FPP: GSO Handbook
Setting Expectations
Although being a ground-station operator doesn’t seem as glamorous as being a pilot, you’ll end up as just an integral part of the flightline team, and you will learn a significant amount about onboard decision systems, as well as how to manage an automatic flight path. In essence, a pilot flies a drone with a controller and goggles, while ground-station operators fly drones with a laptop screen, keyboard, and trackpoint.
You’ll still meet lots of people, you’re share the responsibility of pre-flight checks with your co-operator (the pilot) as well as the flight director, and this is a great path towards understanding more of the autopilot systems and how they all integrate together.
Now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you, since you’re still here, let’s get onto explaining the program.
Basic flight time and recency requirements
Just like a pilot, we ask that our groundstation operators stay up-to-date with new developments coming out to autopilots and ground control software. This means that each level will ask for a minimum number of hours of “flightline activity”, just to make sure you’re still up to date with WARG workflows, and WARG is still up to date with you!
Where to get resources?
Check out the subpages of this document (once they get written) to find out more about what you’ll need to learn to know what you need to know for each level!
Levels and Expected Competencies
Prior knowledge is not expected, nor necessary. Our competencies for ground-station operators revolve around a few key-areas. You’ll notice that many of these are similar to what pilots need to know, because the two need to operate as a pair and communicate with common knowledge.
Understanding a drone “class”
Failsafe Operation
Telemetry link operation
Battery handling
Drone Safety
Groundstation Operation
Ardupilot Operation
Safety
This is not a comprehensive list of everything you will be asked to present at your evaluation, but a list of the expectations for each level! We encourage you to work towards these slowly and learn as you go by participating in flight tests and asking lots of questions!
Beginner
Beginner, or “bgn” for short, is the most basic level. This is the level you should be at if you’re comfortable at create ardupilot mission plans, arming/disarming from GCS, looking at telemetry screens, identifying important information, and relaying information to your flight director and pilot.
Although you don’t need your TC-CAN Basic RPAS license, we strongly encourage you to get this! It will allow you to fly the drone without a pilot through GCS missions only!
Operational Classes:
Houston
Minimum Operator Time Requirements
3 flight tests under supervision
Recency Requirements
One flight test per term (approx 5 hours of flight testing a year)
Beginner GSO Competencies
Drone “class”: Houston
Identify parts, flight-critical components
Identify correct/incorrect safe/unsafe parts
Understanding how to bench-test components (safely)
Being able to create pre and post-flight checklists
Failsafe Operation
Understanding different triggers for failsafe
Battery voltage (low, critical)
Distance to home
Vibe / EKF
RC / THR
Telemetry / GCS
Understanding different failsafe operations
Land
RTL / Smart RTL
Disarm
Telemetry Link Operation
Understanding how to use ELRS Airport as described in Houston quick start guide
Understanding antenna Polarities
Battery Handling
Charging, discharging, storage, and handling of 3s 4000-5000mah batteries
Understanding how to wire, harness, and place batteries for safe operation
Understanding how to safely bench-test a drone powerup
Groundstation Operation
Knowing how to setup “quick stats” screen in mission planner
Knowing how to identify flight mode, battery voltage, current draw
Knowing how to create a mission plan (including takeoff, landing), upload, and start it
MUST know how to start it GCS only, as well as what to tell a pilot to do
Knowing how to load offline maps
Knowing how to download logs over MAVLink
Ardupilot Operation
Understanding what a “tune” is, and what a “bad tune” or “good tune” means in terms of EKF, vibe, and flight characteristics.
Safety
Knowing how to call for help (medical, fire, police) while flying
Understanding what documents you must have in order to fly a done safely.
Intermediate
Intermediate, or “int” for short, is when you start to get past just operational capabilities, and are able to diagnose and provide solutions for basic issues!
Operational Classes:
Houston
Vanguard
Minimum Operator Time Requirements
3+ flight tests with basic
1 flight test where you ran through pre/post flight checklists with the pilot
Recency Requirements
2 flight tests / term (approx 6 tests a year)
Must be flight-test lead or joint flight-test lead with similar level GSO for 1/3 of attended flight tests.
Intermediate GSO Competencies
In addition to beginner-level competencies:
Understanding a drone “class”
Houston or Dual: setup, from scratch, including basic configuration with ardupilot and basisc controller configuration
Varguard or Tubie: understanding flight critical components and safe/unsafe states of these components
Understanding sensor functions, capabilities, use cases, and connections.
Strongly encouraged to have understanding of basic SI
Failsafe Operation
Understanding how we can work to prevent failsafes from occuring in future flight tests
Telemetry link operation
Understanding how to setup LTE, as well as RFD900s
Understanding ELRS packet rates, gemini
Understanding how to use NETID and air vs baud speed for RFD900’s
Understanding basic antenna types and radiation patterns
Understanding how to setup redundant telemetry links
Battery handling
3s, 5s, 6s battery handling
Drone Safety
Ability to read through logs and understand why the drone failed
Groundstation Operation
Understanding the function of different flight modes
Understanding how to review logs
Ardupilot Operation
Understanding of Ardupilot configuration for sensors, ESC’s, etc.
Understanding Autotune process
Understanding Fixed-Wing tuning for TECS
Understanding how to download parameters and re-upload them
Safety
Understanding how to communicate with ATC
Understanding how to “scan the sky” for manned aircraft
Understanding what radio frequencies are used and how they may be interfered with
Expert
Expert is when you become an ardupilot guru. I wish I could list out requirements but honestly, there’s so much to know and there’s so much to learn. Someone can be designated “expert” when they reach the following requirements:
5+ flight tests as intermediate
3+ good debriefs & log analysis post-flight
Holds intermediate pilot
Understands how to use ardupilot docs to setup advanced items such as:
CAN sensors
GPS, RTK GPS, GPS for YAW
Aux functions, relays
FFT / Notch filtering
Redundant telemetry/rclink
Understanding the system of the drone, for ex:
how autonomy delivers instructions
bidir dshot, esc’s, autopilots, power monitoring, etc.
Competition
The only difference between a competition gso and an expert is the following:
ROC-A
HAM
Advanced RPAS