GM1 UAS.OPEN.060(2)(b) Responsibilities of the Remote Pilot

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 16

DISCONTINUATION OF THE FLIGHT IF THE OPERATION POSES A RISK TO OTHER AIRCRAFT

There is an obligation on the RP to maintain a thorough visual scan of the surrounding airspace to avoid any risk of a collision with manned aircraft. It is likely that the RP will identify other airspace users before they identify the UA, and therefore the RP will usually be the first to manoeuvre away from any conflicting aircraft.

RPs should be aware that their UA are generally difficult, if not impossible, to see from another aircraft until they are extremely close.

As soon as the RP sees another aircraft, parachute, or any other airspace user, they must immediately keep the UA at a safe distance from it and land if the RP is not confident the flight can continue without posing a risk to the other airspace user.

If the RP cannot ensure suitable separation from the other aircraft, the UA must be landed immediately.

Although many aerodromes are protected by FRZs, many unlicensed aerodrome sites also exist, including hospital helipads. Such aircraft may loiter at low-level or land and take off unexpectedly. All of these types of helicopter operations may therefore be affected by VLOS operations particularly when approaching to land or departing from a site; UAS Operators and RPs must take active precautionary measures to avoid affecting the safety of other airspace users, either by requiring them to take avoiding action, disrupting a mission or distraction (for example, aborting an air ambulance landing due to a UA sighting).

DISCONTINUE THE FLIGHT IF THE OPERATION POSES A RISK TO ANIMALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

In order to help assess whether the flight may pose a risk to animals, or the environment, the RP should check whether or not the flight is to take place within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). When a flight may take place in such an area, the RP should contact the appropriate public body (e.g., Natural England, Natural Wales, Nature Scotland, National Trust, Historic Scotland, etc.) for further advice.

DISCONTINUE THE FLIGHT IF THE OPERATION POSES A RISK TO PEOPLE OR PROPERTY

This requirement also includes people inside vehicles. A collision, or even a distraction, caused by a UA to a motor vehicle, or any other passenger carrying vehicle, is likely to lead to a risk to the occupants of the vehicle.

EMERGENCY LANDING

Planning is a crucial stage to a mission’s success and RPs must consider all ’in-flight’ emergency scenarios, particularly when operating at a range where a systems failure or external influence may remove the RTH option and potentially result in an unplanned landing outside of the VLOS criteria. RPs should continually identify and update suitable Emergency Landing Sites (ELSs) as part of their desk top analysis, when conducting on-site reconnaissance and throughout the flight phase.

If an UA Observer is not employed and an aircraft experiences a critical system failure, or is subject to unexpected external influences, precluding the aircraft from safely returning to the home point it may be necessary to conduct an unassisted emergency landing away from the RP. RPs are required to maintain good situational awareness throughout all flights and must therefore adequately divide their attention between scanning the airspace for conflicting aircraft and achieving the mission. This should also involve exploiting the aircrafts sensor to scan the ground below for uninvolved persons infringing the safety minima and to identify suitable ELSs should an emergency landing be required. RPs should proactively scan and plan for new ELSs as the aircraft tracks away from the previous one. Whilst it is accepted that in such circumstances an RP may have little or no control over the aircrafts safe decent, they must make every effort to mitigate the risk to uninvolved persons.