Ascending Technologies Approved Falcon 8 Training
This course has been designed in order to provide trainees with the skills, knowledge and attitude to fly an Ascending Technologies Falcon 8 according to the manufacturer’s manual.
Course modules and learning objectives:
Limitations of Falcon 8 RPAS
On completion Students will be able to…
System limitations:
- State the Maximum distance RPAS must be from ground station
- State the Maximum safe operating Altitude above sea level
- State the flight endurance of the falcon 8 with various payloads
- State the minimum safe take off and landing area
- State the minimum radio link strength
- State the minimum amount of satellites signal for a safe GPS mode operation
- State the max and min voltage of RPA
- State the max and min voltage of ground station
Weather Limitations:
- State the minimum operating temperature
- State the maximum operating temperature
- State the maximum operating wind speed
- State if it is unsafe to operate in turbulent conditions and know what causes turbulence
- State the weather conditions that the Falcon 8 should not be flown in
2. Safety features of Falcon 8
On completion Students will be able to…
Operator safety commands
- State that the Falcon 8 operates in manual/Altitude/GPS modes
- Know how to command the Falcon 8 to hover at a specified point
- Know how to command the Falcon 8 to fly to HOME position and land
- Know that it is safer to fly the falcon 8 in height mode if the wind exceeds the safety limit while flying
- Know that it is safer to keep the falcon 8 10m from obstacles in flight
- Know what causes GPS signal shadow/multipath
- Know that sources of magnetic interference are dangerous to fly near
- Know that the falcon should not be operated in dusty, rocky or sandy environments
- Know that the take off/landing surface should allow all blades to operate freely
- Know that operating around people, livestock and birds is dangerous
- Know that the falcon 8 should be operated within line of sight at all times
- Know that an awareness of battery strength throughout the entire flight is safe practice
- Know that flying against the sun may cause loss of visual contact with the RPAS
System safety features
- Know that loss of communication results in the Falcon 8 automatically flying to home position and landing
- Know that loss of GPS will result in it the pilot having to fly the RPAS in height mode
- Know that at a predefined low battery level the falcon 8 and RC transmitter will give an acoustic warning
- Know that at an extremely low battery level the Falcon 8 will be unable to maintain altitude
- Know that with a motor failure the \falcon will still be able to land safely
3. Falcon 8 flight planning
On completion Students will be able to…
Google Earth
- Create a google earth image file
- Create a (dot) ini file
Asctec Autopilot Software
- Open a google earth image in Asctec autopilot software
- Set the grid start position point
- Set the options –flight AGL, line spacing, yaw heading and camera pitch angle
- Create a flight plan
- Determine the flight time of the flight plan and determine how many flights are required
Falcon 8 Flight Modes
On completion Students will be able to…
Manual Mode
- Know that flying the Falcon 8 in manual mode is extremely difficult and should never be attempted
Height Mode
- Know that in height mode the Falcon 8 has pitch, roll, yaw and altitude assisted control
- Know that in height mode there is no positional control
- Know that the Falcon 8 will drift with the wind in height mode
- Know that compensation for the wind has to be done by the pilot
- Know that the falcon 8 flies at a max speed of 6m/s in height mode
- Know that in wind strengths that overcome GPS control, height mode may be used to fly the RPAS to its landing position
- Know that it is good practice to increase piloting skills using height mode
GPS Mode
- Know that in GPS mode the Falcon 8 is altitude, attitude and position assisted in flight
- Know that wind up to 12m/s is completely compensated for
- Know that the Falcon 8 flies at a maximum speed of 3m/s
- Know that GPS mode is not fail safe
- List the issues that affect GPS quality
- Know that they should have the option to switch to height mode at any time during the flight
- State the accuracies of GPS in both urban and open areas
5. Dealing with Emergencies
On completion Students will be able to…
Low Battery
- Know that a “low battery” warning gives approximately 5 minutes of remaining flying time
- Know that an “Empty Battery please land now” warning prompts the pilot in command to land the RPAS quickly, safely and calmly.
- Know that the falcon should only be launched with a battery strength of greater than or equal to 12volts
- Know that an acoustic warning will sound when the R/C transmitter battery is low and the pilot should land the system within 5 minutes
- Know that the video receiver battery is low when 3 LEDs in middle of the display start flashing
Excessive Wind speed
- Know that good weather forecasting will avoid most excessive wind issues
- Know that if the wind is too strong then the PRAS will no longer be able to hold its position in GPS mode
- Know to descend immediately in excessive wind speeds
- Know to switch to height mode to fly back to landing area if current area is unsafe for landing in excessive wind speeds
Distance too far
- Know what to do if the falcon 8’s orientation is no longer recognisable
GPS Signal Loss
- Know that an acoustic warning “GPS LOST” indicates GPS signal disruption
- Know that the system switches to height mode automatically when “GPS LOST” warning is issued
Magnetic Interference
- Know what caused magnetic interference and plan to avoid this type of system malfunction
- Know that magnetic interference affects the onboard compass, which is required for directional assisted control
- Know that this may cause the Falcon 8 to drift temporarily in GPS mode while taking off
- Know that changing the take off area or to start in height mode may rectify the effect of magnetic interference
Loss of Communication
- Know that an acoustic warning “LINK LOST” means loss of communication between the Falcon 8 and the ground control station
- Know that aligning antenna direction may re-establish the communication link
- Know that emergency mode will be activated automatically and the Falcon 8 will fly “HOME” and land
Mechanical Defects
- Know that if the Falcon 8 vibrates conspicuously then the operator must check all moving parts
- Know that it may be necessary to change propellers with defects
Motor Failure
- Know that the acoustic warning “MOTOR FAILURE, LAND NOW” means that a motor has failed
- Know that the falcon 8 has redundancy and will continue to fly safely
- Know to land the Falcon 8 immediately with small and constant inputs
Flight Training
On completion Students will be able to…
Pre Flight
- Know how to choose a suitable launch and landing area
- Know that there is a pre-flight checklist to follow rigorously before every launch
- Know how to insert the battery
- Know how to extend the antennae
- Know how to turn on the camera
- Know how to turn on the Falcon 8
- Know how to turn on the transmitter
- Know how to switch to GPS mode
- Know how to switch to Autopilot Mode
- Know how to switch to height mode
- List the emergency modes
- Set the appropriate emergency mode
- Know how to read the falcon 8, transmitter and video link battery levels
- Know the max and min levels of each battery
- Know the payload limitations
- Know that a different payload changes the centre of gravity, thus flight stability
In Flight
- Know how to increase and decrease altitude
- Know how to fly forwards/backwards
- Know how to move left/right
- Know how to yaw the Falcon 8
- Know how to hover the Falcon 8
- Know how to read the altitude of the falcon 8
- Know how to read the GPS signal strength
- Know how to read the flight time
- Know how to read if the Falcon 8 is in GPS mode or height mode
- Know how to read the flight time
- Know how to pitch the camera and trigger the camera
- Know how to adjust the antennae to increase radio signal strength
- Know how to initiate an emergency landing
- Know how to land routinely
- Know how to turn off the camera, falcon and transmitter in that exact order
7. Maintenance of Falcon 8
On completion Students will be able to…
Battery Charging
- Know how to connect the BID an to connect the power leads to charge the Falcon 8/video link batteries
- Know when the falcon 8/video link batteries are fully charged
- Know how to charge the transmitter
- Know that all other maintenance should be carried out by the manufacturer