Human Factors 5

Risk Assessment As a Pilot you can't completely avoid risks so you must strive to minimize them. This requires a careful risk assessment of the following Pilot Evaluate yourself to determine if there is a risk to taking control of the aircraft, is there: Physical Stresses present Psychological Stresses present Might be tough, but relinquishing control may be a lot better than doing the job and causing an accident. Aircraft Do a pre-flight check of the aircraft, checking for damage to the aircraft, worn out parts, lights malfunctioning, poor radio signal... Assess the risk and decide on best course of action, you should have a fully functioning backup RPAS at disposal; this can make that decision a lot easier. Environment Always best to know as much about your environment well in advance to allow you to plan and minimize risk factors, issuing notifications helps you think through these risks and mitigate them in advance. Weather Flight paths Proximity to buildings or people Obstacles Landing areas Human factors and pilot decision External Pressures What is the nature of the operation How does it affect your assessment of risk The Situation Is the moment in time when all the risk factors are brought together