UC Drone Risk Checker

This UC Drone Risk Checker is designed to help drone pilots think about the overall risk profile in a holistic manner, considering the many potential sources of risk. It is designed to be sensitive to the impacts of varied moderate levels of risk to help pilots explore the risk profiles of different scenarios as they begin planning for flight operations. It is not a replacement for the pilot's responsibility to maintain a safe operational environment.

Please enter your rating (1-5). Where the rating scale represents:

1 - 'Best' conditions
2 - 'Good' conditions
3 - 'Average' conditions
4 - 'Subpar' conditions
5 - 'Unfavorable' conditions

Pilot Score:

Aircraft Score:

Location Score:

Flight Plan Score:

Weather Score:

Ground Crew Score:

Organization Score:

Risk Analysis

How to rate your categories

The ratings in each of your categories is an assessment between 1-5 given within each of the categories. The rating is a compilation of several factors within the category.
In general, values of 2 and 3 would a typical or general situation, whereas a 1 score would be a rare or exemplary situation. A score of 4 would be "not great, but tolerable" but a 5 would be a negative situation.

All scoring assumes the flight operations are done in compliant with all applicable regulations and current best practices.

Rate the pilot's readiness by taking in account the following factors:

Pilot's physical and mental readiness to fly
Pilot's experience with this or of similar type of sUAS operations
Pilot's experience with the aircraft
Pilot's flight skill or aptitude
Pilot's familiarity with the rest of the flight crew

Rate the aircraft's condition by taking into account the following factors:

The aircraft's last flight performance
The aircraft's last maintenance
The aircraft's construction quality and durability
The aircraft's size and weight
The aircraft's complexity of use
The aircraft's suitability for the proposed flight operation

Rate the location's potential risk by taking into account the following factors:

The type of airspace class and level of aviation traffic, including helicopters, cropdusters and military aircraft
The spaciousness of the location
The level of ground risks such as trees, powerlines, and towers
The proximity of the site to non-participating persons, ecologically sensitive areas or high-value equipment
The ability of the site to be closed to non-participating persons (access control)

Rate the flight plan's potential risk by taking into account the following factors:

The type of flight plan such as basic maneuvers, computer generated flight plans or acrobatic routines
The flight altitude - the higher the altitude, the riskier the flight will be
The anticipated distance of the UAS from the pilot - the farther the UAS will be, the riskier the flight will be
The number of flights and the expected duration of each flight - increasing flight time increases the odds that an incident will occur
The expected total field time of the flight mission

Rate the weather risk by taking into account the following factors:

Forecasted wind levels and direction
Forecasted visibility
Forecasted precipitation amounts
Calfire Red Flag Warning or Air Quality Index
Potential for drastic changes in weather conditions

Rate the ground crew's readiness by taking into account the following factors:

Ground crew composition - Visual Observers, payload operators, ground control station operators, helpers and assistants
Training level of the Visual Observer
Experience of the flight crew with the mission and UAS
Experience of the flight crew working together
Communication standards or protocols in place, and comfort

Rate the organizational support and documentation practices by taking into account the following factors:

The detail and availability of Standard Operating Procedures
Emergency Action Plans for the most common issues expected to arise during a UAS mission
Checklists for all stages of a UAS mission, including packing, preflight and postflight steps
The department's and flight crew's safety culture
Support for UAS training and operations