L-A SERIES DRONES

User Guide
Rev. 2.14 07/2015

Contents
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Chapter 1: Warnings

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Chapter 2: Overview

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Chapter 3: Getting Started

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Chapter 4: Normal Operations

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Chapter 5: Post-Flight Operations

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Chapter 6: Emergency Procedures

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Chapter 7: Technical Specifications

Assembled aircraft
Aircraft main Electronic part details
Aircraft Set

Introduction
Setting up aircraft
Drone Update procedure
Battery charge safety notice
Battery charge

Flight Preparation
Before Take-off
Take-off
During the Flight
Launching the mission
Landing
After landing
Sensors calibration

GeoRef images
Replay a flight and data analysis
LogBook management

Introduction
Cancel Mission procedure
Distance Failsafe procedure
Height Failsafe procedure
GPS Failsafe procedure

Overview

Warnings

Read this chapter before your first flight to learn about important Warnings.

WARNING: The use of Lehmann Aviation aircraft must conform to the applicable regulations
and laws of the country where they are operated. It is the sole responsibility of the client to
be informed of applicable restrictions. For example, some countries may have rules that
restrict the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to: lineofsight operations only, specific
airspace & maximum altitude, and/or prior approval of the authorities in charge (e.g. JAA,
FAA).

WARNING: Never fly in the proximity of an airport or near manned aircraft operations. In
case a manned aircraft should fly at proximity of your aircraft, CANCEL the mission as soon
as possible and land immediately.

WARNING: Watch all Lehmann Aviation training videos before operating your aircraft in
order to avoid injury. Lehmann Aviation cannot be responsible for any injury or damage
caused by the use of its aircraft.

IMPORTANT: TO DO BEFORE YOUR FIRST FLIGHT

WARNING: For your first flight you have to choose a large open space area, with no
obstacles in a radius of 800 meters (trees or houses), with no river or water around, at
windless or very light wind weather conditions. A soft ground or grass is also preferable to
concrete or other hard surfaces.

WARNING: Before flying, you have to make a full sensors calibration, as described page 27
(Normal Operations, Sensors calibration).

Overview

Read this chapter to learn about L-A Series aircraft components.

Aircraft (wing assembled with the main Electronic part)

Aircraft Main Electronic part details

Aircraft Set

Aircraft Set
Wing: spare wing, black or white
Electronic flying part: main part with auto pilot and engine
Charger: battery charger with 1 to 2 aircraft batteries
Gloves: for hand protection at take-off (in case of contact with propeller)
Set of tools: screwdrivers for maintenance, re-enforced scotch and spare propeller

Getting Started

Read this chapter to learn how to initially assemble Lehmann Aviation L-A Series aircraft.

Introduction
WARNING: To avoid injury, read all operating instructions and watch all online training
videos before flying

A small unmanned aircraft is defined in the ANO as any unmanned aircraft weighing not more
than 20 kg. A set of conditions are included at Articles 166 and 167 of the ANO subject to
which small aircraft may be flown without complying with airworthiness or flight crew
licensing requirements or with the Rules of the Air. These conditions include a prohibition on
flight in controlled airspace or within an aerodrome traffic zone unless in either case the
permission of the air traffic control unit has been obtained, a normal maximum height of 500ft
above the surface and a prohibition on flight for the purposes of aerial work without the
specific permission of CAA. Article 167 specifically covers the use of small unmanned aircraft
for surveillance or data gathering.
All Lehmann Aviation L-A Series drones are classed as light Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for
capturing low level aerial images. They must be operated in accordance with the Civil Aviation
Authority regulations of your country. All L-A Series drones are certified by the French Aviation
Authorities (DGAC) for the flight scenario S2+.

Setting up aircraft
WARNING: Do not mount the Electronic part to the wing before the 5 seconds BEEP signal,
that will confirms that GPS satellites have been correctly fixed by the auto-pilot

WARNING: Always be careful with the propeller while manipulating the aircraft with the
battery connected. Make sure you keep the propeller far enough from your own fingers or
from any person around

WARNING: Never use L-A Series aircraft without mounting a GoPro camera in oblique or
vertical position (Hero3 and upper only). While using the vertical position mount for GoPro,
Canon or MicaSense camera, it is compulsory to mount a 50grams weight at the place of the
oblique camera mount (upper front of the wing), for balance purpose

WARNING: Always use a fully charged battery before each flight of L-A Series aircraft. Do not
accomplish 2 take-off with the same battery without re-charging it

Follow this procedure to set up your aircraft (quick launch procedure):

How to assemble the aircraft
1. Mount the camera in oblique or vertical position
- in vertical position, the balance weight should be in place in the front upper part of the
wing (at the place of the oblique GoPro mount):

2. Put your gloves on (right or left) to protect your fingers from the propeller at take-off

3. Connect on board battery: battery cable must be positioned as shown on the photo
below. Never mount the battery on the opposite side (with the cable going initially to the
front of the aircraft). Here is the good position of the battery and battery cable:

Once the battery is connected, the black part must be always kept horizontal. Do not move it
too fast till take-off in order to let the sensors calibration.
We strongly recommend to let the part on a stable place after you connect the battery (like
the ground or any table) where it will not move during OperationCenter connection and test
procedures.
4. Connect your aircraft WiFi (LA200 or LA300 network) to your Tablet:
- go on the Settings options on the right side of your screen

- and then click on the WiFi connexion icon. Default password is password

5. Open OperationCenter software

6. Click on the Enable WiFi button (Connexion Successful should appear. If not try again)

7. Go to the SYSTEMS page to check the aircraft systems (artificial horizon, GPS fix, date and
time):

Before going to the next step, wait for the GPS Fix (a 5s BEEP will come from the aircraft, the
red circle will disappear from the artificial horizon and GPS coordinates will appear on the
screen). GPS fix will be possible outside only. It will not fix inside offices, houses or
apartments.

- double check if the artificial horizon is moving well in the same direction when you are
moving the black part. You can also check the heading at this point.
8. Go to the NAV page and upload your flight path to the drone by pushing on the
Import/Export and Send by WiFi buttons (you can create a new one if needed):

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9. Go to the FLY page

10. Mount the aircraft to the wing: be careful to put the battery cable inside the wing, and
do not let it outside as it may result in a poor efficiency of the Velcro attachment
- correct mount:

- incorrect mount:

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- to have the black part and the wing assembled, you should mount the wing on the black
part. That means while always keeping the black part horizontal, you must place the wing on
top of the black part and not vice versa
- after mounting the wing on the black part, make sure that they are well aligned (keep the
aircraft horizontal during this process).
- correct alignment:

- incorrect alignment:

11. Check the 2 ailerons by tilting the aircraft 60 DOWN: the 2 ailerons must move in
opposite directions on a continuous basis. Your aircraft is now ready for take-off
WARNING: If 1 aileron doesnt move correctly, you will have to do again all the setup
sequence. If the aileron is still not working after few attempts, then you will have to change
your wing. NEVER fly with an aileron malfunction.

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Drone Update procedure

WARNING: Dont update your system just before an important operational mission. Always
make a test flight after updating your drone before launching an operational mission.

WARNING: Always make an update with a fully charged battery. Dont disconnect the
battery during the update process as it could needs your drone to be shipped back to the
factory to make it run again.

Update procedure
1. Connect your drone to OperationCenter (first WiFi hardware and then Enable WiFi)
2. Go to the LOGBOOK page and download all data from memory, if any
3. Export your LogBook file to have a backup of your flight logs
4. Go to the SYSTEMS page and make an ERASE MEMORY
5. Update OperationCenter, or un-install and re-install it from the Store
6. Check the version number (in the Settings and Permissions menus)
7. Connect your drone to the WiFi and open OperationCenter
8. If a drone update is available, OperationCenter will propose you to update your drone
automatically
9. Follow the update procedure
10. The process can take up to 3minutes. After uploading the new firmware, the aircraft will
begin the update process and aircraft leds will be switch OFF. They will turn ON again at the
end of the process. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE BATTERY before the end of the process.

11. When ended, you can disconnect the battery and reconnect it. Then open
OperationCenter and check if you need to import again your LogBook backup.

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Battery charge safety notice

WARNING: Lithium Polymer batteries are volatile. Failure to adhere to established charging
guidelines may result in fire, personal injury and damage to property if charged or used
improperly. By using Lithium Polymer batteries, the buyer assumes all risks associated with
its intended use. If you cannot comply with these guidelines please do not use.

Always let your Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries cool down to ambient temperature after
a flight before charging.
Make sure your charger is designed specifically for Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery packs.
Double check that your charger has counted the cells correctly and is charging at or below
1C charge rate.
Always charge your batteries on a solid non-flammable surface in a well ventilated area.
Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby while charging your Lithium Polymer (LiPo)
batteries.
Always check your Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries for any damage after a crash. If the
Lithium Polymer (LiPo) back is punctured or damaged in any way, don't use it.
Never, under any circumstances, leave your batteries charging unattended.
Never leave your batteries inside aircraft while charging.

Battery charge
You can charge the onboard batteries using the charger that came with your kit.
Battery specifications:
Battery type: Lithium Polymer (LiPo)
Nominal voltage: 11,1V (3S1P)
Total capacity: 2600mAh
Dimensions: 129x39x22mm
Weight: 229grs
OR
Battery type: Lithium Polymer (LiPo)
Nominal voltage: 11,1V (3S1P)
Total capacity: 3700mAh
Dimensions: 138x44x24mm
Weight: 317grs

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Control Panel Description

charger control buttons

STOP/BAT TYPE: to change the battery type (must be in the LIPO mode)
-: decrease button
+: increase button
ENTER/START: enter button or start the charge (when pushed for 2 seconds)

Step 1: enter the good charge values

Left value (charging level) should be between 1.0 and 2.5A maximum. Right value (voltage) is
11.1V (3S)
WARNING: putting a value superior to 2.5A (for 2600 and 3700mAh batteries) could make
the battery pack burn during the charge

Step 2: launch the charge

PRESS the START button for 2 seconds.
The following screen will appear. It is normal and you have to wait for the next screen.

Then this screen will appear, to confirm that your battery is a LIPO type, 3 cells one.

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CAUTION: if your battery is too low discharged, this screen could show you a LiPo = 2 cells
screen. You can adjust this parameter with the DEC and INC buttons.
Then click on the ENTER button to begin the charge.
Step 3: control the charge

During the charge, you will see on the screen few parameters.
On the center (first line), it will show the actual intensity of the charge.
On the right part is indicated the real voltage level of the battery. At the end of the charge,
voltage should be around 12.56V.
On the second line, you can check the total charge time, and the amount of energy that was
already put in the battery (maximum is the battery total capacity, but in reality you will always
put less than that during a charge).

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Normal Operations

Read this chapter to learn about Lehmann L-A Series aircraft normal operations, how to use
the controls, and more.

Flight Preparation
WARNING: Pre-flight preparation is essential in ensuring a safe flight

Flight preparation:

Require specific authorizations if needed (from field owner and/or Aviation Authorities)
Check weather conditions (1 to 3 days before operations and again the day of flight)
Charge all batteries (aircraft, camera, tablet/PC) and check all systems before leaving

Pre-Flight planning
1. Select a safe operation area (tall objects like trees or antennas must not be on the way of
take-off and landing)
2. Select a safe landing area (L-A Series aircraft can land on most of the surfaces but it is best
to avoid rough surface to prevent damage. Do not land on water)
3. Check wind direction and always take-off and land FRONT WIND. Otherwise, L-A Series
aircraft might not have enough power to climb properly during take-off, or can be damaged
at landing

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Before Take-off
WARNING: Those checks are absolutely imperative in order to fly safely
Before take off
1. Connect the battery and let the aircraft horizontal and stable until take-off
2. Switch ON your Windows8.1 device and connect to the aircraft via the Wi-Fi connection.
Your aircraft network should appear with its model version identification (LA200 or LA300).
Enter the default Password: password
3. Open OperationCenter and then activate the Enable Wi-Fi button

4. When you have seen the PopUp Connexion Successful, go to the SYSTEMS page and
wait for a 5 seconds BEEP (that will indicate that GPS satellites have been fixed. During this
phase, always keep the aircraft horizontal). The BEEP can come between 20s and 3 minutes.
5. Check all your aircraft systems: Artificial horizon (should move with the aircraft), GPS
(should be in GREEN, 3D), and Date and Time (UTC)

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6. Go to the NAV window, prepare or load a saved flight path and then Send via Wi-Fi
the flight path to the aircraft. By pushing few times on the NAV button, you will change from
Free flight to Mapping mode (only for LA300 and LA300AG)

7. Always double check the flight path in the Drone by Clear Path and Confirm, then
Import/Export and Load from WiFi the flight path that is in the drone memory

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8. Go to the FLY page

9. Mount the aircraft to the wing, as shown on the training video (see also the Getting
Started section of this Manual)
10. Before launching the aircraft, check again the Artificial Horizon (muqt move with the
aircraft) and the battery level (must be full). Click on the Battery icon to see the precise
voltage of the battery (should be more than 12.5V)

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11. When ready, tilt the aircraft 60 DOWN. You should observe the 2 ailerons moving on the
opposite direction
WARNING: If 1 aileron doesnt move correctly, you will have to do again all the setup
sequence. If the aileron is still not working after few attempts, then you will have to change
your wing. NEVER fly with an aileron malfunction.

Take-off
WARNING: Never take off with the battery not totally charged
WARNING: In order to avoid finger injury, always wear the protection glove and keep
concentrated during the launch process. The initial straight impulsion must be as shown on
the training videos

L-A series aircraft are hand-launched aircraft (watch the online training videos).
Take off procedure
1. Hold the aircraft with your 2 fingers in the holes of the black part, with a straight arm
2. Tilt the aircraft 60 UP. You will hear a BEEP and after 10s the engine will be started
3. Check that ailerons are coming automatically to neutral position (just after tilting the
aircraft 60 UP), and stop moving continuously
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4. Before the engine starts, prepare the aircraft with nose 10/15 UP
5. Launch the aircraft by transmitting energy to it (like shown in the training video), keeping
your arm straight
WARNING: You can stop the process any time by tilting the aircraft DOWN 90

During the flight

WARNING: Always monitor the aircraft during the flight in order to be able to recover it
easily in case of aborted flight. If the aircraft for any reason goes below 50 meters of height,
it will make a BEEP and the engine will stop for security reason (15m when Allow low
Altitudes is selected in the General Settings option)

After the launch you will have around 4-5 minutes before the aircraft will land automatically
if you dont activate the mission (LA200/LA300). During this time L-A Series aircraft follows a
set-up trajectory at 100 meters height and around 200m radius to capture the best footage
around you.

Launching the mission

For security reasons, if you are not doing any action after take-off, LA200 and LA300 will
automatically follow the LA100 flight path, with a 200m radius circle, and land automatically
after 4 minutes 50 seconds of flight time.
To enable the aircraft to activate its flight path (the one that is on the NAV screen of
OperationCenter) and let it go to the first waypoint, follow this procedure:
Go mission procedure
1. Always be on the FLY page when launching the aircraft.
2. At any time between the take-off and the 100m altitude, you can CANCEL the mission
INSTANTLY by clicking on LEFT AND RIGHT CANCEL MISSION buttons AT THE SAME TIME. If
you are cancelling the mission, the aircraft will stop its engine and will come back to land by
gliding near the take-off point. If you are clicking only on one button (left or right), the
mission will not be cancelled.

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2. When the aircraft reaches 100m height, the GO / CANCEL MISSION buttons will appear
on the FLY page

3. To launch the mission, just click on the GO / CANCEL MISSION buttons AT THE SAME
TIME ON BOTH SIDES of the screen (quick click)
4. You can also CANCEL the mission anytime by clicking 2 seconds (continuously) the GO /
CANCEL MISSION buttons AT THE SAME TIME ON BOTH SIDES of the screen.

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WARNING: Once you confirm the mission, you will not be able to interact with the aircraft
anymore until the end of the flight, unless you have a long range antenna

Landing
L-A series aircraft can land by circling over the landing point, or by flying a straight in approach.
To choose between the 2 landing options, just follow this procedure:
Landing option procedure
1. Default landing option is by Circling and gliding over the Landing point. In that case, the
landing point is showed on the NAV page by a L indication. Your aircraft will stay at the
Altitude of the last waypoint and fly overhead the L waypoint before stopping the engine
and glide until reaching the ground

2. If you want to choose a straight in approach, click 2 seconds on the L point. There will be
a new waypoint appearing on your screen at the same time. The 2 waypoints will be named
LS (beginning of approach point) and LE (landing point)

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3. Move the LE waypoint to land precisely where you want (usually done just on the field
when you see your exact position on the screen) and then move the LS waypoint on the
circle to define the direction of the straight in approach (the direction will be defined both
by obstacles and by the wind direction the day of your flight). Always land front wind (same
as take-off)

WARNING: Make sure that the landing area is safe before aircraft touches the ground, with
no people around

After landing
After landing checks
1. Monitor the whole aircraft for possible damage (wing, propeller, protection foam, etc)
2. Disconnect the battery
3. You can also upload the flight path information to compare the real flight path with the
prepared flight path of the aircraft
4. To proceed, close OperationCenter and re-connect the aircraft battery
5. Open OperationCenter again and activate the Enable Wi-Fi button
6. Go to the LogBook page

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7. Upload the Real Flight Path via Wi-Fi and save it (you must have created a pilot name
before)
8. Erase Memory to accelerate future uploads (if you dont RESET MEMORY after uploading
data, you will have to upload all flights data after your next flight, which will take more time)
9. When launching the Erase Memory procedure, always wait 2 minutes (or when the PopUp
confirmation will appear on the screen) before disconnecting the battery
In case of damage, make sure to properly fix them before flying again.

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Sensors calibration
WARNING: Sensors are essential for autopilot and you will have to re-calibrate them when
needed. At set up, aircraft will make a 1s series of BEEP when calibration have to be done.
You can also do it on a regular basis when heading accuracy is becoming low.

WARNING: In order to get a good pre-flight sensors accuracy, it is essential to keep the
aircraft as horizontal and stable as possible from the battery connection and up to take-off.

WARNING: In order to avoid any in-flight sensors perturbation, it is essential to place the
battery and battery cable in the good position, as shown in the Getting Started section of
this Manual.

WARNING: For magnetometers only, calibration should be made outside, in a flying area,
with wing in place and camera ON (aircraft ready to fly).

Sensors calibration is done in 3 steps:

Accelerometers calibration (aircraft must be perfectly stable and horizontal)

Gyroscope calibration (aircraft must be perfectly stable during the process)
Magnetometers calibration (aircraft must be moved in all 3D directions during the
process)

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Sensors calibration procedure

1. Connect the battery to the drone
2. Open OperationCenter and then activate the Enable Wi-Fi button

3. When you have seen the PopUp Connexion Successful, go to the SYSTEMS page
4. Then you can engage the sensors calibration, one by one. Follow the procedure that will
appear in a PopUp menu for each calibration

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Post-Flight Operations

Read this chapter to learn about L-A Series aircraft post-flight operations.

GeoRef images
The GeoRef page will enable you to Geotag images when necessary if not already done in the
camera during the flight.
GeoRef will enable you to save GPS data (ALT/LONG/LAT) in EXIF files (directly in the photo
files) and also the attitude information (YAW/PITCH/ROLL) in an external file usable with
Agisoft or Pix4D.
GEOTAG procedure before processing images in a DEM software
1. Before opening OperationCenter, put in the same folder all your images AND the flight
data file (.lal file).
2. Erase ALL the images taken before take-off. As the synchronization is done when the
ENGINE is going full power at take-off, you have to erase all images taken before that.
Usually, it will only stay few images showing your hand on it, just before releasing the
aircraft for take off
3. Open OperationCenter
4. Open the GeoRef page and select the folder with both images and flight data file
5. Export to EXIF first
After exporting data to EXIF, you can proceed with a photo selection in order to erase all
unnecessary images. That will save you a lot of post treatment time, and increase the accuracy
of the final result.

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Selecting images
1. Push on the Photo Selection button (appears only when you have already done the
Export to EXIF):

2. Select manually the photos to erase (just by touching them on the screen)
3. You can block the selection to move the map when necessary by clicking on the Enable
map control button:

4. Then confirm the Erase of the images that will be erased only from the Georeferenced
image folder (note that all un-geotaged images will be still available for future treatment if
necessary).

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Replay a flight and data analysis

You can replay a flight with a .lal file in the Replay page, or directly in the LogBook when the
flight has already been saved.
Replay a flight in the Replay page
1. Open OperationCenter
2. Go to the Replay page

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3. Load a flight data file

3. Add a scenario to compare the real flight to scheduled flight

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4. Check the battery level: by clicking a second time on the Alt Graph icon, you will see the
battery level evolution during your flight. That can be useful to analyse your battery life and
potential:

LogBook Management
Using the LogBook will enable you to manage your flight time as drone operator, manage your
battery life and your aircraft.
It will also allow you to instantly get all information on one specific flight: flight data and
scenario, remarks and all other useful information (date, location, aircraft, flight time, etc).
WARNING: Save a backup of your LogBook on a regular basis in order to avoid any data loss.

Importing flight data

1. Connect a battery to your drone and connect the WiFi network
2. Open OperationCenter and Enable WiFi
3. Go to the LogBook page

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4. OperationCenter will automatically propose you to import flight data (only if you have
already created an Operator)

5. When reaching 100%, just save your .lal file on your computer
6. When proposed you can save other flight information or Close the windows (if you
Close the windows without saving information, you will have to use the Replay page to
open your flight data file)
7. OperationCenter will propose you to Delete the drone memory after the import. You can
also Erase memory later in the SYSTEMS page.

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Emergency Procedures

Read this chapter to learn about L-A Series aircraft emergency procedures.

Introduction
WARNING: In case of emergency during a flight, always report to the manufacturer in order
to take needed corrective actions

Cancel Mission procedure

In case of possible conflict with any other aircraft or technical problem, the CANCEL mission
button(s) will allow you to stop the engine immediately and let the aircraft glide in the
direction of the launching point.
To activate the CANCEL mission option, just proceed as follow:
-

During the Take-off or Landing phases: press once on the CANCEL mission button(s)
and the procedure will be engaged immediately

As soon as the Mission become available and until the Landing phase: push the CANCEL
mission button(s) for 2s and the aircraft will stop its flight

Horizontal Distance Failsafe procedure

In case the aircraft is pushed by the wind outside the No Fly Zone, the engine automatically
shuts down and the aircraft engages an Auto-Return mode, in order to take the direction of
the launching point.
WARNING: If the aircraft comes back with engine OFF, it will most probably land before the
take-off point. In that case, take a visual landmark (tree, antenna, house, etc) to find your
aircraft quicker. The aircraft will keep beeping until the battery is too low. The use of an
external GPS tracker is also recommended in case of long range flight.

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Height Failsafe procedure

If the aircraft for any reason goes below 50 meters of height (in reference to the launching
point), it makes a BEEP and the engine stops for security reason. This safety is 15m when the
Allow Low Altitudes option is activated in the General Settings options.
This safety is unavailable when the Allow Negative Altitudes option is activated in the
General Settings options.
If the aircraft for any reason goes above 150m of height (in reference to the launching point),
it makes a BEEP and the engine stops for security reason. It will continue to follow the mission
when the aircraft will go down the safety height. The safety height will be 1,000m when the
Allow High Altitudes options is activated in the General Settings options.

GPS Failsafe procedure

In case the GPS is not possible to be fixed before launching the aircraft, it will be impossible
to activate the take-off mode.
In case of loss of GPS signal during the flight, the autopilot automatically shuts the engine off
and the aircraft glides in circles till landing.

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Technical Specifications

Read this chapter to learn about L-A SERIES drones technical specifications.

Overview
Wingspan
Weight

92cm
950grams maximum

Range

3km (LA200) maximum

25km (LA300/LA300AG) maximum

Propulsion
Flight speed

Electric brushless motor

20 to 80km/h

Onboard Battery

Lithium-Polymer 11,1V - 2600mAh (normal)

Lithium-Polymer 11,1V - 3700mAh (long endurance)

Maximum wind
Humidity

20kt (35km/h)
No rain flights only

Endurance

Up to 45min (LA200/LA300/LA300AG)

Payload (oblique mount)

Payload (vertical mount)

GoPro Hero and upper

GoPro Hero3 and upper, Canon S110 or MicaSense

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of Lehmann Aviation, registered in the U.S. and other countries.