This blog has been created for use during my advanced studies in Aeronautics, Unmanned Systems, and Polymer Matrix Composite Materials. (Along with some random "fun" topics.)

Friday, September 16, 2016

Drone Videos, Photos, and Mapping

The link below is my most recent compilation of video taken while in Oregon, Washington, and Charleston, South Carolina.  The footage in Oregon was taken on Cannon Beach and near Mount Hood.  A few shots were near the Columbia River Gorge in Washington State while the remaining footage was taken in Charleston by Folly Beach and Isle of Palms.

Aerial Video in Oregon, Washington, and Charleston

The link below is various footage around the Charleston coastal area such as Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, and Mount Pleasant.  The footage includes aerial video of a beach house in wild dunes on the tip of IOP as well.

Charleston Aerial Video

The link below contains various aerial video from Southern California in the Huntington Beach (Surfers) area as well as Temecula.  Also some random footage around downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

SoCal and CHS Aerial Video

The last video link below is a compilation of test flights flown locally as well as a few from Carolina Adventure world and Kayaking near Cat Island.

Test Flight Compilation


Below are some random Aerial Photos

Koji from above

DK and JG at the track

Columbia River Gorge

Cannon Beach

Roof Inspection

The links below are some images from a aerial mapping exercise.

Flight path displayed on Ipad

Software Processing

Field Model

Field Model Zoom

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Article Review: UAS Use

     Monday August 29th marked the first day that the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certification test was available.  The first day alone the FAA reported over 1,500 individuals taking the certification test.  The unmanned aircraft industry will continue to explode as UAV ground schools open and expand as more interest is steered towards commercial UAV applications.  There are numerous applications that are currently carried out by manned aircraft that will certainly be replaced quickly over time with unmanned technologies.

     An application that has gained more attention lately is power/transmission line inspections.   This task is inherently dangerous and historically executed using lineman, helicopters, trucks, and ground crews.  The advantages of using an unmanned aerial system over conventional methods are huge.  Safety is a major factor due to the dangerous nature of having a human either climbing or being flown over a location to inspect and take pictures to determine necessary repairs.  Cost of operation is another major advantage of the unmanned system.  The UAV is also able to arrive on location much more quickly then calling out a crew, truck, or scheduling time for a helicopter.  UAV’s allow for a less intrusive method of inspection along with increased detail.  Transformers and powerlines can be inspected by UAS in a safe, cost effective, and timely manner to help in avoiding potential problems.


     There are currently many companies with unique products for achieving the same goal.  The Swiss company SKIVE Aviation AG invented the first UAV that lands on powerlines.  Development of the system took two years in which many challenges had to be overcome.   The UAV flies to the location, lands on the powerlines, and then will drive along the wires for inspection.  The landing of the UAV on the powerlines is automated due to this portion of the flight being critical to avoid the propellers making contact with wires.  The images and data collected can be analyzed as needed.  The UAS also uses LIDAR to map the surrounding environment and determine if trees or brush are too close to wires being inspected.  The robot allows for covering a much greater distance than “on foot” inspections.




     The other company, Aeroscout, uses a small industrial unmanned helicopter that can be customized for the inspection of power transmission lines.  The Aeroscout  combines INS and GPS for precise navigation along with “heavy lift” payload capability allowing for multiple sensors packages.  Options include LIDAR, Infrared, hyperspectral cameras, aerial imagery, and photogrammetry.  The Aeroscout allows for a very robust versatile UAS for powerline inspection as well as other infrastructure.



     Enwin Utilities in Windsor, Ontario recently received operations certificates to fly drones for powerline inspection use however; they took a much more economical approach.  The use of DJI Phantom UAS's are being used for inspection.  The smaller quadcopters have shown to be ideal for Canada's transport guidelines and under the conditions of Enwin’s SFOC.  The company can now begin flying the small UAV’s for routine maintenance checks to help maintain safety and reliability of local distribution systems.


     Infrastructure inspections such as transmission lines are just one of the many applications replacing manned aircraft that offer increased benefits.


References

Aeroscout.  (2016).  Aeroscout – Unmanned Aircraft Technology.  Retrieved from http://www.aeroscout.ch/index.php/en/

CTV Windsor.  (2016).  Enwin to use drones to inspect power lines.  Retrieved from http://windsor.ctvnews.ca/enwin-to-use-drones-to-inspect-power-lines-1.3061891

GSN Magazine.  (2016).  More than 1,000 register for class to prep for FAA drone pilot certification in August.  Retrieved from 
http://gsnmagazine.com/article/47071/more_1000_register_class_prep_faa_drone_pilot_cert

UAS Vision.  (2015).  Aerial Robot Lands on Powerlines.  Retrieved from http://www.uasvision.com/2015/09/09/aerial-robot-lands-on-powerlines/

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Applied Composites Research

The link below is a presentation outlining the Honda Jet and other aerospace composite design, fabrication and manufacturing applications. 


Honda Jet - Materials, Processes and other Industry Composite Fabrication Methods