Learn how to fly your Bebop 2
True technical prowess, Bebop 2 is compact, robust, stable and very light. Equipped with the
latest generation of sensors and technologies, it posts 25 minutes of flying time with no
equivalent ! Its embedded fish eye camera digitally stabilized on a 3-axis framework, takes
Full HD videos with perfect flow and impressive brightness !
Bebop 2 is piloted very easily without any skills needed via the FreeFlight 3 App for
smartphone and tablet.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to setup, fly and record with your Bebop 2 !
Setup
Download the App
First of all, download the FreeFlight 3 App available for free on the App Store and Google
Play on your smartphone or tablet.
Installing the propellers
To install the propellers on your Bebop 2, place them on the brushless motors by making
sure that the propellers with a hole in the center are installed on the motors with a metallic
tip.
You won’t be able to install a propeller without hole on a motor with a metallic tip. The black
propellers have to be mounted on the back, and the white or red ones on the front.
Once the propellers are in, tight them using the included mounting tool.
Warning : Make sure that you do not install 4 propellers with a hole in the center of the
Bebop 2 won’t take off !
Installing the battery
To install the battery on the Bebop 2, simply insert it on the top of the drone and push it
forwards until you hear a “click”. The latch located on the back of the battery should now be
on its lower position.
To remove the battery, pull the latch up while pulling the battery backwards.
Connecting your Bebop 2 to your smartphone or tablet
First, start your Bebop 2 by pressing the ON/OFF button located on the back of the drone.
The LED will start flashing while the Bebop 2 is initializing. Once the LED is steady, the
drone is ready for connection.
On your smartphone/tablet, search for available Wi-Fi® networks:
– If you are using an iPhone or iPad, go to settings > Wi-Fi.
– If you are using an Android™ device, go to Settings > Network settings > Wi-Fi.
Select the Wi-Fi network “Bebop2-xxxx”. Xxxx being your Bebop 2’s serial number.
Wait until your smartphone/tablet connects to the Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi icon should
appear on the screen once it is done.
You can now open the FreeFlight 3 App, the App will automatically connect to your Bebop 2
and a “Free Flight” window will appear.
Piloting
First, ensure the area around the Bebop 2 is cleared for flight. Then
press
to start the motors and lift the Bebop 2 off the ground.
The piloting mode described below is the JoyPad mode. You can change mode in the
settings by pressing
Press on the center of the left joypad, then slide your finger over the
icons
/
to rotate the Bebop 2 left and right.
Press on the center of the left joypad, then slide your finger over the
icons
/
to raise or lower the Bebop 2 up or down.
Press on
or
(right joypad) to move the drone forwards or backwards.
Press on
or
(right joypad) to move the drone laterally.
To land, hover the Bebop 2 over a clear area and press
to bring the drone
back to the ground safely.
In Normal mode, hold the central button (right joypad) and tilt your mobile device forwards,
backwards, left or right to pilot the Bebop 2 in the corresponding directions horizontally.
In case of emergency: imminent collision, drone out of sight, loss of control… the emergency
button:
Piloting interface recap
Settings
Calibration
allows you to shut down the engines immediately.
During the first series of flights, you will be required to calibrate your drone’s magnetometer.
To do this, manipulate the drone by reproducing the animations displayed by the application
on the screen) (The drone will be calibrated once all of its axis are shown as valid. Once
calibration is complete, you can go back to the piloting interface which is on the previous
menu page.)
Piloting settings
The piloting settings allows you to chose between the 3 different piloting modes:
Joypad mode: The joypad mode allows you to disable the use of the accelerometer. It is the
mode described previously. Default controls.
Normal Mode: The easiest mode (for beginners). Lets you move the Bebop 2 with the
accelerometer by pressing the right Joypad and control the altitude/yaw with the left joypad.
Mode Expert: The most advanced mode. This mode allows you to control the Bebop 2 only
with your left thumb. This mode also allows you to control the camera with the right joypad.
Max inclination: This setting allows you the define the maximum angle of inclination the
Bebop 2 can take as it moves in space. This setting directly influences the drone’s speed.
The greater the angle of inclination, the faster the Bebop 2 will fly.
Flight Settings
Vertical speed: This function allows you to adjust the drone’s climbing or descending speeds.
Rotation speed: This function allows you to modify the Bebop’s rotation speed.
Max altitude: The maximum altitude option allows you to set a limit on how high the bebop
2 can go. If the drone is about to go beyond this limit, it will automatically adjust and remain
at the selected height.
Max distance: The Max distance option allows you to set a limit on how far the Bebop 2 can
go from you.
Flat trim: The flat trim allows you to re-calibrate the gyroscopes. Before pressing this button,
it is very important to make sure that the Bebop 2 is on a level surface.
Network settings
Changing the frequency: by default, the frequency choice is automatic. However, in the« WiFi Channel» option, you can manually choose the frequency (2.4 or 5 Ghz). Changing the
frequency will make the drone reboot.
Changing the drone’s name: the “Product Name” option allows you to change the Bebop 2’s
Wi-Fi network name. This change will only be effective once the drone is restarted.
First flight
Take Off
Before each take off, make sure that the Bebop 2 is on a flat, level surface and press on the
“Flat trim” button.
Press on “Take-off” to get your drone off the ground. Take-off is automatic, the drone lifts off
the surface and hovers in place about 1 meter above the spot from which it took off.
As you can see, its sensors give it great stability, even when there are disturbances ((such
as)shaky hand movements).
Basic piloting
In order to make the drone rise, push the left joypad upwards, to make it go back down, pull
the joystick downwards.
To make it pivot, move your left thumb towards the right or the left.
Moving in space
You can manipulate the drone’s pitch control / (movements) with the accelerometer on your
smartphone or tablet.
To make the bebop drone move forward, just keep the thumb on your right hand pressed
down on the joystick and tilt the tablet forward.
To make it go backwards, simply tilt the tablet backwards.
Do the same thing to make your drone glide to the left or to the right. When you release the
joystick on the right hand side, the drone goes back to its initial position and hovers in place.
Cap / Positionning
Depending on the positioning of the drone, the control settings may change. For example, if
the drone is facing you the control settings are reversed. (Example : if you wish to make it go
backwards, you will have to tilt your smartphone or tablet device forward)
Note : It is highly recommanded to keep the Bebop 2’s back facing you (its camera pointing
forward) for your first flights.
GPS
The Bebop 2 is equipped with an integrated GNSS type GPS chip (and it also has) the
Glonass satellite tracking function..
When the drone is starting outside, the GPS icon will turn from orange to green once the
Bebop 2 is connected to the satellites.
The GPS allows you plan autonomous flights using Flight Plan (in app purchase). It also
allows you to locate the drone at any moment on the map.
Before any flight outside, it is highly recommended to wait for the GPS icon to be green
before taking off. This will allow you to use the Return to home function if needed.
Return to home
This function allows you to make your drone automatically go back to the spot from where it
took off. To activate it, press the “Return to Home” icon:
The icon goes green and the drone goes into automatic return mode. During this period, it is
still possible to control the drone. If need be, press on the “Return Home” icon again to
disable automatic pilot.
Flips
Just like the Bebop 1, the Bebop 2 can also do a looping figure called a “Flip”. To do this,
click on the “flip” menu and scroll to the type of flip you want, then quickly tap twice on the
screen to activate the flip.
Note : it is also possible to make a flip when the drone is moving.
Record and take pictures
The Parrot Bebop 2 has a unique camera with high performance capabilities that surpass
expectations. Not only does it offer full HD definition, it can take photos up to a 180 degree
wide angle thanks to its fish-eye lens. And finally, the video is numerically stabilized on three
axis in order to avoid all potential disturbances related to the drone’s movements.
Video mode
By default, the Bebop drone is in video mode. In this mode, the drone starts to record video
as soon as it starts to fly, and it records in 1080P at 30 images a second.
In order to start recording video manually, you simply press on the “Rec” icon at the top of
the Pilot interface. The ‘Rec’ button starts to blink, which indicates that your drone is now
filming. Press on the button again to stop recording. While in Video mode, you can also take
photos by clicking on the “photo” icon.
Controlling the inclination of the camera
To control the camera’s positioning, slide your two fingers on the piloting interface, in the
direction opposite to the desired orientation. For example, slide two fingers from top to
bottom in order to orient the camera towards the top, or from left to right to orient the camera
towards the left.
Note: In “ace” mode, you control the camera by using your right thumb on the joystick, at the
right side of the device.
Photo mode
While in video mode, the photo icon allow you to take a still shot that was captured during
filming, but the Bebop’s camera also allows you to take high resolution photos. To do this,
activate the photo mode which you can find in the “recording features” tab.
You can choose between 3 photo formats: JPEG, JPEG 180° and DNG (RAW). In DNG
mode, the shot is a full resolution fish-eye format picture.
To get the most out of the images captured by your Bebop 2, we invite you to read the
tutorial we have prepared for you DNG (RAW) picture editing.
Timelapse
This mode allows you to take a series of photos at regular intervals. Activate this mode in the
recording settings, which you can access once you’re in Photo mode.
When you go back to the pilot interface, you will notice that the “Rec” icon has been replaced
with a “Timelapse” icon. Click once on this icon to start recording. At the end of the recording,
you will find your photos in the device’s internal memory storage.
Retrieving content material
You can retrieve your videos and photos directly on your smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi. For
this, go in the the contextual menu of the application FREEFLIGHT and click on internal
memory. Select the videos you wish to keep and click on “Transfer” to add them to the
gallery. The internal memory has a capacity of 8Gb, so consider carefully about removing
any unwanted footage after the transfer, in order to free up space. For this, select the footage
you wish to erase and click on “Delete.”
You can also either retrieve or erase material by connecting your Parrot Bebop drone to your
computer directly with the micro-USB cable provided. To perform this operation, the Parrot
Bebop drone’s battery must be installed and the drone must be turned on.
Drone Academy
Keep track of all your flights and share your photos, videos and navigation data with other
members of the Parrot Academy. Connected to YouTube and Facebook for sharing, join the
Parrot Academy with over 200,000 pilots registered.
Free backup of your flight data and 3D replay!
Enjoy your flights !