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Drones in depth 4: running a drone programme

The business case and operating model, operations planning, flight beyond line of sight, maintenance and configuration control, safety management and data, and a step-by-step set-up for an airline, MRO or airport. Part 4 of the Drones in depth series.

By Aerospace Garage Desk · Managing it · 45 minutes · 24 narrated pages

What you will be able to do

  • ✓ Build a drone business case from fixed and variable costs and utilisation, find the break-even volume, and choose between in-house, contractor and hybrid models.
  • ✓ Plan an operation with a site survey, named crew roles, a written weather and airspace check and a documented go or no-go decision.
  • ✓ Explain what changes beyond visual line of sight, and size an operational volume and ground risk buffer from speed, reaction time and height.
  • ✓ Set up a drone maintenance programme with battery and aircraft logbooks and configuration control of software and settings.
  • ✓ Bring drones into the safety management system with a starter risk register, occurrence reporting thresholds and data and cyber controls.
  • ✓ Set up a programme step by step, measure it with a few indicators against an alert level, and prepare for the rules ahead.

Course content

Session 1 · The business case and the operating model

1.1

  1. From a trial to a programme · free preview
  2. Building the business case
  3. In house, contractor or hybrid
  4. Worked example: Pasochoa chooses its operating model
Session 2 · Operations planning

1.2

  1. Site survey and crew roles
  2. Weather and airspace: the daily check
  3. The rules on one page
  4. Worked example: go or no-go for the hangar roof check
Session 3 · BVLOS: flying beyond line of sight

1.3

  1. What changes beyond line of sight
  2. The data link: performance, not range
  3. Detect and avoid, and the operational volume
  4. Worked example: a corridor to the third hangar
Session 4 · Maintenance and airworthiness of drones

1.4

  1. A maintenance programme for drones
  2. Battery life tracking
  3. Logbooks, firmware and configuration control
  4. From the investigation file: the medical-sample drone over Zurich
Session 5 · Safety management and data

1.5

  1. Fitting drones into the safety management system
  2. Occurrence reporting
  3. Data protection and cyber security
  4. Worked example: Pasochoa's starter risk register
Session 6 · Setting up the programme, and the road ahead

1.6

  1. Setting up the programme, step by step
  2. Measuring the programme
  3. The road ahead: rules, routine BVLOS and advanced air mobility
  4. Worked example: Pasochoa's programme, one year on

Who this course is for

  • Managers setting up or taking over a drone programme in an airport, MRO or operator
  • Safety, quality and maintenance leads bringing drones into their management system and records
  • Programme leads preparing to fly beyond visual line of sight and building the business case

You need: Drones in depth 3: payloads and the jobs drones do, or experience running drone operations.

Upskill courses are for professional development and are not approved by any aviation authority. Learner Terms

Course content © Aerospace Garage Limited. All rights reserved.