AFM 4-2
Flight Modes
Lynx can be controlled in two ways: manually or under autopilot control. The safety pilot determines
who is in control with a mode switch on the handheld transmitter and can therefore override the
autopilot in flight if desired. Manual control bypasses the autopilot and allows for full range of aircraft
movement. In an autopilot controlled mode, the autopilot is navigating and commands are sent with
Swift GCS.
Guided
The Guided flight mode is a 'fly here' mode. In Guided, the operator chooses a location and altitude
to loiter at. The aircraft will loiter at this spot until one of the following occurs: the Guided location is
moved, the flight mode is changed, or a failsafe is triggered. Guided is the operator’s primary way of
moving Lynx without the need to plan or upload waypoints. It can also be useful for interrupting a
mission or avoiding other traffic.
To enter Guided, select the Guided button from the right hand side of the map in Swift GCS. Then,
tap the point on the map where you wish to fly. The GCS will prompt you to confirm the altitude and
the desired loiter direction.
The Guided location on the map can be changed by dragging the waypoint on the map. Once in
place, the altitude and loiter direction can be adjusted by tapping the Guided button.
Auto (Waypoint Navigation)
The Auto flight mode is used for flying a preplanned mission (waypoints), including takeoff and
landing. In this flight mode, the autopilot will follow the mission the operator has planned in advance,
flying through all waypoints in sequence. Once the mission is complete, the aircraft will change flight
modes to Rally automatically. In flight, the operator can select specific waypoints to fly to within the
mission using the
Auto
menu within the GCS, or restart the mission entirely. For more information
about planning a mission, see Section 4: Mission Planning.
Rally
The rally flight mode is automatically used when the aircraft completes its mission, a failsafe
activates, or if the Rally flight mode is commanded by the operator. In this flight mode, the aircraft
will navigate to the nearest Rally point within 5 kilometers, and loiter around it until commanded to
preform some other action by the operator. If no Rally point is within 5 kilometers of the current
aircraft position, the aircraft will fly to the home waypoint, and loiter above it at 100 meters.
Cruise
Cruise is an autopilot assisted mode that allows the safety pilot to fly the aircraft with stabilized
inputs. The autopilot will interpret the safety pilot's controls and translate them into a desired
heading, altitude, and airspeed. To increase or decrease the airspeed, use the throttle stick to adjust
between minimum and maximum. The autopilot will ensure that the aircraft maintains a minimum
airspeed such that the aircraft will not risk stalling. The rudder and elevator stick are used to
command a change in altitude or heading.
If the safety pilot has touched the controls within the last half second, the aircraft will maintain its
current heading. This heading will compensate for the effect of any crosswind, allowing the safety
pilot to simply line up the aircraft with a desired direction.
Cruise mode is suitable for allowing the safety pilot to take immediate action and/or to alter the flight
path. In Cruise, the aircraft operates within a well-defined easy to fly flight envelope. As such, Cruise
5
