Field Outing 11/08

During lab on November 8th, we went out to Dr. Hupy's property to practice placing and optimizing ground control points. To begin the day, Dr. Hupy explained the layout of the property so we would have a good idea on where to place the ground control points. From there, we walked around the property marking elevation change, noting possible flight path obstructions, and placing down ground control points around the area to obtain sufficient and equal spacing between them.

The GCPs we used were simple, as we could turn them on and place them down as they gathered their specific GPS data. One important thing to note about these GCPs is that they must be picked up in the reverse order which they were placed. So, with each point placed we were sure to note key characteristics of the surrounding environment. This was to help us find the points during post-processing and identify which ones were placed in order.


One of the GCPs placed in the back woods, behind this was a creek that we noted for matching up where the point was placed

Another GCP placement. This one was noted to be by a large pile of bricks for easy identification during post-processing

After the ground control points were placed, the aircraft required calibration. It is important to calibrate the aircraft regularly to ensure that the IMUs are all accurate. It is especially important to perform a calibration if: A) you have traveled over 5 miles from your previous flight location, B) it has been over 1 week since your last flight, or C) the weather has changed significantly since last operation. Even if none of the above are true, calibration only takes a short amount of time and is a necessary step of pre-flight operations as uncalibrated equipment can ruin your data.

Two students Thomas Gonya (center) and Krysta Rolle (right) prepare to calibrate to aircraft alongside Dr. Hupy (left)

Krysta reads instructions on the flight control to command Thomas on the proper procedure

After both of these were done, it was time for the flights. We went out to the front yard and found an open area for take off and landings. The pilot in command Dylan McQueen arranged a grid flight pattern with 70% overlap and side lap to properly capture the land. After the preflight checklists were completed, we took off the aircraft and then sent it on its autonomous mission. Upon landing, post-flight checklists were completed and we then packed up the aircraft for the day. The ground control points were picked up in reverse order, and turned off along the way as they finished up their calibrations.

Pilot in Command Dylan McQueen finishes pre-flight preparations


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