We woke up early to the sounds of strong winds buffeting our bookabach and we realised we wouldn't be flying today. Although disappointed we had plenty to do in the workshop. Dr Tim Brooks continued the advanced training at the Skycam base and we spent the day working on mission planning. We realised how many things go into planning a safe and successful mission.  Fortunately all we were risking today was a few pixels. As a part of our training scenarios, Dr John R took manual control of the UAV and within a few moments we were metaphorically scraping bits of the plane off the screen...  However, after a few attempts he was a pro at flying emergency scenarios. I was most impressed with my ability to lay out a perfect transect, however, I sadly discovered my entire plan was below ground level; you certainly have to watch the gauges. 

Key lesson learned today - the process of using a UAV for scientific research requires very careful planning and checking in order to have a successful flight! Its not just about flying the aircraft, it is also about making sure you are familiar with your study area, that your sensors are correctly set up and formatted, and you have allowed for variation in wind speed, direction, hazards, contours, and you have followed all pre-flight checks.