Your First Flight

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What You Will Do

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Before You Start

• A drone with an ArduPilot or PX4 flight controller
• A charged battery
• A USB cable (for bench/desktop connection) OR WiFi/4G connection (for field flight with the Drone Agent)
• A gamepad (Xbox, PlayStation, or any USB/Bluetooth controller) or your keyboard
• Mission Control running in your browser (see Quickstart)

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Step by Step

1

Connect your flight controller

USB connection (bench/desktop):

1. Plug the FC into your laptop with a USB cable
2. Open Mission Control at http://localhost:4000
3. Click Connect in the top bar
4. Select the serial port in the browser dialog
5. Wait for the connection handshake (2-5 seconds)

Over the agent (field):

1. Power on the drone. The Drone Agent starts automatically.
2. Connect your laptop to the same network (WiFi, USB tether, or Ground Agent AP)
3. Open Mission Control. It discovers the agent via mDNS or you enter the IP manually.
4. The drone appears on the dashboard.

The top bar will show: firmware type, vehicle type, and firmware version. The status indicator turns green.

2

Run pre-flight checks

Before arming, verify these in the dashboard:GPS:

• Fix type should be 3D Fix or better (RTK if available)
• Satellite count: 8+ recommended, 6 minimum
• HDOP under 2.0

Battery:

• Voltage matches your expected full charge (e.g., 25.2V for 6S LiPo)
• Percentage reads above 80% for a full flight
• Current sensor reads near 0A (motors not spinning)

Attitude:

• Artificial horizon is level when the drone is on flat ground
• If it is tilted, you need to calibrate the accelerometer

RC (if using external RC transmitter):

• All channel values respond when you move sticks
• Throttle at minimum, all trims centered

Flight mode:

• Should show Stabilize or Altitude Hold for first flights
• Do not arm in Auto, Guided, or Loiter for your first flight

Pre-arm messages:

• Check the message bar at the bottom of the screen
• ArduPilot shows pre-arm failure reasons here (e.g., “PreArm: Need 3D Fix”, “PreArm: Compass not calibrated”)
• Resolve ALL pre-arm failures before arming

If you see “PreArm: RC not calibrated”, go to Configure > Calibration > RC Calibration and follow the wizard. If you see compass errors, run compass calibration. These one-time steps take 2-3 minutes each.

3

Set up your input device

Gamepad:

1. Plug in or pair your gamepad
2. Go to the Flight Control tab
3. The gamepad should appear as detected. If not, press any button to wake it up.
4. Mission Control maps the sticks automatically:
   • Left stick vertical: Throttle
   • Left stick horizontal: Yaw
   • Right stick vertical: Pitch
   • Right stick horizontal: Roll
5. Move all sticks to verify they respond in the UI

Keyboard:

• W/S: Pitch forward/back
• A/D: Roll left/right
• Arrow Up/Down: Throttle up/down
• Arrow Left/Right: Yaw left/right

Gamepad input runs at 50Hz using the Web Gamepad API. This sends MANUAL_CONTROL MAVLink messages to the flight controller. Make sure your FC is configured to accept MAVLink manual control (ArduPilot: set PILOT_THR_BHV and RC channel overrides are enabled by default on companion computer connections).

4

Arm the drone

When all pre-flight checks pass and the pre-arm message bar is clear:

1. Move to a safe distance from the drone. Props will spin on arming.
2. Click the Arm button in the Flight Control tab
3. Confirm the arming dialog

The status indicator changes to show ARMED. The motors may start spinning at idle (depends on your MOT_SPIN_ARM parameter).If arming fails, the message bar will show the reason. Common failures:

• “PreArm: Need 3D Fix” (wait for GPS lock)
• “PreArm: Battery failsafe” (battery too low)
• “PreArm: Compass variance” (move away from metal objects, recalibrate)
• “PreArm: Gyros inconsistent” (let the FC warm up for 30 seconds)

5

Take off

In Stabilize mode:

• Slowly raise the throttle stick (left stick up, or Arrow Up on keyboard)
• The drone will lift off when throttle passes the hover point (usually around 40-60%)
• Keep the throttle steady once airborne. Small corrections with pitch and roll.

In Altitude Hold or Loiter mode:

• Throttle stick center = hold altitude
• Throttle above center = climb
• Throttle below center = descend
• These modes are easier for beginners because the FC handles altitude

For your first flight, use Altitude Hold mode if your FC supports it. Set the mode before arming. In this mode, releasing the throttle stick returns to hover. You only need to worry about position, not altitude.

Start low. Hover at 2-3 meters. Get comfortable with the controls before climbing higher.

6

Fly around

With the drone hovering:

• Pitch (right stick vertical): Forward and backward movement
• Roll (right stick horizontal): Left and right movement
• Yaw (left stick horizontal): Rotate the drone’s heading
• Throttle (left stick vertical): Up and down

Keep movements gentle. FPV-style quick stick inputs will work, but start slow.Watch the telemetry in Mission Control while flying:

• Altitude (AGL or MSL, depending on your setting)
• Ground speed
• Battery voltage (watch for sag under load)
• Distance from home
• Flight mode

If anything feels wrong, switch to Loiter mode. The drone will stop and hold position. This is your panic button.

7

Switch flight modes

You can change flight modes during flight from Mission Control.Common modes for manual flight:

Mode	Behavior
Stabilize	Full manual control. FC only levels the drone when sticks are centered.
Altitude Hold	FC holds altitude. You control position and heading.
Loiter	FC holds position AND altitude. GPS required. You nudge it around.
PosHold	Similar to Loiter but uses only accelerometer for position. Indoor-friendly.

Click the mode selector in the Flight Control tab to switch. The FC will acknowledge with a mode change message.

8

Land

Manual landing (Stabilize / AltHold):

1. Position the drone over your landing spot
2. Slowly lower the throttle
3. Descend gently (0.5-1 m/s descent rate)
4. When the drone touches down, pull throttle to minimum and hold for 2 seconds
5. The FC auto-disarms after touchdown if DISARM_DELAY is set (default: 10 seconds)

Automatic landing:

1. Switch to Land mode
2. The drone descends at a controlled rate and auto-disarms on touchdown

Return to Launch (RTL):

1. Switch to RTL mode
2. The drone climbs to RTL altitude, flies back to the launch point, and lands
3. Requires GPS

After landing, click Disarm if the FC has not auto-disarmed.

9

Review the flight

After landing and disarming:In Mission Control:

• The flight path is drawn on the map (if GPS was available)
• Telemetry data is available in the stores for the duration of the session

On the flight controller:

• ArduPilot logs to onboard flash (.bin files)
• Download logs via Mission Control’s log browser or with a USB cable
• Upload logs to firmware.ardupilot.org for analysis

Check battery health:

• Note the voltage after landing. If it dropped below 3.5V per cell under load, your battery may be aging.
• If the FC triggered a battery failsafe, reduce your flight time on the next flight.

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Common First-Flight Issues

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Drone drifts in one direction

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Drone oscillates or vibrates

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Gamepad input feels laggy

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Video feed is frozen or black

# On the SBC, check video service
ados status
journalctl -u ados-video -n 20 --no-pager

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Arming fails with “Check firmware”

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Safety Reminders

• Always arm at a safe distance from people and objects
• Start with short, low flights until you are comfortable
• Keep a visual line of sight to your drone
• Know your failsafe settings (what happens on RC loss, GCS loss, battery low)
• Fly in an open area away from airports, restricted zones, and crowds
• Check local regulations before flying

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Next Steps