The Small Unmanned Air System (SUAS) selected for analysis is the Mavrik X8 quad rotor SUAS developed by SteadiDrone.  This particular SUAS was designed around its front mounted gimbal to provide unobstructed imagery.  The designers are targeting the aerial imaging industry and have developed a SUAS that is capable and economical.  One of the advantages of this particular SUAS is its ability to fold away for transport in a lightweight case.  Operation of this SUAS for commercial applications require the development of an Operational Risk Management (ORM) program.  The purpose of the ORM is to identify hazards that are associated with operation of the SUAS.  Assessments are performed to identify the level of risk and determine if the mission falls within acceptable and established safety limits.  The Department of Defense (DoD) established a standard practice for the evaluation of risks.  MIL-STD-882 is utilized to identify the “DoD approach for identifying hazards and assessing and mitigating associated risks encountered in the development, test, production, use, and disposal of defense system” (Department of Defense, 2012).
The first step in the creation of an ORM is the development of Preliminary Hazard Lists (PHL).  Physical characteristics of the SUAS must be evaluated and thoroughly understood in order to develop the required PHL.  Figure 1 illustrates the dimensions and operations specifications of the SUAS.  The different PHL capture the identified hazards during each stage of the operation; in this case the stages are: planning, staging, launch, flight, and recovery.  Each evaluation was performed through analysis and discussion of the associated dangers with operation of the SUAS during a commercial building survey.  The PHLs covered man, machine, method, and environment.  Figures 2 through 6 cover the PHL for each of the stages of operation of the Mavrik X8 SUAS.

Figure 1. Dimensions and operation specifications of Mavrik X8 SUAS.  Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1zbGeuC_WU5cX V4Y0VPVzM0YkE /view?pref=2&pli=1


Preliminary Hazard List (PHL)

Figure 2. Planning PHL.



Figure 3. Staging PHL.


Figure 4. Launch PHL.



Figure 5. Flight PHL.




Figure 6. Recovery PHL.

Operational Hazard Review and Analysis

            The purpose of the Operational Hazard Review and Analysis (OHR&A) is to further identify and evaluate the hazards associated with the SUAS operation.  It takes the analysis from the PHL and further looks at the mitigating actions identified to address risk.  Each of these actions is further evaluated to determine if they were adequate or if further actions are needed to reduce/eliminate risk.  Figures 7 though 11 cover the OHR&A for each stage of the operation of the Mavrik X8 SUAS.


Figure 7. Planning OHR&A



Figure 8. Staging OHR&A


Figure 9. Launch OHR&A



Figure 10. Flight OHR&A


Figure 11. Recovery OHR&A


Operational Risk Management (ORM) Tool
The ORM tool is the culmination of risk analysis for a particular operation.  Its purpose is to provide an easy to use and understand method to evaluate the level of risk with a particular operation.  The tool is divided in the different type of missions for the SUAS including training, check flights, revenue flights, and experimental flights.  Each type of flight carries a different level of risk, which is evaluated in each respective category of operaitons including planning, staging, launch, flight, and recovery.  The ORM for the Mavrik X8 is illustrated in Figure 12.


Figure 12. ORM tool for Mavrik X8.


References

Barnhart, R. K. (2012). Introduction to unmanned aircraft systems. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis.
Department of Defense. (2012, May 11). MIL-STD-882E. Retrieved from system-safety.org: http://www.system-safety.org/Documents/MIL-STD-882E.pdf
SteadiDrone. (2016). Mavrik X8 Overview. Retrieved from drive.google.com: https://drive. google.com/file/d/0B1zbGeuC_WU5cXV4Y0VPVzM0YkE/view?pref=2&pli=1