Aviate, navigate, communicate
- Apply the aviation priority order to drone operations.
These lessons teach how emergency checklists are structured and used. They are not instructions for any aircraft. In a real emergency, follow your aircraft's manufacturer procedures and your instructor.
Aviation crews are taught a priority order: aviate (keep control of the aircraft), navigate (know where it is and where it's going), communicate (tell the people who need to know). In drone operations, 'aviate' often means letting the aircraft's built-in safety behavior work, or taking manual control — whichever the manufacturer and your training say is right for the situation.
Checklists support emergencies in two ways: a few immediate actions are trained so they happen without reading, and a follow-up checklist confirms everything else once the aircraft is under control.
Order the priorities.
- 1Navigate — know where it is and where it's going
- 2Aviate — keep control of the aircraft
- 3Communicate — tell the crew and anyone affected