Two things you want in your pocket at the field and not on a phone you are wearing goggles over: what to check before you arm, and what to ask after you crash. Both are printed here in full.
Designed for a card, readable anywhere. Both are typeset for CR80 stock — the size of a bank card, so they fit any field-bag pocket. Each PDF is two pages, front and back, for duplex printing.
Seven checks, in order: mechanical, then antennas, then electrical, then behavioural. It takes under a minute and it catches the failures that end a session before it starts.
60-second pre-flight
☐Hex tightnessMotor and stack screws snug.
☐PropsNo chips, cracks or hub damage.
☐AntennasRX, VTX and GPS seated; coax intact.
☐Pack voltage4.20 V per cell at full charge.
☐ArmingGyro tone heard, OSD warnings clear.
☐GPS fixWait for it if GPS Rescue is armed.
☐FailsafeConfirm on the first flight of the day.
Front · Chapter 14
No-arm? Read the OSD first
THROTTLE
Stick is not at zero. Centre it.
ANGLE
Tilted past the arming limit. Level the quad.
ARMSWITCH
Switch was hot at boot. Cycle the switch.
RXLOSS
No radio link. Check the bind and the power.
GPS
Waiting for a fix. Do NOT disable it.
MSP
Configurator is still connected. Unplug USB.
⚠Props OFF for every bench test.
⚠Pit mode ON before the VTX goes live around other pilots.
⚠Damaged LiPo? Isolate it in a fire bag immediately. Do not continue the session with a swollen, punctured or over-discharged pack.
Back · Chapter 14
The crash debrief
Five questions to ask after a crash, and the order to do them in. The output is one specific change — not a resolution to be more careful.
After the crash — five questions
Disarm. Breathe. Retrieve. Inspect. Then ask:
What did I intend to do?
What did the quad actually do?
What did I see in the goggles a half-second before the crash?
What would I change about my stick input?
What would I change about my setup?
Output: One specific change. Then fly again.
Front · Chapter 8
Where progress comes from
ControlSmooth, small stick inputs
AwarenessBattery, link, space, obstacles
RecoveryDisarm, debrief, fly again
Stick control alone plateaus. Beginners who balance all three keep getting better.