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Syncing a flight mission to your RC or Tablet device

In this guide we will walk you through how to synchronise a flight mission plan that you created on Hammer Hub down to the Hammer App on your RC controller or tablet.

This blog article follows the same step-by-step approach that we demonstrated on our video.

What you'll achieve

By the end of this guide you will know how to:

Download a flight mission from Hammer Hub to the Hammer App on your RC device or tablet
Align (if necessary) the flight mission area with the real-world building position
Check and adjust flight parameters on the RC device/tablet (including ground offset, obstacle avoidance and return-to-home settings)

Quick overview of the process

Open the Hammer Missions app on your tablet or RC unit
Open the right-hand panel and download the mission file
Select the mission to view it on the map
Adjust boundary points to align with the building or target
Open the cog (settings) to review mission parameters
Open Drone Settings to set drone-specific safety limits

Step 1 — Open the tablet and locate the mission panel

Start the Hammer Missions app on your tablet or remote controller. Tap the folder icon in the top-right to open the mission panel where the synced mission files live.

Open the folder icon in top right to view mission files

Step 2 — Download the mission from the Hub

In the mission panel you'll probably see at least one flight mission file. Tap the cloud-with-arrow icon, to download the mission(s) you've created within Hammer Hub. Multiple missions may appear if you have multiple missions in the Hub and have not synchronised previously.

Tap the cloud download icon to download flight missions to your device

Step 3 — Open and inspect the mission on the map

Once the download process completes, select the mission you want to open. It will appear on the map showing the mission area and flight lines over the location or building that you have chosen.

Mission popped up in map view showing flight plan over the target area

Step 4 — Align boundary points with the real building

Map sources vary and sometimes the flight plan can be offset from the building you intend to capture. If you spot a discrepancy, drag the blue corner or boundary points to align the mission footprint with the actual building or facade boundaries.

Drag blue boundary points to align the flight plan with the building

You can zoom in for fine-tuned placement of each corner point — take your time here since accurate alignment improves data quality and reduces the chance of flying over unintended areas.

Use zoom to fine-tune the position of corner points

Step 5 — Review mission parameters (cog icon)

With the mission aligned, ensure that the drone is powered on and click the cog icon to review the flight parameters that were initially set in Hammer Hub plus a few extra options which are only available on the RC device / tablet. This is your last chance to confirm mission-level settings before flight.

Open the cog icon to review flight parameters and safety settings

Particular parameters to check:

Ground offset / building height — ensures the correct flight altitude relative to the structure.
Maximum altitude — sets a strict upper limit the drone will not exceed.
Obstacle avoidance — enable or disable depending on proximity to the facade and your personal assessment of the need to have it enabled or not.

Step 6 — Drone Settings: safety and drone-specific limits

Tap the Drone Settings button near the bottom of the screen to access drone-specific configuration options not available in Hammer Hub. Typical settings you’ll find here include measurement units, map type, max altitude, obstacle avoidance distances and return-to-home parameters.

Drone settings menu showing measurement units and maximum altitude options

Common adjustments to make:

Maximum altitude: a hard ceiling (upper altitude restriction) which the drone cannot climb above.
Obstacle avoidance: you can set upward, downward and horizontal detection distances — if flying very close to a facade (and if you feel it is safe to do so), you may temporarily disable obstacle avoidance to avoid false triggers, but do so with caution.
Go home battery threshold: set the battery level at which the drone will begin a return-to-home (RTH) procedure.
Return-to-home height: set a safe altitude the drone will climb to before returning, to avoid obstacles en route.

Obstacle avoidance parameters: upward, downward and horizontal distances

Final checks

Confirm mission alignment with the building and that boundary points are accurate.
Verify ground offset based on the confirmed actual building height.
Double-check battery thresholds and RTH height.
Decide on obstacle avoidance settings, based on proximity to structures and onsite risks.

Conclusion

Synchronising a flight mission from Hammer Missions Hub to your RC controller or tablet is straightforward: download the mission, align it on the map, and confirm the mission and drone-specific settings. Taking the extra minute to check ground offset, obstacle avoidance and return-to-home settings will make your flight safer and your data more reliable.

"This process lets you prepare much of the flight mission process at your desk-based computer and then quickly sync the mission to your flight device in the field." — Hammer Missions’ Support

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