7. DESCRIPTION OF THE sUAS AND SYSTEMS

7.1 Introduction

This Section provides a detailed description and operation of the Meadowhawk and its Systems. Some equipment or payload described may be optional and as such not installed in the Meadowhawk. Refer to the Supplements in Section 9 for details of other optional equipment or payload.

7.2 Airframe

7.3 Flight Controls

Throttle

Moving the left stick vertically controls the throttle, and changes the altitude of the Meadowhawk.

Yaw

Moving the left stick horizontally will osculate the meadowhawk on the vertical axis.

Pitch

Moving the right stick vertically will move the nose of the Meadowhawk in the vertical axis, which makes the aircraft move forwards or backwards.

Roll

Moving the right stick horizontally will tilt the left or right side of the Meadowhawk on the vertical axis. The roll movement will not change the altitude, but will veer the aircraft to one side without turning.

Anti-Collision Light / Orientation Lights

The anti-collision light and orientation lights are omnidirectional strobe lights that meet FAA requirements. With a night visibility of over 3 nautical miles and a day visibility of up-to 1 nautical mile, the anti-collision light and orientation lights should remain on at all times when the aircraft is in the air. The anti-collision light helps with the Meadowhawks visibility to warn other aircrafts of its presence. The orientation lights help the pilot and visual observer maintain awareness of the vehicle's orientation.

The pilot radio controller is equipped with an ON/OFF switch for the anti-collision light and orientation lights. This is so the operator can turn off the lights when the Meadowhawk is grounded and turned on.

Cargo Release Hook

The cargo release hook allows the ability to carry a small load and release the load remotely and can be actuated at any time during flight or when landed.

The pilot radio controller is equipped with an open/close button for the cargo release hook. This is so the operator can load the hook when Meadowhawk is grounded and release the load when the aircraft is remote.

CAUTION

Do not actuate the cargo release above people or vehicles.

Loading the Hook

To load an item on the hook, open the hook using the Cargor Release Hook button located on the pilot radio controller, place the item in the hook loading area, then press the button to close the hook. Check to make sure the load is secure.

7.4 Propulsion System

7.4.1 Motor | Propeller | Electronic Speed Control

7.4.2 Flight Battery

7.5 Electrical System

7.6 Avionics System

7.6.1 Navigation

7.6.2 Communication

7.6.3 Telemetry

7.7 Launch | Flight Recovery System

Launch

WARNING

Always operate the Meadowhawk in open areas (approximately 10000 square feet/930 square meters or more) that are free from people, vehicles, trees and other obstructions. Never fly near or above crowds, airports or buildings.

Never attempt to operate the Meadowhawk nearby tall buildings/obstructions that do not offer a clear view of the sky (a minimum clearance of 100°).

Be sure to place the Meadowhawk on a level and stable surface before powering ON the Ground Station and the aircraft.

NOTICE

Step back approximately 26 feet (8 meters) behind the Meadowhawk.

Arming the Meadowhawk

Hold down the left Throttle stick while pressing the Arm button on the ground station display screen on the left hand side, located in the Controls menu.

To take off, move the throttle vertically in the upward direction. Be sure to provide ample throttle to get the Meadowhawk off the ground.

Return-to-Launch (RTL)

Return-to-Launch Mode will command the Meadowhawk to fly back to the defined launch point. When the Meadowhawk first acquires a GPS position, it sets this as the launch point of the flight. Return-to-launch Mode enables the aircraft to follow a straight path when returning to the initial launch point.

During an LOS event, RTL followed by auto-land will be initiated automatically. The Meadowhawk will first check its current altitude against the configured RTL altitude. The Meadowhawk will climb to safe-height. Next, the Meadowhawk will fly back to the launch position set at the initial GPS position.

Smart Return-to-Launch (SmartRTL)

When switched into Smart RTL, like regular RTL, the vehicle will attempt to return home. The “Smart” part of this mode is that it will retrace a safe path home instead of returning directly home. This can be useful if there are obstacles between the vehicle and the home position.

Land Now

Land Now will initiate the auto-land function, which will land the aircraft in the current place. The vertical speed at which the Meadowhawk will descend during an auto-land varies as the Meadowhawk approaches the ground. By default, the aircraft will descend at 1m/s until 10 ft above the ground and then it will slow its descent considerably until touchdown.

7.8 Payloads

7.9 Remote Pilot Station

Radio

The pilot controls of the aircraft remotely with a radio controller. The radio controller operates the aircraft and the payload attached to the aircraft.

7.10 Ground Support | Surveillance

Share Video Stream

Ground support and surveillance can view video feed from the aircraft with a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.

Enable the video stream on the radio controller

Slide down the Notification Drawer and tap the Radio Status tab

Scroll down in Radio Settings and Enable the Video Sharing

Connect over Wifi Tethering

Pull down the Notification Drawer and enable Hotspot

To configure press and hold hotspot logo, and you should see following screen

Then under Set up Wifi hotspot configure name and password for the hotspot

The video stream will be available at rtsp://192.168.43.1:8554/fpv_stream to connected devices

Display the video stream

In this example VLC media player in used

• Open VLC and go to File >> Open network

• Type the url address provided on the radio controller stream menu and click "Open"

The video stream window will automatically open, if not, you can force it open by right clicking on the video stream link >> Play