SORA, a process for safety measures, was developed to make the risk assessment of a drone operation safer.

What is SORA?

The Specific Operations Risk Assessment, SORA for short, serves as a risk analysis for drone operations. Depending on the type and flight zone of the drone, the risk of the operation is determined in a process. After a complete review, SORA determines which minimum safety requirements the UAS operator must fulfill.

This risk assessment was developed by the international expert committee JARUS. Risk management also includes EASA criteria and serves to minimize risks to people on the ground, other air traffic and critical infrastructure.

The national aviation authority examines the UAS operator's application for an operating license using the risk assessment. The corresponding SORA process then provides for various steps to plan the operation in an orderly and safe manner. However, in order to increase general safety, different rules apply to the respective drone categories.

Basic concept of robustness

A basic concept in the SORA process is the robustness concept. This refers to the resistance of the flying object with its maximum limits. This includes the degree of integrity and the degree of reliability with which the UAS operator pursues mitigation. Robustness, i.e. the two factors, is categorized as "low", "medium" and "high". For example, if a UAS operator wants to fly in challenging weather conditions, such as wind speeds of around 9 knots, they must prove that they have familiarized themselves with the weather development.

SORA in Germany

Although there is no German version of this process to date, the first aviation authorities, such as Lower Saxony and Bremen, have announced the use of similar risk assessments. The Bremen Senator for Economics, Labor and Ports has provided a six-page application for the operating permit and approval.

If you have any questions about SORA, please contact our Senior Aerotechnical Consultant Maximilian Strauß

As part of the AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. roadshow, Bremen-based IT service provider b.r.m. was able to demonstrate concepts that enable the integration of UAVs and UASs into conventional air traffic, known as U-Space. Together with the development and system service provider OptoPrecision GmbH, further innovative projects are being added to the VTOL-EGM project.

U-Space provides motivation

With the establishment of U-Space, an airspace for unmanned flying objects, EASA has created the cornerstone for coordinated civil drone aviation. Means such as iConspicuity will make air traffic safer and open up the market for U-Space service providers.

In the VTOL-EGM project, the companies OptoPrecision GmbH and b.rm. are developing solutions to make environmental monitoring more efficient. These are used for extensive measurements at sources of environmental pollution. Since pollution is present in many places that are difficult or resource-intensive for humans to access, UAS with remote pilots are used.

U-Space Service Provider

While OptoPrecision GmbH, with its many years of experience in surveillance, (AI) detection and tracking, takes care of sensor development, drone development and operation, b.r.m. assumes the role of a U-Space service provider. This includes tasks such as network identification, UAS flight approval and geo-sensitization. The Hatten-UAS test site for drone testing has already been used in the VTOL-EGM project and is located at the Oldenburg-Hatten EDWH airfield. The 16-hectare airfield is also perfectly suited as a base of operations thanks to its favorable location. Hatten-UAS can also be used for training and testing.

The commercial use of UAS must take place integratively within the airspace with other manned aircraft participants; there can be no segregation. The temporary closure of different airspaces for a UAS flight is now a thing of the past. Close cooperation between the various stakeholders will ensure that U-Space North Germany is created. The establishment of U-Space Norddeutschland will provide the innovation boost that aviation needs to open up the drone market.

Harald Rossol and Markus Rossol presented the exact procedure for this project in the AviaSpace Roadshow presentation. We would also like to thank all participants for the successful event!

You can find out more about the North German aerospace cluster on the Aviaspace Bremen e.V. website

SAR was developed to avoid having to install huge antennas on every flying object. This invention is particularly useful for smaller UAS.

What exactly is that?

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an imaging technique that generates 2D and 3D images from radar reflections from the ground. SAR has considerable advantages as it relies on radio instead of visible light. This allows the radar to see through difficult conditions such as haze, clouds and dense forest canopies.

The German Aerospace Center describes how SAR works on a satellite as follows. A single antenna transmits pulses at regular intervals, the echoes of which are received again. Once the echoes have been fully digitized and stored, the data is transmitted to the ground station. This in turn is treated with a complex computing process called "aperture synthesis". This involves arranging the individual virtual antennas and combining them into one large antenna. In this way, the SAR produces the same effect that would be achieved with a long antenna.

There are three different operating modes for sensors that work with X-band. The "Spotlight" mode is suitable for an area measuring 10 kilometers by 10 kilometers with a resolution of 1 to 2 meters. "Stripmap", on the other hand, is suitable for a 30-kilometer-wide strip with a zoom of 3 to 6 meters. The "ScanSAR" can capture a 100 kilometer wide strip with a resolution of 16 meters.

Who uses the SAR?

Due to its special technology, it is now standard for earth observation and remote sensing. However, it is mainly used in the military. The combat drones remotely controlled by satellites are made visible on the monitors using this technology, among other things.

However, the SAR can be used not only for military operations with large combat drones, but also for civilian drone types. Due to its small size and low weight, it can be used for many types of drones.

In order to be optimally prepared for a UAS and UAV flight, pilots must be aware of new obstacles and other information in addition to the SERA. This works through information from German Air Traffic Control (DFS), the NOTAM.

What is NOTAM?

The acronym stands for notice to airmen. This is information and instructions about changes to the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). These changes can be temporary or permanent. They are crucial for orderly, safe and smooth air traffic.

Short-term and urgent instructions, procedures and information from the NOTAM serve as supplementary information for a flight. The fact that changes to the AIP are distributed by post means that they are not necessarily required for new changes.

What does a NOTAM say?

The instructions and information disseminated in a NOTAM are messages about installations, changes and conditions of any aviation facilities, services, procedures or hazards.

A NOTAM therefore warns pilots of obstacles that have been newly installed or are not recognizable due to defective lights, for example. It also contains warnings about drone activity and provides information about temporary flight restriction areas. For example, a disaster control operation site in the event of flooding. This special information is summarized for airlines in a briefing package.

Categories Briefing Package

The briefing package is divided into categories. These are Departure (departure airfield), Enroute (route), Alternate (alternate airfield), Destination (destination airfield) and Company-NOTAM (information that only applies to the airline).

New briefings on the latest amendments and new publications can be found on the DFS website. NOTAMs are also disseminated via the Aeronautical Telecommunications Fixed Network (AFTN).

As drone operations are also an option for emergency services, SAR should be particularly interesting and helpful in some situations. Even though Germany is still relatively inexperienced in this area, it is still worth taking a look at these operations.

What is the SAR?

Search and rescue (SAR) is a safety measure that facilitates search and rescue for emergency services. These are drones equipped with cameras that fly over the relevant terrain and pass on information to the emergency services.

The 2020 pandemic has accelerated the introduction of these drones for public safety. Germany is still lagging behind with this helpful measure. Other countries such as India and the USA are using them in their authorities.

Search and rescue operations as an advantage

Due to their enormous speed and maneuverability, the drones are versatile and can be used in the most difficult situations. This means that injured and missing persons can be located more quickly. This in turn saves the emergency services time and energy, which can later be used to treat the people.

In addition, the equipment of the different types of drones can facilitate the search. Sensors or thermal imaging cameras make it possible to identify ground objects more quickly. In addition, the pilot or the head of operations can give the teams on the ground targeted instructions via loudspeakers on the drone. The camera also ensures precise documentation of the operation.

What exactly does SAR do?

In addition to public SAR teams, there are also private SAR teams in the USA that carry out search and rescue operations. Drone operations are mostly used in areas that are difficult for humans to access or in urgent situations. These drones are used in search operations in the mountains or in the vast forests of the USA. They can also act as a flying light source for emergency services at night, guiding them to injured people. In this way, thousands of lives are saved worldwide every year.

Further information on such drone operations can be found at flytnow.de.

A new regulation for European airspace has been in force since 05.12.2014: SERA. It creates uniform rules for pilots. These also apply to UAS and UAVs.

Rough content of the SERA (2014)

In Germany, airspace F (Foxtrot) will disappear with immediate effect and will be replaced by the mandatory radio zone (RMZ). The RMZ stipulates that radio communication equipment must be carried and operated for all flights in this airspace. According to German Air Traffic Control (DFS), the RMZ can also be used in airspaces E, F and G.

In addition, the definition of day and night changes. Night is defined as the hours between the end of civil twilight and the beginning of civil dawn. Civil twilight therefore ends in the evening and begins in the morning when the center of the sun's disk is 6° below the horizon. This rule should also not be neglected with regard to the transponder and recognition obligation in airspace. However, as national and European law collide on this point, there will be differences between countries. Nevertheless, civil twilight in Germany lasts around 40 minutes. However, it can be assumed that Germany will stick to the old regulations, as there is already a regulation on day and night in paragraph 2 of the draft of the new Air Regulation.

Further detailed information can be found on the website aerokurier.de.

Latest changes (March 2022)

The revision of the Easy Access Rules (EAR) for the SERA of 2022 resulted from the EASA decision. It includes the introduction of accepted verification procedures (AMC) and guidelines (GM) for radiotelephony phrases for the provision of aerodrome flight information services (AFIS).

In addition, the EAR is displayed in an "easy-to-read" format with advanced navigation features using links and bookmarks. They are also available as dynamic online publications with filters, search functions and navigation for computers, tablets and cell phones.

Further information can be found on the EASA website.

To be allowed to fly a drone, you must have a corresponding remote pilot license or a drone driver's license. These two types have been available since the EU regulation of 2019 for controlling UAS in the "Open" class.

Drone driver's license - EU proof of competence

The German Federal Aviation Authority (LBA) requires an EU certificate of competence for the safe operation of a drone. This comprises online training courses and online examinations that must be completed. The online examination consists of 9 subject areas with a total of 40 multiple-choice questions. If no more than 30 questions are answered correctly, the exam must be repeated. It is possible to take these exams several times.

The corresponding document is issued after successful completion of the test. The EU certificate of competence is valid for subcategories A1 and A3 of the "Open" category.

Remote pilot license - EU remote pilot certificate

First of all, an EU certificate of competence is required to apply for this license. This is followed by practical self-training under the conditions of the A3 subcategory. The theory test now takes place at a test center designated by the LBA. This consists of 30 multiple-choice questions from 3 subject areas. Some test centers rely on a combination of practical training and the theory test, which is then taken.

The application for the EU Remote Pilot Certificate must be submitted to the LBA after successful completion. This license is valid for the A2 subcategory of the "Open" class.

Fees for the remote pilot license and drone license

Issuing the EU certificate of competence for A1 and A3 costs €25.00. After payment, the necessary test can be taken as often as required, as the fee is only charged once.

The issue of the A2 remote pilot certificate costs €30.00. After successfully completing an additional theory test, it is possible to apply for a license at an LBA test centre, which charge different fees for the test.

Both licenses are valid for 5 years. In addition, an extension is possible by means of a re-test or refresher course. One testing center, for example, is seabirds.de GmbH near the Oldenburg-Hatten EDWH airfield.

Information about the test centers or further information can be found on the LBA website.

In addition, our employees Strauß and M. Rossol will be happy to answer any questions you may have about drones. You can also follow us on Instagram @b.r.m.Bremen.

There are many initiatives such as the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) to make the air traffic of UAS and UAVs safer and more advanced. This deals with the regulation of UAS.

What is the JARUS?

JARUS is a group of experts from the National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) and the regional aviation safety organizations. The group proposes technical, operational and safety-related requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in order to better integrate them into air traffic.

Who is part of the initiative?

JARUS members include 65 organizations, 63 countries, as well as EASA and EUROCONTROL.

Di Antonio and Stewart-Smith currently hold the leadership position. The Secretariat is headed by Secretary General Liu Hao and supported by China, Canada and Portugal. Since the end of 2015, there has also been a Stakeholder Advisory Board (SCB), which reflects the interests of all stakeholder communities in the industry and enables them to support JARUS activities.

SCB members include aircraft manufacturers, the UAS industry, aviation safety organizations (ANSPs), standardization bodies, airlines and aviation associations. The JARUS initiative has organized the activities and assigned them to working groups (WGs).

What does it do?

The first working group, "Flight Crew Licencing", deals with the licensing of personnel on board. While the second WG is responsible for "Operations", the third deals with "Airworthiness". Next comes the group for "Detection and Avoidance" and the group for "Command and Control". The sixth working group deals with "safety and risk management". The last is the group on "operational concepts".

In addition, the working groups can also make use of external consultants for further expertise. However, the consultant must first be appointed by the SCB.

A detailed overview of the tasks of the individual WGs can be found on the JARUS website.

According to German Air Traffic Control (DFS ), certain rules apply to the transponder obligation and recognition obligation in airspace. Both obligations are intended to make airspace safer by preventing collisions.

Transponder obligation and identification obligation

An aviation transponder is an electronic device that communicates via radio frequency interrogation. It provides important information for air traffic control (ATC) and the collision avoidance systems (ACAS) of other aircraft.

A secondary surveillance radar and an ACAS system interrogate the information from the transponder and thus make the airspace clearer. The transponder transmission therefore ensures the detection of other flying objects.

To which airspaces does the transponder and identification obligation apply?

All aircraft, whether gliders, free balloons or even hang gliders, must be equipped with a transponder in the following airspaces.

Class C and D airspaces, with the exception of the control zones, are affected. It therefore applies from 2,500 ft to 10,000 ft, which corresponds approximately to 762m to 3,048m.

Furthermore, this obligation applies in the Transponder Mandatory Zone (TMZ), which prescribes the use of a transponder with automatic altitude transmission.

The transponder requirement also applies to uncontrolled airspace at night. It also applies to motor-powered aircraft, excluding gliders, above 5,000 ft above sea level (normal zero), i.e. at the 1524 m limit.

Marking at night

To ensure that air obstacles are clearly visible to pilots at night, they must be made visible accordingly. Wind turbines or other tall buildings such as towers or chimneys must be visible in accordance with the regulations. To this end, the Federal Republic of Germany has followed international recommendations and implemented a General Administrative Regulation on the Marking of Aviation Obstacles (AVV). This specifies exactly how objects that protrude into the airspace must be secured.

The on-demand night-time marking (BNK) of wind turbines is currently only possible if the technical equipment of the aircraft is independent. A BNK transponder solution is fundamentally ruled out according to the current status of the AVV.

The experts Strauß and M. Rossol from the IT service provider b.r.m. will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

The VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS are essential for flight. In addition to the usual regulations, such as certification and training, the operating modes must also be observed for drone operations.

VLOS (Visual Line of Sight)

In VLOS (visual line of sight) mode, the remote pilot must have uninterrupted and direct visual contact with his drone. He must be able to recognize the flight position without optical aids.

The exact visibility range depends on various factors. The type of drone, the weather and the lighting conditions are very important. As a rule, the larger the drone, the greater the distance. Smaller drones can be seen at 60-90m, while larger UAS can sometimes be operated at a distance of up to 130m.

EVLOS (Extended Visual Line of Sight)

Drone operation in extended visual contact is called EVLOS. The drone pilot is supported by one or more trained airspace observers, usually by radio. This ensures uninterrupted situational awareness of the airspace. This can also be done by technological means.

BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight)

The flight beyond visual line of sight is abbreviated to BVLOS. The remote pilot does not need direct visual contact with the drone, so it is the opposite of VLOS. A special permit from the responsible authority is required for this type of operation. Otherwise, flights outside of direct line of sight may not be covered by liability insurance.

The instruments of a Ground Control Station (GCS) or a Remote Pilot Station (RPS) are often used for this purpose. With the latter method, control of the flying object is ensured by communication between satellites, tower and other flying objects in the vicinity.

If you have any questions about drones, our employees Strauß and Rossol at b.r.m. will be happy to help you.