sUAS Flight Manual   

February 2016

sUAS Flight Manual

PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc.
sUAS Flight Manual    

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To describe responsibilities and tasks required to safely and successfully operate Small Unmanned

Aircraft Systems (sUAS) for aerial imaging, safety, and monitoring of secured and controlled

environment construction sites (“Sites”).

Operation of the sUAS cannot proceed without full compliance with:

a. Health, Safety and Environmental Precautions

b. Qualifications for the Pilot in Command (PIC)

c. Preflight Planning

d. Completion of the Preflight Checklist

as described in the so‐named sections of this flight manual (the “Flight Manual”).

1. PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC):

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

the operation and safety of the flight.

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 requirements of the Preflight Checklist are completed and

documented, and shall fully comply with all manufacturer’s operation and maintenance

guidelines.

d. The PIC will carry out the flight plan (the “Flight Plan”) as planned and approved in advance

by construction project (“Project”) management and owners of property at the Site.

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

operations by direct view with human eyesight.

2. VISUAL OBSERVER (VO):

a. The Visual Observer is a trained person who assists the PIC with collision avoidance,

including but not limited to avoidance of traffic, clouds, obstructions and terrain.

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

operation.

c. The VO will travel to locations on the Site, as required and as specified in the Flight

Plan, and shall be able to communicate verbally with the PIC at all times during the

operation.

3. Personnel Protective Equipment: The PIC and VO will at all times abide by Project and Site safety

rules regarding protective equipment. This typically will consist of ANSI approved hard hats and

safety glasses, but in many locations may also include fire resistant clothing, and safety shoes.

4. Hazard Communication:  Toxic substances used in the work area must be disclosed to personnel

PURPOSE

RESPONSIBILITIES

HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRECAUTIONS
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under laws and OSHA regulations. The sUAS operation shall not involve use of, or transportation

of, any hazardous materials. But the Site being photographed, monitored, or surveyed may

contain and process such materials. During the preflight planning meeting the PIC and VO must

ask if there are any precautions required of them for protection from hazardous materials and

shall comply with any such required precautionary measures. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

must be available to the PIC and VO in such circumstances.

5. Permits:  All safety and environmental requirements set forth by law and jurisdictional permits

must be followed at all times.  Any permits necessary for sUAS use must be obtained in advance

of sUAS operation.

6. Equipment Safety Inspection:  Prior to each flight, the PIC will inspect the sUAS, including the

ground control station, in accordance with the Preflight Checklist to assure that the system is

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

documentation (the “Preflight Check”).  If the Preflight Check indicates any unsafe conditions or

a non‐functioning safety‐critical part, the flight will not commence until the necessary

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

7. Site Approval: No operations may commence until the Flight Plan has been reviewed

and approved by Project management and necessary property owners.

8. Conditions:  All sUAS operations must be in daylight hours and under visual meteorological

conditions (VMC). No operations will be conducted less than 500 feet below or less than

2,000 feet horizontally from a cloud when visibility is less than 3 statute miles from the PIC.

9. Safe Power Levels:  As standard operating procedure, the PIC will immediately return the sUAS to

the Home Point for a battery swap when the battery level reaches 25%.

10. Collision Avoidance:  Altitude and distance limits will be entered into the sUAS’s flight control

system (the “Flight Control System”) prior to commencement of each flight.  The Flight Control

System will restrict the operations to specific properties. The sUAS’s “Failsafe Function,” integral

to the Flight Control System, will assure the aircraft stays within the area deemed safe for

operation, as well as below 300 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 and terrain.

11. Proximity of Airports: sUAS 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 Authorization (COA).

12. Emergencies: sUAS operations will be aborted immediately if the PIC encounters unpredicted

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

with sUAS User Manuals.

13. Incident Reporting: Any incident, accident, or flight operation that transgresses the lateral or

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. Project management and Site owners will be as soon as possible following such an

incident.

14. Qualifications and Training: The PIC will and the requisite qualifications and certifications

described below. The VO will be trained by the PIC on duty stations for the VLOS method, as

required by the Flight Plan, and the procedures for verbal communication.
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15. Certifications: Operations will be conducted by a Pilot in Command (PIC) possessing either a

sport, recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot certificate and either a current

FAA airman medical certificate or a valid U.S. driver’s license issued by a state, the District of

Columbia, Puerto Rico, a territory of the U.S., a possession of the U.S., or the Federal government.   

16. Flight Review:  Prior to operation of a sUAS, the PIC undergo a flight review consisting of a

minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training in an aircraft in which the PIC is

rated on his or her pilot certificate.

17. Logged Hours: Prior to operations the PIC will have accumulated and logged sufficient hours as a

sUAS pilot with a multi‐ rotor sUAS to demonstrate the ability to safely operate the sUAS in a

manner consistent with FAA regulations. PICs will undergo training, proficiency, and experience‐

building flights in dedicated training sessions.   

19. Emergency and Evasive Maneuvers: The PIC will have demonstrated the ability to safely operate

the sUAS in a manner consistent with how it will be operated in during operations, including

evasive and emergency maneuvers and maintaining appropriate distances from people, vessels,

vehicles and structures. The logged hours referenced above will document this training.

20. Plan: A meeting with Project management will be conducted to establish the purpose and

objectives of the operation (“Preflight Planning Meeting”).  Following the Preflight Planning

Meeting, site plot plan drawing will be created to show the Flight Path over the Site.  The Flight

Plan drawings will also show:  

 Starting and ending points for the flight

 Required intermediate waypoints for hovering or change of direction

 Approximate altitudes along the flight path

 Areas of special interest to be surveyed

 Clearly marked obstructions or areas to avoid

 Station points for the PIC and VO at various stages of the operation

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

the flight path.

21. Walk Around: The PIC, the VO, and Project management will walk the Site in to determine any

additional details that should be included or taken into account in the Flight Plan, and adjust the

Flight Plan accordingly.

22. Approval: The Flight Plan will be reviewed and approved in advance of the flight by Project

management and owners of property at the Site if required.

23. At a minimum, the items set forth in the Preflight Checklist attached hereto will be checked and

confirmed prior to commencement of any flight.   

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC)

PREFLIGHT PLANNING

PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST
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24. All operations will be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s required procedures for

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

used to guide flight instruction for the PIC.

 Inspire 1 Pro User Manual

 Phantom 2 User Manual

 Phantom 3 Professional User Manual

(collectively the “sUAS User Manuals” or “DJI User Manuals”).

25. Preflight Inspection:  In accordance with the Preflight Checklist procedure above, the PIC will

complete a visual inspection and assessment of the sUAS and determine airworthiness. The

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

26. Record Keeping: Preflight Checklists will be signed and dated by the PIC and filed in an

Equipment Inspection and Maintenance Record Book.

27. Acceptance: If the Preflight Check indicates any unsafe conditions or a non‐functioning 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.

28. Repairs and Alterations:

 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 Record Book.

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

published recommendations.

TASKS AND STEPS

EQUIPMENT INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
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Preflight Checklist Form

Checklist Number    Type   

Authored By    Revision Number   

Reviewed By Next Review Date

Approved By Approved Date

Check each item as verified complete:

 Operations must be in daylight hours and under visual meteorological conditions (VMC).

 Area to be surveyed is defined on a plot plan drawing with path of flight and altitudes for each

leg of the flight clearly marked.

 Flight plan and schedule have been reviewed with Project management and communicated to

all PCL and Client personnel in the area.

 Remote control, smart battery, range extender, and smart phone are fully charged.

 Propellers are mounted correctly.

 Gimbal clamp has been removed.

 Damping absorbers are in good condition, not broken or worn.

 Anti‐drop kits have been mounted correctly.  

 Camera lens cap has been removed.

 Micro‐SD card has been inserted.

 Gimbal is functioning as normal.

 App can connect to the camera.

 Compass has been calibrated.

 Flight radius and altitude limits have been set with the sUAS software, not to exceed 400 ft.

AGL altitude, and radius limited to the property boundaries of PCL or PCL Client site.

 The Visual Observer (VO) is stationed 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 verbal

communication.

 There are no inoperable components.

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

 If required, a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been requested not more than 72 hours in

advance and not less than 48 hours prior to the operation.

 Motors can start and function as normal.

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

 Date and sign the completed Preflight Checklist and file it in Equipment Inspection and

Maintenance Record Book.

PIC Printed Name PIC Signature Date

CAUTION

Flight of the sUAS must not proceed unless the Home Point is set in the Flight Control System

utilizing the manufacturer’s procedures prior to flight. This will assure that the Fail Safe

Function returns the aircraft to the PIC in case any of the failure scenarios are encountered.