How do you manage UAV risks and uncertainties?

3 P's The Plan - understand the mission objectives and safety parameters to accomplish your flight plan. The Plane - inspect your vehicle prior to flight and post flight. Update logbooks and attend to required maintenance. Know the VH limitations. The Pilot - Perform an IMSAFE check prior to each mission. Know your limitations and value currency / proficiency.

These questions will also help the operator determine the type of UAS that will be best for the mission. For example, multi-rotor, fixed-wing, or a hybrid configuration may be best for the mission depending on the data to be gathered, distance to be flown (endurance/range), requirements for hovering capabilities, etc.,

This research will also help the operator know if an application for a waiver to operate beyond existing regulatory limitations will be required or not. Then if required, it must be applied for well ahead of time depending on the type of authorization/waiver sought from the regulator. Most importantly, the risks associated with the waiver must be identified; and also show all the planned mitigating measures, which may come at a higher operational cost.

Every UAS operation should have a thorough pre-flight procedure as well as brief. You should go over the aircraft physically- hands on every connection and control surface, torque all bolts to the proper torque value, visually- inspect surfaces and connectors for signs of wear and serviceability, and functionally- go through all systems and payloads to ensure proper operability. Personnel should also be prepared for flight. All operators should be certified/qualified and current on the system unless under training and being supervised by an instructor. Ensure crew is well rested and coherent. The brief should be go over all ground, air, and environmental considerations. Be prepared to talk through any crew concerns or questions.

Properly recorded preflight and post-flight assessments are vital to safe flight operations. Those assessments along with regimented maintenance schedules.

Ensure personnel preparedness for UAV operations by emphasizing comprehensive training. Beyond system knowledge, prepare for changing conditions such as weather, payload adjustments, diverse audiences, and dynamic flight sites. Implement scenario-based training to enhance adaptability, enabling the team to respond effectively to evolving missions on the go. Develop protocols for real-time mission changes, ensuring operators can navigate uncertainties. Regular drills and ongoing training contribute to a versatile and skilled team, adept at managing diverse challenges during UAV operations.

One thing I’ve done is a major safety precaution. If anyone is within 100ft of the drone’s landing site, they MUST wear safety goggles. We’ve all had those small incidents happen. Why take a chance of one of the worst things to happen to someone physically. I think this is overlooked. Just like in an aircraft carrier. People on the flight deck are required to wear eye protection.

Personal limitations are as important as aircraft performance limitations - know both! Also, understanding the Wx environment is paramount to safety of the flight cylinder. Know the clearances required and how to apply Metar/TAF information adjusted to Field Elevation.

It also important to plan for unexpected change in weather conditions during missions because weather forecast used for planning may sometimes be slightly different from actual weather while up there in the skies. This can be achieved by briefing contingency plans for unexpected weather conditions during operations. “Fly what you see”

It is also good to decide before hand if real-time data processing or post time or a combination of both will be best for the mission. Also, if Real Time Kinematic (RTK) or Post Processed Kinematic (PPK) GPS correction technology will be best for the mission

Documentation is key with all UAS operations. The data from your flights is just as important as the data you are gathering for your customer. Recording everything from flight and engine times, weather, maintenance actions and any anomalies experienced feeds into the much larger picture of how you run your operations. These data points create trends and usable metrics. Duty cycles for components of your AC, number of incident free hours for proving safety of flight. Feedback from customers on their product is invaluable as it allows you to adjust your techniques to provide better and better products for them. Failures should also be documented as they can give reason behind limitations and training examples for incoming new operators.

Conduct comprehensive pre-flight checks and testing to ensure all systems are operational & environmental conditions are suitable for flight. For a coastal erosion study using UAVs, we implemented a stringent pre-flight checklist that included battery level checks, motor functionality tests & weather condition assessments. These pre-flight procedures helped us avoid in-flight failures, ensuring that all missions were completed successfully without incident Provide comprehensive training & certification for UAV operators to ensure they are skilled in handling various scenarios and emergency situations Integrate fail-safe mechanisms such as auto-landing features & return-to-home functions to enhance UAV safety during critical failures.

For all the aforementioned categories, there are two over-arching pieces of advice that I can give based on my manned and unmanned flight experiences. The first is that you should treat unmanned flight planning, risk assessment, crew coordination, weather analysis and maintenance with the same diligence as you would for manned flights. It is too easy to become complacent because it is "only" an unmanned flight. My second piece of advice is that whenever you make any decision with an aircraft, first consider whether you could justify that decision to an accident investigation team later. If you can't stand up in front of someone who holds your career in their hands and justify it to them, you are probably making the wrong decision.