Skip to content
Weather: Cloudy, 69 degrees F, 10 knot winds with gusts up to 15 knots Airspace: In FRIA inside controlled airspaceLocation: Purdue Turf FarmTeam Members: Erik Krellner, Ryan Shurtleff, Trigg Strawhorn, and Kim HonsikDrone Make and Model: DJI Mavic 2Drone Number: G
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees F, 10 knot winds with gusts up to 15 knots Airspace: In FRIA inside controlled airspaceLocation: Purdue Turf FarmTeam Members: Erik Krellner, Ryan Shurtleff, Trigg Strawhorn, and Kim HonsikDrone Make and Model: Skydio 2+ proDrone Number: H
Lab 2: NIST OTL Test Flight
Lab Meta Data:
Lab Description: Going through the NIST standardized UAS pilot performance evaluation
Lab Setup: There are a total of 1 UAS case, landing pad, and 3 buckets all layed out in a line each 10 feet apart from each other (fig 1). The pilot stands behind the UAS case (fig 2).
Fig 1: Lab Setup
Fig 2
Lab Explanation: The pilot must fly the drone in accordance to instructions called out by the procter. The proctor calls out a bucket name and letter and the pilot must align the drone or the drones camera to that bucket. Sometimes this alignment is done by moving the drone physical other times just the gimbal. These buckets have a green ring on the inside of them (fig 3). This green circle must be able to be seen all the way around the bucket in order for the point to be awarded (fig 4). There are a total of 40 points and a time limit of 10 minutes.
Fig 3: Example of Bucket
Fig 4: Example of correct UAS alignment of bucket
Performance Evaluation: I scored a perfect scored 39/40 points and was able to complete the evaluation in 7 minutes and 51 seconds. This is a passing score. The point I missed was bucket 3D (fig 6)
Fig 5: NIST evaluation test sheet
Fig 6: Failed point
Conclusion: This test was helpful in determining what a NIST evaluation might look like when applying for a job. I also want to practice doing the NIST evaluation more to see if I can get my time under 5 minutes. A complete record of all of the pictures for the NIST test is in this google drive.
NIST BVLOS Test
Lab Meta Data:
Lab Explanation: This test followed the same procedures as the original NIST test. The only difference is that the PIC faces away from the drone and is only able to look at the screen on the controller to complete the test (fig 7). There is a visual observer keeping line of sight during this test
Performance Evaluation: I was able to complete the test in 6 minutes and 20 seconds with a perfect score 40/40 points.
Conclusion: I am very pleased that I was able to get a perfect score while reducing my overall time. I do still hope to practice similar exercises so I could get my time below 5 minutes. A complete record of all of the pictures for the NIST BVLOS test is in this google drive.
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.