Day 13 & 14
04/07/08 12:23 am by Ocean Debris - Posted In : Daily Log
This is the weekend report from sea. Days sort of seem to run together when you are doing field work and this cruise was no exception. It is hard to believe that tomorrow we will start our trek back to Honolulu. We plan on arriving Wed at noon.
The past two days have continued to be windy with higher seas. We have only been able to fly twice this weekend. Both flights were performed in winds that were 20 kts or so and neither one of them proved very productive. We were recording flight data on both flights though and we are able to reply the data in the flight simulator for review. The first flight was made using the launcher and the second was hand launched. With winds blowing that hard, a lot of turbulence is created near the bow of the ship. This turbulence first creates a tail wind, then a swirling wind, followed by a strong updraft and finally about 8 ft from the ship at rail height, the air becomes a cleaner headwind. The most critical time of flight is during takeoff and this proved to be true on both flights. We have defined the upper limit for safe flight operations off the ships bow.
On the first flight, Curt decided to make a quick return for landing after a launch takeoff where the wind almost pushed the UAS into the water. Despite the rough seas, Curt landed Malolo 2 safely but before the small boat was able to retrieve it, a combination of swell and wind caused the aircraft to flip upside down. This was not an issue for the aircraft since it is waterproof but with the winglets now upside down in the water, the recovery of the UAS was much more delicate. At some point both winglets were damaged. Also in these sea conditions it begins to get difficult to safely launch small boats. So the risk factor was up for both the UAS and the safe boat crew. We repaired the damage to the winglets but further operations were shut down due to the increasing wind speed.
This morning, the winds were still around 20 kts when we attempted another flight. Malolo 2 was hand launched this time and had the shortest flight (if you can even call it that) of its history. Just after clearing the rail of the ship, the wind caught the starboard wing and rolled the aircraft upside down and it augered in. It landed on its feet but was pretty close to the ship which was making way at a few knots. Curt, always resourceful, added power and we watched Malolo 2 live up to it's name. Just like the "flying fish" Malolo 2 was able to fly and to swim. With a smile on his face, Curt "water-taxied" a few feet and was clear of the ship. The aircraft was undamaged but when being handed off from the safe boat to the ship, a winglet was once again dinged and it came loose. Bringing the safe boat back to the ship and tying up along side in 20 plus kt winds and rolling swell with waves on top is not an easy task. Once along side, the ship and safe boat are not always going up and down at the same rate. During this maneuver, the crew on both boats must carefully time the hand-off of the UAS. The winglet was once again repaired within the hour, but the winds had come up even higher. The Sette's commander cancelled small boat and UAS operations for the remainder of the day.
Tomorrow morning is our last chanced to fly. The winds are not expected to lay down much but we are hoping for one last sucessful flight to end this cruise.
The past two days have continued to be windy with higher seas. We have only been able to fly twice this weekend. Both flights were performed in winds that were 20 kts or so and neither one of them proved very productive. We were recording flight data on both flights though and we are able to reply the data in the flight simulator for review. The first flight was made using the launcher and the second was hand launched. With winds blowing that hard, a lot of turbulence is created near the bow of the ship. This turbulence first creates a tail wind, then a swirling wind, followed by a strong updraft and finally about 8 ft from the ship at rail height, the air becomes a cleaner headwind. The most critical time of flight is during takeoff and this proved to be true on both flights. We have defined the upper limit for safe flight operations off the ships bow.
On the first flight, Curt decided to make a quick return for landing after a launch takeoff where the wind almost pushed the UAS into the water. Despite the rough seas, Curt landed Malolo 2 safely but before the small boat was able to retrieve it, a combination of swell and wind caused the aircraft to flip upside down. This was not an issue for the aircraft since it is waterproof but with the winglets now upside down in the water, the recovery of the UAS was much more delicate. At some point both winglets were damaged. Also in these sea conditions it begins to get difficult to safely launch small boats. So the risk factor was up for both the UAS and the safe boat crew. We repaired the damage to the winglets but further operations were shut down due to the increasing wind speed.
This morning, the winds were still around 20 kts when we attempted another flight. Malolo 2 was hand launched this time and had the shortest flight (if you can even call it that) of its history. Just after clearing the rail of the ship, the wind caught the starboard wing and rolled the aircraft upside down and it augered in. It landed on its feet but was pretty close to the ship which was making way at a few knots. Curt, always resourceful, added power and we watched Malolo 2 live up to it's name. Just like the "flying fish" Malolo 2 was able to fly and to swim. With a smile on his face, Curt "water-taxied" a few feet and was clear of the ship. The aircraft was undamaged but when being handed off from the safe boat to the ship, a winglet was once again dinged and it came loose. Bringing the safe boat back to the ship and tying up along side in 20 plus kt winds and rolling swell with waves on top is not an easy task. Once along side, the ship and safe boat are not always going up and down at the same rate. During this maneuver, the crew on both boats must carefully time the hand-off of the UAS. The winglet was once again repaired within the hour, but the winds had come up even higher. The Sette's commander cancelled small boat and UAS operations for the remainder of the day.
Tomorrow morning is our last chanced to fly. The winds are not expected to lay down much but we are hoping for one last sucessful flight to end this cruise.
05/03/08 2:07 pm
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