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

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 16

ABILITY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE UA

In order to help maintain control of the UA, the RP should fly cautiously, with the expectation that control of the UA may be lost without notice. The RP should avoid flying at excessive speeds when not necessary, especially near people.

The RP and UAS Operator should consider any environmental factors that may increase the potential for loss of control of the aircraft, or loss of propulsion. These factors may include terrain, other nearby sources of RF interference or weather conditions that may degrade the performance of the C2 link, and systems on the UA including batteries.

Precipitation may lead to water ingress into various systems on the UA, low temperatures may affect battery performance, and high wind speeds will result in a faster battery drain than in nil-wind conditions.

It should be noted that a partial loss of control may also be experienced, for example, a loss of some automated functions of the UA.  The RP should be familiar with how these failures may affect other systems on the UA, and what backup systems are available- if any. The RP should also be familiar with flying the UA without the use of automated flight functions, in manual modes.