FAA 107 Emergency Procedures & Contingency Planning 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A remote PIC is conducting a mapping mission when a manned helicopter begins approaching from the east at the same altitude. What is the correct response?
- Maintain altitude and flash lights to alert the helicopter pilot
- Immediately descend and land or maneuver to avoid the helicopter (Correct answer)
- Ascend above the helicopter's flight path to avoid collision
- Contact the helicopter via radio and coordinate clearance
Correct answer: Immediately descend and land or maneuver to avoid the helicopter
Under Part 107, sUAS must always yield right of way to manned aircraft; the remote PIC must immediately maneuver away from and below the approaching helicopter.
Question 2: What does 'sterile cockpit' principle mean when adapted for sUAS remote PIC operations?
- The control station must be kept physically clean of debris
- The remote PIC avoids non-essential communications and distractions during critical flight phases (Correct answer)
- Only the remote PIC may touch the controller during flight
- The control frequencies must be dedicated to the operation with no shared communications
Correct answer: The remote PIC avoids non-essential communications and distractions during critical flight phases
Adapted from aviation, the sterile cockpit principle means the remote PIC focuses exclusively on flying during critical phases such as takeoff, landing, and emergencies.
Question 3: Before flying in a new location, a remote PIC should identify emergency landing zones (ELZs). Which factor is LEAST important when selecting an ELZ?
- Absence of overhead obstacles (power lines, trees)
- Proximity to the operator's home base (Correct answer)
- Accessibility for recovery personnel after landing
- Distance from populated areas
Correct answer: Proximity to the operator's home base
Proximity to the operator's home base is operationally convenient but irrelevant to the safety effectiveness of an emergency landing zone.
Question 4: An sUAS is operating under a waiver to fly at night. The remote PIC loses the anti-collision light mid-flight. What is the correct course of action?
- Continue to the nearest landing zone only if within 5 minutes flight time
- Land immediately — the waiver condition requiring lighting can no longer be met (Correct answer)
- Reduce speed and altitude to compensate for the lost visibility
- Notify ATC and request emergency lighting clearance
Correct answer: Land immediately — the waiver condition requiring lighting can no longer be met
Night operations require anti-collision lighting as a waiver condition; losing the light means the waiver condition is no longer met and the operation must cease immediately.
Question 5: A remote PIC's pre-flight site survey identifies high-voltage power lines crossing the planned flight path at 200 feet AGL. What is the most appropriate contingency action?
- Plan to cross the power lines at 300 feet AGL with a 100-foot buffer
- Reroute the flight path entirely to avoid crossing the power lines (Correct answer)
- Notify the utility company and proceed with the original plan
- Use a spotter to watch for the lines during the crossing
Correct answer: Reroute the flight path entirely to avoid crossing the power lines
High-voltage power lines pose extreme hazards (electromagnetic interference, physical obstruction, electrocution risk); rerouting to avoid them entirely is the safest contingency.
Question 6: Which of the following situations requires the remote PIC to immediately terminate a flight operation?
- Wind speeds increase from 10 to 18 knots during the operation
- A visual observer reports losing sight of the sUAS briefly before reacquiring it
- The aircraft's remaining battery is estimated at 25% capacity
- ATC instructs the remote PIC to land due to an incoming TFR (Correct answer)
Correct answer: ATC instructs the remote PIC to land due to an incoming TFR
An ATC instruction to land due to an incoming TFR is a mandatory directive that requires immediate compliance and termination of the flight.
Question 7: What is the FAA's recommended approach to contingency planning for sUAS operations in dynamic environments like construction sites?
- Conduct operations only during periods with no ground personnel present
- Develop a site-specific operations plan updated before each flight as conditions change (Correct answer)
- Obtain a blanket waiver covering all possible emergency scenarios at the site
- Rely on the aircraft's built-in obstacle avoidance system as the primary safety measure
Correct answer: Develop a site-specific operations plan updated before each flight as conditions change
The FAA recommends a site-specific operations plan (SSOP) that is reviewed and updated before each flight to account for changing conditions at dynamic worksites.
FAA 107 Emergency Procedures & Contingency Planning 4
A remote PIC is conducting a mapping mission when a manned helicopter begins approaching from the east at the same altitude.
What is the correct response?