Saltuarius RPA LLC

Remotely Piloted Aircraft 

and

Unmanned Arial Systems

Flight Operations Manual

V2.1

Updated 07/2015
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Table of Contents

1. Preface 2

2. Philosophy and Mission Statement 2

3. Certificate of Operation 2

4. Administration 3

4.1 Operations Manual 3

4.2 Organization 4

4.3 Personnel 4

4.4 Aircraft and Facilities 5

4.5 Scheduling and Training 5

4.6 Miscellaneous 6

5 Safety 7

5.1 Safety Policy 7

5.2 Operational Hazard and Incident Report 7

5.3 Safety Operator/Observer/Supervisor 8

5.4 Human Factors 9

6 Flight Operations 10

6.1 Flight Contracts 10

6.2 Flight Location 11

6.3 Personnel Responsibilities 11

7 Pre-flight and Post-flight Actions 13

7.1 Inspections 13

7.2 Weather 13

7.3 Planning 13

7.4 Checklists 15

7.5 Maintenance 15

8 Conclusion 16
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1. Preface

This procedures and operations manual is intended to promote safe, efficient and 

lawful operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) within the National Airspace 

System (NAS). Safety above all else is the primary concern in each and every flight 

operation regardless of the nature of the mission

2. Philosophy and Mission Statement.

Is the mission of Saltuarius RPA LLC and its subsidiaries and subdivisions, referred 

to as (the) Company) to provide safe, timely and reliable sUAS services to its 

clients and other entities. UAS systems operated by the company are designed 

utmost safety and have an enviable safety record. UAS are designed to supplant 

the use of manned aircraft in order to reduce cost and provide additional safety 

to property and person by using small lightweight aircraft in lieu of manned 

aircraft weighing in excess of one thousand pounds.

The growing use of UAS in the civilian and public service arenas can have a large 

impact on the use of video recording and photography in commerce and public 

safety.

It shall be the intent of every UAS operator and the company to make reasonable 

effort not to invade a person’s reasonable expectation of privacy when operating 

the UAS. At all times the operation of company UAS will be in accordance with 

FAA regulations and provide a Equivalent level of Safety to the use of manned 

aircraft.

3. COA (Certificate of Authorization) 

In accordance with a granted FAA section 333 waiver no aircraft will be flown in 

commerce without a COA. A COA will either be a blanket COA issued in 

conjunction with FAA section 333 waiver or a specific COA issued by request 

through the FAA.
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4. Administration

4.1 Operations Manual

a) The policies and procedures in this manual are issued by the company and are 

to be considered regulations of the company. Operations outside the prevue of 

the operations manual must be pre approved by an officer of the company.

b) Operations in contradiction of the manual many result in discipline up to 

termination of employment

c) This manual is not intended to be all inclusive but to supplement other 

company and legal guidelines as well as Federal Aviation Administration 

regulations and aircraft manuals and maintenance directives.

d) This manual has been written to address UAS operations as they existed when 

it was last updated as shown on the version and date footer and cover page. 

Equipment, personnel, environment (internal and external) change over time, the 

management of change involves a systematic approach to monitoring 

organizational and regulatory policies and is a critical part of risk management. 

Given this, it is essential that this manual be reviews and continually updated as 

needed. The manual is reviewed by company principals at least annually and may 

be amended with additional material throughout the year. It is the employee’s 

responsibility to be in compliance with all changes to the manual. A full current 

operations manual is available from the Director of Operations.

e) A copy of this manual will be issued to all company authorized pilots and 

observers. It is to be available for inspection at any time and location that flight 

operations are taking place.

f) It is the responsibility of the designated Pilot in Command (PIC) to assure that 

all operations are in accordance with all company policies and manuals.
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4.2 Organization

All company functions are directed by the managing members Saltuarius RPA LLC.

Company officers including the President, Vice President and Director level 

personnel are responsible for the execution of the company mission, philosophy, 

goals and daily and strategic planning and operations of the company.

4.3 Personnel

a) The office of the Director of Operations shall be responsible for maintaining all 

training, flight and maintenance records for each pilot and aircraft maintained in 

inventory..

b) The Chief Pilot shall be responsive for maintenance of individual airframes and 

providing maintenance and flight logs to the Director of Operations. He/she will 

also evaluate and assign aircraft based on mission needs and may with approval 

of the managing members acquire, ground or dispose of aircraft in accordance 

with mission needs. The Chief Pilot shall evaluate, train, assess the proficiency and 

approve of all operators of company aircraft

c) Operators: The primary responsibility of operators is the safe and effective

operation of company aircraft in accordance with company and manufacturer 

approved flight manuals and policies. Operators must remain knowledgeable of 

current FAA regulations as well as other regulations and policies that may effect 

UAS operations.

d) Observers: The primary responsibility of the observer is to operate any 

photographic or data gathering equipment located on the UAS and to assist the 

operator or PIC in the safe and effective operation of the UAS. It is the 

responsibility of the observer to maintain ground safety while the PIC is involved 

in flight operation of the vehicle. This may include but is not limited to crowd 
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control and maintaining the safety of personnel involved in the productions but 

not participating in flight operations.

4.4 Aircraft and Facilities

a) UAS operations will be housed at company facilities as designated by managing 

members of Saltuarius RPA LLC.

b) Individual UAS airframes may be removed from company facilities only with 

permission of the Director of Operations or a company officer.

c. All UAS will be secured in an environment that will prevent their theft, 

destruction or damage.

d. All UAS and related equipment will be secured against tampering at all times.

4.5 Scheduling and Training

a) The scheduling and use of all aircraft will be approved by the Director of 

Operations or an officer of the company.

b) To maintain proficiency with the UAS operations each operator shall operate a 

UAS and log at least one flight hour per month.

c) After initial training and certification on a UAS type the operator shall fly and 

log at least one flight hour per calendar quarter in order to maintain proficiency 

on said UAS type. Current types include 250mm Quad rotor, 450mm Quad rotor 

and 960mm hex rotor. 

d) Operators not logging sufficient flight hours will require recertification by the 

chief pilot prior to resuming flight operations of either type or general flights.
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4.6 Miscellaneous

a) All contact with law enforcement or the FAA shall be reported to the Director 

of Operations or an officer of the company as immediately as possible but always 

within 24 hours. This is a 24/7 directive

b) Any unusual flight operations that may involve manned aircraft or damage to 

property or injury to person shall be reported to the Director of Operations or an 

officer of the company as immediately as possible but always within 24 hours. 

This is a 24/7 directive

c) Inquiries from the media will be directed to the Director of Operations.

d) Service inquiries will be given company printed material, have their information 

taken and provided to the Director of Operations. Immediate requests for service 

will be performed in accordance with established company rate card and may be 

honored if the PIC feels the operations will be in accordance with company policy. 

The Director of Operation or a company officer will be notified as soon as 

practical.

e) Service requests from public service or public safety agencies will be honored 

immediately by the PIC if the PIC feels the operation can be conducted in 

accordance with company policy. The Director of Operation or a company officer 

will be notified as soon as practical.

f) At no time will flight operations be undertaken without a signed contract and 

appropriate liability releases. These forms can be found in the back of this 

manual. All public safety requests will require the signature of a supervisor on 

scene.
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5. Safety

5.1 Safety Policy

a) Saltuarius RPA LLC is committed to having a safe and healthy workplace 

including

i. The ongoing pursuit of an accident free workplace providing no harm 

to people or damage to equipment, property or the environment.

ii. Providing a culture of open reporting of all hazards. The company will 

not initiate disciplinary action against any employee or contractor 

who in good faith disclose a hazard or occurrence due to 

unintentional conduct.

iii. The company will support safety and awareness programs

iv. Monitor the UAS community to assure that best practices for safety 

and efficiency are incorporated into company policy.

b) It shall be the duty of all company employees and contractors to contribute to 

the goals of safe operations. This contribution includes always operating in the 

safest manner possible and not taking unnecessary risks. Any hazard weather 

procedural, operational or maintenance related should be identified as soon as 

possible after if not before an incident occurs. Any suggestion for changes to 

increase safety in operations shall be directed to the Director of Operations.

c) Any company employee or contractor that observes or has knowledge of a 

dangerous or unsafe act of another employee or contractor shall report said 

action to the Chief Pilot or the Director of Operations. Failure to do so may result 

in dismissal from the company.

5.2 Operational Hazard and Occurrence Report.

a) Occurrences are unplanned safety related events that include accidents and 

incidents that could impact safety. A hazard is a situation that has potential to 
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cause harm. The systematic identification and correction of hazards is the 

foundation to safety

b) An Operation Hazard and Occurrence report provides a mechanism to report 

hazards and occurrences, real or perceived that perceived to those responsible 

for UAS operations.

c) Reports shall be submitted to the chief pilot or director of operations. Reports 

can be submitted anonymously. There is no form for submitting reports as the 

information is more important than the form.

d) Every hazard, occurrence, incident or accident will be investigated and findings 

provided to the director of operations and to the managing members of the LLC.

e) Hazards requiring immediate attention shall be reported to the director of 

operations or the chief pilot, verbally and without delay.

f) ALL EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS ARE AUTORIZED TO TAKE ACTION TO 

CORRECT A HAZARD if in their opinion delay will result in accident or injury. IN 

such a circumstance the chief pilot or the director of operations shall be notified 

immediately.

5.3 Safety Operator/Observer/Supervisor

a) In regards to safety all company employees and contractors are responsible for 

the following

i. Ensuring that all flight operations personnel understand the 

applicable regulatory requirements and standards as well as all 

operational safety policies and procedures.

ii. Observe and control safety systems by monitoring all operations.

III. Review standards and practices as they impact flight safety.
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iv. Communicate all safety related problems and corrective action 

taken. If there were any in-flight problems correct safety procedures 

for handling the problem shall be discussed.

v. Copy and circulate any pertinent safety information

vi. Copy and circulate any emergency safety information

vii. Flight operations of any aircraft that have been black tagged for 

maintenance or safety issues shall not be flown.

viii. It is emphasized again safety is the responsibility of ALL

5.4 Human Factors

a) Operator and Observer will only deploy the UAS if they are rested and 

emotionally prepared for the tasks at hand

b) Physical illness, exhaustion and emotional problems can seriously impair 

judgment, memory and alertness. The safest rule is to not act as an operator or 

observer if suffering from any of the above. All employees and contractors are 

expected to decline assignments when these problems could potentially affect 

their abilities to perform flight duties.

c) A self assessment of physical condition shall be part of pre-flight activities

d) Performance can be seriously hampered by prescription or over the counter 

drugs. The chief pilot will be notified if the operator is taking any drugs that have 

the potential to affect the operator.

e) No person will operate any company UAS within 8 hours of consuming any 

alcoholic beverage, while under the influence of alcohol or having an alcohol 

content in excess of .04 (FAR 91.17)
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6. Flight Operations

6.1 Flight contracts

a) All non training flights will not commence without a signed contract and liability 

release. These will be provided by the Operations office

b) All projects will be flown under a company flight plan. This plan provided by the 

operations office will contain client information, contact information if different 

from the client information. It will contain the location and time of the project. 

The company flight plan will list video/photography goals and any additional 

information that may impact mission or safety.

c) If a flight plan is produced on site it will be provided to the director of 

operations as soon as practical after the project flight.

6.2 Flight Location

a) Upon arrival at the location the operator or the observer will attempt to 

contact the person in charge of the location. This may be a homeowner, business 

owner, realtor, supervisor or supervisory law enforcement officer or incident 

commander.

b) The goals of the flight will be discussed as well as flight parameters. The 

requested flight will be screened using the following factors:

i. Is the proposed use within the capabilities of the UAS equipment on 

site and is it within the capabilities of the personnel on site?

ii. Does the proposed use fall within FAA guidelines and company 

policy?

iii. Can the UAS be safely deployed in current weather conditions?

iv. Are sufficient personnel available to safely deploy the UAS and 

maintain safe ground operations?
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c) The UAS operator has sole discretion for determining if the flight operation 

complies with company and FAA policies and if safety margins can be maintained. 

d) If the onsite operator determines that the assignment cannot be safely 

completed they will immediately notify the Director of Operation or the Chief 

Pilot.

e) The authority of the onsite operator is absolute in grounding any particular 

flight if any safety or FAA violation will occur.

6.3 Personnel Responsibilities 

OPEN COMMUNICATION ACHIEVE SAFE OPERATIONS.

a) Operators

i. The operator is directly responsible for, and the final authority over 

the actual flight operations of the UAS.

ii. Operators have absolute authority to reject any flight based on 

personnel safety or violations of FAA regulations. No company 

employee, client or public safety official may order the operator to 

undertake a flight that in the operator’s opinion cannot be conducted 

safely and within FAA regulations. 

iii. Operators are responsible for compliance with this manual, company 

policy and FAA or government regulations. 

iv. The operator’s main responsibility during flight operations is the safe 

operation of the UAS while accomplishing the goals of the flight.

v. Operators shall see-and-avoid any obstacle that will lessen safety 

during flight operations.

vi. The operator shall be responsive to requests of the observer inorder 

to accomplish the goals of the flight.
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vii. Operators will be responsible for documenting the flight and 

updating flight paperwork as well as pilot and vehicle flight logs.

b) Observers

i. Observers shall assist the operator into see-and-avoid any obstacle 

that will lessen safety during flight operations.

ii. The observer is responsible for all photographic and video recording 

and downlink of video signal.

iii. Observer shall operate all equipment attached to the UAS allowing 

the operator to maintain complete focus on the safe operation of the 

vehicle.

iv. Observer is responsible for maintaining ground security impacting 

the safe operation of the UAS.

v. Observer will handle all communication with third parties including 

clients, public safety officials or others when the UAS is in flight.

vi. Observer shall monitor airspace for any approach by other UAS or 

manned aircraft and communicate such approach immediately to the 

operator.

vii. Observer shall assist the operator in any way in maintaining the safe 

operation of the USA.
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7. Pre-Flight and Post-Flight Actions

7.1 Inspections

a) Operator and observer are both responsible for a thorough pre flight inspection 

of the UAS

b) Prior to and following of each deployment of a UAS the operator and observer 

shall conduct a thorough inspection of the UAS in accordance with the company 

flight manual for the aircraft being flown.

c) Any issues fount that put into jeopardy the safe operation of the UAS will be 

documented and corrected prior to the flight.

d) It is recognized that the use of a checklist is a significant method to combat 

UAS accident. A company approved preflight and post flight checklist will be 

utilized prior to and immediately following each flight.

e) Any equipment issue that cannot be resolved on-site and which could possibly 

have an impact on the safe operation of the UAS will override the deployment. All 

issues must be resolved prior to flight.

7.2 Weather

a) Prior to each deployment the operator and observer will ensure that he gathers 

enough information to make themselves familiar with weather conditions in the 

vicinity of flight operations. This information shall include forecast for the 

expected duration of flight operations. The operator/observer shall use FAA 

approved information sources to access current weather conditions. These may 

be supplemented with other sources as the operator/observer see fit.

b) Prior to each flight any changes in weather conditions shall be observed that 

may have changed since the forecast was obtained for the deployment.
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c) An anemometer or should be utilized in order to better estimate wind speed 

and direction at the area of flight operations to determine if local conditions are 

within limits of the airframe that is being flown.

d. Weather conditions and wind speed shall be noted in the flight log.

e. The operator shall insure that the operation of the UAS will occur within the 

FAA VFR weather conditions.

7.3 Planning

a) The operator and observer shall familiarize themselves with the information 

regarding the deployment of the UAS. This shall include objectives, photographic 

subject, weather conditions, local hazards, possible locations of electromagnetic 

interference such as power lines, electrical equipment or sources of RF 

interferences such as radio transmitters or antenna.

b) Operators will insure that the location for take-off, landing and emergency 

landing are adequate for safe flight of the UAS. 

i. When deploying in an area where personnel other than the operator and 

observer are present the operator shall clearly mark a take-off/landing 

location is clearly marked

ii. Prior to each flight at least one emergency landing location will be 

identified.

c) Operator will ensure that they are aware of their surroundings within both 

horizontal and vertical space in the event that an emergency landing is necessary. 

This includes the ability to safely recover the UAS.

d.) Operator will choose a landing location that is vertically unobstructed in the 

event that a return to home and land failsafe is initialized within the vehicle due 

to inadequate communication with the flight controller
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7.4 Checklists

a) Operator and observer will use company approved checklists to ensure the 

highest level of safety during flight operations.

b) Prior to flight the flight log shall be initiated.

7.5 Maintenance

a) Although there are few parts that require routine servicing, it is necessary that 

manufacturer required and recommended maintenance is performed and 

documented

b) Any maintenance issues that arise that cannot be resolved through routine 

measures should be documented and reported to the chief pilot.

c) In the event there are any unresolved issues with the UAS regarding 

maintenance or flight worthiness of the UAS the operator will remove the UAS 

from service and black tag the airframe and report the condition of UAS to the 

chief pilot. 

d) Only the chief pilot or director of operations may remove a black tag from an 

airframe and return the UAS to service following correction of the maintenance or 

safety issue for which the UAS was removed from service.
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8. Conclusion

It is incumbent upon all employees, contractors and others involved with flight 

operations of company UAS to instill an attitude of safety above all.

Company clients, government entities and the public deserve that UAS flights will 

not endanger person or property or violate standards of privacy. All flight 

operations will be conducted in accordance with FAA regulations and with the 

least possible impact on those not involved in the deployment.

At all times care will be given regarding noise pollution and disturbance to local 

residents. Care will be taken to not create a disruption for companion animals or 

livestock in the area of flight operations.

All employees will act as ambassadors for the company and for the UAS and 

drone industry as a whole. As much as practical company employees and 

contractors will answer questions and provide positive information on both the 

local flight operation and multi-rotor flight in general

Since its inception the public has had varying reactions to commercial and public 

drone flights in their areas. In order for the UAS industry to grow it is incumbent 

that all employees and contractors operate in the most professional manner 

possible. 

If you have any questions regarding company policy or operations they can be 

directed to the President or the Director of Operations.

Thank you for being part of the Saltuarius RPA team.

______________________________________

Josh O’leary, President

_______________________________________

Jeffrey Spatz, Director of Operations