AVSS Parachute System
The AVSS panel shows the live status of an Autonomous Vehicle Safety System (AVSS) parachute rescue system when one is fitted to the connected aircraft. AVSS systems are designed to deploy a parachute automatically if the drone enters freefall or an unrecoverable attitude, reducing the risk of injury or property damage on the ground.
Overview
The AVSS panel appears in the dashboard when an AVSS-equipped aircraft is connected. It communicates with the device over DJI PSDK. From the panel you can:
- Check whether the parachute is armed or disarmed
- See live status including any active warnings
- Review a timestamped history of status events
- Open the full AVSS configuration in Settings
The panel is identified by a PSDK badge in the header alongside the title AVSS PRS.
Understanding the Status Display
At the top of the panel a coloured LED dot and status text show the current parachute state at a glance:
| LED Colour | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Green (pulsing) | Armed | System is active and will deploy if triggered |
| Blue | Disarmed | System is present but not armed for deployment |
| Amber | Warning / Ground Detected | A condition is preventing normal operation |
| Red (blinking) | Error | A fault has been detected; check status history |
| Grey | Unknown | No status data received yet |
Ground Detection Warning
When the aircraft is close to the ground — specifically at or below 5 metres above ground level — the panel displays a GROUND DETECTED amber warning banner. While this warning is active the parachute is temporarily inhibited. This is intentional: deploying a parachute at very low altitude would not slow the aircraft enough to prevent impact and could create a hazard.
The ground detection inhibit clears automatically once the aircraft climbs above 5 m AGL.
Warning State
If the system reports an active warning (other than ground detection), a red WARNING banner appears instead. This typically indicates a self-test failure or a sensor fault reported by the AVSS unit. Do not arm the parachute while a warning is active. Check the status history for the specific fault message.
Action Buttons
The AVSS panel has three icon buttons:
| Button | Icon | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Status History | Information circle | Toggles the status history list on and off |
| Deploy | Parachute | Manual parachute trigger (currently disabled) |
| Configuration | Settings cog | Opens the Parachute tab in Settings |
The manual Deploy button is disabled in the current release. Deployment is triggered automatically by the AVSS unit based on flight conditions.
Status History
Clicking the status history button expands a scrollable log of the last events received from the AVSS unit. Each entry shows:
- A colour-coded dot indicating severity (blue = info, amber = warning, red = error)
- The status message text
- A timestamp in HH:MM:SS format
This log is useful for understanding what happened during a flight and for troubleshooting unexpected warning states.
AVSS Configuration (Settings)
Clicking the settings cog opens the Parachute tab in the main Settings modal. Here you can review:
- Parachute Status — arm status badge (Armed, Disarmed, Warning, Error, Unknown)
- Status Details — the same LED and status text as the panel, plus the active arm mode
- Device Information — serial number, firmware version, and packed date (populated when data is available from the AVSS unit)
- IMU Calibration — calibration status and a button to start calibration (requires the aircraft to be on a flat, stable surface, powered on but not flying)
- Raw Status Data — the raw status string received from the AVSS unit, useful for advanced troubleshooting
- Status History — up to 10 recent events
Arm / Disarm
The ARM / DISARM PARACHUTE button in Settings requires the aircraft to be at least 5 m AGL with no active warnings before it becomes enabled. These conditions are enforced automatically.
When Does the Parachute Deploy?
Deployment is controlled entirely by the AVSS unit hardware and firmware, not by the dashboard. Typical automatic triggers include:
- Freefall detection (loss of lift)
- Excessive roll or pitch beyond recoverable limits
- Loss of PSDK heartbeat from the drone flight controller
The dashboard displays the deployment event in the status history log when it occurs.
Never arm the parachute when personnel are near the aircraft or when it is on the ground. An unintended deployment during ground handling can cause serious injury. Always disarm after landing before approaching the aircraft.