Appendix F

Blue Crab Media

Operating Procedure &Pre FlightChecklist

Version 1.1
Procedure for UASOperations

PURPOSE

The purpose of this procedure is to describe responsibilities and tasksrequired to safely and successfully 

operate the DJI Inspire 1 unmanned aircraft system to complete aerial work for Blue Crab Medias clients.

This is a critical procedure that includes mandatory sign off of the Preflight Checklist for safety and full 

compliance. All steps must be completed asrequired.

To properly use this procedure, all personnel must be aware of related information contained in this 

document.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. PILOT IN COMMAND(PIC):

a. The Pilot in Command of the aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority 

for the operation and safety of theflight.

b. In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the PIC may deviate from any rule 

or procedure to the extent required to meet that emergency in order to protect life and 

property.

c. The PIC will assure that all Preflight Checks are completed and documented and execute 

full compliance with all manufacturer’s operation and maintenance documents.

d. The PIC will carry out the flight plan as agreed to and approved by site leadership.

e. The PIC is responsible for maintaining Visual Line-of-Sight (VLOS) with the aircraft during 

operations by direct view with humaneyesight.

2. VISUAL OBSERVER(VO):

a. The Visual Observer is a trained person who assists the PIC with the duties associated 

with collision avoidance, including avoidance of traffic, clouds, obstructions and terrain.

b. The VO will maintain Visual Line-of-Sight (VLOS) with the aircraft at all times during 

operation.

c. The VO will travel to required locations on the site, as specified in the flight plan, and be 

able to communicate verbally with the PIC at all times during the operation
HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTALPRECAUTIONS

1. Personnel ProtectiveEquipment:

a. The PIC and VO will at all times abide by local site safety rules regarding wearing of 

protective equipment. This typically consists of ANSI approved hard hats and safety 

glasses, but in many locations may also include fire resistant clothing (e.g. Nomex®) and 

safety shoes.

2. Hazard Communication:

a. Toxic substances used in the work area must be disclosed to personnel under laws 

managed by OSHA. The UAS operation does not involve use of any hazardous materials. 

The site being surveyed may contain and process such materials. During the preflight 

planning meeting the PIC and VO should ask if there are any precautions required of 

them for personnel protection and comply with these. Material Safety Data Sheets 

(MSDS) should be available to aid in any awareness needed for specific substances.

3. Permits:

a. In compliance with localsite safety procedures all required permits must be obtained 

and approved. All safety and environmental requirements by those permits and 

referenced site procedures must be followed at alltimes.

4. Equipment SafetyInspection:

a. Prior to each flight, the PIC will inspect the DJI Inspire 1 including the ground control 

station, in accordance with the Preflight Checklistto assure that the system is airworthy

as determined by the PIC on the basis of these checks and manufacturer’s 

documentation. If the Preflight Check indicates any unsafeconditions or a

nonfunctioning safety-critical part,the flight will not commence until the needed 

maintenance is performed and a satisfactory Preflight Check can be completed.

5. Site Approval:

a. No operations will start without review and approval of site leadership and 

communication of the site plan and schedule with site personnel.

6. Conditions:

a. All operations must be in daylight hours and under visual meteorological conditions 

(VMC). No operations will be conducted above 400’ AGL.

7. Safe Power Levels:

a. As standard operating procedure, the PIC will immediately return the DJI Inspire 1 to the 

Home Point for a battery swap when the battery level reaches30%.

8. Collision Avoidance:

a. Altitude and distance limits will be entered into the Flight Control System prior to 

commencement of flight. This will restrict the operation to the Blue Crab Medias 

client property. The Failsafe Function integral with the Flight Control System will 

assure the aircraftstays within the area deemed safe for operation, as well as assure

altitudes do
Not exceed 400 feet AGL. By the Visual Line-of-Sight (VLOS) method the PIC with 

assistance of the VO will assure the aircraft avoids any other possible traffic, with 

clouds, obstructions andterrain.

9. Proximity ofAirports:

a. Operations will be restricted to Class G airspace. No operations will occur within 5 miles 

of a non-towered airport reference point as denoted on a current FAA-published 

aeronautical chart, unless a letter agreement with the airport’s management is 

obtained, and the operation is conducted in accordance with a Notice to Airman 

(NOTAM) as required by the Certificate of Waiver or Operation (COA).

10. Emergencies:

a. Operations will be aborted immediately if the PIC encounters unpredicted obstacles or 

emergencies. Safe descent and landing procedures will be followed in accordance with 

operating documents.

11. Incident Reporting:

a. Any incident, accident, or flight operation that transgresses the lateralor vertical 

boundaries of the operational area as defined by the applicable COA will be reported to 

the FAA's UAS Integration Office (AFS>80) within 24 hours. Accidents will be reported to 

the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) per instructions contained on the NTSB 

Web site: www.ntsb.gov. Site leadership will be notified immediately as specified by 

local procedures.

12. Qualifications andTraining:

a. The PIC will have logged hours and certifications as described in the Qualificationsfor 

the PIC section of this procedure. The VO will be trained by the PIC regarding duty 

stations for the VLOS method as required by the flight plan and the procedures for 

verbal communication.

PREREQUISITES

1. UAS Operation cannot proceed without full complianceof

a. Qualifications of the Pilot in Command(PIC)

b. Health, Safety, and EnvironmentalPrecautions

c. Preflight planning

d. Preflight Checklist

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PILOT IN COMMAND(PIC)

1. Logged Hours:
 Prior to operations the PIC will have accumulated and logged a minimum of 25 hours of 

total time as a UAS rotorcraft pilot including at least 10 hours logged as a UAS pilot with 

a multi-rotor UAS. Training, proficiency, and experience building flights in dedicated 

training sessions will be included in the accumulated and logged hours.

 Prior to operations, the PIC will have accumulated and logged a minimum of 5 hours as 

UAS pilot specifically operating the DJI Inspire 1. The PIC will have accomplished, during

dedicated training sessions, 3 take offs and landings in the preceding 90days.

2. Emergency and EvasiveManeuvers:

 The PIC will have demonstrated the ability to safely operate the DJI Inspire 1 in a 

manner consistent with how it will be operated in surveyingBlue Crab Media’s 

Client properties, including evasive and emergency maneuversand maintaining

appropriate distancesfrom people, vessels, vehicles and structures. The logged 

hour’s reference above will document this.

PREFLIGHT PLANNING

1. Plan:

 A meeting with site leadership will be conducted to establish the purpose and objectives 

of the operation. Following that meeting, a path of flight over the Blue Crab Medias 

Client property to achieve the operation’s objectives will be displayed on a site plot plan 

drawing showing:

a. Starting and endingpoints

b. Required intermediate waypoints for hovering or change ofdirection

c. Approximate altitudes along the flightpath

d. Areas of special interest to besurveyed

e. Clearly marked obstructions or areas toavoid

f. Station points for the PIC and VO at variousstages of the operation

g.Camera on and off points, angle of view, as well as still and video requirements 

along the flight path.

2. Walk Around:

 The PIC, the VO, and site leadership will walk the site in accordance with the above plan 

with the aim to observe any additional details that should be taken into account in the 

flight plan. The flight plan will then be adjusted accordingly.

3. Approval:

 This flight plan will be thoroughly reviewed with site leadership and signed off by both 

the PIC and site leadership.

PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

1. Preflight checklist
As a minimum, the following items will be checked prior to initiating any operation. (A form to 

check off and document completion of these checks is included at the end of this procedure

document.)

a. Operations must be in daylight hours and under visual meteorological 

conditions(VMC).

b. Area to be surveyed is defined on a plot plan drawing with path of flight 

and altitudes for each leg of the flight clearlymarked.

c. Flight path is at least 200 ft. from all non-participating persons, vessels, 

vehicles and structures unless protective barriers or structures are 

present, or permission is granted or such operations present nohazard 

to the Pilot in Command, the Visual Observer, trainees, and other 

essential persons.

d. Flight plan and schedule has been reviewed with site leadership and 

communicated to all Blue Crab Medias and Client personnel in the

area.

e. Remote control, smart battery, range extender, and groundstation 

monitor are fully charged.

f. Propellers are mountedcorrectly.

g. Damping absorbers are in good condition, not dry>rotted or worn.

h. Anti-drop kits have been mounted correctly.

i. Micro>SD card has been inserted.

j. Gimbal is functioning asnormal.

k. Compass has beencalibrated.

l. The Visual Observer (VO) isstationed at the required initial observation 

point according to the flight plan and in view of the Pilot in Command 

(PIC) and has means for continual verbalcommunication.

m. Flight radius and altitude limits have been set with the DJI Inspire 1 

Assistant software, not to exceed 400 ft. AGL altitude, and radius 

limited to the property boundaries of Blue Crab Media or Blue Crab 

Media’s Clientsite.
n. There are no inoperablecomponents.

o. All site required safety permits are approved in in possession of the PIC.

p. Motors can start and function asnormal.

q. Flight Indicator Lights on the aircraft verify that the Home Point is set to 

currentlocation.

r. Record the Preflight Check, date and sign, and file it in the Equipment 

Inspection and Maintenance RecordBook.

MANUFACTURER’SRECOMMENDATIONS

1. All operations will be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’srequired proceduresfor 

safe flight. These requirements are specified in the following documents which will have been 

used to guide flight instruction for thePIC.

a. DJI Inspire 1 Professional Quick Start Guide

b. DJI Inspire 1 User Manual

c. DJI Inspire 1 Safety Manual

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE ANDINSPECTION

1. PreflightInspection:

a. In accordance with the Preflight Check procedure above, the PIC will complete a visual 

inspection and assessment of the aircraft and determine airworthiness. The Preflight 

Checklist Form will record each item listed to verify that it has been checked.

2. Record Keeping:

a. Preflight Checklists will be signed and dated by the PIC and filed in an Equipment 

Inspection and Maintenance RecordBook.

3. Acceptance:

a. If the Preflight Check indicates any unsafe conditions or a nonfunctioning safety critical 

part, the flight will not commence until the needed maintenance is performed and a 

satisfactory Preflight Check can be completed and the aircraft is accepted as airworthy 

by the PIC.

4. Repairs andAlterations:

a. All maintenance, repairs, and alterations performed will be documented in detail with 

description of work, parts, names of repair persons, date, and will be filed in the 

Equipment Inspection and Maintenance RecordBook.

b. All repairs and alterations will be done in accordance with the manufacturer’s published 

recommendations.

 Blue Crab Media

Flight Checklist

FLIGHT INFORMATION

CLIENT NAME:

CLIENT CONTACT:

CLIENT PHONE:

PROJECT DATE:

PROJECT TIME: START: END:

WEATHER CONDITIONS:

CHECKLIST

VERIFY ENVIRONMENT

VMC CONDITIONS PRESENT WIND IS LESS THAN 10 MPH

APPLICABLE SAFETY PERMITS 

OBTAINED

IDENTIFY HAZARDS-MAINTAIN 20 FT DISTANCE

VERIFY UAV STATUS

BATTERY, REMOTE CONTROL, AND 

SCREEN ARE FULLY CHARGED

BATTERY IS INSERTED AND LOCKED

EACH PROPELLER TIGHTENED 

PROPERLY

GPS IS CONNECTED

COMPASS IS CALIBRATED GPS HOMEPOINT IS SET

VERYIFY DATA LINK/RC QUALITY LATEST FIRMWARE IS INSTALLED

VERIFY SD CARD/RECORD SETTINGS GIMBAL IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY (MOVE SIDE TO 

SIDE)

PRE FLIGHT TEST

DETERMINE FLIGHT TIME TURN ON PROPELLORS-VERIFY STABILITY & 

CALIBRATION

DETERMINE LAUNCH ZONE/FLIGHT 

PLAN

VERIFY ALL CONTROLS WORKING

BEGIN PLANNED FLIGHT PLAN

POST FLIGHT NOTES DID ANYTHING CHANGE?

PILOT (PRINTED): PILOT SIGNATURE: