Skip to content
AT 309 - Flight Lab 3
Flight Log:
9/16/25 Skydio 2+ SATT-F at Purdue Turf Farm with Isabella and Joe. 1.0 total time with all being as VO.
Preflight:
Before the lab beginning Jacob texted both Dr. Hupy and I to tell us that he was sick and was unable to join us at the turf farm. Jacob wanted to know if it was alright if I shared the data with him. Dr. Hupy and I were both okay with this especially knowing that Jacob is very dedicated person and will only be missing it was for a good reason.
The purpose of this flight was to learn and get comfortable flying missions that require creating a 3D model of given object. We were tasked to use two different methods and objects to scan. We descried to use Isabella’s car and a lamp post. For Isabella’s car we set a boarder by setting 4 pillars while for the lamp post we used a singular pillar and set a radius. While we were still at Comp 101, we got LAANCE as this lab also took place at the turf farm. I have attached the picture of our LAANCE. As we were getting ready to fly we looked around for a potential hazard and the weather. The weather was clam winds with clear sky; however, we had other potential hazard such as flying about 15 feet away from another drone and flying near moving cars as the car was parked at the parking lot.
Test Procedure:
Before we were able to begin flying, we encountered several issues with getting the scans to function properly due to problems with the Skydio Enterprise App. To resolve these challenges, we referenced the troubleshooting manual provided on the UAS Dispatch website, which helped us systematically work through the errors until the system was operational. This highlighted the importance of being familiar with technical documentation and having reliable resources available during field operations.
Our first successful scan was titled Hailmary 3, in which we scanned Isabella’s car. To create the scan volume, we were required to set up four pillars. We placed one pillar at each corner of the car to accurately define the horizontal boundaries of the scan. In addition, we carefully adjusted the floor and roof values: the floor was set slightly below the bottom of the car to ensure the tires and underbody were captured, while the roof was positioned just above the top of the vehicle to fully encompass its structure. These adjustments were crucial in ensuring that the scan data would include the entire vehicle without unnecessary empty space, maximizing both accuracy and efficiency.
This process not only demonstrated how to properly define a scan volume but also reinforced the importance of precision when setting boundaries in 3D scanning. Any misalignment or poorly placed pillar could have resulted in incomplete data or a distorted model, so careful setup was essential.
Our second scan, titled Hailmary 4, focused on a vertical pole. This scan was much easier to set up because the technical issues had already been resolved earlier. Before beginning, we replaced the drone’s battery even though it still had about 50% charge remaining. We made this decision to reduce the likelihood of a low-battery hazard mid-flight, especially since the turf farm already presented multiple environmental hazards, including trees, bird activity, and nearby vehicle traffic.
For the pole scan, we only needed to set one pillar. From this single pillar, we extended the radius to define the drone’s flight path around the pole. As with the car scan, we adjusted the floor slightly below the base of the pole and the roof slightly above its top to ensure the entire object was captured within the scan volume.
To further minimize risks, we operated with three visual observers (VOs) in addition to the rPIC. This ensured that all potential hazards were monitored from multiple perspectives, particularly since multiple drones were flying in the area at once. The extra VOs allowed us to maintain higher situational awareness, enhance communication, and operate the Skydio safely despite the complex environment.
Photos:
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.