This manual was created by Matt Waite of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's

Drone Journalism Lab and Ben Kreimer of Buzzfeed's Innovation Lab through a

generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Drone Journalism Lab Operations Manual is licensed under a Creative

Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The number one goal of any drone journalism operation is safety. At no time

should safety be compromised. If there is any doubt, return the UAS to landing

zone and terminate the flight. Ethical journalism is responsible journalism and

flying a drone means taking responsibility for the safety of those on the ground

and in the air near you.

In any operation, the three roles defined in the Drone Journalism Lab Operations

Manual are:

The Pilot In Command: The PIC is responsible for all flight operations. It is the

PIC who has the ultimate authority on any flight. The PIC determines if the aircraft

is airworthy and capable of conducting the proposed operations. The PIC is

responsible for determining if the airspace allows the proposed operation. The

PIC is responsible for conducting operations within all FAA regulations and any

restrictions set forth by a grant of exemption.

The Drone Journalism Lab Operations

Manual

Credits

License

Preamble
The Observer: The Observer is responsible for monitoring the operational area to

ensure that there are no hazards that may endanger the flight or people outside

the control of the operation. The Observer is the only member of the team who

can speak to the PIC during flight operations. The Observer is to alert the PIC

immediately if any aircraft come into the area, or if any person or vehicle comes

within 500 feet of the operation. The Observer must remain close enough to the

PIC to be able to alert the PIC verbally.

The Journalist The Journalist is responsible for communicating flight goals to PIC

before flight and verifying results after. The Journalist can act as Observer,

however during flight operations, the only communication with the PIC is about

hazards only. The Journalist determines what is needed for the story and

communicates that to the PIC. The PIC is responsible for determining if the

Journalist's goals are possible under the conditions presented.

Normal Operating Checklists

Pre-trip
Item Action

Batteries Charge

Controller Batteries Charge

Propellers Balance

Propeller nuts Check and tighten if necessary

Landing strut screws Check and tighten if necessary

Motor mount screws Check and tighten if necessary

Gimbal wiring harness Check and tighten if necessary

Gimbal mounting

screws

Check and tighten if necessary

Gimbal camera

harness Check and tighten if necessary

Compass wiring

harness Check and reseat if necessary

Camera battery Charge

Camera memory card Check and empty if necessary

Mission planning

meeting Record goals of the flight

Airspace check Consult current sectional chart, NOTAMs

Airport check If within controlled airspace, contact airport

manager

NOTAM File with FAA if necessary

Pre-flight
Item Action

Wind conditions 1 Measure with anemometer for > 5 min

Wind conditions 2 Record gusts. If > 20 mph, cancel operations.

Flight area Visually inspect for hazards.

Flight area Note hazards: Determine flight status

Takeoff/landing area Delineate flat open area

Takeoff/landing area Clear of debris, leaves, sticks

Operations area Delineate > 15 feet from takeoff area

Pre-flight meeting Review goals

Observer Leave takeoff area if present

Journalist Leave takeoff area if present

Controller Pilot in command turns on

Battery Pilot in command connects

Compass Pilot in command calibrates if necessary

Pilot in command Leave takeoff area before launch

Telemetry Check wireless connection

Video monitor Check wireless connection

All clear check Check takeoff area, airspace, flight area

Power up Unlock motors, increase throttle

Final pre-mission check At low hover, check telemetry status

During Flight
Item Action

Airborne hazard check Observer reports immediately

Ground hazard check Observer reports immediately

Battery check Note battery levels frequently

At 30ft linear distance from takeoff

point

Set course lock

Flight parameter check Pilot in command evaluates altitude

Low battery alert Return to landing area

Battery change Pilot in command changes the

battery

Battery change meeting Evaluate mission goals

Post-flight
Item Action

Battery removal Pilot in command removes the battery

Controller Turn off after battery removal

Camera Turn off

Memory card Remove from camera

Propellers Visual inspection, log changes

Landing struts Visual inspection, log changes

Gimbal Visual inspection, log changes

Housing Return UAV to case after inspection

Flight log Record times in flight log

General Operational Guidelines: The UAS has two radio links (Bluetooth and

RC), both capable of controlling the UAS. The RC link is for Pilot In Command to

directly control the aircraft. Bluetooth is for automated flight via GPS waypoint. If

the Bluetooth link on the UAS is lost, the UAS will revert to RC control and the

Pilot-In-Command will take over flight, return it to the landing zone to land it. If the

RC link is lost, the UAS is configured to execute an Return To Home procedure

created by the manufacturer to prevent drift outside of the operation area. In a

Return To Home scenario, the aircraft will stop, elevate or descend to 60 feet

AGL, and take a direct course to the original takeoff spot as recorded by GPS.

Once over the home point, it will land itself. In this case the pilot and observer will

attempt to verbally warn anyone in the area to be aware of the UAS. Loss of RC

control is considered a more significant event.

Emergency Procedures

Lost Link/Mission Procedures
Lost Bluetooth Procedure Checklist

Actor Action

PIC Verifies lost link

PIC Verifies positive control of UAS via RC

PIC Verbally notifies Observer

PIC PIC assumes control via RC

Observer Observer notifies other operations personnel

PIC Returns UAS to pre-determined landing area as safely practical

PIC Land UAS

Lost RC Control Procedure Checklist

Actor Action

PIC Verifies lost link

PIC Verbally notifies Observer

Observer Verbally notifies other operations personnel

PIC Turns off RC controller

PIC Turns RC controller on

PIC If positive control returns, PIC lands immediately

PIC If positive control does not return, PIC alerts Observer

PIC Verifies that Return to Home function has engaged.

PIC/Observer Verifies that landing area is clear, clear if necessary

PIC Upon UAS landing PIC turns off battery immediately
During any automated flight, if there is any concern that the UAS is not flying the

planned mission or that control characteristics are abnormal, the PIC will take

manual control of the UAS with RC control, return it to the landing zone if able,

and land it. There may be minor problems that do not require emergency

assumption of control. In these cases, the GCS communication can direct the

UAS to land or the PIC can manually land the UAS.

Emergency Assumption of Control Checklist

Actor Action

PIC Verifies abnormal operation

PIC Verbally notifies Observer

Observer Verbally notifies other operations personnel

PIC Assumes control of UAS using RC

PIC If necessary, begin emergency landing at a safe location

PIC If practical, return UAS to pre-determined landing zone, execute

landing

Regulations require that the UAS remain within Visual Line of Sight(VLOS) at all

times. If, that VLOS is broken, the PIC should return to VLOS immediately if

possible. If PIC cannot return UAS to VLOS, using the GCS, the PIC should

execute a preprogrammed flight path to return to the landing zone.

Loss of Sight Checklist

Emergency Assumption of Control

Loss of Sight
Actor Action

PIC Notifies Observer of broken VLOS

Observer Reports if UAS is within Observer's VLOS

Observer If UAS is out of VLOS, alert PIC to begin Loss of Sight

procedures

PIC If possible, reverse course to return to VLOS as soon as safe

PIC If course reversal is not possible, execute return to home

procedure via GCS

PIC Report when UAS is in VLOS

Observer Report when UAS is in VLOS

PIC Post flight, record conditions that led to loss of VLOS

In most emergency situations, the general protocol is to land as soon as is safely

practical. In many emergency situations, landing at the pre-determined landing

zone will not be possible. The goal is a controlled, safe landing.

Loss of Power/Motor

Actor Action

PIC Attempt control the UAS to land in open, safe area

PIC Alert operations personnel of emergency situation

Observer Alert others to emergency situation

PIC Post flight, record details of flight for report

In-flight Fire

Other in-flight emergencies
Actor Action

PIC Attempt control the UAS to land in open, safe area

PIC Alert operations personnel of emergency situation

Observer Alert others to emergency situation

PIC Post flight, record details of flight for report