This guide explains how to select a Docked Drone, prepare a flight plan, complete the pre-flight checklist, and automatically upload data to your DroneDeploy project.
Flying a mission with dock automation (with Dock 2)
Use these steps to plan and start a docked drone mission in DroneDeploy.
Select a flight plan:
Select an existing flight plan or create a new one using any of DroneDeploy's standard flight plan types.
Once you are satisfied with the flight plan, click the Select a Drone dropdown on the bottom left of the screen.
Select the dock:
Select the dock you want to fly the flight plan with.
When the dock is selected, you will receive a notification that the drone is connected.
You will see the DroneDeploy icon on your map at the location of the selected dock.
Your map plan duration, images, and number of batteries will update based on the connected dock.
Confirm that the information and the selected dock are correct.
Start the pre-flight checklist:
Once you confirm the flight plan and the selected dock are correct, click Start preflight checklist in the bottom right of the screen.
If you have an Enterprise account, you will first see a custom manual checklist for your organization. Complete this checklist.
After the manual checklist passes, or if you do not have an Enterprise account, the automated checklist starts. This checklist confirms permissions and ensures the dock and drone are ready to fly.
These features are available in the Dock Automation Pre-flight Checklist:
Weather Check: Get real-time weather information from the dock to confirm conditions are favorable for flight.
Dock Camera Check: Ensure the dock is fully functional and clear of people before takeoff.
Drone Condition Verification: Open the dock to verify the drone's condition before it takes off.
Monitor the flight:
The video stream from the drone starts once the dock opens and the drone turns on.
The drone is typically off inside the dock once the media transfer has been completed.
You will see live telemetry from the drone (altitude, distance from the dock, speed, and gimbal angle).
As with non-docked drone flights, you will see the drone icon follow your flight plan as the mission progresses.
You can full-screen the drone payload camera at any time.
In-flight controls
While in flight, you have the ability to pause the mission, return to home, or perform an emergency descend.
Pause Mission: Click the Pause mission button (top right) to hover the drone in place.
Return to Home (RTH): Click the Return to home button (top left) to fly up to the preset height, then return directly to the dock and land.
Emergency Descend: The Emergency Descend button lowers the drone to 66ft above the dock height and hovers. The pilot can assess the drone's location and either resume the mission or return to the home point. (Note that the number 66 is a numeral because it does not begin a sentence)
Automatic upload
Once the drone lands in the dock, data automatically uploads and processes into the same DroneDeploy project you flew from.
Data Availability: Photos and Video Plans appear within minutes, and you will be notified once Mapping and Pano Plans have finished processing.
Analysis: You can visualize and analyze your captured data in DroneDeploy. Check out the Analysis help section to find out more
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