Aerial Photography and Flight Planning

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Aerial Photography and Flight Planning

• By Chris Peters

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Objectives

• Identify some basic regulations for a flight
  under visual flight rules (VFR)
• List required equipment
• Analyze forecasted weather according to VFR
  weather minimums
• Interpret aeronautical charts, including
  different types of airspace
• Identify the difference between pilotage and dead
  reckoning
• Create a final flight plan that will comply with
  VFR regulations, including the use of navigation
  systems as backup

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What is VFR?

• Flight is to take place using visual references
• Must avoid clouds
• Normally have a distinguishable horizon
• Should have sight of the ground below, or in some
  cases, a cloud layer below as long as it will not
  cause spatial disorientation (vertigo)
• Flight plan is NOT required

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Required VFR Equipment

• TOMATO FLAMES acronym
• Tachometer
• Oil pressure gauge
• Manifold pressure gauge
• Airspeed Indicator
• Temperature gauge
• Oil temperature gauge

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Required VFR Equipment

• Fuel level gauge
• Landing gear position indicator
• Altimeter
• Magnetic heading indicator
• Emergency locator transmitter (ELT)
• Seat belts

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Required VFR Equipment
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VFR Weather

• Visibility must be 3 miles or greater
• Ceiling must be 1,000 feet or higher
• Ceiling is defined by broken or overcast cloud
  layer (7/8 or 8/8 coverage)

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VFR Weather

• For photogrammetry purposes, clouds in the
  photographs are undesirable.
• Can usually tell where clouds will form by
  obtaining the temperature and dew point for the
  area.
• The difference between the two can be multiplied
  by 500 for an estimate of the altitude at which
  clouds will form (average lapse rate is two
  degrees per 1,000 feet).

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VFR Weather

• For example, if the temperature is 22 C and the
  dew point is 18 C
• 22 C - 18 C 4
• 4 x 500 FT 2,000 FT
• Clouds on this day would form at 2,000 feet. This
  would probably not be a good day for aerial
  photography as your options would be very
  limited.
• Look for days with a high temperature - dew point
  spread.

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Airspace

• Class B Airspace solid blue line busy
  airports (Miami International Airport, Tampa
  International Airport, Orlando International
  Airport)
• Class C Airspace solid magenta line less busy
  airports still serviced by major airlines
  (Jacksonville International Airport, Daytona
  Beach International Airport)
• Class D Airspace dotted blue line small
  airports with control towers (Gainesville
  Regional Airport)
• Class E Airspace controlled airspace sandwiched
  between all of these below 18,000 feet
• Class G Airspace uncontrolled airports

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Airspace
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General Information

• Minimum altitude over sparsely populated area
  500 feet above ground level
• Minimum altitude over densely populated area
  1,000 feet above ground level
• Use your best judgment regarding sparse vs. dense
• Maximum altitude in Class E airspace 18,000 feet
  mean sea level (MSL)

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General Information

• Above 18,000 feet is Class A airspace and
  requires special procedures (instrument flight
  rules and flight plan no VFR)
• Conservation areas request airplanes to stay at
  least 2,000 feet above ground level
• Be aware of prohibited, restricted, warning, and
  military operations areas, as noted on the
  sectional chart

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General Information

• Minimum airspeed in basic single engine airplane
  60 knots
• Minimum airspeed in light twin engine airplane
  88 knots
• Cruise airspeed in basic single engine airplane
  120 knots
• Cruise airspeed in light twin engine airplane
  152 knots

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General Information

• Flying at a slower speed will allow for a better
  turning radius
• Flying too slow becomes very inefficient with
  regards to fuel
• Best speed is one where lift and drag are equal,
  making it most efficient
• Typically, you can plan for there to be about
  four hours worth of fuel on board

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General Information

• Crab wind coming from the South will require an
  airplane flying East to use a crab angle into the
  wind in order to fly due East.
• For example, the crab angle may be determined to
  be 3 degrees, and the airplane will need to fly a
  heading of 93 in order to achieve a course along
  90 East.
• This will affect the camera on board the
  aircraft. The crab angle will need to be
  compensated for in order to photograph along
  straight lines on the ground

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General Information

• Aircraft modifications extensive modifications
  to the aircraft will require an FAA certificated
  Airframe Powerplant mechanic to record new
  weight balance data
• Simple equipment brought on board for use during
  flight needs to be accounted for by the pilot
  when he or she computes weight balance numbers
  for the flight

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Aircraft Avoidance

• Because flying height should be constant for
  photogrammetry purposes, this may cause a problem
  with normal VFR altitudes related to direction of
  flight.
• A simple way to remember what altitude you should
  be flying at based on your direction is the
  acronym, ONE. Odd North East. If you are flying
  in a general north or east direction (course
  between North 0 or 360 and 179), you should be
  at odd thousand feet intervals plus 500 feet for
  VFR (3,500 feet, 5,500 feet, 7,500 feet).

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Aircraft Avoidance

• Traffic could potentially be traveling in the
  opposite direction at your altitude if you are
  heading west when flying at 3,500 feet.
• Yield to the right, and the airplane to your
  right has the right of way (correct your path so
  as to pass behind the other airplane)

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Creating the Flight Plan

• Navigate to http//www.skyvector.com
• Pick an area you will be taking aerial photos of.
• Start out from an airport within this area or
  near it (i.e., type KGNV, the airport
  identifier code for Gainesville Regional Airport,
  into the Location Lookup box
• Zoom all the way in for greatest detail

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Creating the Flight Plan

• Determine the flight lines you will fly in order
  to cover the entire area
• To set points and create the flight lines, right
  click a spot on the map and select the GPS point
• Determine crab angle based on wind relative to
  flight path and plan to adjust camera accordingly

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Creating the Flight Plan
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Creating the Flight Plan

• Because this particular flight plan would involve
  flying back and forth through Gainesvilles
  airspace, you would want to let the tower know
  your intentions so the controller can help keep
  other aircraft separated from you
• You would also want to monitor the tower
  frequency at all times

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Creating the Flight Plan

• Pilotage flying according to visual references
  (landmarks clearly visible on the ground)
• Dead Reckoning estimating ones location based
  on ground speed and elapsed time between
  checkpoints
• Navigation backup since most airplanes are now
  equipped with some form of GPS, if one gets
  lost, he or she can simply press the NRST
  button on the GPS equipment and find the nearest
  airport (or other navigational aid) and land the
  airplane.

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References

• Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Volume 2
  Chapter I Parts 61, 71, and 91
• http//www.skyvector.com
• Wolf, Paul R. and B. Dewitt, 2000. Elements of
  Photogrammetry with Applications in GIS.
  McGraw-Hill.

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The End!

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