How to Fly DJI Air 3 Drone (With DJI RC 2)

The Air 3 is a great multi-purpose drone, capable of producing excellent content for both beginners and veterans alike.

Released in 2023, the Air 3 uses the new OcuSync 4 transmission system, which is currently only compatible with the DJI RC 2 and DJI RC-N2 remote controllers.

With it being that time of year again, and many receiving the DJI Air 3 as gifts, many new users may have questions about flying the Air 3 using the DJI RC 2 smart controller.

In this article, we will walk through the procedures for launching and landing the Air 3 with the DJI RC 2, how to use the DJI RC 2 remote controller, as well as set up the various options within the DJI Fly app to ensure safer flight with the DJI RC 2.

The DJI RC 2 Smart Controller

For those just getting into flying DJI drones and looking to do so with a smart controller, the DJI RC 2 is an all-inclusive remote controller.

This means the remote controller does not need a smart device attached to fly.

The DJI RC 2, being all-inclusive, is an Android-based RC that runs the DJI Fly app. It has an integrated 5.5″ screen which has 700 nits of brightness.

Although this is less than the 1000 nits found on the DJI RC Pro, it is plenty bright to see in most sunny conditions.

Add on a matte screen protector and you’ll be able to view the screen in almost any condition.

» MORE: DJI RC 2 Review (Everything You Need to Know)

DJI Fly Flight Options

While one could simply accept all the DJI Fly app standard options for flight, it is advisable to tailor some of these options to your flying style and environment, whether these be safety-related, flight stick preferences, or return-to-home-based options (RTH).

When you sign into the DJI Fly app with your DJI Profile, most of your settings should transfer to whatever device you are using DJI Fly on.

For this section, we’ll go under the assumption that you are flying for the first time with a new DJI Profile/Account.

» MORE: DJI Fly App (Everything You Need to Know)

Safety Options

To get to all of the Safety tab, go into Settings > Safety. All of the safety items we discuss in this section can be accessed from the Safety tab.

Changing or setting options in the Safety tab will aid in safer flights. For the Air 3 and those around you.

Firstly, we’ll examine the Flight Assistance area and focus on the Obstacle Avoidance Actions and Bypassing Options.

» MORE: Drone Safety Features (All You Need to Know)

Obstacle Avoidance Action

Before flying you’ll want to define what the Air 3 will do once it approaches an obstacle.

The available actions are:

- Bypass – When enabled and controlling the Air 3, the Air 3 will automatically go around detectable obstacles. If there is no available way to do so, the Air 3 will then hover until action can be taken by the drone pilot.

- Brake – When the brake action is enabled, the Air 3 will automatically stop and hover when encountering obstacles. You will then be able to determine the best course of action to take.

- Off – Turns off all obstacle avoidance systems. With this action, the Air 3 can run into obstacles in the environment. Some drone pilots, like myself, use this option when flying in tight spaces.

Additionally, when the Bypass Action has been chosen, there are two options available for how the Air 3 behaves when bypassing obstacles.

- Normal – The Air 3 will search out obstacles in advance of reaching them, staying a safe distance from the obstacle(s).



- Nifty – This is sort of like Cine mode for the Bypass action. When enabled, the Air 3 will avoid obstacles with more laid-back and smooth movements. However, this Bypass option has a higher chance of colliding with obstacles.

» MORE: Obstacle Avoidance in DJI Drones (Explained for Beginners)

Return to Home (RTH)

Return-to-home (RTH), will return the Air 3 to the recorded home point, without any additional input from you.

In this section, you’ll want to set the options for Advanced RTH.

ADVANCED RETURN TO HOME

There are two settings available for Advanced RTH. These RTH settings are:

- Optimal

- Preset

Optimal Advanced RTH

When in Optimal Advanced RTH, the Air 3 plans the best route for it to get home, regardless of any RTH height options previously input.

It will adjust its height to get above, below, or around any type of obstacle or interference signal in the area that could disrupt a successful RTH.

With the optimal setting chosen, the Air 3 will use the straightest and direct route to RTH, to save on battery power, which in turn increases the amount of time the Air 3 can fly.

This may possibly even save the Air 3 if the batteries are low.

If it is too dark for the Air 3’s vision sensors, the Air 3 will default to a variation of Preset mode, with preset altitude options, which we’ll look at.

Preset Advanced RTH

In this mode, the Air 3 will return home at the preset height.

As a rule of thumb, I set my Auto RTH Altitude 30 feet or so above the highest obstacle wherever I might be flying for the day.

If the Air 3 is in Optimal Advanced RTH when the lighting conditions are too poor for the Air 3’s vision system to see its way home, the Auto RTH Height will be used.

AUTO RTH ALTITUDE

The Auto RTH Altitude is a very important option to set.

The reason is that in the event of an emergency (we’ll touch on this shortly), you’ll want the Air 3 to have sufficient height when returning home.

As a rule of thumb, it is always good to set your return-to-home height a fair bit higher than the tallest obstruction in your area.

Some simply set their RTH altitude to the maximum flight ceiling in the United States (400 feet) and just go.

This can be dangerous if the Air 3 is returning home and there are low-flying aircraft in the vicinity.

» MORE: Does DJI Avata Have Return to Home? (Explained)

AR Settings (Augmented Reality)

The Air 3 benefits from the inclusion of AR (augmented reality), displaying on-screen overlays to assist with home point identification and return-to-home functions.

With Show AR Home Point options on, you will see a virtual H on the Live View screen representing the Air 3 home point, which can be seen in all of the map views.

With the Show AR Return-to-Home route option enabled, there is a green path showing what route the Air 3 will take to RTH.

Lastly, when landing there is also a virtual “Air 3” on screen showing where the Air 3 will exactly land. This is called Show AR Aircraft Shadow.

» MORE: DJI Air 3 Vertical Mode (Video)

Flight Protection

This section is used to define how far and high the Air 3 will fly at any given time. Although our intention may be to stay within the confines of the law, when in-flight this might be difficult to maintain.

If you are in the United States, because it is illegal to fly above 400 feet, you may choose to set the Max Altitude to anything under 400 feet.

If you are in a country that regulates the maximum altitude that you can fly, likewise you’ll want to set that number here.

Additionally, you can also set the maximum distance. If you are concerned about flying too far out, you can set the value to any number you’d like. If distance isn’t a concern, this can be set to No Limit.

» MORE: DJI Air 3 Beginners Guide (Step-by-Step Guide)

Advanced Safety Settings

Advanced safety settings determine how the Air 3 behaves when the Air 3 disconnects from the remote controller.

Disconnects can occur due to variants in the environment, such as tall trees, mountains, canyons, or even signal interference and loss.

Additionally, you can set the stick inputs for manually shutting the propellers off in the case of an emergency.

Signal loss options:

- RTH – The Air 3 will return to the home point, regardless of the surroundings.

- Land – The Air 3 will descend and land, even if the signal was lost over water.

- Hover – The Air 3 will stay in one place until it receives input from you. You may have to go to the location of the Air 3 to regain a connection.

Emergency Propeller Stop

Simultaneously move both control sticks diagonally toward the inner or outer corners to stop the motors and propellers.

If the Air 3 is airborne it will crash-land. The emergency propeller stop should only be used in an actual emergency situation, as the Air 3 might be unrecoverable after the event.

» MORE: Can I Fly DJI Air 3 Without a License (Read This First)

Control Options

A very important aspect of flying the Air 3 is the actual control input method being used. It is referred to as Stick Mode. Stick mode is in the Control tab.

To get to the Control tab, go into Settings > Control

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