iNav Pre-maiden Checklist: A helpful reminder and saver of foam

I’ve put together quite a few iNav planes. But after spending what seemed like an eternity in CoViD lockdown, I was worried I’d forgotten something. So, I decided to come up with an iNav pre-maiden checklist. A quick run through this list, and I’ll know that the fundamentals are all set. I took some time to think about this, as I had just installed iNav on a pair of C1 Chasers for two friends. My Mini AR taking a premature dirt nap I can deal with. When it comes to other people’s planes, I want to be sure.

So here it is; the iNav pre-maiden checklist. You may be tempted to go through in tab order, but please don’t. There are things that appear in lower tabs that need checking before some of the higher tabs can be. For example, it’s pointless checking the outputs (servo movement) if your receiver is setup incorrectly, and you have no modes. Anyway, on with the list. You can also checkout the video for the iNav Pre-maiden checklist here. You can also download an abridged list here to print out.

Calibration

Obviously, you calibrated your accelerometer before installing the flight controller in the plane right? If not, you need to calibrate your accelerometer.

Hardware

At this point, plug in a battery.

• Have you configured the basic hardware and set the correct ports?
• Is the barometer icon at the top of the screen blue? (if fitted)

Receiver

• Have you set the correct protocol?
• Is the channel order correct?
• Have you set up RSSI?
• Are the four main flight channels set up correctly?
  • Stick down or left = 1000
  • Stick centre = 1500
  • Stick up or right = 2000

GPS

• Is the GPS icon on the top of the screen blue?
• On the Configuration page:
  • Is the GPS enabled?
  • Is Galileo enabled?
  • Is the protocol correct?
  • Is the ground assistance setting correct?
• On the GPS page:
  • are the total messages incrementing?
  • Can you get a 3D fix with 6 or more satellites?

Video

• Can you get an image on your video receiver/goggles?
• If you have SmartAudio or Tramp Telemetry, are they set up and working?
• Is the camera image flipped or reversed?
• Are all components in the video system set to either PAL or NTSC?
• Check that there are no system messages on the OSD, which could be indicating problems.

Modes

Have you set up your modes? Make sure that the the switches on your transmitter equate to the mode positions in iNav.

Orientation

Go to the setup page and check that your physical aircraft moves in the same directions as the box (pre-iNav 3.0) or flying wing. If this is wrong, you will need to change the board alignment.

Mixer

Is the mixer set up correctly for your model.

Outputs

• Have you enabled motor and servo outputs?
• Have you selected the correct ESC protocol?
• Have you calibrated the ESC?
• Have you tested the motor? Remove the prop, then enable the outputs and use the throttle slider to make sure the motor works.

Control Surface Movement

Checking in Manual

Switch the transmitter to Manual and perform a High 5 test:

• Pulling back on the pitch stick should raise the elevator or elevons
• Pushing forward on the pitch stick should lower the elevator or elevons
• Moving the roll stick left should raise the left aileron/elevon and lower the right aileron/elevon
• Moving the roll stick right should lower the left aileron/elevon and raise the right aileron/elevon
• Moving the yaw stick left should move the rudder left
• Moving the yaw stick right should move the rudder right

Checking in Angle

Switch the transmitter to Angle mode, and repeat the High 5 test. The movement directions should be exactly the same as the manual High 5 test. Don’t worry if the throws are smaller at this point.

Check the stabilisation

Keep the transmitter in Angle mode and pick up the plane.

• Tilting the nose down should see the elevator or both elevons move up
• Tilting the nose up should see the elevator or both elevons move down
• Rolling the plane to the right should see the left aileron/elevon move up and the right aileron/elevon move down
• Rolling the plane to the left should see the left aileron/elevon move down and the right aileron/elevon move up
• Yaw is harder to spot:
  • Moving the tail to the left (nose to the right) should see the rudder move left
  • Moving the tail to the right (nose to the left) should move the rudder right

PID

Rates (pre-iNav 3.0)

Have you set modest rates for the maiden flight? But they should be set to 80% of the rates achievable in manual. After setting those rates, re-do the auto-tune. The following values should be fine for an initial tune.

Feed Forward

First set the TPA to 0%. Check your initial Feed Forward values. Start in Manual and add full pitch. While holding full pitch, switch to Acro (Angle or Horizon would be fine too). You want the throw in Acro to be 80-90% of the throws of Manual. So, when you switch from Manual to Acro, the elevator/elevon movement should reduce slightly. You can increase or reduce the throw in Acro by changing the Feed Forward value. Do this for each axis: pitch, roll, and yaw.

Failsafe

• Got to the failsafe page, and make sure that the failsafe option that you want is selected.
• Switch off your transmitter and make sure that the parachute icon at the top of the screen turns red
• Switch your transmitter back on, and make sure that the parachute icon turns grey

Advanced Tuning

Check the loiter radius is large enough for your plane. 7500 is a good starting value for all but larger planes.

Return to Home

The RTH settings can be found on the Advanced Tuning page. Make sure that these are all set correctly for your requirements.

Launch (if applicable)

If you plan to use Launch. Make sure that the parameters are set for your plane.

OSD

• Have you set up your OSD?
• What about the alternate OSDs, if you’re using them?
• Don’t forget to upload the font

That’s it for the iNav pre-maiden checklist. I hope you find it useful. Don’t forget, there’s a downloadable version here.