Risk Management System (RMS)

Version 3.0 | 20 SEPT 2026

RMS Methodology

A sortie with a lot of risk will not automatically result in an incident or accident. Human accept all kinds of risk every day - from driving in the rain to scuba diving. This system attempts to create a uniform measurement of risk, but aviation doctrine (learned the hard way, with decades of terrible outcomes) dictates that accepting risk and making a go/no-go decision is the sole responsibility of the RPIC and crew. There is no formula, table, or app that will make that decision for the crew.

A flight categorized as Low overall risk may result in an accident. A Critical risk flight may land uneventfully. Risk is not a guarantee one way or the other of the outcome of a sortie - it simply indicates that additional care and skill is required to maintain a level of safety.

Review each factor listed in the table below. For each factor (such as Payload, Wind, etc.) assigned an availble category (Low, Medium, or High).

Mentally calculate the total number of Medium chips and the number of High chips.

Factor	Risk Category
Aircraft ->
Type
Multirotor	Low
Fixed Wing	Medium
Hybrid/VTOL	High
Condition
FMC	Low
PMC	Medium
Damaged/Field Repair	High
Payload
Automated / Integrated	Low
Manual Control, no Sensor Operator	Medium
Collision Avoidance
UA equipped with collision avoidance system	Low
UA is not equipped with collision avoidance	Medium
Failsafes
UA equipped will full failsafes including 'smart' return to home (RTH).	Low
UA has a direct RTH only.	Medium
UAS not equipped with RTH	High
Checklists and Procedures
UAS has up to date checklists and procedures	Low
UAS checklists and/or procedures are out of date	Medium
UAS has no checklists or procedures	High
Sortie ->
Duration
Less than 70% Max Endurance	Low
70-85% Max Endurance	Medium
Greater than 85% Max Endurance	High
Op Tempo
Less than 3 sorties that operational period	Low
3-8 previous sorties that operational period	Medium
9+ previous sorties that operational period	High
Reserve UA
Reserve UA available that can accomplish taskings	Low
No reserve UA available	Medium
External Completion Pressure
No mission pressure (training, testing, etc.)	Low
Some mission pressure (activation, real world, financial pressure)	Medium
High mission pressure (life safety/search, command pressure)	High
Environment ->
Wind
10 knots or less sustained wind at ground level	Low
10-15 knots of sustained wind at ground level	Medium
15+ knots of sustained wind -OR- gusts above 24 knots at ground level	High High
Ceiling / Visibility
Good - Clear (5000ft Ceiling, 10 miles visibility)	Low
Fair - 3000ft Ceiling, 5 miles visibility	Medium
Poor - 1000ft or below ceiling, 3 miles visibility	High
Precipitation
None	Low
Potential precipitation, greater than 60% or radar indicated	Medium
Current precipitation (it's raining... rethink this)	High High
Elevation / Density Altitude
0-5,000' MSL	Low
5,000-8,000' MSL	Medium
Above 8,000' MSL	High
Obstacles (at Mission Alt.)
None	Low
Small/minor obstacles at altitude (singe tower, lines, etc.)	Medium
Large/major obstacles at altitude (buildings, towers, etc.)	High
Terrain
Flat	Low
Hills, slight rising terrain	Medium
Mountainous	High
ATC Coordination
None required (LAANC, COA, etc.)	Low
Required by COA, etc.	Medium
Airspace Deconfliction
No additional aircraft	Low
All additional aircraft in mission airspace are cooperating and in communication	Medium
Response or disaster conditions with non-cooperating aircraft and poor situational awareness	High
Flight Over Water
No open water in mission area	Low
Part of sortie will be over open water	Medium
All or majority of sortie is over open water	High
Structures
No close approach of structure is required	Low
Close approach within 20' of structure is required	Medium
Close approach within 10' of structure is required	High
Time of Day
Daylight operations	Low
Dawn/dusk/twilight	Medium
Nighttime operations	High
Launch and Recovery Area
Clear and of adequate size. Clear of obstacles and obstructions. No wired environment	Low
Restricted. Some obstacles or obstructions present. Usable but 'tight' for sortie airframe	Medium
Restricted. Significant obstructions. Edge of possibility and no room for error.	High
Line of Sight
Unrestristricted	Low
Some or few obstacles to LOS	Medium
Many obstacles to LOS. Large Trees.	High
Crew ->
Composition
Full crew	Low
Pilot plus single VO	Medium
Pilot only (against SOG)	High
Training
All crew certified on type	Low
Partial crew certification on type	Medium
No crew certification on type	High
Experience
Crew has 60+ previous operational sorties - no including training	Low
Crew has 8-60 previous operational sorties	Medium
Crew has less than 8 previous operational sorties	High
Crew Rest
Crew rested 8+ hours the previous night (off duty)	Low
Crew rested 6+ hours the previous night (off duty)	Medium
Crew rested less than 6 hours the previous night (off duty)	High
Other ->
Observers
No observers	Low
Observers present	Medium
Demo / Student Pilots
No factor	Low
Demonstration Flight / Students pilots after comfortable with the specific UA	Medium
Training / Student pilots operating the UA for initial training	High

Total Risk Calculation

There is no formula for determining overall risk of the sortie or mission. The table below provides a guideline, but it is up to the crew to determine the final overall risk determination.

Different crews will have differing levels of comfort with risk. This system allows for different crews to assign appropriate risk levels.

The crew determines risk - not command, not observers, not other crews.

Remember "three to go, one to say no". If any crewmember feels the flight is unsafe, that flight cannot launch until the risk is mitigated or conditions improve. Do NOT find your aircraft in the air, wishing that it wasn't.

Overall Risk Guidelines

Overall Risk	Medium Chip Count	High Chip Count
Low Overall Risk	3 or less	0
Medium Overall Risk	5 or less	1 or less
High Overall Risk	11 or less	2 or less
Critical Overall Risk. Don't be an idiot.	More than 11	More than 2

Go-No Go Decisions

Each flight should have a clear go/no-go decision after the Crew Briefing. This decision should be deliberate, not automatic or by default.

No one outside of the crew can make a final go/no-go decision.

Risk Guidance

If a crew has a calculated Critical overall risk, they should consult with the UAS Program Manager or a senior pilot on mitigation factors. There is no automatic, policy-based prohibition of the sortie - just know that... there are a lot of risk factors.

Utilizing this system does not permit, excuse, or condone gross negligence on the part of the RPIC or crew.