St. Paul District launches small unmanned aircraft program

Photo By Melanie Peterson | Kevin Hanson, geographer, holds a small unmanned aircraft at the Wabasha gravel pit, near Wabasha, Minnesota, June 30.  

ST. PAUL, MN, UNITED STATES

09.15.2021

Story by Melanie Peterson 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District

The St. Paul District advanced its technological capabilities with the establishment of a qualified Small Unmanned Aircraft System, or SUAS, aviation team this year.

A SUAS is commonly known as a drone.

The team, trained by the Corps headquarters aviation team, has carried out a number of flights this year, collecting high-resolution aerial imagery and elevation data. The SUAS team was the result of an effort through headquarters to utilize drone technology, guidance and training.

The first test flight was conducted March 8 at the Eau Galle Recreation Area near Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Two subsequent flights were carried out over the spring and summer to test system performance, assess accuracy and develop standard operating procedures. These flights, at the Wabasha Gravel Pit and West Newton Chute dredged material placement sites near Wabasha, Minnesota, were conducted to acquire high-resolution imagery and determine the volume of river sand at the sites. Two additional flights are planned this year.

Zach Rogers, biologist, and Kevin Hanson, geographer, are remote pilots for the program and Jacquie Kovarik is an aircrew training program manager, who approves missions and coordinates trainings.

Flights also require visual observers, who must always maintain visual contact with the aircraft during the flight and watch for potential hazards, such as planes and birds of prey. “In the sky, the aircraft can look like a bird of prey, so sometimes we get eagles or hawks that are territorial and may attack the aircraft,” Hanson said.

Keith LeClaire, GIS section chief, said, “The unmanned aircraft

system will be a great asset to our district’s civil works mission.”

St. Paul District’s SUAS team collaborates to learn and develop the latest SUAS technology and provide exceptional products to the district. Highly accurate imagery and topographic data products can be acquired in one-day and rapidly delivered to the project delivery team to support a variety of environmental and engineering applications.

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Story was originally published on Page 7 of the Summer 2021 issue of Crosscurrents. It may also be found at https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Portals/57/docs/Public%20Affairs/Crosscurrents/2021/Summer2021_2.pdf

• Date Taken: 09.15.2021
• Date Posted: 09.15.2021 10:33
• Story ID: 405291
• Location: ST. PAUL, MN, US