2023 was a great year for DJI, releasing three new drones, of which the Air 3 was one of them.
This came as great news to those of us who wanted to upgrade some of the drones we then owned and those looking to purchase their first DJI drone.
Perhaps you received a new Air 3 since its release. If you are new to the hobby, there are quite a few things to learn to get the new Air 3 up and fly successfully.
This tutorial is for those who might need assistance before getting their first flight underway.
This article and the included YouTube video are a step-by-step tutorial showing how to power on and off the Air 3 and the two remote controller versions, whether the DJI RC 2 or RC-N2.
Note: Although not necessary, we do recommend that all batteries for the Air 3 and the remote controller be fully charged before following this how-to guide.
The Power Up/On Sequence
DJI has manufactured dozens and dozens of drones over the years. One of the things many, if not most, of them have in common is the DJI recommended power on and off sequence. This continues with the Air 3.
The power-on sequence for the Air 3 is to turn on the Remote Controller first, followed by turning on the Air 3, and lastly, opening the DJI Fly app if using the DJI RC-N2.
If you own a DJI RC 2, then the steps for turning the controller and the DJI Fly app on and off are just one all-inclusive step.
Again, this is a recommended sequence. The Air 3 will turn on and fly regardless of the sequence.
Powering on the DJI RC 2
Press the power button once, then immediately press and hold the power button. The DJI splash screen will appear at boot-up.
After the RC 2 turns on, you will also get an ascending audible tone, indicating the controller is powering on.
After about 10-20 seconds, you will be at the DJI Fly home screen, ready to connect the drone.
Powering on the DJI RC-N2
Like with the RC 2, press the power button once, then immediately press and hold the power button.
Pressing the power button the first time will display the battery charge via the green LED lights. The second press and hold then powers on the remote controller.
Like the DJI RC 2, after turning on the RC-N2, you will also get an ascending audible tone, indicating the controller is powering on.
Note: Many phones, once connected to the RC-N2 controller, will turn the screen on once the controller powers on. Some Android devices go a step further, displaying a dialogue box asking to launch the DJI Fly app. You can choose to launch the DJI Fly app at this time if presented with this option.
Powering on the Air 3
STEP 1: This cannot be stressed enough, but it is important to remove the gimbal cover that is on the Air 3 camera. If this step is overlooked repeatedly, the gimbal may eventually suffer from gimbal overload, failure, and subsequently break as the gimbal regularly performs the self-test.
STEP 2: Press the power button once (towards the rear of the Air 3). Similar to the two Remote Controller versions, the LEDs on the Air 3 will light up, letting you know how much battery power there is. Immediately press and hold the power button.
The motors will adjust slightly, followed by an auditory tone, after which the gimbal will self-test.
STEP 3: Start up the DJI Fly app IF you are using an RC-N2 AND the DJI Fly app did not self-start when the controller powered on, as mentioned earlier.
Turning off the Air 3 (and RCs)
Like with the power-on sequence, DJI also has a recommended order for shutting off the Air 3 and Remote Controllers.
This sequence is to first turn off the Air 3, followed by turning off either the RC-N2 or DJI RC 2 controller, and, if using an RC-N2, shutting down the DJI Fly app.
To turn off the Air 3:
Press the power button once and then immediately press and hold the power button. The Air 3 LED indicator lights will count down, flash, and then shut off.
The LED lights on the arms and legs will shut off as well.
To turn off the DJI RC 2:
Press the power button once, then immediately press and hold the power button. Like with the RC-N2, you will hear a descending audible tone, indicating the RC is powering off.
The DJI Fly app will likewise shut down at this time.
To turn off the RC-N2:
Press the power button once, then immediately press and hold the power button. You will hear a descending audible tone, indicating the RC is powering off.
After the RC-N2 is powered off, exit the DJI Fly app.
