Decide whether or not to fly the survey. This is a somewhat subjective call, but current and forecasted weather, especially ceiling height and cloud density, visibility, wind and rain are the main components that go into making that decision. Wind >15kts, ceiling <2,000ft, steady rain or visibility <5 mi generally results in a “no go” for flying the survey at that time. If any of these conditions are forecasted in the following 4-6 hrs, also generally calls for waiting for better conditions or forecasts.
If a survey is a “go”, the survey aircraft departs Nelson Lagoon airstrip and flies east toward transect number 1. All photographic gear, cameras, computers, screens have been previously set up and software tested. When the aircraft reaches survey altitude of 1,000’ the camera operator focuses, locks camera lenses and continues the Aviatrix program boot up. The pilot then proceeds to line up on transect 1 and the survey begins. Airspeed is kept as slow as is safely possible for the conditions, generally between 80 and 100 kts; altitude is maintained as close to 1000’ as possible using the barometric altimeter, radar altimeter or Aviatrix GPS readout. Camera operator monitors gear and programs, adjusts camera exposure if necessary and records survey progress and deviations.
Detailed instructions, equipment lists, setup protocols and survey checklist are in linked documents and include:
Gear Setup_Camera Settings_Survey Checklist.docxAircraft-Aviatrix gear & camera setup diagrams.pdf Photo surveys_memory cards_needs.xlsxItems to bring on photo surveys.docx
