Welcome, Alpha Pilot participants! You’ll find this to be a handy resource as you continue to navigate the challenges of building and flying your drone.

This information will be updated as we receive questions and solve problems throughout the Alpha Pilot. If you can’t find the information you need here, give our help line a call at (512) 829-8465.

Tips & Tricks

Drone Assembly 

• Just before putting the final A-plate [RS1] on top of your drone, we recommend hooking up the battery and completing the Motor Rotation Check procedure. To do so, follow the instructions in the introduction to the Flight Controller Guide [RS2] to ensure all your motors are plugged into the correct [DM3] port on the FMU and all are spinning correctly. NOTE: This step is easier to do during this stage than after your first attempt to fly your drone.
• When building the arm-leg combinations, number each leg 1 thru 4. This will indicate the leg’s position on the drone.
• Prior to putting the final A-plate [RS4] on top of your drone, ensure that all wires are well away from any of the ribs[RS5] . Wires can get pinched or cut if they get in between the top plate and the ribs. (I know these aren’t in any specific order and things will be added as they come along, but this should, especially with the way that it’s worded, come before the first bullet point.

First Flights 

• For your first few flights, be sure to take off and land on a soft surface such as grass, sand, or something similar. Keep doing so until you are comfortable with these procedures. Taking off from and landing on hard surfaces can increase the risk of crash damage. Once you’re comfortable with flying the drone, then proceed to taking off from and landing on hard surfaces.

FAQs

• Why can’t I get the app on my phone to connect to the drone? Make sure that you have fully exited the app on your phone and that the app is closed out/turned off before you link your phone to the ardupilot wifi host on the drone. Then, open the QGC [RS1] app on your phone and it should find the connection.
  
  
• Why aren’t the joysticks on my RC Controller working? Make sure that you have gone through the RC Radio calibration procedure in the Flight Controller Guide before your first flight – or any time that this issue arises.
• I tried to fly my drone, but one or more of my propellers flew off during takeoff. Why did that happen? This can happen for any one of several reasons. Here’s what you should check.

1.     Verify that the motors/ESCs [RS2] are plugged into the right[DM3]  FMU [RS4] port using the Motor Rotation Check procedure.
2.     Check the motor rotation directions – also by using the Motor Rotation Check procedure. If any motor spins in the wrong direction, swap the red and blue wires for that motor to the ESC [RS5] connection. At this point, you should have red connected to blue and blue connected to red.
3.     If the two steps listed above don’t fix the problem, you’ll want to check to see which direction that your propeller turns. Sometimes, it’s possible to cross-thread a propeller by forcing it onto the wrong motor. If you think this is the issue, switch to using one of your spare propellers.

• Why does my phone keep flashing a warning that it cannot connect to the internet via the network ardupilot? Your phone is alerting you because it does not understand that the network ardupilot is a “private” wifi channel, therefore it will keep trying to access the internet via this channel. That’s not necessary to fly your drone. If your phone asks if you want to switch to radio mode, select the “keep trying internet” option and ignore any future warnings of this kind.
• Why do my app screens appear to be zoomed out and not displaying everything correctly? This is typical because of an iPhone [RS1] setting versus a problem with the app. To fix it, go to Settings -> Display & Brightness and set the display zoom to “Normal”.
• I’m trying to run the Motor Rotation Check procedure and keep getting an error message that states, “Motor test command denied”. What should I do? Before you can run the Motor Rotation Check procedure, you must first arm your drone. To do so, use the arm switch on the drone (and then do what with it?)
• When I try to arm my drone using the arm/disarm slider on the app, I receive an error message that says, “Press safety switch first”. What does that mean? The “safety switch” in that message is referring to the “arm” button on top of your drone. (so what do they do? Do they have to press it, slide it, ask it to dance?)
• I’m trying to calibrate the accelerometers on my drone, and the instructions are telling me to hold it perfectly still with the left side and then the right side held downward. I can’t hold it perfectly still[RS2]. What should I do? For the accelerometer calibration only, it’s okay to rotate the propellers so that they are parallel to the surface you are using. Then, set the drone on its side and let it tilt over a bit to perform the necessary actions. A couple of books or another flat object can be placed under the drone’s body to hold it upright and keep it still. 
• When I start to take off, not all my propellers start at the same time. Is this normal? Yes, this is normal for the general QGC [RS3] app. The Scouting America app will be more dialed-in so that this will not impact takeoff.
• I tried to disarm my drone using the on-screen arm/disarm sliders, but they don’t seem to always work. What should I do? You’re right – the QGC [RS4] sliders are very sensitive. When using these sliders, move your finger slowly and stop at the end of the slider. Make sure that your finger doesn’t go over the end. Also, remember that you can easily use the Channel 8 kill switch on the back of your RC Controller to disarm your drone.
• I moved my drone between flights and got a message that the GPS altitude was not correct. What does that mean? Ignore this message and clear the warnings. It is a QGC anomaly and you don’t need to worry about it.