RPC Crew Resource Management & Decision-Making 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client is pressuring the remote PIC to fly beyond the permitted visual line of sight. The correct response based on CRM principles is to:
- Attempt the flight and use the VO to extend range
- Decline the request, citing regulatory and safety requirements (Correct answer)
- Request a waiver on the spot before proceeding
- Fly partially beyond VLOS and return quickly
Correct answer: Decline the request, citing regulatory and safety requirements
External pressures from clients do not override regulatory requirements; the remote PIC must assertively decline unsafe or illegal requests.
Question 2: Situational awareness (SA) in sUAS operations includes monitoring all of the following EXCEPT:
- Battery state and remaining flight time
- Aircraft position relative to obstacles
- The client's project budget (Correct answer)
- Current and changing weather conditions
Correct answer: The client's project budget
Situational awareness covers operational and environmental factors affecting safety; the client's budget is a business concern, not a safety variable.
Question 3: Which action best demonstrates effective crew briefing before a sUAS flight?
- Handing the VO a printed checklist and starting the flight
- Verbally reviewing roles, hazards, lost-link procedures, and abort criteria with all crew (Correct answer)
- Reviewing only the weather forecast as a team
- Confirming the client's shot list with the VO
Correct answer: Verbally reviewing roles, hazards, lost-link procedures, and abort criteria with all crew
A thorough crew briefing covers individual roles, anticipated hazards, emergency procedures, and the criteria that would require aborting the mission.
Question 4: The 'anti-authority' hazardous attitude is characterized by:
- Excessive deference to rules and regulations
- Resentment of rules and a belief that they do not apply to oneself (Correct answer)
- Fear of making independent decisions
- Over-reliance on technology instead of pilot judgment
Correct answer: Resentment of rules and a belief that they do not apply to oneself
Anti-authority pilots resent oversight and dismiss regulations, believing rules are for others or are unnecessary restrictions.
Question 5: During a multi-operator sUAS mission, an unresolved disagreement about whether to continue flying in deteriorating weather should be resolved by:
- A majority vote among all crew members present
- The remote PIC, who holds final authority for the flight (Correct answer)
- The client, who is paying for the operation
- The most experienced pilot on site, regardless of who is designated remote PIC
Correct answer: The remote PIC, who holds final authority for the flight
Under Part 107, the remote PIC has final authority over and responsibility for the safe operation of the sUAS.
Question 6: Stress degrades pilot performance primarily by:
- Increasing physical strength and reaction time
- Narrowing attention and reducing the ability to process multiple information sources (Correct answer)
- Eliminating hazardous attitudes temporarily
- Improving focus on the most critical task
Correct answer: Narrowing attention and reducing the ability to process multiple information sources
High stress causes cognitive tunneling — a narrowing of attention that can cause pilots to miss critical information outside their immediate focus.
Question 7: A remote PIC who consistently second-guesses every decision during flight is most likely experiencing:
- Invulnerability attitude
- Resignation attitude
- Task saturation leading to decision paralysis (Correct answer)
- Anti-authority attitude
Correct answer: Task saturation leading to decision paralysis
Over-analysis and inability to commit to decisions often stem from task saturation or excessive cognitive load, leading to decision paralysis.
RPC Crew Resource Management & Decision-Making 3
A client is pressuring the remote PIC to fly beyond the permitted visual line of sight.
The correct response based on CRM principles is to: