5.9 Flight Planning and Risk Mitigation

Planning the Flight

Thorough planning reduces risk and keeps the operation legal. The Part 107 exam frames planning around airspace research, weather and restriction checks, and a disciplined go/no-go decision made before client pressure can distort it.

A Seven-Step Planning Process

1. Define the mission. Objective (photo, inspection, survey), required payload and sensors, expected duration, and the deliverables.

2. Research the location and airspace — do this first. Identify the airspace class on a sectional chart, find any airports within roughly 5 miles, check the UAS Facility Maps for the LAANC altitude ceilings, and survey for obstacles (towers, wires, buildings, trees). Pick launch/recovery zones that are flat, open, and clear of people.

3. Check weather. Pull METARs for current conditions and TAFs for the forecast window, scan radar for convection, and judge surface and aloft wind. Confirm you can meet the Part 107 minimums of 3 statute miles visibility and the cloud-clearance rule of 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.

4. Check NOTAMs and TFRs. Search active NOTAMs, check the FAA TFR list for temporary restrictions, and use the B4UFLY service for a quick confirmation. Sporting events, VIP movement, and disaster response are common TFR triggers.

5. Obtain authorizations. In controlled airspace get LAANC authorization (or file a DroneZone request); if your operation needs a waiver, confirm it is current and that you meet its conditions and altitude/area limits.

6. Prepare equipment. Charge all batteries, apply any firmware updates before leaving (never in the field), verify propellers/sensors/storage, and pack backups — spare batteries and propellers, a backup controller, and safety gear (fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, high-visibility vests).

7. Brief the crew. Walk the team through the PAVE assessment, assign roles, review emergency procedures and communication, and state the go/no-go criteria aloud.

Risk Mitigation

The Go / No-Go Framework

Decide before you arrive, using preset criteria so the decision is not made under pressure:

GO when weather clears the Part 107 minimums with comfortable margin, no TFR or restrictive NOTAM applies, any needed authorization is in hand, the aircraft passed preflight, the crew passed IMSAFE, and you have batteries for the mission plus reserve.

NO-GO when weather is at or near minimums, an active TFR covers the area, you cannot obtain a required authorization, the aircraft shows any malfunction, a crew member fails IMSAFE, or you lack a battery reserve (a common rule of thumb is at least a 20% reserve beyond the planned flight).

An active TFR over the operating area is a definitive no-go — there is no "fly carefully" version of it.

Post-Flight Review

1. Debrief the crew — what worked, what to change.
2. Review flight data — battery use, altitude exceedances, anomalies.
3. Inspect the aircraft for in-flight damage.
4. Log the flight — date, location, duration, purpose, conditions, notes.
5. Store equipment properly — batteries at storage voltage, clean and dry.
6. Report within 10 calendar days if §107.9 criteria are met.

Reading the UAS Facility Maps

The UAS Facility Maps (UASFM) are the grid of pre-approved ceiling values the FAA publishes for controlled airspace around airports. Each grid cell shows a maximum altitude — 400, 300, 200, 100, or 0 feet — at which the LAANC system will grant near-instant authorization. A 0-foot grid means automated authorization is not available there and you must submit a further coordination request through DroneZone (which can take up to roughly 90 days).

Checking the UASFM during planning tells you in advance whether your intended altitude is even obtainable at that location, so you do not arrive on site only to discover the ceiling is below your mission needs.

Battery, Fuel, and Reserve Math

Translate the abstract "plus reserve" into numbers during planning. Estimate the flight time the mission requires, add margin for wind (a headwind on the return leg burns capacity faster), a possible go-around, and the time to reach an alternate landing zone. A practical discipline is to plan recovery by about 30% remaining charge and to abort the flight at a pre-set low-battery trigger rather than chasing one more pass. Carry enough charged packs for the full mission plus that reserve, and confirm the controller and any tablet are also charged — a dead controller battery ends a flight just as surely as a dead aircraft pack.

Site Survey and Ground Risk

Good planning weighs ground risk as heavily as air risk: who and what is beneath the flight path? Walk the site if possible, note non-participating people, roads, livestock, and overhead wires, and pick launch/recovery zones that keep the aircraft from transiting directly over people. Establish a buffer or cordon, brief any ground crew to keep the public back, and stage the landing zone upwind and clear of obstacles so a low-battery recovery is straightforward. The plan should also name the nearest hospital and have a charged phone available in case the §107.9 injury threshold is ever reached.

For the Exam: The first planning move at a new site is researching airspace, nearby airports, and restrictions — those decide whether the flight is even legal. And an active TFR over your area is always a no-go, regardless of how benign the weather looks.