• Table of Contents

1. Overview

The creeping line search pattern is a succession of search legs flown perpendicular to the expected direction of travel for missing persons or missing aircraft. It is often used when an initial route search by sUAS or Ground Teams is unsuccessful, and the Incident Management Team has decided to re-fly the route with increased lateral coverage.

<aside> 💡 Creeping Line searches can help find hikers who have strayed off course, fallen off the trail, or aircraft that have crashed outside their expected travel route.

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Creeping Line Illustration | Image: Civil Air Patrol

Creeping line search along Apache Wash Road using Drone Deploy | Image: AZWG

2. Choosing Search Altitudes, Speeds, and Gimbal Angles

This section is covered in: Technical Specifications of Visual Search for Missing Persons Using sUAS.

<aside> 💡 Night Searches must be run at higher altitudes than specified in that guide. 300-400 AGL is much safer at night and reduces the likelihood of controlled flight into terrain.

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