Flying Drones and Managing Risks

 ADM is a key acronym in both manned an unmanned flight. It stands for "aeronautical decision making", and it covers everything from the flight plan and fuel load to decisions made while in flight. 

Risk management is exactly what it sounds like: an assessment of risk, and then actions taken to mitigate that risk. 

Those of us in the military are intimately familiar with risk management. Everything we do is based around it. Qualification ranges, road marches, motorized movement...anything which poses a risk is scrutinized and analyzed, and then controls are developed to mitigate that risk. The end result is prevented injuries and saved lives. 

I wasn't familiar with the concept of ADM until very recently, but it makes sense. It is a systematic approach to flight and the challenges that come with it. ADM and risk management are the same thing in many ways. ADM is a systematic approach to flight that maximizes efficiency while reducing risk as much as possible. 

UAS pilots face an interesting challenge when it comes to both ADM and risk management. On the ADM side, UAS pilots need to be well-versed in the laws of the place where they intend to operate their drones. Failing to understand the law may lead to tickets and citations. Pilots of manned craft have no such concerns. 

On the risk management side, UAS pilots need to account for terrain, weather, and other factors typical for manned craft pilots. They also have to account for sensor range and lost link fail safes, something that does not concern manned pilots. They also need to be highly aware of the concentrations of people in the areas they choose to fly. Even if it is legal to fly above groups of people in a particular area (it isn't always legal, drone pilots - check your local laws!), a crashing drone can still hurt someone, and the pilot will still be liable. 

There are human factors at play affecting licensed UAS pilots that I never would have considered until recently. The biggest is the way people themselves see drones. Many people look at drones as toys, nuisances, or invasions of privacy, which in turn leads local lawmakers to issue laws restricting their operation. Manned pilots only need to worry about FAA regulations. UAS pilots have to learn local laws an ordinances as well. 

The moral of the story: if you want to fly a drone, get licensed. And then, become very familiar with the laws where you intend to fly the machine. 

And then, do what all good pilots do: have a good ADM system in place, and always practice risk management.