Responsibilities of a remote pilot

Responsibilities of the remote pilot:

Safety is the most important consideration. This means the safety of yourself, the crew, and the public.

There’s a reason we hear the term “safety first” so often in our daily lives: doing what you can to protect the wellbeing of yourself and others is more important than any piece of equipment or task to be completed.

You must dedicate yourself to being mindful of consistently doing all that is needed to best produce successful and safe results in all possible ways.

Planning is a critical step in safe, successful flight. There is a saying: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. Although it may take time, it is essential to use the Pre-Flight checklist to be certain that you have gone over all functions necessary for your planned mission.

The best way to identify potential risks is in person. It is a good idea to visit a location in advance to see if there is enough space, and if the location presents any possible hazards. Develop a plan to best mitigate risks to such a degree that is tolerable to all involved with the flight area.

Keeping operational logs

Many regulators will require you to keep logs of the flights your organisation has undertaken.

Considerations after an operation has ended

It important you have in place post-flight checklists. There are useful for keeping a record of who has flown which RPA and for how long. This will assist in maintenance systems. Also, it provides a time for the operator to reflect on what went right with the flight and what can be improved for the next flight operation.