Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations - SM4 Safety Articles & Resources
The 5 Essential Steps of UAS Site Assessments
Most often, the crucial moment for avoiding an accident in aviation—whether you’re the pilot of a manned craft or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)—is not when you’re airborne, but when…
8 Tips from a Manned and Unmanned Pilot for Safely Flying a Drone in Extreme Weather Conditions
As the drone industry and FAA drone regulations expand, more and more industries are finding use cases to launch drones for daily operations. Some of these missions, of course, take…
Improving Safety: Understanding sUAS Autonomous Capabilities
There’s absolutely no doubt about it: the future of commercial unmanned aircraft operations will revolve around autonomy. Without autonomy, sUAS lose many of the core benefits that have fueled their…
Developing a Safety Culture Through an Internal Pilot Qualification Program
As the small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) industry continues to grow rapidly, large organizations are latching on to this industry‐altering technology and creating various models to scale and implement unmanned…
sUAS Crisis Management: Ensuring Successful Communications During Crisis Response Operations
In 2017, the United States endured many natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other forms of destruction. Throughout these national crises and incidents, the small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) industry launched…
Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Unmanned Aircraft Operations
In June 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published its long-awaited rules governing the commercial use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). The rules…
FAA Proposed Rules for Small UAS Fall Short
In February 2015 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on rules for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). The proposed rules outline both…
Safety Culture for Small UAS Operators
With the upcoming release of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) governing small “Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)”, there is increased focus on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ability to safely…