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06 - First Flight

Environment

Use a clear, low-risk test area with no people, animals, glass, loose cables or fragile objects in the propeller plane. For the very first lift-off, a large empty indoor space or calm outdoor area is preferable to a small room.

flowchart TD
    P1["Phase 1: prop direction check"] --> P2["Phase 2: 5 cm hop"]
    P2 --> P3["Phase 3: 20-30 cm hover"]
    P3 --> P4["Phase 4: video on"]
    P4 --> OK(("V1 mechanically/electrically validated"))

Phase 1 - prop direction check

Fit props according to the expected Quad-X direction. Arm at the lowest possible output while restraining the frame safely. Immediately disarm if the craft pushes sideways, flips, or any prop loosens.

Phase 2 - 5 cm hop

Do not attempt a long hover first. Perform a 5 cm hop lasting <1 s. Observe:

  • does it remain approximately level?
  • does yaw immediately run away?
  • does one corner lift earlier?
  • is there violent high-frequency oscillation?

Correct mechanical/axis/motor issues before changing PID gains.

Phase 3 - 20-30 cm hover

Once hop behavior is correct, hover at 20-30 cm for 5-10 s. Land and inspect motor temperatures and frame/motor retention.

Phase 4 - video on

Repeat the stable hover with the MJPEG stream enabled. Compare:

  • flight-loop frequency
  • control feel
  • Wi-Fi packet loss
  • video frame rate
  • battery sag

If control quality degrades, lower video load first.

Initial acceptance criteria

A V1 build is considered mechanically/electrically validated when it can:

  • arm/disarm reliably;
  • hover for 30 s without divergent oscillation;
  • maintain control with the video stream active;
  • recover cleanly from modest stick inputs;
  • land before battery reaches the configured low-voltage threshold;
  • complete 3 flights without motor, frame or camera-mount loosening.

Do not tune around faults

Common non-PID faults that look like bad tuning:

  • IMU not exactly aligned
  • loose motor in cup
  • bent prop
  • wrong prop direction
  • wrong motor mapping
  • camera/board mass far off center
  • battery moving in cradle
  • motor electrical noise causing I2C errors
  • insufficient battery discharge capability

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