What a post-repair certification flight includes (and why it matters)
"It flies" is not a test result. Every aircraft that leaves our bench goes through the same nine checks, each with a pass criterion and a recorded value. Here is the sequence.
Before the flight
Firmware refresh in the manufacturer's desktop tool, which forces every module to re-handshake and clears stale error flags. Then IMU calibration on a leveled surface, vision-system calibration against the pattern, gimbal auto-calibration, and compass calibration outdoors away from steel. On enterprise aircraft, dual IMU and dual compass both have to pass.
The flight
| Check | Pass criterion |
|---|---|
| Pre-flight status | Zero warnings, 12+ satellites, sensors normal |
| Motor spin-up | Even tone, no ESC error, similar temperature across all four after 30 s |
| Hover, 2 m, 60 s hands-off | Drift under 0.5 m horizontal, 0.3 m vertical, no oscillation |
| Gimbal | Horizon level within 0.5°, no judder, returns to center |
| Control response | Yaw 360° both ways, 5 m in each axis; holds on release |
| Obstacle sensing | Brakes at configured distance on approach |
| Return-to-home | Climbs to RTH altitude, lands within 1 m of takeoff |
| Payload (enterprise) | RTK fix confirmed; thermal reading within spec against a known target |
| Post-flight | No new play or heat in arms, hinges, motors, gimbal; log exported |
Any single fail returns the aircraft to the bench. We don't re-fly to see if it does it again.
The record
The record travels with the aircraft and backs the warranty: model, serial, firmware after refresh, every part replaced with part number and source, every calibration and its result, every check above with the measured value, the flight log, and the Part 107 pilot who signed it.
Fleet operators keep these on file for insurers and safety reviews. If you buy a used drone, ask the seller for one. If they don't have it, assume the gimbal was never calibrated after the last repair.