Flight Planning

Flight Planning

Success of photogrammetric project depends on acquisition of good quality pictures Due to weather and ground conditions, time frame for photography is limited Reflights are expensive and causes long delays on project Mission must be carefully planned and executed according to flight plan Consists of flight map, (where photos should be taken) and specifications

Each photo covers partially the same area

overlap

Stereopair

photo 1 photo 2

Neatmodelbounded by the principal Area of the overlap

points of the consecutive photographs
overlap

Neat model

photo 1 photo 2

Forward overlap or Endlap

Overlap

Common area covered by two successive photos of the same flight line or strip Usually 60% 5%

Lateral overlap or Sidelap

Common area covered by two adjacent flight lines About 25-30% 10% (generally 30%)

Overlap
Forward overlap/Endlap

Direction of flight

Lateral overlap/Sidelap

Flight lines

Flight Plan

What the aircrew has to do as indicated by flight lines The design of aerial photography flight in order to obtain desired photos at a certain scale, i.e., how the air crew will fly (where to put the flight lines, how high, etc.)

Rules in determining flight line direction

Generally follows four cardinal directions East-West (E-W) or North-South (N-S) Should be along the longer dimension of the area If over mountain ridges or valleys, go along the direction of the features to maintain an almost constant scale; if a flight line crosses mountains, scale will be smaller in the valley than in the mountains

Direction of Flight Lines

Flight lines along the valley

Cordillera Sierra Madre

Required Data for Flight Planning

Project area boundary Camera focal length 3.5, 6, or 12 Photoformat size standard is 9 or 23 cm Photoscale Overlap requirements (in percentage) percentage of endlap or sidelap To be more Least number of flight lines economical Least number of exposures

Flight Planning Computations

Flying height Distance between exposures or Airbase (B) Distance between flight lines Total number of exposures Flying height above mean sea level of each flight line Total time needed for photography

s = photoformat/size f = focal length Hmge = flying height above m.g.e. o = overlap in % S = equivalent ground distance of photoformat

s f

Hmge

o S

Flying Height

H mge = f s p

Distance Between Exposures

Dexp = De = S ( 1 f .o.)
Where: S = equivalent ground length of the photoformat size (s) S = (sp)(s) f.o. = forward overlap (in decimals) s = photoformat size sp = photoscale factor

Distance Between Exposures

Example: Given: scale = 1:15,000 f.o. = 60% s.l. = 30% s = 9 = 23 cm Required: De

Distance Between Exposures

Solution:

De = ( 15,000 ) ( 23) ( 1 0.60 ) De = 138, 000 cm = 1,380 m De = 1.38 km

Distance Between Flight Lines

D fl = D f = S ( 1 s.l.)
Where: S = equivalent ground length of the photoformat size (s) S = (sp)(s) s.l. = sidelap (in decimals) s = photoformat size sp = photoscale factor

Distance Between Exposures

Example: Given: scale = 1:15,000 f.o. = 60% s.l. = 30% s = 9 = 23 cm Required: Df

Distance Between Exposures

Solution:

D f = ( 15, 000 ) ( 23) ( 1 0.30 ) D f = 241,500 cm = 2, 415 m D f = 2.42 km

Total Number of Exposures

total number of exposures = ( number of exposures per flight line ) ( number of flight lines )

Total Number of Exposures

Where: longer dimension De longer dimension = B shorter dimension number of flight lines = Df shorter dimension = W number of exposures per f.l. =

Flying Height of Each Flight Line (above Mean Sea Level)

H msl = H mge + m.g.e

Total Time of Photography

De t = ( number of exposures per f.l.) v ( number of flight lines )
Where: De t = = time between exposures v

Total Time of Photography

Example: Given: scale = 1:15,000 f.o. = 60% s = 9 = 23 cm average velocity of aircraft = 300 kph 20 exposures per flight line 10 flight lines Required: t

Total Time of Photography

Solution:

De = ( 15,000 ) ( 23) ( 1 0.60 ) De = 138, 000 cm = 1,380 m = 1.38 km 1.38 t = 20 10 = 0.92 hours 300 t = 55.2 minutes