Standard Maintenance Procedures
Before performing any maintenance, ensure that Alta X Gen2 has been unplugged from any power source. Leaving Alta X Gen2 powered while performing any work on it can result in a potentially dangerous situation.
Cleaning
Keep your aircraft clean of dust and debris after each use. This will ensure that moving parts are not damaged/worn/jammed and also helps prevent contamination from hiding structural damage that must be identified during visual preflight inspections.
Clean Alta X Gen2's exterior with a non-abrasive soft cloth, microfiber towel or similar with a plastic-safe soap or detergent. Graduate the solvent potency when removing contamination, as shown below:
Water
Soap and water
General cleaner (like Simple Green)
Isopropyl Alcohol
Avoid anything that has bleach in it, or aggressive solvents like Acetone. If operating in a salt environment, wipe down Alta X Gen2 after use with a clean rag wet with tap water.
Preventative Maintenance Schedule
Always follow the preflight checklist items to ensure that each flight is safe and achieves the mission goals.
If an item is not specifically listed under any preventative maintenance schedule below, then the item is rated for the lifetime of the aircraft. This does include all aircraft electronics and motors.
At any point if you are concerned about something on the aircraft you can contact Freefly Support or purchase a Preventative Maintenance Checkup.
Note: it is key to keep both your aircraft and controller firmware up to date. Review the Software Release Notes or review the software updates page in the Auterion Suite to maintain your vehicle firmware.
Every Flight
Perform a full visual inspection of the drone, controller, batteries, and payloads before each flight.
Look for any missing screws or hardware, any new damage or cracks, or anything that looks out of the ordinary or has changed.
Check that motors spin freely and with no grinding/interference.
Check that the propellers move freely and that the ActiveBlade dampers are in place.
Developing this mental model of your drone is key to catching issues before they become a possible in-flight emergency.
Every 15 Flight Hours
Perform a detailed visual inspection of the aircraft:
Propeller blades and fasteners
Motor mounting fasteners are present and not loose.
Propeller blades are flight ready. Reject if chips, cracks, or deep scratches are visible. Replace as necessary with spare parts.
ActiveBlade dampers are present and intact.
Boom ring latch
Check boom latching tightness by closing the latch. There should be a firm closing force and click. Adjust the tension by using a 2.0mm hex wrench on the set screw located in the rear of the latch link.
Inspect Landing Gear
Look for: Loose latches, debris, any visible cracks or damage.
Vibration Isolator
Visually check for any stretching, detached o-rings, or damage. Replace as necessary with spare parts.
Clean aircraft
Wipe down any dust/debris from chassis
Clean any contamination from battery connectors
Ensure no debris in or around the boom motors
Clean off any debris on propellers
Every 3 months
For long-term storage, it is recommended you put your batteries on a storage charge every 3 months. The batteries can over discharge over time due to parasitic loss in the BMS. Making sure your batteries are at proper storage voltage every three months will prevent permanent damage due to over-discharging.
The longevity and health of the battery is fully dependent on how you treat and care for it. One important aspect of the care of a LiPo is storage voltage. Storing the battery at a charged voltage for more than 2-3 days will start to degrade the battery. The optimal storage voltage for lipos is 3.8v to 3.9v per cell (45.6v to 46.8v total.) After a mission, a Lipo charger can be used to put batteries in “Storage Mode”. This will either discharge or charge your battery to get it to storage voltage. Batteries should be placed in a cool environment with a recommended storage temperature from 10°C to 25°C. For storage make sure your battery is kept in a dry fireproof cabinet.
Every 250 Flight Hours
Inspect all fastener locations to verify fasteners are present, not damaged, and are not loose.
Check the tightness of the following fasteners to verify no loose fasteners or use a torque stripe/seal to ensure bolts have not moved.
To check fasteners, apply a slight tightening torque (Clockwise direction) to each fastener on the chassis using the supplied hex drivers. The fasteners should not slip. Do not try to tighten the fastener, only check if it is loose
If a fastener does slip, tighten it using the methods described in the "Fastener Installation" section below. Do not apply additional thread locking compound unless the fastener has repeatedly come loose.
Items that need tightness verified (ensure they have not worked loose):
Motor mount bolts (attaches motor mount to boom)
Propeller mount bolts (attaches props to motor)
Prop tension
Top and bottom chassis bolts
Payload Isolation Mount
GPS antenna tightness
Antenna mast bolts
Landing gear bolts
Any payload fasteners
PM4: Every 750 Flight Hours
Freefly recommends to perform this maintenance every year even if the aircraft has not hit 750 flight hours, especially if the aircraft has missed other PM intervals or if the drone operates in harsh or abusive conditions
Send Alta X Gen2 in for a Freefly Service Inspection and Overhaul
Freefly drone service team will perform a full visual inspection and functional test of your aircraft with specific emphasis on:
Wear/fatigue items
Updated/improved/revised components
Confirm performance thresholds
Motors
Sensors
Any payload stabilization metrics
The service will include:
Historical flight log review for any errors or trends that need to be addressed (shared via Auterion Suite)
Service bulletin and firmware updates
Full airworthiness inspection
Full cleaning and fastener replacement (as needed)
System level test and re-qualification
What to do if an Inspection Fails?
First step is to evaluate if the problem can be fixed. Things that can be fixed by the user typically are:
Dirty or contaminated hardware
Loose fasteners (Ensure you have the correct type of Loctite threadlocker)
Missing fasteners (If you have the correct replacement parts)
Any replacement parts that you bought from the store or have specific directions from Freefly Customer Support
If you have a failure and cannot fix using our general guidelines or the spare parts provided in the kit or on the store, please reach out to [email protected] or submit a direct ticket for any questions, specific replacement needs or issues! We are here to help you get safely and quickly back into the air!
If you need to purchase spare or replacement parts, please go to store.freeflysystems.com to purchase our standard parts.
Fastener Installation
Use Of Threadlocker
Bolts and screws used in the daily use of this aircraft do not require threadlocking compound. This includes the screws holding on the battery trays, rails, and the landing gear parts.
However, for the structural fasteners described in parts of this section blue Loctite 243 compound or equivalent is required. Apply sparingly to the threads before insertion.
The Freefly hex drivers included with Alta X Gen2 are designed to limit the torque that can be applied to each bolt or screw and help prevent stripping the fastener head.
Thread all fasteners into their respective holes until snug (when the fastener head bottoms out and lightly clamps the two mating parts together).
To prevent excessive tightening and damaging the fastener or parts, twist the driver from the smaller diameter knurled section of the tool between your thumb and index finger for small fasteners (under size M3) or with your thumb and two forefingers for larger fasteners (size M3 and larger).
Fastener Torque Values
Torque Values for Installed Fasteners in Newton-meters (Nm):
Types of bolts:
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