In August 2011, lightning struck the Great Dismal Swamp and ignited a mammoth blaze that burned for 108 days, scorched 6,500 acres and blew choking smoke into surrounding states. <\/p>\n
It was the biggest wildfire on record in Virginia history. And it sparked a eureka moment in nearby resident Mike Logan, who happens to lead the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Lab at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. <\/p>\n
\"I made a phone call to the local fire captain after inhaling days of peat bog smoke,\" Logan said in a release Tuesday. \"I learned most fires are caused by lightning strikes, and the only way they can spot them is by hiring an aircraft to do an aerial survey of the huge swamp. So I figured why not use a UAV or drone as a fire detector?\" <\/p>\n
Now the NASA center has joined with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior on a year-long project to test Logan's idea. <\/p>\n
Proponents of UAVs have long promoted the idea of using unmanned aircraft as fire-spotters. Chris Lowie, manager of the Great Dismal Swamp refuge, said Fish and Wildlife is evaluating whether drones can offer a \"safe and more cost-effective alternative for surveillance\" of vulnerable areas, particularly after a thunderstorm. <\/p>\n
The refuge has experienced lightning-induced fires throughout its history. Before the 2011 blaze, another had struck in 2008. Each cost $10 million to extinguish. <\/p>\n
Lowie said they hope to see not only a \"significant decrease\" in the time it takes to scout for fires but in the cost to battle them. <\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration must approve the project, NASA says. Once it does, engineers will install cameras and transmitters on a lightweight former U.S. Army target drone and send it on scouting missions over the refuge. <\/p>\n
According to NASA, the drone weighs 50 pounds and has a nearly 6-foot wingspan. It has an 8-mile range and can fly for about an hour under battery power. It can be pre-programmed to fly autonomously, but a pilot will still monitor operations during the test period. <\/p>\n
According to NASA Langley spokeswoman Katherine Barnstorff, actual flights should begin by year's end so crews can get proficient in the technology before the start of the spring fire season. A refuge fire management team will monitor the flight video, and NASA engineers will monitor and program the drone. <\/p>\n
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Originally posted here: <\/p>\n
NASA Langley to use drone as fire-spotter over Great Dismal Swamp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In August 2011, lightning struck the Great Dismal Swamp and ignited a mammoth blaze that burned for 108 days, scorched 6,500 acres and blew choking smoke into surrounding states. It was the biggest wildfire on record in Virginia history. And it sparked a eureka moment in nearby resident Mike Logan, who happens to lead the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Lab at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. Continue reading