6.2.1    Attach the mobile handset to the aircraft

This section explains how the mobile handset can be mounted on an RC aircraft or copter and what needs to be considered:

·   The mobile handset should be mounted detachable.

·   Provide lightweight, yet sturdy installation.

·   The screen should be accessibly when mounted.

·   Provide as much physical clearance as possible between the mobile handset and any other RF emitting device (e.g. the Bluetooth transceiver, in case there is an FPV transmitter, a bi-directional RC receiver or even the power transmission cables, ESC…)

·   The position of the mobile handset impacts the aerodynamics of the aircraft/copter. This is especially important when flying with high speeds. Positions in front of the center of gravity can have a negative impact on the stabilization especially for multicopters. While all the examples in the following best practices-section have worked at fairly high speeds (~ 20 m/s), the ideal position would be like a trailing horizontal stabilizer, which is tilted to become aerodynamically neutral at the max forward pitch angle (of the copter).

Consider optionally:

·   If you intend to use the camera of the phone stick to these guidelines:

·   The mobile handset needs to be fitted with unobstructed camera vision.

·   Keep vibrations away from the mobile handset. Google "copter" and "vibrations".

Best practices:

The following images show some solutions for attaching smartphones successfully to multicopters.

A very successful approach was to fix only the back cover of the phone, so the phone itself could easily be detached from the copter. Note also that the phone becomes aerodynamically neutral when the copter pitches forward:

The following example allows using the camera: