Use of a Mini-UAV Platform for In situ Monitoring of Fire Plumes

An inexpensive, remote-controlled plane (UAV-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was used to monitor in situ smoke plume temperature and humidity during a prescribed fire in California. The project was aimed at determining how useful inexpensive (<$00) hobby planes could be in a fire plume. The plane was built from a kit and a lightweight radiosonde package was mounted into the wing for the measurements. The radiosonde measured temperature, humidity, and GPS position at1 Hz. Preliminary results indicate plume temperature and water vapor perturbations were approximately 3°C and 0.5 g kg-1, respectively. Furthermore, the plane was able to withstand the plume's turbulence due to the expertise of the volunteer pilot and use of servo controls that were installed. This paper will discuss the application of this portable platform and future planned measurements.