The FAA doesn’t require most Part 107 operators to maintain a formal operations manual. That’s the wrong reason not to have one.
A UAS operations manual is three things simultaneously: your operational bible (the definitive reference for how your operation works), your legal protection (documented evidence that you operate to defined standards), and your credibility document (what enterprise clients and insurers ask for before they’ll hire or cover you).
Here’s what a professional UAS operations manual contains and why each section matters.
Organizational Information
Who operates this UAS program. Contact information. Certificate numbers for all pilots. Your operating entity if separate from your personal certificate. Emergency contacts.
This section exists so that anyone — a client, an insurer, a responding authority — can quickly identify who is responsible for the operation and how to reach them.
Aircraft Inventory and Configuration
Every aircraft you operate should be documented: make, model, serial number, FAA registration number, payloads, maximum takeoff weight, operating limitations, and maintenance history reference. Configuration changes — adding a new payload, replacing a flight controller — should be logged.
This documentation is what your insurer uses when you file a claim and what the FAA reviews if your aircraft is involved in an incident.
Standard Operating Procedures
This is the heart of the manual. SOPs define how every type of operation your company conducts is performed — step by step, to the same standard, every time.
At minimum, SOPs should cover:
- Pre-flight inspection procedure
- Site survey procedure
- Launch and recovery procedure
- In-flight monitoring protocol
- Abort criteria and emergency procedures
- Post-flight documentation procedure
- Battery management and storage
- Equipment maintenance schedule
SOPs are living documents. When you encounter a situation your SOP didn’t cover, you update the SOP. When you find a better way to do something, you update the SOP. The manual reflects your current best practice, always.
Emergency Procedures
What happens when the link fails? When the aircraft starts to fly-away? When there’s a medical emergency on site? When the aircraft goes into a water obstacle? When there’s an airspace intrusion?
Emergency procedures must be defined in advance, briefed before every operation, and practiced. The time to figure out what you’d do in a fly-away scenario is not during a fly-away.
Crew Roles and Responsibilities
Define every position in your operation: Remote Pilot in Command, Visual Observer, Crew Coordinator, Ground Safety Officer. Who has authority to call a stop. How communication flows. What each person monitors and reports.
For solo operators, this section may seem unnecessary — but when you add a second person to any operation, undefined roles are a safety hazard.
Airspace Authorization Procedures
How does your operation obtain, document, and manage airspace authorizations? What’s the process for LAANC requests? For COA applications? For TFR checks? This section should reference your specific tools and workflows.
Incident and Accident Response
Exactly what to do, in what order, if something goes wrong. NTSB reporting thresholds and timeline. Insurer notification procedure. Client notification procedure. Documentation requirements. Evidence preservation.
How FlightDeck Supports Your Operations Manual
FlightDeck operationalizes your SOPs by providing the structured data capture, airspace analysis, and documentation tools that your manual describes. Your pre-flight checklist procedure references FlightDeck’s logging workflow. Your airspace authorization SOP references the Airspace Checker and LAANC Tracker. Your post-flight documentation SOP references the flight record and report generation.
The manual defines the standard. FlightDeck executes it.
FlightDeck’s Compliance Manager also generates FAA-compliant COA application narrative content — the Operations Description, CONOPS, Emergency Procedures, and waiver guidance sections that form the core of a nationwide blanket COA application. Much of that content can be adapted directly into your operations manual.
Download the free 30-day trial and start building the operational infrastructure that makes your UAS business enterprise-ready.