Flight Risk Assessment Tool

[skymonkey]

I thought I’d share this free app from Flight Safety International that any PIC can use to help mitigate flight risk.

FlightSafety sUAS FRAT

FlightSafety International's Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems is a quick and simple utility to help remote pilots assess the potential risk of remote aircraft missions. FRAT App may be used to help assess risks to be encountered on a proposed flight and...

apps.apple.com

Fly Safe!!!

 

[MapMaker53]

I'm not sure why a Part 107 pilot would ever need an app to tell him/her how risky a flight might be. They already know their own ability and understand the regs, safety procedures, and what they should be checking before each flight. Might be good for novices to remind them what they need to consider. Basically just a checklist.

 

[PatR]

I believe we will be seeing the commercial regulatory environment becoming much more complex in the near future, especially with BVLOS operations. Pilot and maintenance training, currency, system status, conditions, etc., may well end up requiring to have a documentation trail for every flight.

What Flight Safety provides in their app is very similar to what has been in use for a long time by various military UAV operators, with some utilities also using similar for risk assessment in their inspection operations. As background, some aerospace level drone companies designated as “Pathfinders” by the FAA, developed and submitted to the FAA a similar risk mitigation tool several years ago. The FAA certainly uses a similar tool when reviewing waiver requests.

I would not be the least bit surprised to see insurance carriers insisting their drone customers start using a similar template to provide risk assessment records to assist reducing their liability in an accident claim. In fact, I suspect insurance companies will be the people that initiate use as a condition of insurance since Flight Safety has been a world recognized leader in aviation training for decades. Flight Safety is where insurance companies send corporate operators and private owners of high end commercial aircraft obtain type certification safety training.

We may not like it or want to participate, but this app is indicative of the type of regulations we will be dealing with very soon. I predict our regulatory environment will be more onerous as it is for Part 135 operators. For now we don’t have to make use of this kind of stuff but when the FAA finally gets around to performing periodic checks of commercial pilot and aircraft logs those that don’t have them will have some explaining to do.

 

[R Martin]

I'm not sure why a Part 107 pilot would ever need an app to tell him/her how risky a flight might be. They already know their own ability and understand the regs, safety procedures, and what they should be checking before each flight. Might be good for novices to remind them what they need to consider. Basically just a checklist.

But its marketed by FlightSafety....apparently they want their cut of the pie as well. I've always maintained that if you need an app to fly, you probably shouldn't be flying. You either have good judgement or not and an app is not going to change that. But that is just me....

 

[skymonkey]

I just put it out there for anyone that might be interested and benefit from it, and definitely wasn’t asking for any opinions. Thanks and fly safe.

 

[PatR]

I don’t believe we can use having good judgement as a qualifier. There’s far too much history of multirotor operators using extremely bad judgement in their flight activities, yet they continue to fly.

I know that I’m guilty of that as I once chose to believe I could mitigate the threat of flying near people at a public event. Doing it just one time provided every reason I could ask for to never, ever do it again. Nothing bad happened but it would have required very little to have gone wrong for something very bad to have happened. My risk assessment process at the time was not adequate.

 

[Enal]

I'm not sure why a Part 107 pilot would ever need an app to tell him/her how risky a flight might be. They already know their own ability and understand the regs, safety procedures, and what they should be checking before each flight. Might be good for novices to remind them what they need to consider. Basically just a checklist.

I’m guessing that you’ve never flown in any Oil & Gas Refinery’s or large scale Power Facilities because they want proof that you have taken the steps to put a tool like this in place and use it for every mission.
This is in no way a checklist, but actually an assessment of the area you are about to operate. As painful as mine was to create and prove the use, it was an education and awakening of how serious a client like SHELL, EXXON & Chevron demanded operations safety , that’s why I was approved and this document is now used by them as the minimum for any operator to have.

I’d love an app to do this for me vs the spreadsheet I’ve created.

 

[MapMaker53]

Well, you guessed wrong because I often fly that type of work. We have safety manuals and JSAs for all of our operations, which those clients have approved. And we've received a coveted ExxonMobil Safety Award. So it is unwise to make assumptions.

Based on my experience working with ExxonMobil, I doubt they would be satisfied relying on an app to determine what safety risk I posed. The app is to help the drone operator/team to consider all of the variables. Personally, I'm confident doing that myself with proper due-diligence as I prepare for any operation. Maybe some people need an app like that, but again I don't think a good Part 107 operator should need it if he/she understands all of the variables they need to consider. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Enal]

Congratulations on your success!

Safety Manuals should address the tools used like this application or the proper documentation used that is attached to the JSA.

Making assumptions is not a act of being unwise but typically done because of vague information delivered by someone in a discussion. Now the assumption that you made in regards to the risk assessment application to help identify hazards in multiple facilities is probably more unwise because situations change constantly in these environments.

 

[MapMaker53]

I'm done, folks.

 

[PatR]

Owner/operator outfits probably would not make as much use of this, unless required by the customer or insurance carrier.

OTOH, companies that employ multiple crews, with new hires rotating in and out, could find it useful. Having used a similar format with a large electrical utility, it helps elevate the level of supervision when crews rotate personnel. Although safety is the responsibility of every crew member, each crew always has a lead operator who is responsible for general oversight. Having a standardized risk assessment format could help them establish who would fly, or not fly, in various situations.

With the understanding that minimizing risk and reducing potential for litigation is a great concern for companies across America their safety departments and insurance carriers have as much, or more, weight in the decision making process as any other individual or department involved in go/no fo decisions.

As FSI is a company involved with flight training, flight safety, crew resource management, and flight currency recognized by governments, air carriers, and insurance companies around the world we might want to accept that anything they introduce will eventually be adopted as part of flight department safety policies.

We may not like or want what they come up with but we’ll have to deal with it.