Aerial Survey out of Prestwick today

[Mascot PPL]

First off great to see some traffic and someone earning a crust up there.
Pilatus PC-6, Currently north of the Clyde near Dumbarton.

Anyone know if this is google or OS and if it includes LIDAR? Personal interest as I do a lot of desktop archeology looking for features on online surveys locally to then field walk and hopefully add to Canmore (Scottish archeology database online).

Thanks in advance.

[Asturias56]

well if we had the reg, & the operator we might be able to help................

[Mascot PPL]

Reg didn’t come up on FR24 nor the operator it gave the type as a PC-6/B2-H4 don’t known if that helps pin it down?

[treadigraph]

PC-6 D-FIPS...

[Mascot PPL]

Thanks for that. Will look it up. Had their lunch and back up again now over Bearsden. Looks to be doing more built up areas so could be google?

[Asturias56]

It's registered to TNT Brothers who seem to use it mainly fro skydiving in Romania - it's been working out of Prestwick since early May.

Suspect they have re-roled it for survey due to lock down in Romania

Don't think Google carry out their own surveys but use imagery from other providers

[Trim Stab]

The PC6 is often used in LIDAR work because you need to fly at constant ground speed to get uniform point density which can require an aircraft with low stall speed and highish top speed if the winds are strong. I haven’t looked on FR24 but if he is flying constant groundspeed of 120 knots or so, and relatively low like 3000ft, then probably LIDAR. There are LIDARs that can fly higher and faster, but they are very expensive.

Most orthophoto work in UK is now done at higher altitudes and higher groundspeeds as the cameras are now getting so good. With something like an Eagle Ultracam you can fly 25cm GSD (ie better than Google Earth) at FL180-200 at 250kts+ groundspeed - obviously not PC6 territory.

[Mascot PPL]

According to FR24 it was tooling about at 2000ft at around 95kts ground speed (speed seemed low to me - not a lot of wind around so probably not too far of IAS). Height was constant when I was watching it in the morning and the same in the PM when I saw it a 2nd time.

[Mascot PPL]

FR24 track in the morning

FR24 track from the AM

[SWBKCB]

There's a couple of German PC-6's that have worked in this way extensively in the UK for the past few summers

[Asturias56]

That looks like something for the RN..............

[wub]

It's back this morning

[Mascot PPL]

Asturias56 it went on to do all the north side of the Clyde yesterday so I don’t think it for the navy. Doing east of Glasgow in the central belt today 1800 ft and 95kts GS. Low and slow.

[Trim Stab]

Yes, that is definitely a LIDAR profile. Interesting that anybody is paying for a LIDAR DTM of a piece of land with not much vegetation (which is main reason to justify LIDAR over orthophoto DTM) and also not much commercial infrastructure value. Possibly an ecological survey. The pilot’s reversal turns are crap too - I would say a beginner:-)

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Trim Stab

The pilot’s reversal turns are crap too

Though, to be fair, probably not captured with any great precision by FR24.

[wub]

Out again today