Chapter 6 UAS Activity Reporting

The UAS Post-Flight Report of UAS activity is an important aspect of oversight, management and the development of future policies and procedures. The Policy mandates that post-flight reporting must be accomplished but does not specify details regarding the frequency or specific information requirements. This section provides guidance on establishing a successful reporting system.

All reporting must meet or exceed compliance with all applicable regulations and policies. Currently, the UC has 5 UAS specific reporting compliance obligations. The UC additionally has other reporting compliance obligations related to workplace safety and accident reporting.

6.1 UAS Reporting Compliance Obligations

  • All UAS activity covered under the UC’s UAS insurance must be reported to the insurance broker on a quarterly basis.
  • All UAS activity classified as a PAO must be reported to the FAA on a monthly basis.
  • Records of UAS activity conducted under 14 CFR 107 may be requested by the FAA and must be made available.
  • All UAS activity conducted under a systemwide FAA Airspace Authorization, Airspace Waiver or COA must be documented and made available to the FAA upon request.
  • Any incident subject to FAA or NTSB reporting requirements
  • Any incident subject to CalOSHA reporting requirements

6.2 UAS Safety Metric Tracking

An important aspect of regular UAS activity reporting is the tracking of safety metrics. Through the use of effective data collection, trends regarding UAS safety enables Designated Local Authorities to identify and make recommendations to adjust local procedures without compromising safety.

Flight record statistics may also be utilized for reviews for high Risk Score activity. Example scenarios include standing approval for media representatives who must maintain currency for UAS activity that require a higher level of expertise due to a higher Risk Score.

The UAS Advisory Board additionally reviews all UAS activity reporting for its analysis on the effectiveness of the Policy.

6.3 Collection of UAS Activity Reports

The Policy does not mandate a specific process for collection of a (ref:UASpostflight). A Designated Local Authority or location specific policy or procedure may opt to implement a different solution, depending on need or desired data. It is recommended that Post-Flight Reports be collected as immediately as possible from the proponent to minimize complacency and forgotten minor incidents.

Example Post Flight Report Collection

  • UC Drones on a per day, per aircraft, per pilot basis.
  • Excel spreadsheet of reports collected on a weekly basis.
  • Webform generated report.
  • Electronic submission via access to a commercial cloud solution.
  • Scanned handwritten documents.

The webapp UC Drones provides Designated Local Authorities with a mechanism to collect and review UAS activity reports. Data entered in UC Drones may be made available to authorized personnel in compliance with UC policies.

6.4 UC Minimum Reporting Guidance

Flight record data must include sufficient information to be able to determine:

  • Date
  • Pilot
  • Aircraft
  • Location
  • Number of flights
  • Total flight time
  • Accident or incident records

Flight records may additionally include

  • Flight altitude or distance
  • Telemetry data
  • Fuel or Battery information
  • Software/hardware configurations, including payload
  • Weather conditions
  • Images or other media of the UAS activity

6.5 3rd Party Reporting

UAS activity accomplished by a 3rd Party must be tracked and monitored. Failure to submit records may be considered in future UAS activity review.

6.6 Alternative Means of Compliance

In some use cases, it may be unfeasible to collect accurate flight record information.

Example scenarios:

  • Indoor Activity
  • Individual Recreational Model Aircraft
  • Coursework with large groups of students

In these cases, the location specific policy or procedure or Designated Local Authority, in consultation with the Systemwide Designated UAS Authority and or the UAS Advisory Board may develop alternative means of compliance. Example solutions include low fidelity usage approximations on a daily or monthly summary.