AT 409 Week 1 Field Notes

 

An introduction to the UAS capstone lab was conducted demonstrating the goals of the course, along with introducing some of the airframes used. Within this introduction it was stressed that checklists are fundamental to a successful UAS operation. No matter the numerous times an operator has performed a checklist, or the level of their comfortability, a professional always completes a thorough pre-flight checklist. A constant form of communication between the flight crew during preflight, takeoff, inflight and landing mitigates risk of problems during each stage. Constant communication also presents an impression of professionalism and gives the customer a sense that the flight crew has optimal experience in the field. The goals of this course are to get us comfortable with getting in the mindset of professionalism and efficiency with time and resources. To demonstrate the level of professionalism and efficiency required for the course, an introduction to two of the airframes used was conducted. First the Bramor, a fixed wing UAS equipped with an 35mm lens RX1 camera at 42 megapixels, preflight checklist was ran through with excellent communication and flow. This checklist included small things that many people who think they’ve done this enough to know what they’re doing, or in a rush, miss. From the time the Bramor is taken out of its case and assembled, to the pull of the catapult release, there was constant communication about what needed to be checked and the status of the item being checked. While the UAV was in autonomous flight, the RPIC was constantly aware of its position with the controller in their hands. The RPIC could start and stop the mission at any time, along with the capability of deploying the parachute for emergencies. The second airframe was a quadcopter equipped with two sets of sensors: Z30 camera and an XT2 thermal RGB. This allows the operator to fly to the correct position with their transmitter, and an observer to operate another transmitter for the sensors to capture optimal data. A lesson learned from this lab was that the flight crew needs to know the operation terrain well, because when the Bramor came down to land it almost hit metal poles sticking out of the ground. The final demonstration was showing the com box used for the operation. This com box is capable if EMPing all electronics within range if not handled properly. Underlining the idea of always be aware of your tools and surroundings.