Safety & Regulatory
Warning conventions used in this manual
Section titled “Warning conventions used in this manual”| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🚫 Prohibited | Must not be done under any circumstances |
| ⚠️ Warning / Caution | Risk of injury, damage, or loss of aircraft if not observed |
| 💡 Note / Tip | Helpful guidance or best practice |
[TBD] |
Value or procedure not yet finalised — do not rely on it |
Regulatory responsibility
Section titled “Regulatory responsibility”Regulatory compliance is the operator’s responsibility. Operate the aircraft in accordance with the aviation regulations of your jurisdiction (in Australia, CASA) and with your own organisation’s operations manual and approvals:
- Hold the appropriate remote-pilot licence and operator’s certificate for your operation.
- Operate only within areas and altitudes approved for your operation; comply with airspace and no-fly restrictions.
- Hold any radio/video transmitter licences required for the datalink and payload in your region.
- Do not operate near or over people, roads, vehicles, or buildings except where your approvals specifically allow it.
RFD supplies the aircraft’s demonstrated flight envelope and limitations (see each aircraft’s data); integrating these into a compliant concept of operations is the operator’s responsibility.
Operating precautions
Section titled “Operating precautions”Air traffic & airspace. Obtain the appropriate approvals for the operating area and comply with national laws and airspace rules. Report to local authorities where required.
Flight area. Survey the area so the flight path is clear of obstructions. Do not operate in no-fly zones (airports, railways, power stations, high-voltage lines, fuel/chemical facilities, military facilities, crowds). Flights in mountains or between buildings are discouraged — abrupt wind shear is a hazard for a tail-sitter in hover.
Weather. Do not operate outside the aircraft’s wind and temperature limits (see each aircraft’s data). Hover wind limits are tighter than for a comparable multirotor because the wing presents a large side area. If weather deteriorates in flight, manoeuvre clear or land as soon as practical.
Personnel. All crew must be fit, alert, and free of alcohol from the night before until the end of flying. Maintain a safe stand-off from the aircraft during arming and take-off.
Aircraft condition. Never operate an incomplete, damaged, or un-inspected aircraft. Tube-launched operations have very low tolerance for pre-flight defects — the aircraft is committed to flight — there is no taxi-back option.
Prohibited actions
Section titled “Prohibited actions”- 🚫 Do not modify autopilot firmware, ground-station software, or aircraft parameters without prior written approval from RFD. Modifications may invalidate the warranty, the CASA airworthiness conformity statement, and the as-tested flight envelope, and can cause unexpected behaviour or loss of the aircraft.
- 🚫 Do not substitute batteries, propellers, chargers, or propulsion components for anything not supplied or specified by RFD — this changes the as-tested flight envelope.
- 🚫 Do not arm in AUTO mode (see Flight Operations).
- 🚫 Do not fly a battery that is swollen, leaking, damaged, or has been in a crash (see Battery Management).
In case of an incident
Section titled “In case of an incident”Follow the emergency procedures in Flight Operations. Record any defect or incident in your RPAS technical log, and contact RFD support before returning the aircraft to flight.