Drone Protocol Packages

Each aircraft package brings together the documents you need to prepare for fieldwork, in one ZIP download:

Manufacturer’s manual — detailed aircraft and controller instructions.
Quick-start guide — initial setup and basic operation. Use the guide for your controller.
Short protocol — a concise field reference with settings and charts.
Long protocol — the same protocol with explanations, illustrations, and instructions with manual page references where available.

Why four or five PDFs? Every package includes a manual, short protocol, and long protocol. DJI Mavic Air 2 has one quick-start guide (four PDFs total). DJI Air 3, DJI Air 3S, and DJI Mavic 3 Pro each include two controller-specific quick-start guides (five PDFs total). Use the guide that matches your controller.

Before going into the field, review the protocols and familiarize yourself with the settings on your aircraft. We recommend printing both the short and long protocols for field use. Download the full package in advance so the manual and guides are available offline.

Available packages

Review editions: review the aircraft-specific checks inside each protocol and confirm settings on your installed aircraft before field use. All four packages include charts in 1 cm/pixel increments and clarified height and exposure instructions. Mavic Air 2, Air 3 and Air 3S packages were updated on 11 November 2026 with recalculated heights, footprints, overlap and motion blur.