![]() ![]() Ensure the battery is charged, the software is up-to-date, and that you have a USB or other cord necessary to connect it to your drone controller. If you are using a flight app, you will probably be running it on a tablet or laptop and connecting it to your drone controller. Make sure that your SD card has enough free space to hold them. Some larger drone mapping missions call for hundreds or even thousands of images. This is an obvious one, but you want to make sure your camera is uncovered and working properly before you take off. Supplemental Equipmentīelow are some additional equipment checks to add to the FAA’s list in AC-107-2, Chapter 7.3.4 so your drone mapping gear is ready. ![]() Make sure you’ve done a proper site walk to identify issues close up. There’s a lot for you (and your flight app) to keep track of at a busy construction site. For tips on ideal weather and terrain for drone mapping, check out our guide. Even if conditions safe to fly, these factors can degrade the quality of your images and may prompt you to reschedule. Similarly, note the quality of the terrain you will be mapping - and especially any highly reflective or uniform surfaces. The day of your mission, you should note environmental factors such as the position of the Sun, the cloud cover, and the air quality. You should find out where they and their equipment will be on the day of your mission and when they’ll be active. If you are mapping a construction site, a pipeline, or other active work site, there are likely to be crews at work during your mission. You want to set your flight plan altitude high enough to clear obstacles, but not so high that your drone exceeds the FAA’s 400 ft AGL limit as soon as the terrain dips. So it’s important to know the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points at your worksite. Unless you are using a flight app with terrain following, your drone will maintain a consistent altitude throughout your mission regardless of changes in elevation. Sectional Aeronautical Charts, but on a smaller scale. This is a lot like the maximum elevation figure (MEF) used in U.S. If you need to regain manual flight control in an emergency, you will know how low you can safely fly regardless of your drone’s position. Highest ObstacleĮven if you are using an automated flight planning app and flying at a fixed altitude, you should still identify the highest obstacle at your site and jot it down for reference. You probably already include some form of site inspection in your preflight checklist, but here are a few things to note when you are doing that site walk. Be careful where and when you advertise “land surveying” services or anything else that might require state or local certifications. Some states like California restrict who can legally practice or offer to practice “land surveying” missions, and your drone mapping operation could fall into that category. If this is your first drone mapping mission or you are crossing state lines for a job, make sure you have the legal qualifications to practice drone mapping and that you have someone to call to verify. Here’s why we think each of the above items is important to the mission. Initial mission altitude: _ AGL _ MSLĬonfirmed camera settings with test photographs ❑ Checklist Items Explained Weather and terrain suitable for mission ❑ Point of Contact: _ phone #: _Īctive work crew operational hours / locations identified ❑ My operation is legal in this jurisdiction ❑ Here’s just the checklist steps the way they might appear on paper. ![]() (Okay, it’s really five categories of items.) While this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list or legal advice, we hope it’s a starting point for you to develop a preflight document that saves you major headaches down the road. Your checklist should be different, too.īelow, we’ve created a list of five items that should probably be on any drone mapper’s checklist. Drone mappers like you have different concerns than aerial videographers or crop dusters or pipeline inspectors. ![]() It doesn’t cover every mission application drones perform. The FAA’s AC-107-2, Chapter 7.3.4 recommends a more comprehensive list of checklist steps. Once you’ve conducted a few flights, you can run through the FAA’s steps from memory - no sheet of paper required. While the FAA does require that Remote Pilots-in-Command (RPICs) perform a preflight checklist, 14 CFR Part 107.49 is (purposely?) very high-level and intuitive. Introductionĭrone mappers… you take a preflight checklist with you on every mission, right? Bolster your own safety best practices before each flight with this drone-mapper-specific preflight checklist. ![]()
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