Experimental results of repeat-pass SAR employing a visual pilot guidance system

For multi-pass SAR, a number of applications require precise duplication of the aircraft path. This paper presents the Dragonfly system, which provides a real-time display of the desired flight line from the point of view of the aircraft location. The pilot, following a path on Dragonfly, can easily repeat flight lines and circles with a good degree of precision. We also examine the experimental performance of the Dragonfly system over a series of repeated flight lines while collecting SAR data. The theoretical effects of sub-optimal flight line repetition on multi-pass SAR performance are evaluated for coherent change detection (CCD) and multi-pass interferometry (InSAR) and compared to experimental results.