Preparing For Your First Flight – VEX Library

Before taking your VEX AIR Drone to the skies, you’ll need to prepare both the drone and the VEX AIR Drone Controller. Follow the steps below to get everything set up and ready for flight.

Charge the Batteries and Controller

Start by charging both the drone's battery and the controller to make sure they’re powered and ready to use.

Charging a Battery

Plug the battery into a power source using its USB-C port. View this animation to see a USB-C cable being plugged into the battery.

It is recommended to use the USB Charging Hub with the four short USB Cables (A-C) to charge all four batteries at once. Each time a new battery is used, place the depleted battery back on the charger, so that there are always charged batteries available. View this article to learn where the charging supplies are located in your kit.

USB-C cable is being connected to the Controller's USB-C port.

Charging a Controller

Plug the controller into a power source or computer using a USB cable connected to the controller’s USB-C port. The indicator light will blink red while it charges.

Note: The controller will charge faster when connected to power source. A single USB Charger and longer USB Cables are included in the kit to enable charging both batteries and controller through a power source. View this article to learn where the charging supplies are located in your kit.

Update the Firmware

Once your batteries and controller are charged, you can update the firmware to ensure the drone and controller perform as expected.

The VEX AIR Drone Controller appears on the left with a USB cable inserted into the USB-C port, connected to a laptop on the right.

Updating the Controller

Connect the controller to your computer with the USB cable. Follow the steps in this article to update the controller's firmware.

VEX AIR Drone Controller on the left is shown with the USB-A end of the cable connected to the VEX AIR Drone on the right. The USB-C end of the cable is connected to the back of the drone.

Updating the Drone

Connect the controller to your computer with the USB cable. Follow the steps in this article to update the drone's firmware.

Install the Batteries

With the battery charged and firmware updated, you're ready to insert the battery into the VEX AIR Drone:

Diagram shows the battery next to the Hornet, with an arrow indicating that the battery should be placed into its battery compartment. A close-up view indicates that the arrow icon on the battery should be facing upwards to properly connect.

Insert the battery into the drone with the Up arrow facing upward.

Note: The drone will automatically turn on when the battery is inserted.

Install the Controller's Joysticks

Install the joysticks to control the drone more easily during flight:

Back of the controller is shown with the two joysticks stored in two small compartments. The joysticks are highlighted to indicate that they must be removed before use.

Remove the joysticks stored on the back of the controller.

Diagram shows the two joysticks being screwed into their holders on the front of the controller. There is one joystick holder on each side of the controller's screen, and an arrow indicates that they should be screwed in clockwise.

Screw each joystick into its holder on the front of the controller by turning clockwise.

Pair the Drone and Controller

Next, pair the controller with the drone so they can communicate during flight:

Turn on the controller by pressing and holding the Power button until the LED indicator begins blinking white, then release. This animation shows this process being used to turn on the controller. When the controller has finished turning on, its LED indicator will change to one of two colors:

Green — The controller is above 20% battery charge.
Red — The controller has 20% or lower battery charge.

USB-A cable is being connected to the Controller's USB-A port.

Connect a USB-A cable to the controller’s USB-A port.

The other end of the cable is being connected to the Hornet's USB-C port.

Plug the other end into the drone's USB-C port.

Controller is shown powered on and with its USB-A cable connected to the drone. The screen has a wired connection icon that shows a cable being used to connect the controller to the drone.

A wired connection image will show briefly on the screen when the controller begins pairing with the drone. The USB icon will also appear on the left while the controller is wired to the drone.

Once both LED indicators on the controller and drone are blinking and the live feed from the drone's forward-facing Vision Sensor is visible on the controller's screen, the two have been successfully paired. This animation shows this pairing process.

Your VEX AIR Drone is now ready to fly!