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Pre-flight checklist

Summary

No flight begins without a structured pre-flight inspection. The checklist covers four areas: site assessment (airspace, obstacles, weather, people), aircraft inspection (structure, propellers, connections), electronics verification (GPS fix, failsafe, battery), and pilot readiness. The principle is the same as the coupon test in manufacturing: two minutes of ground checking prevents an airborne problem. The maiden flight is particularly important — it is the first real-world data collection event, not a celebration. Blackbox must be enabled. Visual inspection after the maiden is as important as the flight itself.

Concept

Why a checklist and not experience

Experienced pilots have accidents from skipped steps more often than beginners do from unfamiliarity. The checklist exists because memory is unreliable under pre-flight pressure, because a missed step is invisible until something goes wrong, and because the consequences of airborne failures are almost always worse than the consequences of a delayed takeoff. A checklist removes memory from the sequence.

The maiden flight as a measurement event

The first flight is not a performance or a celebration. It is a data collection event. Blackbox records the gyro signal, RPM filter performance, and motor outputs. Post-flight visual inspection checks T-lock engagement, motor mount O-ring condition, and screws. The maiden answers: how does this specific build actually fly, and where are the weak points? Every deviation from expectation is information, not failure.

Reference

Pre-flight checklist — full sequence

A. Site assessment - [ ] Airspace authorization confirmed (CTR, ATZ, U-space, restricted areas) - [ ] Maximum altitude for site identified (120 m AGL for Open Category) - [ ] Obstacles mapped: power lines, trees, buildings, antennas - [ ] People assessed: bystanders, uninvolved persons, buffer maintained - [ ] Wind and weather acceptable: wind below operational limit, no rain - [ ] Emergency landing zones identified (at least two)

B. Aircraft — structural - [ ] All 4 propellers inspected: no cracks, chips, nicks, or looseness - [ ] All 4 arm T-locks verified: tabs fully seated, no rocking - [ ] Frame sandwich: no visible cracks in PCCF layers or arm roots - [ ] CF rods: all four present, none protruding past arm shaft outer face - [ ] Sandwich bolts: all 6 or 8 present, no obvious looseness - [ ] Motor mount O-rings: not cracked or permanently deformed - [ ] Bumpers: all 4 present and seated - [ ] Payload (if fitted): GX12 lock rings finger-tight, mast screws tight

C. Aircraft — electronics - [ ] Battery checked: voltage above 24.0V (fresh pack), no swelling - [ ] Battery rail secure: no play, strap buckle locked - [ ] All connectors checked: XT60, MR30 × 4, JST signal connectors - [ ] Conformal coating intact on FC and ESC - [ ] VTX antenna secure and unobstructed above GPS antenna

D. Electronics — powered verification (transmitter on first, then drone) - [ ] OSD visible in goggles with correct telemetry fields - [ ] Battery voltage on OSD matches handheld multimeter ±0.2V - [ ] GPS fix: ≥ 8 satellites before arming (wait up to 90 s cold start) - [ ] Payload OSD readings visible (if payload fitted) - [ ] RSSI / link quality showing good signal from TX16S - [ ] All 4 motors respond to Motors tab test (props removed, then re-check) - [ ] Blackbox enabled and device confirmed (onboard flash or SD card) - [ ] Failsafe configured: GPS Rescue active if ≥ 8 sats

E. Pilot readiness - [ ] Not fatigued, impaired, or distracted - [ ] Site brief complete if flying with observers or participants - [ ] Weather window confirmed (not just current — for planned flight duration) - [ ] Operator registration number (e-ID) carried - [ ] A2 CoC carried (if A2 subcategory operation)

Procedure

Maiden flight sequence (extended pre-flight)

  1. Complete full checklist above.
  2. Arm in open area, minimum 20 m from all people and obstacles.
  3. Hover at 1 m altitude for 30 seconds. Listen for unusual sounds. Check that the drone holds position without significant drift.
  4. Verify OSD battery voltage drops normally (should drop 0.2–0.4V at hover).
  5. Land. Immediately feel all four motor housings — should be warm, not hot.
  6. Check all four T-lock tabs for movement — press each arm laterally, should not rock.
  7. Check motor mount O-rings — should be visibly compressed, not cracked.
  8. Reconnect to Betaflight Configurator. Download Blackbox.
  9. Review gyro spectrum in Blackbox Explorer — confirm RPM filter is removing motor harmonics. Confirm noise floor is below −40 dB in the 0–200 Hz range.
  10. If all checks pass: maiden complete. Proceed to normal flights.

Rationale

Why transmitter on before drone

If the drone is powered before the transmitter is connected, it will see no RC signal and immediately enter failsafe. For a drone configured with GPS Rescue, this may cause unexpected GPS Rescue activation on the ground before the pilot has any control. Transmitter first ensures the RC link is established before the FC initialises its control loop.

Why GPS fix is a hard gate for arming

GPS Rescue cannot function without a home point, and the home point is only recorded at arm time. Arming without GPS fix silently disables GPS Rescue for the entire flight. If the RC link is then lost over urban terrain, there is no automatic return. This is not a theoretical risk — it is a documented accident cause in FPV operations.

Connections

requires: [] related: - lipo-batteries - easa-open-category - betaflight-gps-rescue - failure-hierarchy leads_to: - easa-open-category