Flight Modes
Aurora provides the pilot with different levels of assistance through its multiple flight modes. You can switch between these modes using the pilot's handset or the AMC app on Herelink or PC. It's recommended to refer to the documentation for the equipment you use to familiarize yourself with the buttons or switches involved in the process.
Aurora offers several flight modes with varying levels of assistance to the pilot. Flight mode can be changed via the pilot's handset and the AMC app on Herelink or PC. See the documentation for the equipment you use to familiarize yourself with the buttons/switches involved.
Manual Mode may be necessary to react to emergencies. Pilots should be proficient in Manual Mode. Position, Altitude, and Return Mode are assistive only and are not a replacement for pilot skill and preparedness.
Always neutralize the control input sticks on the pilot handset when switching between control modes to prevent unexpected aircraft movement.
The Aurora does not ship with Manual Mode enabled; if you require that, contact us for how to add that option.
Pilot-controlled Modes
When the sticks are in the middle, the aircraft will hold position over a spot on the ground while maintaining altitude and compensating for disturbances in Position Mode. With Position Mode, the drone's speed in relation to the ground is controlled via the pitch/roll stick. The pitch/roll stick's height will determine how quickly.
Aurora moves forward. Aurora will fly backward if the pitch/roll stick is dragged downward. Similarly, moving the pitch/roll stick to the left or right will cause the drone to go in a left or right direction. The throttle stick controls vertical speed. The quicker Aurora climbs, the higher the throttle stick is moved. On the other hand, Aurora will fall more quickly the lower the throttle stick position is set. The yaw is managed by moving the throttle stick in opposite directions.
To activate Position Mode, a robust GPS signal is required. Aurora cannot enter this mode if a weak signal is detected. If the signal weakens, for instance, when close to buildings or under thick tree coverage, the aircraft will automatically transition to Altitude mode.
When flying in areas with weak or disrupted GPS signals, like near buildings or under dense tree cover, it's best to avoid using Position Mode. This is because the automatic transition to Altitude Mode may cause unexpected changes in flight behavior, which could be dangerous.
Autonomous Modes
To activate Return Mode, the pilot can direct Aurora to ascend to a specific Return Altitude, fly straight back to the Home Point, and land safely. It's important to note that GPS capability is necessary for Return Mode to function correctly. The pilot can set the Return Altitude in AMC > Vehicle Setup > Safety. However, if Aurora is already at or above the Return Altitude when Return Mode is activated, it will remain at its current altitude rather than descending. The GPS coordinates at which Aurora is armed determine the Home Point, which is reset every time Aurora is armed. Additionally, certain Failsafes may trigger Return Mode automatically. For further information on Failsafes, kindly refer to the manual.
A helpful tip to ensure safe flying is to consider the aircraft's path in case Return Mode is triggered. It's important to adjust settings accordingly to prevent any mishaps. For instance, turning on Return Mode while flying under an obstacle lower than the Return Altitude could result in a collision when the aircraft tries to ascend to that altitude. Depending on the situation, it may not be feasible to set a lower Return Altitude or use Return Mode at all.
If you want to switch from Return to Position Mode, you can do so by moving the sticks. However, if the low battery failsafe has activated Return Mode, you must press a different flight mode button to exit Return Mode.
Multicopter Position Slow mode
What is it?
Position Slow is a new flight mode that acts the same as the traditional Position mode, with the difference that maximum speeds can be significantly reduced.
When configured, this flight mode allows operators to dial in the maximum horizontal and vertical speeds that the vehicle can achieve with RC Knobs.
In case the GCS does not have auxiliary knobs, users can still benefit from this flight mode. When engaged, the maximum horizontal speed of the vehicle will be constrained to 3m/s, which will make it compliant with the "Low-Speed Mode" required by EASA to fly closer to people.
In addition, this flight mode also supports as input a MAVLink message VELOCITY_LIMITS. This message can be used to develop third-party apps on Skynode that will define dynamic velocity limits based on external factors, for example, reducing the velocities based on the camera's optical settings.
How to use it?
Position Slow is available for selection by default in the Flight Mode Selector available in the latest AMC provided with this release.
Alternatively, it can also be mapped to the flight modes controlled directly by the GCS by leveraging the COM_FLTMODE*
parameters.
Other settings, such as lower speed limits and default speed, can be defined with the parameters that start with POSSLOW_*
parameters.
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