Advanced Flight Operations and Safety

This culminating unit integrates advanced flight safety, operational decision-making, regulatory preparedness, and troubleshooting for small unmanned aircraft systems. Students practice preflight/post-flight procedures, emergency responses, mission risk assessments, Part 107 exam preparation, and common-system diagnostics to transition from foundational skills to independent, regulatory-compliant operations.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze preflight and in-flight hazards (battery management, elevation effects, weather, geofencing, airspace considerations, human factors, and lighting) and produce a written risk assessment with go/no-go determinations for at least three distinct mission scenarios.
• Apply standard pre-flight, takeoff/landing, in-flight (including lost-VLOS and RTH) and post-flight checklists and emergency procedures in simulation or field exercises, successfully completing each checklist under instructor observation in a minimum of three practice flights.
• Demonstrate knowledge of regulatory requirements and exam logistics by completing Part 107 exam registration steps, correctly identifying Class G and special-use airspace on sectional charts, and explaining night operations and lighting requirements consistent with state and federal guidance.
• Evaluate and troubleshoot common system failures and pilot errors (poor GPS connectivity, overreliance on obstacle avoidance, tilted/imbalanced flights, battery misestimation, and geofencing conflicts) through hands-on scenarios and correctly diagnose and recommend corrective actions in at least 80% of cases.