Identify Need for Battery Swap

The PHX can perform a battery swap whenever the user feels it is an appropriate time.

The recommended time for a battery swap is when the battery remaining is between 30% and 25%. This gives the PHX time to land and have enough power in reserve incase the landing needs to be aborted or adjusted.

Note the Waypoint

Best practice for multi-battery PHX flights is to maintain awareness of flight progress. Specifically, which waypoint or transect the drone is at when it departs from the flight plan to land for the battery swap. This allows the pilot to know where the drone should be returning to after the battery has been changed. This helps ensure that all the data for the field is collected and no images are missed. 

Tip

If multi-battery missions are often being flown it may be useful to enable the mission item index telemetry value.

Use RTL

Use the RTL button on the left-hand side of the Fly screen to command the aircraft to land.

Use Post-Flight Menu

Once the aircraft has detected that it has landed it will automatically disarm. Once the aircraft disarms the post-flight menu will appear on the right hand side of the screen.

Use the menu to adjust the flight plan accordingly.

This menu will display three options for what to do with the flight plan:

Remove Plan From Vehicle

This will remove the current flight plan from the aircraft.

Leave Plan On Vehicle

This will leave the flight plan that is currently on the aircraft as it is currently planned. 

Resume Mission from Waypoint X

This will update the flight plan that is currently on the aircraft so that it starts one waypoint before the last waypoint the aircraft was headed towards. It will also remove any of the previously completed waypoints and shorten the total flight plan size.

Remove Used Battery

Go to the aircrafts location and remove the discharged battery. Then recover the aircraft.

Tip

It is always the best practice to disassemble the aircraft and inspect the aircraft & spar joiner for damage between flights.

Insert New Battery & Connect

Insert the fully charged battery and wait for the aircraft to connect to fly PHX. 

Verify Mission

Ensure the flight plan is correct. Make any necessary adjustments as needed.

Pre-Flight & Launch

Perform the pre-flight checklist as normal and launch the aircraft.