Several operational risk assessment (ORM) tools were developed to assist commercial operators using the DJI Phantom 3 Professional small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS), in accordance with Chapter 8 of Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Marshall, Barnhart, Shappee, Most, 2016). The Annex, derived from MIL-STD-882D/E, was used for example probability, severity, and risk levels using the “Fleet/Inventory” columns. First, the Preliminary Hazard List and Analysis was created, which is a first look at the hazards an operation might be exposed to. It was populated with hazards that have historically plagued small UAS such as high winds, electromagnetic interference, and hardware/software malfunction. Given the current public perception of “drones,” mishaps involving injury to non-participants was given the most serious rating. Next, the Operational Hazard Review and Analysis was drafted to incorporate changes from review boards, flight test experience, or operational lessons-learned. Three notional “review actions” were noted based on the author’s expectation of reasonable “near misses.” For example, taking off in high winds may still cause damage from propeller strikes. Given that the autopilot can correct for wind gusts much faster than a human, use of auto-takeoff and landing was directed for wind speeds over 15 knots. These tools should help commercial sUAS users appropriately characterize risks prior to flight, and seek guidance from supervisors and key leadership.
References
DJI. (2016). Phantom 3 Professional User Guide. Retrieved from http://www.dji.com
Marshall, D. M., Barnhart, R. K., Shappee, E., & Most, M. (2016). Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, CRC Press.
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