Since the introduction of the EASA legislation and regulations, your Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will audit drone operators on a regular basis. A date will be agreed upon for the CAA to come by and carry out the audit. Various topics are discussed during this audit. In this newsletter, we’ll mention the most important topics. Curious about more details? Make sure to read our blog on this topic!
Why are the audits done? Audits are common in the world of (manned) aviation, without them aviation would be a lot less safe. It’s important to understand what happens in practice, what works and what doesn’t, and how the legislation and regulations can be further improved. This has been done for manned aviation for decades, but is still fairly new for unmanned aviation. The CAA therefore also comes by to learn for itself, and to see how, for example, the approved procedures in the manual are carried out in practice.
What happens during an audit?
During an audit, inspectors from the CAA visit the site. During this visit, they check if the processes and procedures in the manual are carried out as described. They will check the documents (such as training and insurance certificates), view the flight logs and ask substantive questions to the responsible persons. The CAA will try to schedule an audit when a flight is planned.
What questions can you expect? The questions asked by the CAA will concern various subjects. The most important questions will be about the content of the manual. They’ll check whether you know how the manual should be applied in practice, and whether you know the appropriate protocols and procedures. Furthermore, the questions may also concern EASA legislation and the conversion from national to European legislation. Each position within the organization also comes with a different set of questions, each position naturally also has a different set of tasks. The questions will therefore specifically concern this set of tasks.
Which documents will be checked? During the audit, the CAA will check for the operational obligations. This includes the following documents: Emergency Response Plan, Operational Plan(s), Checklists, Operational Manuals (e.g. A and B), and Flight Logs. It’s also important to have the management of (internal) incidents in order during an audit. Finally, they will check if the maintenance of your drones is up-to-date.
What questions can you expect? The questions asked by the CAA will concern various subjects. The most important questions will be about the content of the manual. They’ll check whether you know how the manual should be applied in practice, and whether you know the appropriate protocols and procedures. Furthermore, the questions may also concern EASA legislation and the conversion from national to European legislation. Each position within the organization also comes with a different set of questions, each position naturally also has a different set of tasks. The questions will therefore specifically concern this set of tasks.
How do you ensure that you’re always ready for an audit? Make sure you always have all the necessary documents in order, keeping them up-to-date will save you a lot of work. The workflow within the AirHub software ensures that many of the necessary documents are already ready for you. From being able to log your flights automatically, to having all documents and checklists in order, everything comes together in one organized and structured place. As soon as the documents have to be handed over to the CAA, you can export everything to a PDF document with the push of a button.