An Integrated Approach to Evaluating Risk Mitigation Measures for UAV Operational Concepts in the NAS

An integrated approach is outlined in this paper to evaluate risks posed by operating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the National Airspace System. The approach supports the systematic evaluation of potential risk mitigation measures recognizing key issues in creation of regulatory and safety policy, including public perception and UAV market forces. Risk mitigation measures are examined for two example concepts of operation: High Altitude Long Endurance UAV and small, local UAV operations. Primary hazards of ground impact and midair collision are considered. The examples illustrate three major areas of risk mitigation: exposure, recovery, and effects mitigation. The different mitigation possibilities raise key issues on how to determine appropriate UAV policies to ensure that an acceptable level of safety is achieved.