Time: 60 min  |  PQS rows: HL.VII.1, HL.VI.4  |  Source: GCS Manual §5

Objectives

From memory: recite the immediate-action steps for all ten IA procedures (PQS §3); given a scenario or DGCS alarm, select and initiate the correct procedure without hesitation.

The ten procedures, grouped by family

  • The aircraft is lost — IA-1 propulsion system failure; structural failure (no alarm will warn you). Announce “Crash, Crash, Crash,” terminate to disarm remaining motors, keep it in sight for recovery.
  • The aircraft is degraded — IA-2 Potential Thrust Loss (Attitude mode, under 2 m/s, no climb, announce); IA-5 compass failure (Attitude immediately — the “toilet bowl” only gets worse); IA-6 GNSS/EKF (verify Attitude, stabilize, confirm cause); IA-8 erratic flight (Attitude immediately, land or emergency-land).
  • Link problems — IA-7 C2 loss: reposition GCS/HHC, check antennas, announce “Comm Loss ×3,” monitor the autonomous RTL that is already counting down.
  • Environment and decision — IA-3 airborne fire (assess below, announce, emergency landing — or terminate if uncontrollable); IA-9 forced-landing override (toggle mode + throttle, reposition, land); IA-10 the termination decision itself.
  • Crew — IA-4 fly away: announce ×3, attempt mode-toggle recovery, VO records bearing/altitude/velocity/time remaining, notify the nearest aerodrome.

The common spine

Nearly every degraded-aircraft procedure converges on the same four beats: announce → Attitude mode → slow and stabilize → decide. Attitude mode is the universal fallback because it is the mode with the fewest dependencies — no GPS, no automation, just the airframe and your hands.

Where memory ends

Memory covers the initial steps — the ones that must happen before you could possibly find a checklist. Everything after (reporting, inspection requirements, ops-suspension rules) is reference work, covered in depth in Lesson 4.3. Know the boundary: reciting follow-on steps from memory under stress is how steps get skipped.

Callout discipline

“Crash Crash Crash” three times is not theater — it is the difference between a VO who ducks and one who is still watching the payload. Callouts are graded tasks (HL.VIII.1) on every flight in this course, not just emergencies.

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