The FAA's rules state that recreational (non-107, Trust) pilots be able to explain to an FAA inspector or law enforcement officer (if and when required) which CBO’s safety guidelines they are following during any given flight.
Considering this is evolving, and there aren't any CBO guidelines yet:
3.4.3 A comprehensive set of safety guidelines may include topics that span beyond the limitations listed at 49 U.S.C. § 44809(a). The FAA encourages, but does not require, CBOs to develop comprehensive sets of safety guidelines to enhance the safety and security of all operations in the NAS and people and property on the ground. For example, a comprehensive set of safety guidelines should cover the measures and practices set forth in paragraph 3.4.3.1 below.
3.4.3.1 General Safety Measures and Practices.
3.4.3.1.1 Recommended Safety Procedures. The FAA recommends that comprehensive safety guidelines should include at least the following topics:
As always, thank you.
- Marc
Considering this is evolving, and there aren't any CBO guidelines yet:
- Could this forum be considered a Community Based Organization?
- If so, I'd suggest drafting pragmatic guidelines here and sharing with the other sibling forums.
- Who feels this is viable and we can easily draft a pragmatic set of guidelines that reflect hobbyist drone best practices (rather than have them dictated to us)?
- Page 11 3.4.3 here ( https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/media/afx/AC_91-57C_Coord_Copy.pdf ) provides the FAA's expectations as to what the FAA expects from CBOs.
- This is pasted below for convenience, as follows:
3.4.3 A comprehensive set of safety guidelines may include topics that span beyond the limitations listed at 49 U.S.C. § 44809(a). The FAA encourages, but does not require, CBOs to develop comprehensive sets of safety guidelines to enhance the safety and security of all operations in the NAS and people and property on the ground. For example, a comprehensive set of safety guidelines should cover the measures and practices set forth in paragraph 3.4.3.1 below.
3.4.3.1 General Safety Measures and Practices.
3.4.3.1.1 Recommended Safety Procedures. The FAA recommends that comprehensive safety guidelines should include at least the following topics:
- The FAA recommends that comprehensive safety guidelines should include at least the following topics: Adequate protections and mitigations to prevent the UAS from causing harm to any person. CBOs should consider addressing how they will mitigate hazards to avoid creating a risk to people who are not flying the aircraft. Safe practices should include: restrictions on flying over people, establishing buffer areas between an aircraft’s planned flightpath and any people in the area, and using restricted access areas for activities such as racing.
- Prohibition on modifying UAS and the carriage of hazardous materials or weapons. CBOs should restrict their members from customizing or modifying the aircraft in such a way that creates a danger to the public or the NAS. CBOs should include a statement prohibiting the carriage of hazardous materials or requiring compliance with applicable laws and rules for the carriage of hazardous materials. Refer to 49 CFR parts 171 through 180. CBOs should also remind operators that Federal law prohibits equipping or arming any UAS with a dangerous weapon. See Section 363 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
- Prohibition on engaging in careless or reckless behavior. Guidelines should include information on avoiding careless or reckless behavior. The FAA recommends including information on the five hazardous attitudes in aeronautical decision making (refer to the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Figure 2-4) and the “Dirty Dozen” human behaviors in aircraft maintenance (refer to https://www.faasafety.gov/files/ gslac/library/documents/2012/Nov/71574/DirtyDozenWeb3.pdf).
- Preflight safety. Information on preflight safety includes ensuring that the aircraft, recreational flyer, environment, and location are all appropriate for flight. To mitigate hazards, guidelines should include, as appropriate to the needs of the CBO, preflight assessments, flight planning and hazard identification techniques, and scanning techniques for aircraft and other people entering an area of operation. AC 107-2, Appendix E, Sample Preflight Assessment and Inspection Checklist, provides a detailed example of a preflight checklist that CBOs may be able to adapt for their particular needs.
- In-flight safety. Guidelines for in-flight safety should remind recreational flyers to assess the UA’s performance continually; monitor the strength of command and control links; watch for changing weather conditions; and watch for unexpected people or aircraft in the area of operation. Additionally, guidelines should instruct recreational flyers to be familiar with the automated features a UAS may have, and how the UAS would behave when those features are activated. For instance, a return-to-home protocol on a UAS could initiate a straight-line path toward the person flying it that could cross over people or possibly strike an obstacle such as a tree or power lines.
- Post-flight safety. Guidelines for post-flight inspection should include encouraging recreational flyers to review the flight to determine whether any unplanned events occurred that presented a risk to the operation. Guidelines should also consider including recommendations for safely securing UA between flights to include removing batteries and protecting fragile parts from wear and tear per the manufacturer’s recommendations.
As always, thank you.
- Marc
