 The National Ecological Observatory Network, or NEON, provides researchers with open, standardized environmental data from across the United States. One technique for acquiring this data is through remote sensing with NEON's Airborne Observation Platform, or AOP. The AOP is a payload of instrument installed and flown in a Twin-Otter aircraft. Each payload includes a discrete and waveform lidar, hypospectral imaging spectrometer, and high-resolution RGB camera. These instruments collect quantitative information about ecosystems, including surface geology, topography, vegetation structure, and plant biochemistry. Along with in-situ information collected at NEON FieldSite, researchers use these data to better understand wildlife dynamics, model the effects of environmental disturbance and change, and detect the presence and impacts of invasive species across landscapes. The AOP team consists of lab engineers, remote-sensing scientists, and airborne sensor operators. Before each field season, the team develops a flight schedule for each NEON FieldSite. Flight survey schedules are designed to coincide with the expected vegetation, peak greenness, and ground sampling at each site. Since NEON protocol calls for less than 10% cloud cover, AOP deployment plans include multiple days at each site to allow enough flexibility to survey in prime weather conditions. The Twin-Otter aircraft is the ideal vehicle for collecting high-quality data because it can safely fly at 1,000 meters above ground level while traveling at a low ground speed of about 100 knots, or 115 miles per hour. This versatile aircraft can easily be equipped with a scientific payload weighing up to 1,000 pounds, along with five crew members, permitting a flight time of about four hours. NEON's LiDAR system collects both discrete and waveform LiDAR by emitting a laser pulse and measuring the amount of time it takes for the pulse to reach the ground and return to the sensor. This instrument maps the terrain, canopy structure, and coverage of NEON sites that enable the generation of detailed 3D views of the land surface that can be compared year to year. AOP's LiDAR captures surface topography at a resolution of approximately 2-6 data points per square meter. The red-green-blue, or RGB camera, installed in a payload takes high-resolution photos at 24 frames per second at up to 100 megapixels. This allows NEON to capture images at a resolution of 6 centimeters at 1,000 meters above ground level. With a NEON algorithm, all these photos can be assembled to provide a complete mosaic of the NEON site and surrounding landscape. NEON's imitating spectrometer was designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and measures reflected light energy from the ground. The data are collected at a resolution of about 1 square meter with over 420 unique spectral bands with wavelengths ranging from the visible to near-infrared. These data are crucial for studying aspects of foliar structure and composition of specific plant communities. In order to collect such high-quality hyperspectral data, the spectrometer has a complex environmental control system that maintains a specific internal temperature and pressure. To make this possible, it must be powered at all times, either using ground power units, uninterruptible power supply, or UPS batteries, or aircraft survey power. If the crew determines whether conditions are suitable for data collection, the payload is disconnected from ground power and switched to the UPS battery to be towed from the hangar. The battery allows for up to 15 minutes of power while the plane is being towed, and if the payload loses power at any point, it will perform an emergency shutdown. Once on the tarmac, the payload is reconnected to ground power which allows the operators to start up all instruments. After engines are started and the crew is ready for takeoff, the payload is switched to aircraft power for the duration of the data collection flight. During flights, airborne sensor operators collect data while monitoring weather and ensuring pilots maintain the proper flight parameters such as altitude, speed, and bank angle. The onboard telemetry system sends real-time updates which allow the operators to monitor the health of the payload at all times. Each aircraft is equipped with an inertial measurement unit, IMU, that records active measurements of the plane's orientation in flight. These calculations are incorporated into all AOP data to correct for unexpected bumps and jostling of the aircraft due to turbulence. This, combined with GPS stations at nearby sites, is required to compute an accurate flight trajectory. Up to one terabyte of raw data are collected during each flight. These are then extracted using a specialized portable computer designed to safely transfer, analyze, and back up large amounts of raw data to a series of hard drives. These hard drives are shipped to a facility in Denver, Colorado, where data are uploaded into a cloud system and made available to AOP's science team to begin quality control and processing of the raw data. Higher-level data products are available on the Neon Data Portal website approximately 90 days after collection. At the end of the flight season, when Neon sites are no longer in peak greenness, the plane returns to Boulder, Colorado for post-season calibration flights. The payload is then removed from the plane and returned to the lab at Neon headquarters to undergo routine maintenance and repairs, as well as a suite of in-lab calibrations. The implementation of new systems, hardware, and procedures also typically happen during this time as newer, more sophisticated technology emerges. AOP team members also develop new algorithms, conduct training sessions for the Neon Data Institute, update procedures and documentation, refine phenology models used for flight planning, and manage all logistics for the upcoming flight season. Typically during the spring, the Twin Otters make their way back to Boulder, Colorado from their hangar in Grand Junction, Colorado to reintegrate and install the updated payloads. Once installed, the crew takes to the skies to begin calibration and testing in preparation for the upcoming flight season.