Preflight Checklist

[Fuzzman18]

Hello, does anyone have a checklist for a Mavic Pro or I guess any drone for commercial ops that they are willing to share? I have one, sort of, but just want to make sure I am including everything. Thanks

 

[KLAX]

What sort of checklist Fuzz?
-Pre-Departure Prep & notifications (before leaving the office)
-Onsite Pre-Flight?
-Post Flight? (Secure, issue notes, data delivery)

My experience demonstrates that most COTS vehicles of a certain size can share a more generic list due to less complexity of components, connections, and payloads.

 

[Fuzzman18]

Yes, all that you have stated. Just want to see if I'm missing something or that there may be something of interest related to commercial ops as opposed to recreational.
Thanks

 

[KLAX]

Here's my opinion/perspective only.
Lots of dependencies as you could imagine (vehicle mfg, airspace, connectivity, components required, etc.) Checklists can also fold in generic requirements about the client & location (corp. requirements for a private company or local municipality mandates). Consider that administrative, but necessary.

I break all the steps into efficient, related, bite-sized pieces. Some are performed in the office where gear is stored, some are at the customer site on check-in, and some are at the launch/recovery area immediately prior to spin-up.

Here is a generic pre-flight checklist that could work for most small COTS multi-rotor UAS. Fixed wing and sub-surface ROVs are slightly different/more specialized.

• All required notifications made (internal/external)
• Proper flight mode selected on radio controller for this mission (GPS, Manual, Attitude, Sport, etc)
• All hardware properly connected/secured on vehicle
• Weather conditions are within safe limits for this flight (Part 107 minimums, but also adequate to provide imagery required)
• All system batteries have adequate charge for mission (verified thru FCS, not push-button led's on battery)
• Lens covers removed/storage card inserted (verify storage capacity via FCS if able)
• Launch area free of personnel and obstructions & Airspace clear of other aircraft, birds, other

I have seen pre-flight checklists that look like pre-flight Safety Manuals; defeats the purpose in my mind.
When you fly a commercial carrier to Vegas, he's not breaking out the manufacturer's manual to check flaps & stabs.
Checklists are meant to be distilled, abbreviated, most-high-risk items that we must do every time without fail. That's a short list.
Training, instructions/procedures, and repetition make up the rest.

You could certainly add additional steps if they will help your flight crew maintain the proper margin of safety or data delivery minimums.

Example:

• Verify connection with at least x # of satellites
• inspect propellers for wear/damage/proper connection
• perform EM/RF survey
• check NOTAMS for GPS outages
• verify camera lenses are clean, and on, and on.
• All of this, except a site EM/RF interference survey, can be performed ahead of time in the office though, right?

You could also consider adding a couple of checks immediately after taking off. Example: verify proper vehicle response to stick inputs prior to departure from launch area, or verify RTK signal strength reading of x with ground station, and on, and on.

My respectful guidance here is to:

• Keep your checklist tight, tidy, and meaningful. More value as a brief but meaningful reminder to PIC
• Have a process to prepare the gear for field use, check in with the customer, verify the vehicle is safe to operate, make/get your clearances and announcements, scan the airspace, and get to work. You may have "checklists" for all these activities...and they're all "pre-flight".
• If you have a cadre of flight crews, trust but verify. Audit frequently to verify compliance & set expectations. Set up time for them to get questions answered and run through scenarios, what-if's, and hold after action/hot wash sessions. They'll feel heard and part of the process.

I hope that wasn't too much or more than you asked for Mr. Fuzz. Hope it helps as well.

 

[R.Perry]

That's a great checklist. I would add one other thing. After attaching props, spin the motors by hand, make sure they all turn smoothly and verify props are secure. They don't fly on three motors.

 

[Fuzzman18]

Here's my opinion/perspective only.
Lots of dependencies as you could imagine (vehicle mfg, airspace, connectivity, components required, etc.) Checklists can also fold in generic requirements about the client & location (corp. requirements for a private company or local municipality mandates). Consider that administrative, but necessary.

I break all the steps into efficient, related, bite-sized pieces. Some are performed in the office where gear is stored, some are at the customer site on check-in, and some are at the launch/recovery area immediately prior to spin-up.

Here is a generic pre-flight checklist that could work for most small COTS multi-rotor UAS. Fixed wing and sub-surface ROVs are slightly different/more specialized.

• All required notifications made (internal/external)
• Proper flight mode selected on radio controller for this mission (GPS, Manual, Attitude, Sport, etc)
• All hardware properly connected/secured on vehicle
• Weather conditions are within safe limits for this flight (Part 107 minimums, but also adequate to provide imagery required)
• All system batteries have adequate charge for mission (verified thru FCS, not push-button led's on battery)
• Lens covers removed/storage card inserted (verify storage capacity via FCS if able)
• Launch area free of personnel and obstructions & Airspace clear of other aircraft, birds, other

I have seen pre-flight checklists that look like pre-flight Safety Manuals; defeats the purpose in my mind.
When you fly a commercial carrier to Vegas, he's not breaking out the manufacturer's manual to check flaps & stabs.
Checklists are meant to be distilled, abbreviated, most-high-risk items that we must do every time without fail. That's a short list.
Training, instructions/procedures, and repetition make up the rest.

You could certainly add additional steps if they will help your flight crew maintain the proper margin of safety or data delivery minimums.

Example:

• Verify connection with at least x # of satellites
• inspect propellers for wear/damage/proper connection
• perform EM/RF survey
• check NOTAMS for GPS outages
• verify camera lenses are clean, and on, and on.
• All of this, except a site EM/RF interference survey, can be performed ahead of time in the office though, right?

You could also consider adding a couple of checks immediately after taking off. Example: verify proper vehicle response to stick inputs prior to departure from launch area, or verify RTK signal strength reading of x with ground station, and on, and on.

My respectful guidance here is to:

• Keep your checklist tight, tidy, and meaningful. More value as a brief but meaningful reminder to PIC
• Have a process to prepare the gear for field use, check in with the customer, verify the vehicle is safe to operate, make/get your clearances and announcements, scan the airspace, and get to work. You may have "checklists" for all these activities...and they're all "pre-flight".
• If you have a cadre of flight crews, trust but verify. Audit frequently to verify compliance & set expectations. Set up time for them to get questions answered and run through scenarios, what-if's, and hold after action/hot wash sessions. They'll feel heard and part of the process.

I hope that wasn't too much or more than you asked for Mr. Fuzz. Hope it helps as well.

Great stuff! Definitely a few things that I had not considered. Thanks

 

[Fuzzman18]

That's a great checklist. I would add one other thing. After attaching props, spin the motors by hand, make sure they all turn smoothly and verify props are secure. They don't fly on three motors.

Yes, I agree and thanks for your input.

 

[Ajkm]

I’ve sent a PM.

 

[Airmapper]

I like this website Inspection Software & Mobile Inspection App - iAuditor by SafetyCulture and accompanying app for my checklist. There is a drone checklist in the templates somewhere but it's not ideal. I started with it and modified it extensively adding useful items and removing unnecessary ones. I used to work in manufacturing quality and trialed it there, didn't end up working there but I've found it very useful for checklist tasks. Just pull it up on your phone as you prep to fly.

I've made several different audits (an audit and checklist is pretty much the same) for different situations, and made one for a periodic maintenance check with it too and it records it, lets me note anything I feel is amiss and even schedule the next one so I don't forget to do it.

It's free for penny ante stuff like we do, focused on large companies with dozens to hundreds of users, but of course if you have a lot more complex needs and need to share among many users you can pay for it. App on my phone gives me the checklist and I can tick off each item, even make notes if needed but mostly it's just to make sure I remembered everything.

On the PC you can design an audit, sync the app and it's a nice simple interface to tick off items. I use it to record details about my flights beyond what goes in the logbook as well in case I want to look back.

 

[Fuzzman18]

That's great! I'll check it out. Thanks for the info.

 

[dronie326]

This is the checklist that I developed and use for our company. I print it out, laminate it, and keep it inside the drone case. You can also keep it on the iPad and view digitally but I prefer the physical copy. I also have a slightly different one I use for the M210.

 

[Fuzzman18]

This is the checklist that I developed and use for our company. I print it out, laminate it, and keep it inside the drone case. You can also keep it on the iPad and view digitally but I prefer the physical copy. I also have a slightly different one I use for the M210.

Great stuff! Thank you very much for sharing!