Inspire 1 Pre-Flight Checklist and Safety Meeting Talking Points

[Daniel.V.Parsons]

I'm looking for any advice or constructive criticism that experienced Inspire pilots have to offer on my Pre-Flight Checklist and Safety Meeting Talking Points.

BASE CAMP CHECKLIST - Before Traveling to Location

1. Confirm controller firmware is up to date
2. Confirm drone firmware is up to date
3. Inspect drone for obvious defects
4. Confirm batteries are fully charged
   1. Drone Batteries
   2. Controller batteries
   3. iPad
   4. 7" Monitor Batteries
5. Confirm previously shot footage has been backed up and SD card is formatted

PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST - On Location

1. Remove drone, place in safe launch and recover position
2. Setup controllers - Confirm iPad & 7" Monitor brightness is set to high & hoods are installed
3. Angle controller antennas upward
4. Turn on controllers
5. Turn on drone
6. Exit travel mode
7. Install camera
8. ND filter needed? Yes/No
9. Confirm SD card is in camera, format SD card if needed
10. Calibrate compass
11. Install propellers
12. Adjust minimum return height
13. Confirm a clear frequency is chosen
14. Power down drone and controllers
15. Hold safety meeting

SAFETY MEETING TALKING POINTS

1. All bystanders must stand 10ft behind the operators during flight.
2. Everyone should keep their eyes on the drone AT ALL TIMES while it is in flight so that if something goes wrong, they are aware and ready to react in an instant.
3. All bystanders must keep conversation during flight to a minimum – Only the pilot, camera operator and spotter should be talking during flight so that the pilot can have complete focus and can hear the camera operator and spotter.

FLIGHT CHECKLIST

1. Power on controllers and drone
2. Confirm flight area is clear of people
3. Warn bystanders of imminent takeoff
4. Hover close for 20 seconds. Look/listen for defects
5. Confirm expected stick operation
6. Monitor battery power
7. Keep line-of-sight with Drone if possible
8. Monitor signal strength

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Hi,

Pretty comprehensive, my only addition to this would be pre-flight point 12, Adjust minimum return height but take into consideration height/altitude changes in flight. Several of us has experienced a height difference from take off to landing even though returning to the same location, so as an example, I loose approx 1m per 1 minute of flight, so if I set my return height at 20m to clear trees, after 15min of flight my bird has gained 15m in height/altitude, therefore when it returns at 20m its only 5m above its original takeoff point. So you need to compensate for this possibly, basically set a height 40 or 50m above what you would usually to be safe

see youtube clip as evidence:

 

[ZENUAV]

I would add 'and prop locks' to point 11.

 

[The Editor]

I would add 'and prop locks' to point 11.

Not if they are the QR variety - but good point.

 

[PureSQNut]

I would also add "set RTH point"

 

[ZENUAV]

I also cache location maps while at base!

 

[Mike Ellgood]

Checking your mod values, prior to any flight is a must so that all values are within the recomended specs

 

[TR1PL3D]

Set iPad and any phones to Airplane mode, or equivalent, to avoid interference.

Also check area for any flying restrictions, such as airports. Check for obstacles such as overhead power lines when you arrive at location.

 

[Ed Regan]

I check my mod values and do not calibrate my compass unless mod values are out or the aircraft is showing a compass error. You introduce too much room for error if you cal the compass every time you fly. The only issue I have had with the i1 is a bad compass cal that was apparent as soon as I took off, not fun to fly and very hard to put down. Many experienced pilots have recommended this approach.

 

[Glen]

Very good Daniel,

I would personally add - Check "IMU sensor readings"

Kind regards

 

[sirnikolas]

And always pay attention to the weather. Especially if you're flying out far and the wind decides to change from a tail to a headwind.

Here's a very useful link ~

http://www.uavforecast.com/

 

[Jason Schiffner]

Hey guys. I made a very thorough checklist that covers everything. Plus it has checkboxes that light up. Once everything has been checked, then it tells you its good to fly. It's a pretty good checklist that alot of people are using now. http://www.dronefrontier.com/inspire1checklist/

 

[andydallas]

sounds kind of dumb, but I have to verify micro SD card is in drone and reformat,,,wouldn't do much good to get through entire flight and not have anything to record your work

 

[jmp470]

Hey guys. I made a very thorough checklist that covers everything. Plus it has checkboxes that light up. Once everything has been checked, then it tells you its good to fly. It's a pretty good checklist that alot of people are using now. http://www.dronefrontier.com/inspire1checklist/

Your check list is longer than the one in my old Cirrus Airplane

Nice work

 

[Jason Schiffner]

Your check list is longer than the one in my old Cirrus Airplane

Nice work

I know! You're totally right that it's really long. I want to make it shorter, but I worry that if I leave something out, then someone will make that one mistake and.. poof goes the drone. Well, if there is some things I can cut, then I totally welcome your feedback. Thanks!!

 

[ajohnsonlaird]

Is it not advisable to check that Multiple Flight Mode is enabled so that if you get unexpected behavior in P-GPS you can use the left hand switch on the RC to revert to P-ATTI mode and flight the I1 manually?

If the system is set with Multiple Flight Mode disabled, my understanding was that you could not manually revert to P-ATTI from P-GPS? Is that not the case?

Andy

 

[Jason Schiffner]

Is it not advisable to check that Multiple Flight Mode is enabled so that if you get unexpected behavior in P-GPS you can use the left hand switch on the RC to revert to P-ATTI mode and flight the I1 manually?

If the system is set with Multiple Flight Mode disabled, my understanding was that you could not manually revert to P-ATTI from P-GPS? Is that not the case?

Andy

Andy, yes, that is true. It's HIGHLY advisable that you fly in Multiple Flight Mode (MFM) for every flight for the very reason that you specify. Because if you don't activate this mode, then you won't be able to switch into P-ATTI mode, which may be a life saver if the drone begins to misbehave.

I will highly consider adding this to the checklist. Thank you for bringing this critical issue to my attention. I forgot about it since mine has been in that mode for months.

 

[Derfmen]

sounds kind of dumb, but I have to verify micro SD card is in drone and reformat,,,wouldn't do much good to get through entire flight and not have anything to record your work

This may be a stupid question, but why do you have to reformat the card each time???
I have over 200 flights and I shoot video & pictures every time and I only formatted the card once, when I got it, and have never had any problems (with the card) so what's the reason for doing it again every time I fly. Have I missed something???

 

[andydallas]

This may be a stupid question, but why do you have to reformat the card each time???
I have over 200 flights and I shoot video & pictures every time and I only formatted the card once, when I got it, and have never had any problems (with the card) so what's the reason for doing it again every time I fly. Have I missed something???

because I don't want to dig through dozens of other pics/videos,,,I download everything from a card onto a seperate hard drive after a flight,,so I don't need anything off of the card,,I want the card to just have pics/videos from that specific flight

 

[Derfmen]

because I don't want to dig through dozens of other pics/videos,,,I download everything from a card onto a seperate hard drive after a flight,,so I don't need anything off of the card,,I want the card to just have pics/videos from that specific flight

I'm sorry I may not have been clear. I do the same thing, I download all vids and pics after every flight, I was just wondering why I keep reading people saying they "reformat" the card each time, after downloading. I was saying I only formatted the card once, when I bought it. My question was "do I need to reformat the card every time I use it and if so, why"