Field Activity #3- Conducting operations with multi-rotor UAS

    In field activity number two and three we carried out mission planning both in the computer lab and in the field. We did this as a whole class and not in our groups of three to four members. In field activity number four we carried out a mission plan in the field while also having a multi-rotor UAS fly the mission to capture pictures from our mission plan. This was the first time we actually put a UAS in the air on a mission and had it fly to the mission plan. This was great experience for future labs as well as learning how to carry missions out with our groups.
     For all of our flying that we have conducted so far we have been flying around the Bollinger soccer fields. This area has no obstructions with plenty of buffer space around if the UAS goes astray. The platform we used was the Matrix on 9/23/15. The wind was calm with altostratus clouds in the sky. This was setup for perfect flying conditions for our missions. Since we are flying on public soccer fields, we always have to be aware of pedestrians in the area. Everytime we have been at the fields there has been soccer practices going on. We need to make sure we stay plenty far away so we don't put anyone in harms way. This helps when we have a large sized class. More eyes is always better when flying.

    When we started this field activity we were broken into our groups of three or four. This allowed for us to have a pilot, spotter, and person on the communication center. We began by having all three of us sitting down and plotting out our mission in the field. We chose a small area over one of the soccer fields that we wanted to fly along with covering a building on the edge of our mission area. Since our mission was close to being a square we did not have to adjust the angle on the mission to make sense say if our AOI was a rectangle. We chose the speed we wanted the Matrix to fly at along with how many pictures and height. We used two cannon cameras as well that were mounted on the bottom of the Matrix that would allow for us to take pictures every three seconds. This would make sure we have plenty of pictures of the AOI along with plenty of overlap.

    We had our height set at 60 feet high. This seemed to work well with the cannon cameras that we used. Since the mission was flown in autopilot, we knew that the entire AOI was going to be covered. This was the first time that we flew with autopilot. I was amazed at the accuracy that the Matrix flew the mission with. I was able to be the spotter with my group along with watching an experienced pilot take off, loiter, and flip it into auto. One of the most important steps is while in loiter, you communicate with the comms center to make sure that everything checks out. You don't want to flip it into auto while in loiter if all of a sudden you drop a bunch of your satellites. This could cause for a problem with the mission or could send your UAS all over the place. The Matrix platform we used was perfect size for the mission that we flew along with the conditions. It didn't have to expend much energy when making turns in our mission because we didn't have barely any wind while in the air. This allowed for our pictures to come out with great quality.
    I was also able to view how the communication center worked while watching another group in our class perform the duties. I have before worked the communication center, but found out that by watching another group that I was able to plan ahead for the next task as I was trying to help to see if they missed any steps. One step that I found that can make or break your mission is that you need to read your waypoints more then once in mission planner. This will allow for your UAS to get the right waypoints rather then sending it astray.
    In conclusion it was great experience to plan our own mission in our groups along with putting a UAS in the air to fly our mission. This was the first time that we have put the two together in our groups. It is essential to go over every part of your mission in fine detail. This will allow for your missions to be carried out smoothly. The more detailed you are before you put your UAS in the air the less likely you will have problems with the mission in the air. We also learned about loitering and the autopilot functions on our TX controllers. The more we use the controllers the more I have a better understanding with where each function is and when it is proper to have it in auto, loiter, or standard controls. The more experience we get with mission planning the more I begin to understand how to relate this to a real world job. The autopilot function is a great tool to use when carrying out plenty of missions over a large area, while the standard flying function would need to be used when there are obstacles in the area or you need to fly in a detailed area say in-between houses or buildings at a lower elevation.