general use, When the APR factor is compared with the usual photographic
C-factor of say around 1,000, it is seen that the APR record cannot normally
give the required accuracy unless it is flown from half the altitude at which
it is economic to carry out photography. APR flown simultaneously with
photography will therefore only be practicable in circumstances when the
vertical tolerance in the map contours is such that the flying height deduced
from the APR "C"-factor coincides with that of the service ceiling of the aircraft.
Fortunately the generalisation which has sometimes been made that "only if
APR and survey photography are flown simultaneously can APR be economic"
is not borne out by the results of the Niger Survey, nor is there any reason to
believe that this will be so in other areas for the following reasons ;-
1) The additional cost of an aircraft unit fitted with APR and including
the specialist to operate it, will not normally exceed 50% of the
standing charge and say 5% of the hourly flying charge.
2) Since APR can be flown at any height down to 4, 000ft., and the
lower the better (subject only to absence of turbulence), and since
small amounts of cloud can be tolerated on the 35mm photography
(i.e. here and there a principal point may be lost), it follows that
APR flying can often be carried out on dayswhich are unsuitable for
survey photography, when the aircraft would otherwise remain idle.
A further economy can be introduced if the electronics engineer is
prepared to serve a8 camera operator on days when the survey
photography is being flown.
3) Byflying the APR control along the lateral overlaps of the survey
cover instead of down the centre of the runs, it has been shown that
the requirements for aerotriangulation (other than for purposes of
scaling and for tie strips) can be eliminated, thereby effecting a
major economy both in time and expense during the photogrammetric
stage. (The 'smoothing out! process whereby false APR readings
are eliminated, takes place first during the analysis and reduction of
the APR strips and secondly in the settings of the individual overlaps).
The results of the Niger Survey have demonstrated that, (with APR control
flown at the correct height along the lateral overlap) it is possible to span
distances of 60 - 80 miles without intermediate ground control and still give
no final height error on the map greater than 10ft. The conditions under
which this survey was undertaken were certainly not exceptional and there
Seems no reason to doubt that they were anything but average. If this fact be
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