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The mission day, on the ground.

Mission planning happens at home. Flight training happens on practice days. This page is what you actually do at the site — from packing the truck the night before through cooperative-manager handshakes, observer briefings, in-mission communication, battery turnaround, and the end-of-day verification that makes sure imagery is captured before you drive home. Procedural, pragmatic, calibrated against earlier-cohort and 03 mission records.

Version 1.0 · Updated 05·2026 Author: Lumipad Engineering License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 Languages: EN · TL · CEB

A working field manual, not a theory document.

This page is structured chronologically by the mission day: pre-departure → arrival and setup → pre-flight protocol → in-mission operations → battery turnaround → end-of-day. Read top-to-bottom your first time through; return to specific sections during your first paid missions when something feels uncertain.

The downloadable field kit at the top of this page is the operational form of this page — printable A4 sheets that go in your field bag. Reading the page builds the mental model; the printed sheets do the work in the field. Cohort graduates typically check the printed sheets less and less as missions accumulate, but the first 5-10 missions benefit from having them in hand.

Phase 01 Night before + morning of · 1-2 hours total

Pre-departure.

The night-before preparation determines how the mission day flows. Forgotten gear becomes a wasted trip; insufficient battery capacity becomes a halted mission. Most mission-day failures are traceable to incomplete preparation the evening before. Cohort default pre-departure follows a structured sequence — equipment check, weather verification, route confirmation, communications setup.

The night-before checklist:

Item What to verify Failure mode if skipped Time
1
Battery state All packs charged to storage voltage (3.85V/cell) yesterday; topped up to full charge tonight.
Verify on charger; visual check; LiPo bag closed.
Arriving with partially-charged packs caps the mission to fewer flights than planned.
15 min
2
SD card prep Camera SD card formatted, sufficient capacity for the day's missions, in the camera (not the laptop).
Cohort default: at least 32GB free. Format on the camera, not the laptop, to ensure compatibility.
Forgotten or full SD card means no captured imagery. Mission becomes practice flight.
10 min
3
Mission file loaded Mission file from missions.html planning saved to laptop and (if mobile workflow) phone.
Verify file opens cleanly; mission lines look correct on the configurator's map preview.
Arriving without a planned mission means planning at the site under time pressure — error-prone.
5 min
4
Drone physical check Props inspected for cracks; motor mounting screws tight; FC firmly mounted; no loose wires.
Per the 5-minute mechanical check from tuning.html Section 2. Photos of any concerns for documentation.
Hidden physical issues cause crashes mid-mission, far from spare parts.
10 min
5
Field bag inventory Verify against cohort default field bag list (in download kit). All tools, spares, batteries, cables present.
Spare props (2 sets minimum), hex drivers, soldering iron + small lighter, multimeter, extra USB cables, charger, voltage checker.
Missing tools mean missions abort instead of recovering from minor field issues.
15 min
6
Weather check Forecast for the AOI region for the planned flying window. Wind, rain, cloud cover, temperature.
Use PAGASA local forecasts; cross-check with Windy or Ventusky. Decision: fly tomorrow, postpone, or go-decide-on-arrival.
Arriving to unflyable conditions wastes the day's travel cost and disappoints the client.
10 min

Morning-of departure:

  1. Verify weather one more time. Conditions can change overnight, especially in wet season.
  2. Pack the truck in this order: drone bag (cushioned, on top), batteries (in fireproof LiPo bag), field bag (tools), laptop bag, water and snacks.
  3. Confirm cooperative contact by phone/SMS. Verify they're still expecting you, the AOI is accessible, no surprises.
  4. Set departure timing to arrive at the site 60-90 minutes before planned takeoff. The buffer absorbs traffic, last-minute equipment issues, and site walkthrough.

The "everything is in the truck" check

Before leaving the driveway, take 30 seconds to verbally confirm each major item is in the truck:

  • "Drone... yes."
  • "Batteries — five packs... yes."
  • "Radio... yes."
  • "FPV goggles... yes."
  • "Laptop and charger... yes."
  • "Field bag... yes."
  • "Phone with mission files... yes."

Sounds silly. Prevents the moment 90 minutes into the drive when you realise the radio is on the kitchen table. A later-cohort alumna lost a half-day mission this exact way; the verbal-check habit dates from then.

Phase 02 ~60-90 minutes between arrival and first takeoff

Arrival and site setup.

You arrive at the site. The cooperative manager is expecting you. The AOI looks like the satellite imagery suggested but with surprises. The first hour at the site is mostly social and logistical, not technical — meeting people, walking the boundary, choosing the launch zone, briefing observers. Skipping any of these creates problems during the mission you can't solve from the air.

The arrival sequence:

Step What you do Why it matters Cohort default approach
1
Greet cooperative leadership Find the manager or president on arrival. Brief introduction; thank them for hosting; small courtesy gift if first-time mission.
The mission is happening at their invitation; the relationship is the foundation of the work.
Bring snacks/coffee for sharing — pan de sal, biscuits, instant coffee. ₱200-300 for a small group.
2
Walk the AOI boundary With the manager or a cooperative member, walk or drive the perimeter. Verify boundaries, identify obstacles, note hazards.
Satellite imagery is rarely current. New buildings, fallen trees, livestock pens, irrigation pumps — all common surprises that need accommodating in the flight plan.
~15-20 minutes for a typical 10-15 ha cooperative AOI. Take photos of any concerns.
3
Choose the launch zone Flat, clear area at least 5×5m, ideally 10×10m. Within easy walking distance of the AOI, but not so close that drone overflight risks the launch zone itself.
The launch zone is also the landing zone for both planned and emergency landings. Bad launch zones force compromises through the day.
Cohort default: edge of the AOI on the upwind side. Wind direction matters because the drone climbs into wind on takeoff.
4
Identify observers Determine who will be observers (cohort cell members if available; cooperative members otherwise). Brief them on their role.
Observers are the catch-net for hazards the pilot doesn't see. Without briefed observers, the pilot is alone in attention.
Brief script (in the download kit): "watch for X, call out Y, in emergency do Z." 5 minutes of briefing per observer.
5
Set up base station Lay out the launch zone: drone on level ground, batteries in fireproof bag nearby, laptop on a stable surface (truck tailgate, table, ground if dry).
Equipment in the right place reduces fumbling between flights. Laptop screen needs to be readable in field light.
Bring a folding stool or small table for laptop placement. ₱400-600 worth the cost.
6
Final weather assessment on-site Wind: estimate from grass movement and trees. Cloud cover: visual estimate of percentage. Temperature: mental note.
On-site conditions can differ from the morning forecast. The decision to fly is made now, with current observations.
If wind > 25 km/h: defer first flight; retest in 30 min. If wind > 35 km/h sustained: cancel the day.

Cooperative leadership courtesies

The mission is happening on cooperative land at cooperative invitation. The relationship is the work's foundation. Cohort default courtesies that build long-term partnerships:

  • Always greet leadership first, even if they're not actively involved in the mission. Acknowledge their role.
  • Bring small contributions — coffee, biscuits, sometimes lunch for the team if a long mission. The cost is trivial; the gesture matters.
  • Brief the leadership on what you're doing — even if they don't want technical detail. They want to know what to tell their members.
  • Ask before flying over occupied areas, even if it's their land. Some members may be uncomfortable with overflights of their specific houses or fields.
  • Document the visit — short post-mission summary sent to leadership within 24 hours. Builds trust for future work.

These aren't optional courtesy in cohort culture; they're operational requirements. Graduates who skip this layer find themselves not invited back to recurring sites.

Verifying mission file against site reality. The mission was planned at home using satellite imagery. Walking the AOI may reveal that adjustments are needed:

  • Boundary differs from planned: the cooperative manager points out the actual boundary, which is 30m off from the satellite-image AOI. Re-plan the lawnmower lines to match the real boundary.
  • New obstacle in the AOI: a building under construction, a new fence, a parked vehicle. Adjust the flight path to avoid; potentially reduce the AOI temporarily.
  • Weather different from forecast: wind blowing perpendicular to planned line direction. Rotate the lawnmower pattern 90° (Section 4 of missions.html on lawnmower direction).

If the mission needs significant re-planning, do it at the site with the laptop. The 60-90 minute arrival buffer accommodates this. Don't fly a mission file that doesn't match site reality — the captured imagery won't cover what the client expects.

Phase 03 ~15 minutes per drone before each first flight

Pre-flight protocol.

The technical pre-arm checklist (fc-setup.html Section 10) runs before the first flight. This section adds the operational layer: confirming observers in position, communication standards, abort criteria, mission upload verification. The technical checklist verifies the drone; this section verifies the operation.

The pre-flight protocol runs in two parts:

Phase What it covers Reference Time
A
Technical pre-arm (the 22-item) Phase A bench-side checks (battery, mode switches, GPS lock, etc.) and Phase B ground-side checks (props, power, idle test). The drone-side verification.
fc-setup.html Section 10 covers all 22 items. Use the printable checklist from the download kit.
~10 minutes
B
Operational pre-flight Mission file uploaded and verified, observers in position, communication confirmed, abort criteria announced.
This section. Five operational checks specific to the mission, not the drone.
~5 minutes

The five operational pre-flight checks:

Check What you verify Verification action If fails
1
Mission file uploaded Mission file is on the FC, not just on the laptop.
After upload, re-read the mission from the FC; verify the line count and AOI shape match the planned mission visually on the configurator's map.
Re-upload; verify again. Don't fly with unverified mission.
2
Observers briefed and in position Each observer knows their role, where to stand, what to watch for, how to alert the pilot.
Brief observers using the script (in the download kit). Confirm each observer can see the launch zone and the AOI from their position.
Re-position; re-brief. If no observers available, decide whether to fly solo (cohort default: not for paid missions).
3
Communication confirmed Pilot can hear observers; observers can hear pilot. Test before the engine starts.
Pilot calls out: "Observer 1, can you hear me?" Observer responds. Repeat for each observer.
If communication is unreliable (large AOI, wind noise), use radios or hand signals. Test the alternative before flying.
4
Abort criteria announced Pilot says out loud, to observers and themselves, what conditions will trigger an abort.
"If wind exceeds X km/h, I will abort." "If battery hits 3.55V, I will RTH." "If GPS drops below 6 satellites, I will switch to Angle." Etc.
Saying criteria out loud commits to them. Easier to abort when the criterion is verbalised; harder when it's just a private thought.
5
Bystanders cleared No people, livestock, or vehicles within 30m of the launch zone. Any approaching observed and cleared before takeoff.
Pilot and observers visually scan the area. Cooperative manager often helps move people if needed.
Wait until clear. Don't fly with people in the launch zone — even friendly cooperative members.

The five abort triggers worth memorising

Cohort default abort triggers, named explicitly so they become reflexive:

  1. Wind exceeds threshold for your build (~25 km/h sustained for 5" cohort default).
  2. Battery hits warning voltage (3.5V/cell) — RTH triggers automatically; pilot doesn't fight it.
  3. GPS satellite count drops below 6 in autonomous mode — switch to Angle (manual) immediately.
  4. Link quality degrades (RSSI below -100 dBm) — pause forward progress; if degrading further, RTH.
  5. Pilot loses visual contact with the drone — RTH or take manual control to bring it back into view.

Speaking these out loud at pre-flight commits to them. Speaking them out loud during a mission triggers the action. The discipline of verbalising is what makes abort decisions fast under pressure.

Once both pre-flight phases are complete, the mission is ready to launch. Total time from arrival to first takeoff: typically 60-75 minutes. Some of this overlaps with arrival activities (Section 2); after the first mission, between-flight turnaround (Section 5) is much faster.

Phase 04 ~8-10 minutes per battery, full attention

In-mission operations.

The drone is in the air. The pilot watches it visually; the observers watch the surroundings; the configurator shows mission progress. The next 8-10 minutes are all about staying engaged when nothing seems to be happening — autonomous missions are operationally boring but punish lapses in attention. Communication discipline, role separation, and abort-trigger reflexes are the operational tools.

Role separation during a mission:

Role Primary attention Communication style Authority
PILOT
Pilot (radio in hand) Drone visual contact + OSD on FPV goggles + radio readiness.
Watches the drone; ready to take manual control or trigger RTH at any moment.
Calls out battery voltage every 30 seconds: "voltage 3.85, mission line 3 of 8, normal".
Final authority on flight decisions. Other roles support but don't override.
GS
Ground station operator Laptop or tablet showing mission progress, telemetry, waypoint completion.
Watches the configurator/Mission Planner display. Cross-references what pilot sees.
Calls out anomalies: "GPS dropped to 6 sats", "mission ahead of schedule", "RSSI degrading".
Advises pilot on technical state. Doesn't make flight decisions.
OBS
Observer(s) Surroundings — people approaching, livestock, weather, visual contact with drone from a different angle.
Watches what the pilot can't see: edges of the AOI, approach paths, terrain hazards.
Calls out hazards: "person walking into AOI from north", "cloud building from southwest".
Reports observations; doesn't make flight decisions.
COORD
Coordinator (multi-flight days) Mission schedule, battery status, next-flight prep.
Manages the day's logistics so pilot can focus on flying. Optional for single-flight days.
Tracks mission count, battery rotation, time remaining in flight window.
No flight authority; supports the operation logistically.

Communication standards during a mission

Cohort default communication patterns to keep the team coordinated without overwhelming the pilot:

  • Pilot speaks first, always. Status reports every 30 seconds in calm conditions; more frequently if anything looks marginal.
  • Concise format: "voltage X, line Y of Z, status Q". E.g., "voltage 3.78, line 5 of 8, normal".
  • Observer interrupts only for hazards — not for general observations. "Person at north edge" is interrupting; "nice view of the cacao trees" is not.
  • Decision-quality questions are escalated to the pilot: GS notices something marginal, asks "voltage at 3.62, are you continuing?"; pilot decides.
  • Quiet is okay: silence after the pilot's status report means everyone's monitoring. Don't fill silence with chatter.

program graduates report that this discipline keeps mid-mission attention up across all team members. Without it, missions either go quiet (no one watching) or loud (everyone talking, pilot distracted).

When something needs immediate intervention:

  1. Take manual control. Switch out of mission mode to Position Hold (PosHold) or Angle. The drone stops following the planned mission and responds to stick input.
  2. Bring it home. If the situation is recoverable, fly back to the launch zone manually. If RTH is reliable, switch to RTH mode.
  3. Land safely. Calm landing in the original launch zone or the nearest emergency landing zone (identified during Section 2 setup).
  4. Pause and assess. Don't immediately re-launch. Discuss what happened, decide whether to continue the day, fix what's fixable, then proceed.

The "intervene then assess" sequence prevents a small problem from becoming a big one. Don't try to "ride out" a marginal situation hoping it resolves; bring the drone home, then think.

Phase 05 ~10 minutes between flights · efficient pacing matters

Battery turnaround.

Multi-battery missions need efficient turnaround between flights. Land, swap, verify, re-launch — the rhythm of the day. Long turnarounds eat the sun-angle window; sloppy turnarounds skip safety checks. Cohort default targets ~10 minutes between flights, with longer breaks after every 2-3 batteries to manage attention fatigue.

The turnaround sequence:

Step What you do Time Notes
1
Safe landing Drone lands in launch zone. Power off the FC (disconnect battery) before any handling.
~30 seconds
Always disconnect the battery before any other work. Don't leave it powered between flights.
2
Battery swap Remove used pack; place in "discharged" section of LiPo bag. Install fresh pack. Verify firm connection.
~1 minute
Note voltage of the used pack on the field log; this tracks per-pack performance over time.
3
Quick physical check Props inspected for new damage; motors briefly spun by hand for grit; FC mounting still firm.
~1 minute
Crashes during a previous flight may not be obvious. Quick visual+touch check catches developing issues.
4
Pre-arm verify Power on; check GPS lock (should re-acquire in 30-60 seconds); verify FC mode and configurator status.
~2 minutes
Don't skip this even though it feels redundant. Hardware can develop issues between flights.
5
Mission resumption Confirm next mission file (or continuation of current mission). Re-verify on configurator before arming.
~1 minute
For multi-battery same-mission flights, verify the resumption point. For different missions, load the next file.
6
Brief team Confirm observers still in position; communication still working; abort criteria still apply.
~1 minute
Each flight resets the team's attention. Don't assume people remember from 30 minutes ago.
7
Launch Standard arm, takeoff, mission start.
~2 minutes
Total turnaround target: ~10 minutes. Faster risks skipping checks; slower wastes the sun window.

Mid-day decision points

After every 2-3 batteries, a longer break (~15-20 minutes) is worth taking even if the team feels fine. Three reasons:

  1. Pilot attention drift. Concentration on autonomous-mission monitoring degrades over the morning. A break re-baselines attention.
  2. Decision opportunity. Conditions change — wind picks up, clouds build, someone realises they need to leave early. The break is when these get noticed and addressed.
  3. Imagery spot-check. Pull the SD card, scroll through recent photos on the laptop. Verify capture is happening as expected. Catching imagery problems mid-day allows re-flying; catching them at end-of-day means another trip.

program graduates report the mid-day break is what separates "tired but completed" from "tired and made a mistake." Build it into the day's plan.

When to call it: situations that warrant ending the day even if planned missions remain:

  • Wind exceeded threshold for 30+ minutes with no improvement in forecast — conditions likely to stay bad.
  • Equipment failure that can't be field-repaired — broken FC, damaged motor, etc. Don't fly with marginal equipment.
  • Pilot or team fatigue to the point of attention loss — calling missed waypoints, slower reactions, eye strain.
  • Sun angle dropping out of the usable window — late-afternoon flying produces lower-quality NDVI; better to return another day.
  • Safety concern not previously noted — bystanders refusing to clear, livestock unmanageable, conditions deteriorating.

Calling a day early is not a failure — pushing through bad conditions is. Cohort instructors specifically train this: the decision to stop is a sign of maturity, not weakness. The mission can be resumed another day; a wrecked drone or bad imagery cannot be undone.

Phase 06 ~30-45 minutes after final landing

End-of-day.

The last mission lands. The work isn't done. Imagery verification, equipment teardown, and the cooperative-manager debrief still need to happen on-site — leaving these for "back at home" is how missions end up needing repeat trips. The end-of-day phase is also when the day's lessons get captured for next time.

The end-of-day sequence:

Step What you do Time Why on-site, not at home
1
Imagery verification Pull SD card, plug into laptop. Scroll through capture sequence; verify completeness and rough quality.
~10 minutes
If imagery is incomplete or poor quality, you can re-fly the affected sections now (with remaining battery capacity). Tomorrow you'd need a return trip.
2
Equipment teardown Drone packed (cushioned); used batteries to "discharged" section of LiPo bag; tools repacked in field bag; laptop closed.
~10 minutes
Packed equipment ready for transport. Forgetting items means returning later.
3
Cooperative manager debrief Brief summary of what was captured; thanks for hosting; next steps (when imagery will be processed and delivered); any concerns from cooperative side.
~10 minutes
The relationship is the foundation of recurring work. End-of-day touchpoint matters more than people expect.
4
Field log entry Quick notes on the day: weather, mission count, any incidents, equipment behavior, lessons.
~5 minutes
Memory is unreliable; written notes capture what feels obvious now but fades by next week. The cohort field logbook is part of the kit.
5
Departure Final visual check that nothing is left behind; verbal "everything in the truck" confirmation (per Phase 1 callout); drive back.
~5 minutes
The verbal check that prevented a forgotten radio in the morning prevents forgotten gear in the afternoon.

The on-site imagery review

The 10-minute on-site imagery review is the difference between "mission complete" and "mission needed re-fly." What to look for:

  • Completeness: scroll through chronologically. Is there a continuous capture sequence covering the entire AOI? Or are there gaps where the drone wasn't capturing for some reason?
  • Exposure: are all photos similarly exposed? Sudden bright/dark frames suggest the camera adjusted incorrectly mid-flight; may stitch poorly.
  • Sharpness: zoom into a few representative photos. Are they sharp? Or blurred from vibration / motion?
  • Coverage: are the AOI corners and edges captured? Or did the mission cut short before reaching them?

If any of these fail, decide whether to re-fly while still on-site (preferable) or schedule a return trip (last resort). A later-cohort alumna once caught a partial-mission failure during this on-site review — re-flew the missed section with the spare battery while the cooperative manager prepared lunch. The 30-minute fix prevented a 2-hour return trip.

Post-mission home work happens after returning home, not at the site:

  • Battery storage: discharge to storage voltage (3.85V/cell) before storing; mark each pack's cycle count.
  • Imagery processing: see processing.html (proposed) for the WebODM stitching workflow and NDVI calculation.
  • BlackBox archival: copy BlackBox files from SD card to organised folder structure on the laptop. Date- and mission-named.
  • Client deliverable preparation: stitch the imagery, generate the NDVI overlay, prepare the deliverable per the agreement made during requirements gathering (missions.html Section 1).
  • Field log review: re-read today's field log notes; transfer any lessons-learned to the persistent notes for future missions.

The mission day ends when the truck is parked at home and equipment is unloaded. The actual delivery to the client comes later — usually within 48-72 hours of the mission for cohort default work. The client agreement specifies the timing.

Six numbers across the mission day.

Time targets and operational thresholds for cohort default field operations. Useful for pacing the day and knowing when adjustments are needed.

60–90 min
Arrival to first takeoff
Site walk + setup + briefing + pre-flight
~10 min
Battery turnaround target
Land + swap + verify + relaunch
~15-20 min
Mid-day longer break
After every 2-3 batteries
5
Abort triggers
Wind · battery · GPS · link · visual contact
~₱3,500
Day expenses
Davao + 2hr drive · fuel + meals + courtesy
~30-45 min
End-of-day on-site
Imagery review + teardown + debrief

Four cases from cohort and partner-org missions.

Specific situations from cohort 02 and 03 mission records, plus partner-org operations, illustrating how field-operations discipline played out in practice.

"The forgotten radio."

Later-cohort alumna, Davao to Carmen mission

90 minutes into the drive, the alumna realised her radio was on the kitchen table — left during the morning rush. The cooperative manager was already expecting her at the AOI. The decision: turn around (3 hours lost), or postpone (cooperative disappointed). Chose to postpone after honest call to manager. The verbal "everything in the truck" check (Phase 1 callout) dates from this incident. Hasn't happened again to anyone in the cohort who adopted the practice.

"On-site mission re-plan."

Current-cohort graduate, Bukidnon coffee cooperative

Arrived at the AOI to find the cooperative had cleared land for a new processing shed in the southwest corner — not visible on the satellite imagery used for planning. The fix: 30-minute on-site re-plan reduced AOI by ~12%, rotated lawnmower lines 90° to avoid the cleared area. Mission completed cleanly. Lesson: the 60-90 minute arrival buffer absorbs this kind of surprise. Without it, the graduate would have flown a stale plan and produced unusable imagery for the cleared section.

"Wind picked up mid-day; called the day at battery 3."

Partner-org operator, large rice cooperative

5-battery mission planned. By battery 3, sustained wind reached 28 km/h with gusts to 35. Forecast said improvement; on-site reality said worse. The decision: stop after battery 3, return another day for batteries 4-5. Cooperative was understanding; relationship preserved. Lesson: calling a day early is a sign of operational maturity, not failure. Pushing through marginal conditions at battery 4 likely meant a wrecked drone and a lost client.

"On-site imagery review caught the partial capture."

Later-cohort alumna, recurring monthly survey

End-of-day imagery review showed missing photos for the easternmost two flight lines — the camera trigger had failed silently mid-mission. The fix: re-flew those lines with the spare battery while the cooperative manager prepared post-mission lunch. Took 25 minutes including battery prep; saved a 4-hour return trip. Lesson: the on-site imagery review (Phase 6 callout) earns its keep on missions exactly like this one. Skipping it means catching the problem at home, when fixing it requires another day.

Questions worth answering carefully.

Can I fly solo, without observers? +

For practice missions on your own land or familiar territory: yes, solo flying is acceptable. For paid client missions: cohort default is no — at least one observer in addition to the pilot. The reasons:

  • The pilot's attention is divided between drone, OSD, and ground station. Adding "watch the surroundings for hazards" to that load makes everything worse.
  • Observers catch things the pilot can't see: people approaching from behind, weather building from a direction the pilot isn't facing, livestock moving into the area.
  • If an emergency happens, an observer can call for help, retrieve gear, or take action while the pilot is occupied with the drone.
  • Cooperative members often want to be involved as observers — it's a way to show them what's happening on their land. Builds the relationship that recurring work depends on.

If you genuinely have no observer available for a paid mission: smaller AOI than usual; conservative operating envelope (don't push battery limits); abort more readily than usual. The work is more constrained without observers, not impossible.

What if the cooperative manager doesn't show up at the planned time? +

Common in agricultural Mindanao — cooperative leaders have farms to run, family obligations, sometimes transport issues. The cohort defaults:

  • Wait the first 30 minutes calmly. Most delays resolve quickly with a phone call. Use the time for site walking and setup if the AOI is accessible without the manager.
  • Call after 30 minutes. Often the manager is on the way and was delayed by something specific. Updated arrival estimate.
  • If no contact after 60 minutes: assess whether to proceed with another cooperative member or postpone. Local cooperative member with authority can substitute; flying without anyone from the cooperative present is poor practice.
  • If postponing: leave a polite SMS/voicemail; reschedule kindly. Don't be defensive — the manager has their own life.

For first-time cooperative engagements: arrive even earlier (90+ minutes before takeoff) and budget for delays. As the relationship matures, timing tightens up.

How do I handle bystanders who want to watch up-close? +

Bystander curiosity is universal — drones are interesting. Cooperative members, kids, neighbors all gather. The cohort defaults:

  • Designate a viewing area 30+ meters from the launch zone. Usually upwind, with a clear view of the AOI. Cooperative manager can help direct people there.
  • Brief the viewing group once: what's happening, how long it takes, why staying back matters. 2 minutes; sets expectations for the whole mission.
  • Assign a friendly observer to the viewing group: a cooperative member who can answer general questions. Frees pilot and ground station from constant interruptions.
  • For kids specifically: their attention is short, their movement unpredictable. Adult member of cooperative monitoring is helpful. Kids approaching the launch zone is a stop-mission trigger.

Bystanders are an asset, not a problem — they spread word about the cohort's work, build community familiarity with drone surveys, and often become sources for future cooperative connections. Welcome them; manage the proximity.

What about flying in light rain? +

Cohort default: don't. The build calculator and missions.html assume dry conditions; cohort default 5"/7" builds aren't weather-sealed.

Specifically:

  • Light drizzle: marginal. Some graduates fly in it; some don't. Risk is electronics-side: water on the FC over time damages it. If you fly in drizzle, take the FC off and dry it thoroughly that evening.
  • Light rain: don't fly. Risk increases sharply.
  • Brief shower passing: wait it out. Mindanao showers are often 15-30 minutes; the pause is small relative to the day.
  • Sustained rain: the day is over. Don't try to find brief breaks; conditions are unstable.

Wet-season missions need flexibility built in. Plan a backup day in case the primary day is rained out. Cooperative leaders understand weather realities — communicate honestly when conditions deteriorate.

What does the on-site cooperative debrief actually cover? +

~10 minutes with the cooperative manager (or another leadership member) at end-of-day. Cohort default content:

  • Brief summary of what was done: "We surveyed the eastern 14 hectares as planned. ~280 photos captured at 60m altitude. Imagery looks good on initial review."
  • Any concerns or issues during flight: weather pause, equipment issues, anything the cooperative should know.
  • Timeline for deliverables: "I'll process this week and deliver the NDVI overlay by Friday." Specific dates, not "soon."
  • Questions from the cooperative side: anything they want to know about the work, the imagery, future surveys.
  • Thanks and farewell: gratitude for hosting, courtesy, brief note on next contact.

Don't make this technical — the cooperative manager doesn't need to know about flight altitude or overlap percentages. They want to know: was it successful? When do they get the data? Should they expect to see anything in the imagery worth knowing about?

How do field operations differ for partner-org operators vs individual graduates? +

The procedures in this page are written for individual graduates doing cooperative-scale missions. Partner orgs operating at larger scale add structure:

  • Coordinator role: dedicated person managing the day's logistics so pilots can focus on flying. Mentioned in Phase 4 role separation.
  • Multiple pilots: pilot rotation across batteries; reduces fatigue. Each pilot has their own field log entries.
  • Standardised forms: partner orgs typically have their own pre-mission, in-mission, and post-mission forms beyond cohort defaults. Document for compliance and operational consistency.
  • Cross-cooperative scheduling: a partner-org operator might survey 2-3 cooperatives in a single multi-day trip. Each cooperative gets full attention; the trip is structured around minimising travel between sites.
  • Equipment redundancy: backup drone and full backup kit travel with the team. Failure of one drone doesn't halt operations.

The cohort default workflow scales reasonably to ~3 drones per operation. Above that, dedicated fleet tooling (flight-software.html Section 6) and operational protocols specific to the partner org become necessary. Lumipad engineering can advise partner orgs on adaptation.

What's the cohort recommendation on first solo paid mission? +

The first paid mission is a meaningful threshold. Cohort defaults to make it go well:

  • Choose a familiar cooperative if possible — somewhere you've flown practice missions before, where you know the manager, where the AOI is well-understood. Reduces unknowns.
  • Conservative mission scope: smaller AOI than your maximum capability, fewer batteries than your maximum endurance. Build margin into everything.
  • Bring an experienced observer — ideally a cohort instructor, a more experienced graduate, or a partner-org veteran. Solo first-paid is unnecessarily harder.
  • Plan as if for two missions: spare batteries, spare props, extra time buffer. Things take longer the first time.
  • Honest pricing: don't under-price the first mission to "build relationship." Reasonable pricing sets the right expectations going forward; under-pricing creates resentment when you raise prices later.

The first paid mission is a learning event, not a money-making event. Approach it that way. The next 5-10 missions will produce most of the operational learning that makes graduates efficient; the first one establishes the discipline.

What if I make a mistake during a paid mission? +

You will. Mission-day mistakes range from trivial (forgot to brief an observer) to serious (crashed the drone). Cohort defaults for handling them:

  • Acknowledge it on-site: don't hide it from the cooperative manager. "I had to abort that mission due to GPS issues; I'm going to retry now / postpone / make it up another day."
  • Honesty about cause: don't blame equipment if the cause was operator error. Cooperatives respect honesty; they distrust excuses.
  • Make-good options: depending on severity — re-fly at no additional cost, partial refund, return another day. Have these in mind before raising the issue.
  • Document for learning: in the field log, write what happened, what caused it, what you'll do differently. The mistake gains value if it prevents recurrence.
  • Don't catastrophise: one bad mission doesn't end a working relationship. Honest, professional handling of the issue often strengthens the relationship — the cooperative sees how you respond when things go wrong.

Later cohorts have examples of graduates whose recovery from a mission-day mistake produced stronger client relationships than graduates who never made a visible mistake. Honest handling of failure is a skill; develop it.