Mavic 3 Thermal Raptor Maps Solar Inspection Flight Planning for Standard Inspections (DJI M3T)

Summary

In this tutorial, Cody Short from Skylink demonstrates how to plan a solar inspection flight using DJI Pilot 2 for the Mavic 3E drone. He guides viewers through setting up flight routes, selecting the inspection area, adjusting margins for comprehensive coverage, choosing the M3T sensor with RGB and IR capabilities, setting safe altitude, speed, and angle to align with solar panels. Cody also covers advanced settings like overlaps, custom camera angles, and saving the mission for execution, ensuring a thorough and efficient solar inspection process.

Takeaways

• 📱 Start by opening DJI Pilot 2 to plan a solar flight with the Mavic 3E.
• 🗺️ Use the flight route option to create a new route and select the area for inspection on the map.
• 🔍 Turn on street names for easier location identification in satellite view.
• 📍 Tap the screen to set boundaries and move pins to define the corners of the inspection site.
• 🛑 Ensure to include extra margin on the sides of the panels to avoid missing areas during inspection.
• 🔄 Square up the area and add safety margins to ensure complete coverage in the flight plan.
• 📝 Rename the flight plan with a relevant name, such as the site being inspected.
• 📷 Select the M3T sensor with both wide and IR options for capturing RGB and IR images.
• ✈️ Set a safe takeoff altitude and match it with the inspection altitude as per guidelines.
• 📐 Adjust the flight speed to 12 mph and the course angle to align with the panels for straight flight lines.
• 🔄 Set side overlaps to 25% and front overlap to 70% according to standard inspection guidelines.
• 📐 Add a custom camera angle to ensure the aircraft faces the panels while flying side to side.
• 🔍 Check the gimbal pitch to confirm it's set at 90° for optimal image capture.
• 💾 Save the mission with a unique name after reviewing all settings to ensure readiness for execution.
• 🔄 Review and execute the saved flight plan from the DJI Pilot 2 app when ready.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is solar flight planning using DJI Pilot 2 for the Mavic 3E drone.

Which DJI application is used for flight planning in the video?

The DJI application used for flight planning in the video is DJI Pilot 2.

What is the first step in creating a flight route in DJI Pilot 2?

The first step in creating a flight route in DJI Pilot 2 is to open the flight route option and select 'create a route'.

Why is it helpful to have street names turned on during the mapping process?

It is helpful to have street names turned on during the mapping process to make it easier to find the location in satellite view.

What is the importance of selecting the correct boundaries for the site inspection?

Selecting the correct boundaries for the site inspection ensures that all panels are included in the flight plan, preventing the need for reinspection.

Why is it recommended to add extra margin to the sides of the panels during flight planning?

Adding extra margin to the sides of the panels ensures that the entire area is covered during inspection, reducing the chance of missing any panels.

What sensor or camera is used as an example in the video?

The M3T sensor with both wide and IR capabilities is used as an example in the video.

What is the recommended safe altitude for inspection in the provided example?

The recommended safe altitude for inspection in the provided example is 136 meters.

What is the recommended flight speed for a standard inspection according to the guidelines mentioned in the video?

The recommended flight speed for a standard inspection is 12 mph.

How can you adjust the coarse angle to match the panels during flight planning?

You can adjust the coarse angle by using the plus and minus buttons on the screen to ensure straight flight lines going side to side.

What are the standard side and front overlaps recommended in the video for capturing images?

The standard side overlaps are 25% and the front overlap is 70% as per the guidelines mentioned in the video.

How can you set a custom camera angle during flight planning?

You can set a custom camera angle by turning on the custom camera angle option, selecting 'defined', and adjusting the slider from 0° to 360° to face the direction indicated by the triangle on the screen.

What is the recommended action for the completion task in the flight plan?

The recommended action for the completion task in the flight plan is to 'exit task' rather than 'coming home', depending on personal preference.

How can you review and execute the saved flight plans in DJI Pilot 2?

You can review and execute the saved flight plans by going back to the main screen, selecting the desired flight plan, and turning on the aircraft to execute the plan.

Outlines

00:00

🛫 Planning Solar Inspection Flight with DJI Mavic 3E

Cody Short from Skylink introduces a tutorial on solar flight planning using DJI Pilot 2 for the Mavic 3E drone. The process involves opening the flight route option in the app, selecting the area for inspection, and ensuring the inclusion of all panels with extra margins to avoid reinspection. Street names are recommended for easier location identification in satellite view. The tutorial also covers setting up safe altitude, sensor selection with both RGB and IR capabilities, and adjusting flight speed and angle to match the panel orientation for effective inspection.

05:00

🔍 Finalizing and Executing the Solar Inspection Mission

The second paragraph continues the tutorial by detailing the customization of the flight plan, including setting the side and front overlaps according to standard guidelines, and adjusting the camera angle for the direction of the aircraft during inspection. The importance of reviewing the mission settings before saving is emphasized, ensuring all parameters such as course angle, speed, altitude, and sensor selection are correct. The tutorial concludes with instructions on how to save the mission, review saved flight plans, and execute the mission with the drone.

Keywords

💡Solar

Solar refers to the use of energy derived from the sun. In the context of the video, it is related to solar panels, which are devices that convert sunlight into electricity. The script discusses planning a flight to inspect these solar panels, indicating the importance of solar energy inspection and maintenance.

💡Flight Planning

Flight planning is the process of preparing and organizing the details of a flight, including route, altitude, and speed. The video script focuses on flight planning using DJI Pilot 2 for a Mavic 3E drone, emphasizing the steps to create a flight route for inspecting solar panels, which is central to the video's theme.

💡DJI Pilot 2

DJI Pilot 2 is an application used for controlling and planning flights for DJI drones. The script describes using this app to open the flight route option and create a mapping for solar panel inspection, demonstrating its utility in the context of the video.

💡Mavic 3E

Mavic 3E is a model of drone produced by DJI, known for its advanced features suitable for various applications, including aerial photography and inspection. The video script mentions using the Mavic 3E for solar flight planning, highlighting its role in the inspection process.

💡Mapping

Mapping in the script refers to the process of creating a visual representation of an area for the purpose of planning a flight route. The video describes using mapping to locate and define the boundaries of the solar panel array that needs to be inspected.

💡Inspection

Inspection in this context is the act of examining solar panels using a drone for maintenance or quality assurance purposes. The video script details the steps to plan a flight specifically for inspecting solar panels, which is the primary task of the video.

💡Waypoints

Waypoints are specific points in a route that a drone navigates to during a flight. The script mentions creating waypoints to ensure all panels are covered during the inspection, illustrating the importance of precise flight planning.

💡Safe Altitude

Safe altitude is the recommended height for a drone to fly at to ensure safety during the mission. The video script specifies setting a safe altitude of 136 for the inspection, which is a critical parameter in the flight plan.

💡RGB and IR

RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue, which are the primary colors used in digital imaging. IR stands for Infrared, a type of light that is invisible to the naked eye but can be captured by certain cameras. The script mentions selecting both RGB and IR for the camera, indicating the need for capturing both visible and infrared images of the solar panels.

💡Overlapping

In the context of aerial photography and drone flight planning, overlapping refers to the intentional overlap of images to ensure complete coverage and allow for stitching together. The script discusses setting side and front overlaps to 25% and 70%, respectively, to meet standard guidelines for inspection.

💡Custom Camera Angle

A custom camera angle is a specific orientation of the camera during a flight, which can be adjusted to capture images from the desired perspective. The video script explains setting a custom camera angle to ensure the drone faces the solar panels as it flies side to side.

Highlights

Introduction to solar flight planning using DJI Pilot 2 for Mavic 3E.

Opening DJI Pilot and accessing the flight route option.

Creating a new flight route and using the mapping feature.

Importance of having street names on for easier location finding.

Selecting boundaries on the map for the site inspection area.

Ensuring all panels are included in the inspection area with extra waypoints.

Adding extra margin to the north and south sides for comprehensive inspection.

Renaming the flight plan for identification purposes.

Selecting the M3T sensor with wide and IR options for both RGB and IR shots.

Setting a safe altitude for takeoff and inspection based on guidelines.

Adjusting the flight speed to 12 mph for standard inspection.

Aligning the coarse angle to match the panel orientation for straight flight lines.

Customizing the completion task to exit task instead of coming home.

Configuring advanced settings with side and front overlaps for comprehensive coverage.

Adding a custom camera angle to ensure the direction of the aircraft matches the panel orientation.

Quick settings check to confirm all parameters are set correctly.

Saving the mission with a unique name for future use.

Reviewing and executing the saved flight plan for solar inspection.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi guys Cody short with Skylink here

today we're going to go over solar

flight planning using DJI pilot 2 for

the mavic

3E so go ahead and open up your DJI

pilot too from here you're going to go

ahead and open the flight route option

and you're going to create a

route go ahead and the mapping option in

the

center and it's going to pop up with

your map where you want to go ahead and

locate the array that you're going to

inspect um for this example we'll go

ahead and uh select an area close to

us it helps to have the street names

turned on so that way it's a little

easier to find in the satellite view and

once you found your location go ahead

and tap the screen to select your

boundaries you go you're going to go

ahead

and move your pins on the map here to

get the corners of the site and make

sure you're not missing any of these

panels so here you can create some extra

way

points and get all these panels for the

example area

inside it's important here to make sure

to the sides in the north and south of

your panels that you're having some

extra margin so that way when you're

inspecting this and the flight is

executing you're not missing any of this

area or any of these panels um that can

cause a reinspection

so I'm going to go ahead and square this

up add a little margin To The Ends just

for safety here it's best to capture it

all the first time with a solid Flight

Plan um and it doesn't add much

additional time to get these these

margins on the sides and the tops and

the

bottoms all right once I've got my area

I'm going to go ahead and rename the

flight

plan in this example I'll use Skylink

solar um you can go ahead and rename it

by whatever site you're inspecting the

site

name the next section you want to select

your sensor or your camera here um we're

using the m3t as the example so go ahead

and select m3t from the list and make

sure you select wide and IR that is

important because you want to take both

RGB and IR

shots um so next you can take a look you

have your safe

altitude um this is going to go ahead

and change based on how you feel what

the the best safe takeoff altitude is

for this example we're going to go ahead

and put it at 136 which will be our

inspection

altitude you'll keep the relative to uh

takeoff point and then for the flight

route itself you can go ahead and match

that 136 per the flight

guidelines for a raptor standard

inspection okay so the next area we're

going to look at here is the speed of

the flight route um so you want to have

this as 12 mph per the guidelines for a

standard

inspection and then now we want to go

ahead and adjust that coarse angle to

match the panels so we want to be flying

side to side looking at the panels looks

here like they're not quite matching up

at 90° so we're going to make a slight

adjustment on the plus and minus buttons

there on your

screen that way we get straight flight

lines going side to

side all right those are looking pretty

straight um you might be able to make a

few adjust if it's slightly off it'll

kind of you'll notice over the long

panels there um a little bit of movement

but not quite

here so now that we got it nice and

tight let's go ahead and um select the

uh completion uh task for this we want

to exit task versus coming home um

that's just preference I like to

manually fly home um then we're going to

jump right into advanced settings um

side overlaps 25% and front overlap is

going to be 70 per standard

guidelines and now you'll

see your lines have moved there for your

overlaps and your

altitude and we just want to make sure

we're covering

everything you can add some margin here

um we built it into the flight plan

previously in the in the last steps here

um we just like to build it in the

boundaries if if you want to add some

extra you can add some there in the

margin um and then we'll go ahead and

move on to adding a custom camera angle

which is going to get you your direction

of your aircraft while flying side to

side want to turn it on and then you

want to select

defined from here you get the slide bar

from 0o to

360° and as you move it you'll see your

little triangle there on the screen

facing the direction that that indicates

so we're going to set it there at zero

to face the panel as we move side to

side and you'll see your gimbal pitch is

down at 90° which is

great everything's looking

good go ahead and quick settings check

got our course angle our speed our

altitude we have the right

sensor and it's all looking good so we

want to go ahead and save this

Mission I've already used this name so

I'm just going to add a one

here okay hit save and now we have the

mission all set up and ready to go a

quick review everything looks pretty

good um this is ready to execute you can

go back using that back button on the

top left to see all your save flight

plans um you'll now see that Flight Plan

there and all your other flight plans um

and you can go ahead and click back into

it from here you can turn your aircraft

on and be able to

[Music]

execute yeah