FAA 107 FAA 107 Visual Observer & Crew Resource Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does Crew Resource Management (CRM) emphasize in sUAS operations?
- Minimizing crew size to reduce cost
- Effective use of all available human and informational resources to enhance safety (Correct answer)
- Drone hardware maintenance schedules
- Regulatory filing and paperwork procedures
Correct answer: Effective use of all available human and informational resources to enhance safety
CRM focuses on optimizing communication, decision-making, and resource use among crew members to improve operational safety.
Question 2: Which human factor most commonly contributes to sUAS accidents?
- Equipment manufacturing defects
- Weather miscalculation
- Complacency (Correct answer)
- Airspace boundary confusion
Correct answer: Complacency
Complacency — overconfidence or inattentiveness from routine familiarity — is among the most common human factors leading to drone incidents.
Question 3: What is situational awareness in sUAS operations?
- Knowing the current market value of the drone
- Continuously perceiving, understanding, and projecting the state of the aircraft, environment, and mission (Correct answer)
- Memorizing all applicable regulations
- Checking battery charge level before flight
Correct answer: Continuously perceiving, understanding, and projecting the state of the aircraft, environment, and mission
Situational awareness involves ongoing perception and understanding of all factors — aircraft, environment, and threats — relevant to the operation.
Question 4: A remote pilot notices the visual observer appears fatigued and distracted. The best action is to:
- Continue the operation and informally monitor the VO
- Rest or replace the VO before continuing safety-critical flight phases (Correct answer)
- Assign the VO additional duties to keep them engaged
- Proceed normally since only the pilot's condition matters
Correct answer: Rest or replace the VO before continuing safety-critical flight phases
Fatigue impairs situational awareness and reaction time, and CRM principles require addressing crew performance limitations before they create hazards.
Question 5: What is 'task saturation' and why is it dangerous for remote pilots?
- Having too many drones registered, causing paperwork errors
- Being overwhelmed by too many simultaneous tasks, reducing safety margin and increasing errors (Correct answer)
- Flying more hours per day than is legally allowed
- Using too many radio frequencies simultaneously
Correct answer: Being overwhelmed by too many simultaneous tasks, reducing safety margin and increasing errors
Task saturation occurs when workload exceeds the pilot's capacity, causing critical items to be overlooked and increasing accident risk.
Question 6: How can a remote pilot best reduce task saturation during a complex sUAS operation?
- Speed up the operation to finish sooner
- Assign tasks to the VO or crew and conduct a thorough pre-flight brief (Correct answer)
- Operate solo to eliminate communication overhead
- Use a physically larger drone with more sensors
Correct answer: Assign tasks to the VO or crew and conduct a thorough pre-flight brief
Proper task delegation and thorough pre-flight briefings distribute workload across the crew, reducing the risk of any single person being overwhelmed.
FAA 107 FAA 107 Visual Observer & Crew Resource Management 2
What does Crew Resource Management (CRM) emphasize in sUAS operations?