saskatoon SK S7MOK7 Canada This product and manual are copyrighted by Draganfly Innovations Inc with all rights reserved No part of this product or start up guide shall be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent or authorization of Draganfly Innovations Inc No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the product or information contained herein Document Revision Level v2 1
18. X4 ES USER MANUAL Draganflyer X4 ES Helicopter Version 2 1 Oradane_ y INNOVATIONS INC Operator Notice The responsibility to operate in a safe manner prevent injury to persons or damage to property and to take no unnecessary risks falls upon the owner and those whom the owner authorizes to pilot and operate the Draganflyer X4 ES helicopter Furthermore the onus is upon each owner authorizer pilot to comply with all regulations pertinent to the use of the Draganflyer X4 ES helicopter and associated components at the location of operation with regards to the use of airspace as well as radio communications Draganfly Innovations Inc does not accept any responsibility for damages or financial compensations which may arise as the result of an owner authorizer pilot failing to comply with any regulations which would lead to a claim against the user Warning The Draganflyer X4 ES helicopter is a precision machine that is vulnerable to misuse and can prove to be dangerous if not properly maintained or used in an inappropriate manor Special notice Throughout this manual look for and pay special attention to these information boxes for tips tricks safety information or serious warnings and risks associated with this product Helicopters by their nature are not positively stable Although the Draganflyer X4 ES can maintain an attitude and a position relative to wi
19. as been designed for ease of use portability safety and convenience to keep your systems charged and flying Included with the Draganflyer X4 ES charging system is 1 TP610ACDC single port battery charger users manual included 1 6 wire balancer cable 1 2 wire charging cable 1 Fire retardant battery charging pouch Setup and Operation Your charger can be powered from a 110 240 volt AC wall outlet or an 11 18 volt DC power source such as a car battery If using an AC wall outlet remove the cable from the case connect it to the power input of the charger and plug the cable into an AC outlet If you are using a 12V battery car battery connect the DC cable provided to the charger After connecting the cable to the charger first then connect the alligator clips to the terminals of your 12V battery red clip to positive black clip to negative When power is applied the charger will automatically turn on When the charger is powered on the and buttons allow you to scroll up down through menus before and during battery charging discharging These buttons also allow you to change values settings for options after they have been selected typically when flashing after pressing the ENTER button The SEL MODE button functions only when you re not charging or discharging a battery Pressing the MODE button will allow you to scroll between the three available modes e Charge Discharge Cycle Storage Modes Page 23 e Sett
20. as been shorted or damaged will not ignite immediately this may take up to or longer than 15 minutes Any battery that has been damaged or shorted must be observed in a safe area for a minimum of 15 minutes Any battery involved in a crash whether deformed or not must be placed in a safe observation area for 15 minutes Discontinue use if the battery has been exposed to temperatures in excess of 170 F as indicated on the thermal strip attached to your battery Charging Before charging visually inspect the battery and connectors for any damage signs of swelling or any other irregularities Before charging press the battery test button on your flight battery to check the status and voltage level One or more of the status LED s should turn on and remain on while the button is held Any other flashing pattern on the status LED s may indicate damage to the battery please contact Draganfly Innovations Technical support If you are unaware of the battery voltage check the voltage of the battery before charging Do not attempt to charge a battery with a voltage less than 3 3V per cell For a flight battery and GCS this would be 13 3V and 9 9V for the standard style handheld controller battery e 19 Never charge batteries unattended Always keep the battery in a flame retardant container for charging Allow the battery to cool to room temperature before charging Do not attempt to charge multip
21. atch clip of the suspect boom is at fault or the boom hinge assembly is broken Contact Draganfly to discuss this further and have the aircraft serviced Do not fly until this problem is resolved Page 74 Problem It feels like a motor is loose Possible cause e Motor mount screws missing e Internal motor mounting has come loose e Broken motor mount e Damaged airframe Solution DO NOT fly the aircraft until this problem is resolved The motors are held in place with five small set screws around the top lip of a motor pod The motor pods are molded as one piece making up a helicopter boom Take a look and make sure all five screws are in place and also inspect to make sure the motor pod is not cracked around the screw holes If the motor is physically coming out of the motor pod this is a serious problem but if you can grab a prop and push the motor around a little some movement is normal because internally the motors are mounted on rubber bushings Test all motors and if they all feel the same you more than likely don t have a problem If there is any doubt contact Draganfly to get more information Problem I m in a GPS position hold but the helicopter is wandering all over the place Possible cause e Poor GPS position lock e Heavy gusty wind conditions Solution In windy conditions it is normal to have the helicopter move around a little and it will also vary in altitude When you are in a position hold take
22. attery 1 800g 640z Payload Capability 800g 2607 Page 78 e Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight 2 550g 900z Flight Characteristics e Climb Rate 2m s 6 5ft s Descent Rate 2m s 6 5ft s Turn Rate 90 second Maximum Speed 50km h 30mph Minimum Speed Okm h Omph Launch Type VTOL Vertical Take Off and Landing Flight Time Approximately 20 minutes Sound at 1m 3 28ft 72dB Sound at 3m 9 84 ft 62dB Rotor Blades e Four opposing rotation fixed pitch e Rotor blade material molded carbon fiber e Diameter 40cm 16 Motors e 4 electric brushless motors e Direct drive one motor per rotor Optional Camera Attachments e 16 7MP Mega Pixel Digital Still Camera with active stabilized camera mount and remote shutter control e Thermal FLIR Forward Looking Infra Red Camera with Remote Controlled Tilt amp onboard digital video recorder e Low Light 0 0001 lux Dusk Dawn Black amp White Video Camera with Remote Controlled Tilt amp onboard digital video recorder Page 79 Navigation Lights e Type 1 Watt LED Variable Brightness Emitters e Luminous Flux at Full Brightness 40lm e Purpose Helicopter Orientation Confirmation e Visible Condition Range Full Darkness to Direct Sunlight e Standard Aircraft Colors Left Front Red Right Front Green Rear dual White Rechargeable Flight Battery e Cell Chemistry Lithium Polymer e Voltage 14 8V nominal e Capacity 5400mAh e Connectors Integrated Balance and
23. call the term safety position The navigation LEDs on the Draganfly helicopters are very bright and at the rear of the aircraft you see two bright white LEDs When both of these LEDs are pointed in your direction we call this the safety position because the helicopter heading is pointed in the same direction you are This makes it easier to fly the aircraft because if you roll right the aircraft moves right You move pitch forward and the helicopter goes that direction The LED navigation lights on the Lil Draganflyer have been setup to match the Draganfly helicopter systems and whenever in doubt always yaw the helicopter to the safety position and recovering from a disorientation problem will be much easier In this exercise you will fly in the safety position meaning the rear of the aircraft will be pointed at you at all times e Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter sideways over the right middle cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter left back over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter left over the left middle cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter right to get back over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Return and land Page 45 Flight exercise 3 practice pitch This exercise is very similar to what
24. cute the same basic pattern but instead of making a left hand turn we ll stop hover yaw 180 and come back the opposite direction at a high rate of speed At the end of the run execute a quick stop hover yaw 180 and race back the other way to repeat the exercise To get started it s very much the same as what we described in the drag racing section but as you near the end you will execute a quick stop by quickly pulling back on pitch This control input will suddenly and abruptly pitch the nose of the aircraft up and stop the aircraft It s just like slamming on the brakes but be prepared on the throttle to help the autopilot maintain altitude Like all the exercises we have described work your way up to this maneuver starting slow and building up your speed Rapid ascent and descent If you push throttle all the way up you re commanding the autopilot to increase altitude at the maximum programmed climb rate of 2 meters 6 5 feet second And the same is true for the descent pulled all the way back the helicopter will drop at about 2m s 6 5 f s Execute your preflight auto takeoff and move the helicopter out about 6 meters 20 feet in front of you From a hover increase throttle all the way and the helicopter will climb quickly At 30 meters 98 feet slow the ascent and bring the throttle to the center position hovering at that altitude It s a matter of personal preference If you descend vertically at a fast d
25. ecrease altitude As the skids near the ground the Page 55 helicopter will hit what s called ground effect being buffered by the prop downwash and creating a cushion of air At times it feels like you have to push the aircraft down to the ground so as you get close to the ground keep descending and when the skids touch pull the throttle all the way back and disengage motors e Decrease altitude e When helicopter is down pull throttle all the way straight back e Disengage motors e Disarm motors Special notice When you land the aircraft and pull the throttle all the way back it s very important to pull straight back If not you ll introduce a yaw command and the helicopter will attempt spinning around on the ground Also keep in mind the throttle needs to be pulled straight back and held for one second before you attempt to disengage motors See your handheld controller manual for more details e Disconnect from aircraft e Power down systems Let s do some real flying In the beginning you need to run through flight drills with your helicopter and get really good at taking off and landing If you can t takeoff and land or you re really nervous about it you need to be comfortable doing this before you consider flying around higher or further away So for now let s assume you can easily fly all the flight drills and without even breaking a sweat takeoff and land in varying environmental conditions Page 56 In thi
26. elped contact Draganfly Innovations by phone or e mail for more assistance Leave a gap between battery and electronics Page 72 Problem From the time it takes off to the time get it back on the ground the helicopter is spinning in circles Possible cause e Yaw trim adjusted to an extreme limit e Aircraft calibration error Solution If the problem is the same using either the GCS or the Standard Handheld Controller HHC there is a serious calibration problem with the aircraft and you ll need to contact Draganfly The GCS doesn t have a yaw trim adjustment so if the helicopter flies fine with the GCS and not the HHC you need to check the HHC yaw trim value If you re not familiar with adjusting the trim values reference the HHC user manual and set it to zero Problem My flight times are getting shorter and shorter Possible cause e Old or degraded flight batteries e Overheated motors Solution The health of your flight batteries is a critical factor in determining flight time To make sure you don t have a problem with your motors or aircraft try flying with a new fully charged battery If your flight time is restored take note of how long you flew and how much capacity in mAh was used to recharge the battery Write the down the flight time and charge value Fully charge a suspect battery and conduct a flight test If the flight time is considerably shorter write down the time and when recharging the batt
27. ery note the capacity in mAh required to recharge the battery Write these values down and contact Draganfly to get more information Page 73 Problem wait and wait but I m not getting a GPS position lock Possible cause e Poor satellite conditions e You are indoors e You are possibly surrounded by large buildings or trees Solution Even out in wide open spaces on a nice sunny warm day there will be instances when it takes several minutes to get a solid GPS position lock The great thing about the Draganfly system is that the helicopter can be easily flown manually under GPS denied conditions That s great but you want to use the GPS The GPS receiver needs to see the sky and as a result you typically will not receive a GPS position lock if you are indoors under a canopy of trees in a forested area or a dense urban area with tall skyscrapers If you are in what we would consider ideal conditions and if after 5 7 minutes you re not getting satellites there is more than likely a problem with the GPS receiver Contact Draganfly to get more information Problem When I snap one of the booms in place it just doesn t feel right and seems loose Possible cause e Worn boom latch clip e Damaged airframe Solution DO NOT fly the aircraft until this problem is resolved closely inspect the boom latch for cracks or damage If that s the only boom affected and the others are solid more than likely the l
28. escent rate the helicopter will get caught up in it s own turbulence so it s preferred to fly forward in a turn to quickly descend and land the aircraft So lets give it a try From your hovering position at 30 or 40 meters 98 140 feet fly the aircraft forward at a good speed and execute a coordinated turn either clockwise or counter clockwise around your location and while maintaining your speed and the coordinated turn pull Page 65 throttle all the way back to the maximum descent rate What you re doing is flying the aircraft down through clean air making for an amazing and impressive descent As the aircraft gets lower start slowing the aircraft reducing your descent rate by bringing throttle back up towards the center position until you are in a stable hover at chest height out in front of your starting position Professional approach amp landing Earlier we had you flying the helicopter back from your photo taking position in the safety position essentially flying backwards to your landing spot but with more practice and the skills just described you have the option to bring the aircraft back with style When it s time to head back for a landing point the helicopter nose in flying forward to your landing location As the helicopter approaches a good way to slow and descend is a nice coordinated turn As the aircraft approaches start reducing throttle and in this example we re flying counter clockwise around our positio
29. hat is the day you experience a problem Boom check Check to make sure all four of the booms are locked in place and inspect each of the boom lock clips to make certain they are not cracked or showing signs of wear If any of the clips are loose or damaged service the aircraft before flying Canopy check Give the canopy a tug to make certain the nose of the canopy is locked firmly in place Also inspect the rear slot to make sure the canopy is not cracked or torn If you suspect a problem of any kind with the canopy do not fly the aircraft For anyone that has experienced an in flight canopy failure the results can be catastrophic Motor check Rotate the prop on each motor slowly for one or two revolutions to check and make sure the motor is not binding After a slow spin test using your finger give the prop a good fast spin and listen to the motor Make sure to check all four motors and if you suspect a problem do not fly the aircraft and contact Draganfly Prop and prop installation check Inspect the props for nicks dents or cracks If a prop is damaged either replace the prop or abort the flight In regards to installation the props are keyed so they can only be installed on the correct motor Please double check to make certain the props are mounted properly and firmly locked in place At the same time inspect the prop latching mechanisms to make sure they are not worn or cracked If you suspect a problem with the prop mounting system
30. he helicopter and all of a sudden someone will speak up and ask you a question You didn t even notice them approach you so it can be startling to find you have one or two people with you Often people have several questions so it might just be better to bring the aircraft back land power down answer their questions and before you know it they are gone If you think it s dangerous to drive a car while talking on the phone it s even more dangerous to be distracted while flying Power on systems Okay time to power up the helicopter and either the GCS or standard handheld controller e Power on the GCS or standard controller e Power on the helicopter e Position helicopter pointing into the wind if any e Establish wireless connection between controller and helicopter e Double check telemetry battery health signal strength and GPS satellites It s time to takeoff Assuming everything looks good it s time to takeoff Step back away from the aircraft at least 3 to 5 meters 10 15 feet and if anyone is with you make sure they have eye protection and are standing back behind you e Clearly announce that you are taking off e Arm the motors e Engage motors and ensure all props are spinning e Scan the immediate area and double check your airspace to be clear e Execute an automatic takeoff Page 54 When you execute an automatic takeoff the prop speed will increase and the helicopter will come up off the ground and settle at a
31. he mission much the same as what s done in full size aircraft Page 42 Flight drills After your flight training it s important to keep flying and hone your flying skills We have seen instances where people have come back for the training of two three or four pilots but they only have one helicopter system Over time it works out that one or two people are the primary pilots and the others are not able to fly often Because they are not flying on a regular basis they quickly loose their skills and confidence If you can t afford multiple Draganfly systems another approach is to compliment the helicopter system with an inexpensive aircraft like the Lil Draganflyer that is provided along with your purchase The Lil Draganflyer is not as sophisticated but it serves as a good training platform to maintain your basic flight skills Understand that just flying around isn t practice To really practice your skills you need to have clear goals and fly structured flight drills You were exposed to flight drills during your Draganfly training and we encourage you to continue running drills with the same course using small soccer or traffic cones flying either your Draganflyer X4 ES system or the Lil Draganflyer pictured here The following provides some suggested ideas for various flight drills and feel free to get creative and create some of your own The important thing is to have clear goals and fly
32. ible you want to be free of people trees poles or anything that will get in the way As we ve mentioned altitude will vary with changes in air pressure so understand that you will need to stay ahead of the aircraft and control throttle throughout this maneuver Page 62 For this first pass bring the aircraft up to about 10 or 15 meters 32 50 feet and fly off to the right about 20 meters 66 feet lets call this an easterly direction at normal speed Hover the aircraft and yaw so the helicopter is pointed west Lets ease into this by making a few runs at medium speed before a high speed pass so to get going ease pitch forward and fly straight west past your position After traveling another 20 meters 66 feet past your position maintain your speed and introduce both yaw and roll to bank and turn left As needed correct altitude throughout the flight The coordinated turn will require the use of all four controls Maintain pitch forward roll left and yaw left to bank the aircraft left through a wide 180 degree turn Use throttle to maintain altitude As you fly back and around to your original start location begin slowing the aircraft as you make your next left turn slowing to a hover at your original start point Repeat this pattern three or four times until you are very comfortable flying the circuit During practice work on perfecting your coordinated turns With some practice now work on building speed To get a quick start
33. ing getting set up for training or having someone come out to your location call Draganfly Innovations now Whether you ve had training or not for these first few flights we strongly suggest that you start out very slow low and just enjoy getting a feel for the aircraft and controls Pick a day with very calm or no wind conditions and simply takeoff and land several times because honestly if you can t comfortably takeoff and land stop right there before you damage the aircraft and make arrangements for flight training Items that will be covered in this section e Understand the environment e Helicopter pre flight e Helicopter training exercises e Helicopter flight Page 30 Understand the environment If you think of your helicopter as if it were a balloon you can quickly get an idea of the issues involved when flying in windy conditions As you get more comfortable flying in wind under certain circumstances letting your helicopter float with the wind is a good technique to shoot both smooth video or get crisp photos And truly just like a balloon on a strong windy day the helicopter will maintain it s altitude and float across the sky The aircraft has it s own limitations and based on skill level combined with experience different pilots have their own self imposed limitations Quite often the helicopter will exceed personal limits but care must be taken as you develop your flying skills And kee
34. ing Data Mode e Data View Mode The ENT STOP button allows you to select and validate values settings for options that can be changed using the buttons to change before and during charging discharging Pressing and holding the ENTER button also allows you to start and stop charging discharging LiPo Charge sel 4sPACK C 3 00A After powering on the charger by default it s set to Charge Mode as illustrated above Before shipping your system your charger has been preset by our team for a 4 cell battery charging at 3 amps Charging helicopter batteries Power on the charger and connect both the 2 wire charge cable and the 6 wire balancer cable to the battery Both of these connectors are polarized so there is only one way to plug them in Page 24 Balance port Main power connector With the battery connected simply press and hold the ENT STOP button for 3 seconds and the battery will start charging At this default charger setting a full charge will take approximately 2 hours for a depleted battery For a faster charge time you can adjust the current C up to 5 45A for the helicopter batteries only LiPo Charge sel 4sPACK C 3 00A O O To increase the charging current repeatedly press the ENT STOP button until C 3 00A is flashing on the display then use the INC and DEC buttons to adjust the charging current to
35. l them down and rotate forward until you feel and hear them snap into position Double check and make sure they are locked and that s all that s required To retract the landing gear pull down on the leg and allow the spring to rotate and pull the leg back parallel to the helicopter boom Fast simple lightweight and very strong Landing gear will lock into this position To retract the landing gear pull down to unlock the leg and let the gear rotate back parallel to the boom To extend landing gear pull down and rotate forward until they snap in place Page 9 Install Rotor Blades We put some effort into making this a simple fast process to best ensure the correct prop gets on the correct motor Your helicopter flies with two props spinning in a clockwise CW direction and two spinning in a counter clockwise direction CCW To get you started we color coded the props and mounts but we didn t stop there The props have a keyed locking ring so only a CCW prop can be installed in a CCW mount and we even included arrows on the mount to indicate the direction of prop rotation for that given motor To install the rotor blades place the prop on the corresponding rotor mount press down to seat the prop and while holding the mount rotate the prop turn until the blade clicks into place To help make this a little easier there is a nice serrated thumb grip to help latch and unlatch the props
36. launch into nose in flying With the 90 degree out orientation have some fun and fly different patterns around the training course And you might think it sounds silly but this can be mentally tiring so take a few breaks between these practice drills Page 49 With nose in flying you ll hear some people say all the controls are backwards but honestly don t fall into that trap If you think this way you will struggle with nose in flight for the rest of your life It s a mental leap to get yourself into the cockpit of that aircraft but you can do it When you re out flying the helicopter in flight drills or a specific mission imagine your surroundings from the viewpoint of the helicopter If you can do this flying nose in is easy Take your time and work your way into it e fly out to the center cone and hover for 30 seconds e yaw the helicopter 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone e yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone e yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and hover for 30 seconds over the cone e yaw another 45 degrees clockwise and at this point the helicopter is nose in pointing straight at you Hover over the center cone for 30 seconds e yaw 180 degrees clockwise to your safety position and hover for 30 seconds e return and land Flight exercise 7 combined skills By now you are very comfortable flying the aircraft in several different orientations so at this p
37. le batteries in series Do not attempt to charge multiple batteries in parallel When selecting the cell count or voltage for charging ensure to select the cell count and or voltage that appears on the battery label Selecting an incorrect cell count or voltage may result in a fire Do not exceed the maximum charge rate current listed on the battery label Always connect the balance cable between the battery and charger while charging or discharging Only use a good quality charger rated for LiPo batteries such as the charger including in your Draganflyer system A low quality charger may damage the battery and result in fire Storage amp Transport Never ship or transport a damaged LiPo battery Store batteries at room temperature between 4 5 degrees C 40 F and 21 degrees C 70 F Do not store batteries in a vehicle even if in a flame retardant container Do not store or expose batteries to direct sunlight for extended periods of time Do not store batteries near a source of heat Exposing LiPo batteries to temperatures in excess of 65 degrees C 150 F may cause permanent damages and premature deterioration to the battery Page 20 e Do not expose batteries to regulations regarding temperatures in excess of 76 transportation of LiPo batteries degrees C 170 F Exposure for longer than 2 hours may cause fire e If shipping batteries always discuss safe packaging and shipping procedures
38. lem If you re flying in a strong wind you ll be more than aware of the conditions and if you have access to a large indoor area or a place protected from the wind double check to see if you really have a problem Another possibility is that you or someone has adjusted either the pitch or roll trim to an excessive position To check this reset and make sure your trim tabs are in the zero Page 71 position If you re not familiar with what we re describing here look in your GCS manual to get more information on setting pitch and roll trim Assuming this is not a wind or trim problem also inspect your motors and props for any damage The props are visually inspected as well as running your hands over the leading edge of the props trying to feel for any damage To test the motors use your finger and simply give the prop motor a good spin The motors should all spin and sound about the same If you see or detect a problem contact Draganfly to get more information If none of these ideas have solved your problem another possibility is that your flight battery is touching or pushing on the electronics directly in front of it When you install the battery you need to take care and leave a small gap or space between the battery and electronics Also inspect the electronics mounting to make sure the circuit board assembly has not come loose or that one of the vibration isolators haven t broken If none of these suggestions have h
39. motors If after following these instructions and your motors will not engage contact Draganfly Innovations by phone or e mail for more assistance Page 70 Problem The aircraft will not power on nothing happens Possible cause e Make certain the helicopter battery is connected e Check the battery charge by depressing the battery selftest button e Possibly one of the motor fuses have blown Solution At the rear of the X4 ES helicopter under the deck plate you will see four fuses Assuming your battery was connected and charged it s time to check the fuses so to begin first start by disconnecting the power cable to helicopter battery With the battery disconnected remove and inspect each fuse Often you can visually inspect a fuse but the better test is to check them with a continuity tester or ohm meter to make sure they are good If all the fuses test good and you still can not power on the helicopter after reinstalling the fuses and battery contact Draganfly Innovations by phone or e mail for more assistance Problem In flight the helicopter requires excessive stick input to remain level and hover in one position Possible cause e You re manually trying to hover in a strong wind e Pitch or Roll trim set to an excessive value e Damaged rotors or motor e Insecure circuit board or battery is hitting electronics assembly Solution There are some quick and simple things you can check to address this prob
40. n flying indoors on very windy days due to changes in air pressure When the aircraft is traveling fast and comes to an abrupt stop the barometric pressure in the body of the aircraft changes suddenly causing the aircraft to either rise or dip Page 35 When you re flying in strong gusty winds whether you re in a GPS position hold or flying manually you will see some variation in altitude resulting from sudden pressure changes Even flying indoors on very windy days you will see changes in altitude because of the varying air pressure inside the building It s important that you understand this and again we stress that you need to stay ahead of the aircraft by anticipating what the aircraft will do when you re out flying Extreme temperature conditions The Draganflyer systems have been rigorously tested in extreme temperature conditions not just for a few weeks or months but for years of operation The aircraft perform well in these harsh conditions but when you re dealing with extremes some precautions are required First and foremost is the safety of the pilot crew and people supporting the mission In regards to the helicopter in extreme cold it s advised to keep your LiPo batteries warm before use Once the batteries are under load they will start to generate their own heat but to get the best performance a warm not hot battery will deliver the type of power you are use to seeing In very hot temperatures it s
41. n altitude of about 1 meter or 3 feet In this manual we have talked about staying ahead of the aircraft so keep in mind that as soon as the helicopter comes up you re flying the helicopter You will need to control Special notice Understand when the aircraft comes up off the ground you are Flying the aircraft The autopilot is controlling altitude during takeoff but you are controlling the pitch roll and yaw to maintain a hover pitch roll and yaw to maintain a stationary hover as the helicopter comes up to it s target takeoff altitude During takeoff the throttle control is basically locked out until the aircraft reaches the target altitude Often you ll see the helicopter bounce a little or make a subtle movement when the time out expires and at that point you can increase altitude Get some altitude By default the helicopter is flying in altitude hold mode The autopilot uses barometric pressure to sense altitude so when you increase the throttle what you re really doing is requesting the autopilot to increase and set a new altitude Bring the aircraft up to a comfortable altitude somewhere around chest height and keep the aircraft in a steady hover to get a feel for the aircraft and conduct a secondary preflight to make sure all the controls are functioning properly Landing and disconnect For this first flight let s bring the aircraft down for a landing Keep the helicopter in a stationary hover and slowly d
42. n depth details about their operation and control over the aircraft Page 40 Variable aircraft and GCS settings And what we re referring to is aircraft settings that are most often used such as Navigation LED brightness Altitude limit GCS display brightness GCS volume and your camera gimbal tilt angles You want to double check these settings to make sure they are to your personal or mission specific preferences before getting in the air For example if you re conducting flight training indoors setting the alitiude limit for the room will help prevent you from going into the ceiling or flying for example a mission under a bridge or overhanging structure Setting the limit will some buffer is a good idea to help prevent an accident The list below details a control system check using the handheld GCS e Power on the GCS and power on the helicopter e The GCS will boot up and the helicopter navigation lights will begin blinking e Establish the wireless connection between the GCS and the aircraft e When connected you will see aircraft telemetry displayed on the GCS Because the motors are NOT ARMED you can raise the throttle to test the GCS and helicopter data link e As the throttle is increased the rear white navigation lights will blink faster If the payload is attached to the aircraft you can also tilt the camera and if the camera is powered on take a photo using the shutter button on the handheld GCS Take this time t
43. n with a coordinated turn constantly descending and slowing through the turn Slow to a hover at chest height near your landing spot and land the aircraft Summary We covered a lot of material in this section from e environmental concerns like wind and temperature e flight training exercises e your first flight e basic mission flights e more aggressive flying and skill development We hope you found this document useful informative and very possibly it has given you some ideas and insight to help get the most out of the complete helicopter system The Draganflyer X4 ES system is a precision tool designed to provide you with a new aerial perspective and new creative edge to your work Page 66 Chapter 4 Maintenance The Draganflyer X4 ES features a direct drive system requiring minimal maintenance as compared to a tradition style helicopter with servo linkages gears drive shafts clutch rotor head swash plate tail rotor and pitch change mechanisms However as the pilot in command in addition to the health of your batteries you are responsible for the mechanical integrity of the aircraft so it s a good idea to inspect the aircraft on a regular basis for any wear or damage Should any component on the helicopter or support equipment show signs of fatigue or damage immediately discontinue use until the component has been properly replaced To help ensure safe operation and keep your Draganflyer running at its best we
44. nd movement without constant control input operators should always be aware of its position and be able to take immediate control of the helicopter to recover from an unwanted position and avoid any mishaps Please completely read and understand all Draganflyer X4 ES instructional information before attempting to fly the Draganflyer X4 ES To provide optimum performance a Lithium Polymer battery powers your Draganflyer X4 ES The same properties that make these batteries extremely powerful and lightweight also make them dangerous if handled incorrectly Please read and understand all information pertaining to the battery before attempting to use or charge it IF MISUSED THIS AIRCRAFT IS CAPABLE OF CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY HARM TO THE OPERATOR AND SPECTATORS AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY OCCURRING DUE TO MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT IS SOLELY THE OPERATOR S RESPONSIBILITY Page 2 DO NOT PLACE YOUR HANDS OR ARMS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ROTORS OR ATTEMPT TO STOP SPINNING ROTORS WITH YOUR HANDS AS SERIOUS INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS CHEMICALS WHICH ARE KNOWN BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER BIRTH DEFECTS AND OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HARM Many common materials such as metals plastics glues lubricants and other coatings contain chemicals in varying amount and concentrations which will cause harm if introduced into the human body For further information on toxic or dangerous chemicals please
45. o also test the live streaming video link With the camera powered on and the video network established select the blue play arrow displayed on the video screen to enable streaming video Documentation and observers Log book entries There s an old saying that your work isn t done until the paperwork is completed Very few people enjoy paperwork but when it comes to operating an aircraft it s an important and valuable part of the job Page 41 Included with your system is a Draganfly Systems Log Book and we highly recommend that you get into the habit of using it The log book will detail flight times any problems encountered what batteries were flown and most importantly it s a good place to match up comments about a flight with the flight data log recorded on the GCS or handheld controller In the long run you will find the comments history and information recoded in the log book to be of great value Please use the log book Spotter or observer In some countries it s a requirement to have a trained spotter or observer working side by side with the pilot in command Check with your local air space regulatory agency to understand the operating requirements in your country And whether it s a requirement or not it s often a good idea to have a spotter or observer The Draganfly aircraft camera controls can be wirelessly slaved to an observer handheld controller and working together the pilot and observer fly t
46. oint try different exercises flying around the training course taking time to stop think and hover over target cones And there is no such thing as style points so if you re more comfortable turning your body or the controller to help with your control orientation of the aircraft go ahead and do what works for you Enjoy your flying Page 50 Helicopter flight Ey mo U0 a Leading up to this section we ve talked about wind temperature basic pre flight checks and training exercises And as we ve said before the great thing about a helicopter is that we don t need to be going 56kph 85mph to takeoff like an airplane the helicopter can be flown a quarter of an inch at a time meaning you can take things at your own pace Before you take the helicopter up high or far away you need to be in control at closer distances and lower altitudes so please take it low and slow to get started The Page 51 illustration above is no joke in operation at altitude the helicopter gets very small very quickly In this section we ll cover flying the aircraft but keep in mind we won t be covering the detailed interaction with the handheld controllers We assume that you have already looked over the start up guide or handheld controller manuals and are familiar with connecting to the aircraft arming the motors engaging motors engaging a GPS hold and all the steps
47. ointed straight into the wind so at takeoff you will apply pitch as required to maintain a Page 34 hover When you re happy the helicopter is behaving properly you increase throttle to gain altitude and move pitch even more forward and fly away into the wind When you have flown the aircraft into the desired position slow the aircraft into a good stable hovering position double check your aircraft GPS position accuracy and switch the aircraft into a GPS position hold The helicopter will automatically hold its position altitude and heading If you wish to either reposition the aircraft or yaw the aircraft to change heading you can do this even when the aircraft is in a GPS position hold Clearly the primary benefit of the GPS position hold feature is to dramatically reduce the pilot involvement to maintain a hover position This frees the pilot to focus more attention on getting the perfect photo searching an area or conducting the mission Forward flight amp ballooning Because the helicopter is primarily flying in altitude hold mode you will notice a tendency for the aircraft to balloon rise or fall when coming to an abrupt stop There is nothing wrong nothing is broken its only because altitude is controlled by the barometric sensor onboard the aircraft Special notice The aircraft will rise slightly or drop when making fast or abrupt changes to speed You might also see altitude variations hovering in strong winds or eve
48. over a course of specific objects to provide some form of measure to determine how well you are doing For example flying with the helicopter nose in in a stationary hover Page 43 over a cone for one minute rotate 90 degrees over the same cone and hold for one minute With clear goals you will get results Training course A typical exercise course is created using 9 small traffic or soccer cones The spacing between the cones varies on the size helicopter you are flying and the amount of space that you have available With Draganfly training we will often use the training course for indoor flight instruction but the same exercises can be run outdoors on a much larger scale You can master the flight drills indoors and simply moving outdoors creates an interesting challenge by simply having to deal with wind and the environment Flight exercise 1 practice hover Typical training course layout using 9 cones In this exercise you will simply takeoff hover briefly and move out over a practice cone in a stationary hover e Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone e Hold hover position for one minute e Remain over the center cone and yaw the helicopter 90 degrees e Hold hover position for one minute e Repeat this sequence for a complete 360 rotation over the center cone e Return and land Page 44 Flight exercise 2 practice roll During your Draganfly flight training you might re
49. owered off will slowly drain the battery Page 13 Install Canopy Installing the canopy is the reverse process Start by inserting the canopy through the slot at the rear of the aircraft Bring the front of the canopy forward and line up the canopy pin with the helicopter latch assembly Rear canopy tab Gently squeeze the front of the canopy to latch in place After latching be certain to test and make sure the canopy is securely fastened Give the canopy a little tug and double check that it s fastened before flying Gently squeeze the canopy to latch in place Page 14 Helicopter assembled The helicopter is now fully assembled and ready for flight Even if you have been through our flight training program we recommend that for your first few flights you fly in very light wind conditions and without a payload to test the system and get reacquainted with the aircraft In this manual we will discuss flying the helicopter and provide some tips and tricks to get the most from the aircraft The actual mechanics of flying such as details to arm the motors engage motors describe telemetry data and setting up live streaming video are discussed in the handheld Ground Control System GCS manual and also the standard Handheld Controller manual HHC Most importantly we thank you for selecting the Draganfly product hope you enjoy your flying and believe the helicopter will prove to be an excellent aerial tool for you
50. p in mind there are different types of wind Flying in straight line steady winds like you find coming off a large lake or along the ocean are much easier to fly in than for example gusty and changing winds that you find in a canyon Gusty and changing conditions are a challenge q combined with strong up and down drafts that can make for an exciting day With experience you can comfortably fly in these conditions but please understand this comes with experience As the pilot in command it s your responsibility to determine if the weather conditions are suitable to execute the mission Most people run into problems when they re flying the aircraft in conditions beyond their skill level so its much better to stop the flight and wait for better Page 31 weather Always keep in mind that no matter what the project as the pilot you determine when it s safe to fly The helicopter and wind Although the helicopter system is actually very sophisticated there are times when you might think it s not For example let s assume we re flying in a 16kph 1O0mph steady wind from the north Before you takeoff point the helicopter into the wind and because of your experience you know that upon liftoff you ll need to pitch the aircraft forward to penetrate the wind and maintain a hover position In this scenario the helicopter is flying forward at 16kph 10mph to maintain Omph ground speed in the hover As you
51. push pitch all the way forward and increase throttle at the same time to maintain altitude As your speed builds bring throttle back to the center position and as you start your left hand turn begin easing back on pitch slowing the aircraft through the turn On the return leg of the circuit travel at a moderate speed and when you enter the next left turn slow the aircraft to a hover at your original start point Have fun with this and pay attention to maintaing altitude and speed practice the coordinated turns and always keep in mind that a good way to slow down the aircraft is a nice coordinated turn Quick stops In flight training and during routine practice quick stops are something full size helicopter pilots practice often It s a safety maneuver and at the same time whether Page 63 you re flying a full size aircraft RC helicopter or the Draganflyer it s a fun coordinated skill to execute In a full size aircraft the pilot will pull pitch back and drop collective pitch at the same time to maintain altitude and stop the aircraft As airspeed drops the aircraft looses transitional lift and the pilot must quickly pull collective to maintain altitude The same is true with a traditional RC helicopter and with the Draganflyer you have the benefit of the autopilot system helping you through the process m0 ED ml Page 64 Using the same drag racing circuit we ll exe
52. r is the main charge cable When charging the GCS you need a lower charge current setting and with the standard HHC both the cell count and the charge current must be adjusted Standard and maximum charger settings e Helicopter battery pack 4sPACK C 3 00A maximum current C 5 45A e Handheld GCS 4sPACK C 1 70A maximum current C 2 70A e Handheld HHC 3sPACK C 1 70A maximum current C 2 10A For additional instructions on your battery charger please refer to the TP610ACDC battery charger operator s manual included in your package Page 27 Things you need to know Special notice You might think that we re exaggerating the issue but no LiPo battery safety is something to be taken seriously If you want to see examples of what can go wrong just search YouTube for LiPo fire examples It s common to think this will never happen to me but that s why they call them accidents so please take battery safety very seriously and here are some tips to consider 1 When charging your batteries always place them in a fire proof LiPo sack or case and be in the immediate area to listen for any errors detected by the charger during the charging process or if an explosion or fire takes place you re there to deal with the situation 2 After charging is complete always remove disconnect both cables from the battery 3 Keep your batteries out of direct sunlight or high heat conditions For example don t set them on the dashboa
53. raganflyer X4 ES in excessive winds Do not fly the aircraft system in rain Do not fly near people on the ground or objects in the air Do not fly near pets or other animals Do not fly near high tension lines electrical substations high structures or communication facilities Be careful where you place the controller and helicopter during flight preparations be sure the equipment will not be dropped or suffer an accidental fall as this may cause serious damage Never fly this aircraft where damage to property or injury to persons may result if loss of control occurs Never leave the Draganflyer X4 ES unattended with the battery connected Make it a habit to always disconnect the battery when not flying When possible fly with a spotter or observer Page 4 Meet your Draganflyer X4 ES Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Draganflyer X4 ES helicopter system Both you and your new X4 ES helicopter will have many adventures together We believe this amazing aerial tool will provide you with a new perspective in your work and edge to your creativity Here s a quick look at the helicopter Powerful custom designed LiPo battery pack and GPS receiver Folding carbon fiber airframe for Quick release carbon fiber easy setup and transportation props and powerful custom made brushless motors provide amazing power and flight High intensity programmable navigation LEDs Auto stabilization with 11
54. rd of your car You want to keep the batteries protected cool and safe 4 Some people think more is better but no not with a LiPo battery Please only charge the batteries at the prescribed cell count and current ratings Trying to over fill a battery will result in damage 5 If a battery is either old or damaged in a crash follow the proper battery disposal guidelines provided above by submerging and soaking the battery in a Salt water solution And please some people want to try and salvage the power connector from the battery or the electronics but no you are placing yourself in serious risk of being injured Chapter 3 Page 29 Your first flight One of the great things about a helicopter is that you can fly it a quarter of an inch at a time And even better you have the flexibility to fly in a wide open area more restricted space and if you have enough room you can even fly indoors If you haven t taken the Draganfly certified flight training we highly encourage you to get the proper training The two day one on one training is designed to provide you with the essential knowledge skills and develop confidence to get you flying safely In situations where it s more cost effective to have a flight instructor fly out to your location versus bringing a team of three or four people to Canada for an additional fee Draganfly offers training worldwide at your location If you have any questions about train
55. re hovering in the wind lets assume you gain a little altitude and if you were to yaw the helicopter you know in advance of this maneuver that you will need to apply pitch and roll to maintain the hover as the heading of the aircraft changes As the pilot when ever possible you want to mentally stay ahead of the aircraft So in this example we re hovering at 3 meters altitude the helicopter is pointed straight into the wind blowing at a steady speed of 16kph 10mph To maintain a static hover position we must pitch the aircraft forward to essentially be flying at 16kph 10mph into the wind Under these WIND 16kph 10mph Pitch is required at takeoff to maintain a hover position in the wind Page 32 circumstances our ground speed is Omph If we begin to yaw the helicopter clockwise 90 degrees we know that through the rotation of the aircraft we ll need to introduce left roll and reduce forward pitch as the aircraft rotates to maintain the hover position WIND 16kph 10mph WIND 16kph 10mph WIND 16kph 10mph To hover in this scenario As you yaw clockwise you must When helicopter approaches 90 requires pitch forward to introduce some roll during the degrees into the wind pitch is match wind speed and aircraft rotation to maintain reduced and roll increases maintain position position because the helicopter is now flying sideways into the wind Page 33 When the helicopter reaches the
56. rly announce that you are taking off e Arm the motors e Engage motors and ensure all props are spinning e Scan the immediate area and double check the airspace to be clear e Execute an automatic takeoff e Hover and execute a secondary pre flight control check e Increase throttle and pitch forward in a steady climb at moderate speed As you Increase throttle and pitch forward in a steady climb the helicopter will be flying away from you at a moderate speed For this flight stop climbing at an altitude of 30 meters 98 feet and keep the helicopter no more than 60 to 80 meters 197 263 feet away Page 58 As you near your target destination slow the aircraft and double check your helicopter GPS position accuracy If everything looks good bring the aircraft to a stationary hover at 30 meters 98 feet altitude and switch over to a GPS position hold At this point the autopilot onboard the aircraft is holding position and altitude for you at the given location Be aware that although the autopilot is doing most of the work for you your job is to make sure everything is going okay and be prepared to fly the aircraft at a moments notice Often listening to the aircraft is as important as watching it and why Because you will hear when the aircraft is fighting the wind or having a good bad time up there so keep your ears open Toggle your GCS screen to full screen video and adjust the helicopter yaw position as well as the camera til
57. s scenario we ll fly up and away to shoot photos of the estate illustrated below At 000 MW a the same time we ll pass along some tips and tricks in an attempt to circumvent problems some people have experienced Notice the helicopter is quite a bit closer than the graphic at the beginning of this section Until you build more confidence please keep the aircraft within 60 to 80 meters 197 263 feet of your position and when ever possible operate into the wind Pre planning Page 57 Before you just takeoff and go set aside a few minutes to look at the area get a feel for the weather wind and mentally rehearse the shots that you want to capture In this scenario we are operating in a light breeze blowing from the direction of the estate and the sun is low in the horizon to our back Power up and go After a complete pre flight and payload check also check the airspace for any aircraft or low flying birds Most birds will fly around the aircraft but the larger birds like geese are more unpredictable so just keep an eye open for them Okay let s power up and takeoff e Power on the GCS e Power on the helicopter e Power on the camera e Position helicopter pointing into the wind e Establish wireless connection between controller and helicopter e Double check telemetry battery health signal strength and GPS satellites e Enable streaming video to the handheld GCS e Clea
58. steps required to assemble the aircraft in preparation for launch Because the aircraft can be equipped with several different payload packages please refer to the individual payload manual for details about the payload set up and how to get the most from it To attach the various payloads is simple just twist and lock using the quick release system Extend helicopter booms Start by unfolding the helicopter booms and snapping them into position As they are unfolded the front booms will pass thru the rear clips Continue to bring the booms forward until firmly snapped in their front position The rear booms will lock into the rear clips and with all four booms extended the frame is ready for the next step Swing booms one at a time towards the front Front booms pass through rear clips and rear booms will lock in Snap front booms into clips place and make sure they lock Page 8 Extend Landing Gear There are several helicopter systems on the market but we think you ll be hard pressed to find an aircraft where so much effort and design was involved to create a lightweight and incredibly strong airframe In addition to it s strength the airframe design allows the aircraft to quickly fold into a small package light weight improves overall performance and folding reduces transport case size making it easier to get out on scene or out working on that next project To extend the landing gear simply pul
59. t days mid to late afternoon in flat areas and mixed terrain such as large asphalt parking lots and large open fields Page 37 Helicopter preflight Just like a real aircraft it is very important to pre flight the Draganfly helicopter to make sure it s airworthy We recommend a static on the ground pre flight as illustrated below and once you have taken off we suggest a second flight check in a hover to make sure the aircraft and system are behaving properly If you have any doubt or suspect a problem either cancel the mission or abort the flight until the problem is corrected Double check to ensure the canopy is secured tightly Check you props to make sure they are locked securely in place and double check props for nicks or cracks Ensure booms are locked firmly in place Spin all motors by hand to make sure they spin smoothly If you are flying with a payload make sure the quick release is securely fastened and camera is properly secured to the camera mount Double check and make sure landing gear is firmly locked in place Draganflyer X4 ES System Pre flight Check Page 38 Pre flight system checks As illustrated above it s very important to pre flight your aircraft before every flight The system pre flight is a quick but important procedure to follow even between flights Never take anything for granted because more times than not when you assume something is okay t
60. t position to frame the shots you want to capture After taking a few photos you can either move the helicopter while it s in GPS position hold or release the GPS hold and fly to the next location hover and switch back over to GPS position hold So what s the difference Flying in a GPS position hold is slow because you re basically overriding the GPS hold information As a result the helicopter moves at a much slower speed but for minor adjustments in position this works very well As a rule of thumb if you plan to move a large distance disengage the GPS hold and manually fly to the next location For minor adjustments and position changes stay locked in GPS hold mode and move the aircraft to the new location Page 59 Remember that when you turn off the GPS position hold you re flying the aircraft again so as we have said over and over you want to stay ahead of the aircraft whenever possible In this scenario we re hovering in a wind so the instant the GPS hold is turned off the helicopter will start blowing back towards our location If you want the helicopter to come back your way that s fine but if you want to move in any other direction to help get ahead of this start by moving pitch forward so the helicopter begins penetrating the wind then turn off the GPS position hold and fly to your new location At the new location slow to a steady hover and turn on GPS position hold to frame and get more photos
61. ude e When helicopter is down pull throttle all the way straight back e Disengage motors e Disarm motors e Disconnect from aircraft e Power down camera e Power down systems Page 61 Aggressive flying skills After weeks and months of developing your flying skills confidence builds and control inputs become reflex actions versus something you need to process and execute Instinctive reflex reactions help you stay ahead of the aircraft and when this happens you re ready to tackle more aggressive flying skills The vast majority of the work you do with the aircraft will be the typical flight earlier described where you fly out hover shoot photos or gather data and return Simple up out hover and back work but when the time comes to get up quickly reposition quickly or shoot more interesting and creative video the Draganflyer system is up to the task Drag racing Not only is this fun but it s a great flight training exercise to become familiar with flying your helicopter at higher speeds high speed banking and slowing to a stop Special notice Autopilot altitude is determined by barometric pressure In strong winds or at high speeds the air pressure inside the bodywork will change causing momentary variations in altitude Take the helicopter to an open area so there is no concern about running into a tree light pole or other obstacle And as always you don t want this to be a crowded area If at all poss
62. us thing not easily repaired so take all the steps required to protect them Page 52 For your first flights if you re flying indoors make sure you have looked around the immediate area and along the ceiling or roof area to make sure there are no dangling strings ropes or wires Quite often people will hang a sign or something but when it comes time to take things down the sign is gone but the cables or wires are still left hanging there If you re flying outdoors be aware of the wind and other people in the immediate area Ideally you want the sun to your back light or calm wind conditions and no people around Pre flight Go through the list of pre flight items we discussed earlier and double check to make sure everything is in good working order Run through the pre flight to inspect e Boom check e Canopy check e Motor check e Prop check e Landing gear check e Payload check e Handheld controller battery e Handheld controller antenna orientation e Variable aircraft and GCS parameters check e Control system check e Fully charged helicopter flight battery Look over the area Whether you re indoors or outside look around the immediate area and think of places to easily set the aircraft down if needed Also position any people or helpers behind you and instruct them to stay in one area Page 53 If you re flying in a public area be aware that people will be curious and often in flight you ll be happily hovering t
63. ver the far middle cone Page 46 Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter left over the far left corner cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter back over the rear left corner cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter right to the rear far right cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter forward to the front far right cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter left over the far center cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Slide the helicopter back over the center cone Hold hover position for thirty seconds Return and land Page 47 Flight exercise 4 practice combined pitch amp roll It s now time to keep the helicopter in a safety position but slide the helicopter on the diagonal from corner to corner To accomplish this you will need to move the helicopter in both pitch and roll to create the diagonal movement When you get to a corner hold in a hover for 30 seconds and slide sideways to the next corner then back on the diagonal Flight exercise 5 90 degrees out The exercises get a little more difficult as we move away from the safety position The secret to maintain your orientation is to mentally place yourself inside the helicopter If you can mentally see your surroundings from the perspective of the aircraft you will Page 48 always know whether you need to pull roll or pitch one direction or
64. warnings General Guidelines and Warnings Your batteries are not fully charged upon receiving them the batteries must be charged before use Use Lithium Polymer specific battery chargers only such as the charger provided in your Draganflyer package Use of any other type of charger can result in a fire which may result in personal injury and damage to property Always keep batteries in a flame retardant container such as the LiPo Sack included in your Draganflyer package during charging storage and transportation e Never leave charging batteries unattended When charging LiPo batteries you must constantly monitor the charging process and be there to react to any undesired results If at any time the battery becomes swollen immediately discontinue use or charging disconnect the battery and place it in a safe observation area for 15 minutes Charging a battery that has become swollen may result in fire A safe observation area should be outdoors away from any property vehicles or combustible material Page 18 Do NOT leave a battery indoors for observation even if in a flame retardant container Do not short the battery shorts can cause fires If you accidentally short the battery it must be placed in a safe observation area for 15 minutes Be cautious of potential shorts and burns that may occur due to jewellery such as rings or bracelets Chemical reactions are not instantaneous a battery that h
65. we just did in exercise number two except we re primarily using pitch to change our position moving forward and backwards over the course e Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter forward over the far middle cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter left back over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter back over the rear middle cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter forward to get back over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Return and land Flight exercise 3 practice pitch amp roll It s now time to combine the two movements of pitch and roll to move around the training course Do your best to maintain a constant altitude take it slow and hold your hover position over the cones always flying in the safety position at all times You can fly several different patterns in different directions so have fun with this but again always hold your hover over each target cone If you just go sailing past a cone you re flying the helicopter but you re not developing the skills required to control the helicopter There is a big difference between just flying and really being in control e Keep the helicopter at chest height and hover over the center cone e Hold hover position for thirty seconds e Slide the helicopter forward o
66. with the e Before travelling with LiPo courier batteries always check with your airline for their policies and Disposal Lithium Polymer batteries that have lost 20 of their total capacity are considered worn and should be disposed of Any worn or damaged battery should be immediately removed from service and disposed of Never charge or use a worn or damaged battery To properly dispose of a LiPo battery fully submerge and soak the battery in saturated salt water for 48 hours In most locations the battery can now be disposed of in household waste Please check local waste management and recycling regulations for disposal of LiPo batteries Do Not dispose of batteries in fire For assistance or additional information on Lithium Polymer batteries please contact Draganfly Innovations technical support Page 21 Battery Charging System Please fully read and understand the Lithium battery safety instructions and warnings section of this manual before using or charging your batteries The operator assumes full responsibility for all risks associated with the use of this product CO COTW TTY oT ULLINA EL 4 B a F VONAR 74 XN Ll pg ge O ce E LiPo Charge sel i SS 4sPACK C 3 00A Your Draganflyer X4 ES system comes equipped with a complete charging kit for the helicopter and controller batteries used with the X4 ES system The charging system h

X4-ES USER MANUAL - Cabezon Group Inc.

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