Ease of Control Verification

Stability is an inherent prerequisite for controllability and is thus covered by controllability. This does not imply that the UA configuration itself shall be stable.

The assessment of controllability relies on the assessment of Handling Quality (HQ). Handling quality in this document is first of all defined as the ease of use of the system. In order to rate the handling quality, the ability of the remote pilot to carry the full mission workload is considered.

Any increase in remote pilot workload to maintain the control of the system, required to cope with shortcomings in handling, degradation of functional performance or loss of functions, is of no regard unless it results in a degradation of loss of performance in handling essential tasks.

According to the Standard the essential tasks required to safely operate a UAS are:

1. Contain (Flight) – the ability of the remote pilot to prevent uncontrolled continuation of flight and to perform a safe landing including the ability to evacuate the airspace at any time and to land without hazards to persons on the ground;
2. Control (Trajectory) – the ability of the remote pilot to change the horizontal and vertical direction and speed of flight, as well as to approach and maintain, if applicable, a given position;
3. Observe (Airspace and Ground) – the ability of the remote pilot to monitor the immediate airspace, as well as the ground area underneath the current position of the UA and in the intended direction of flight, in order to avoid hazards to airspace users and persons on the ground.
4. Operate (Payload) – the ability of the remote pilot to manipulate and control the payload, and to make use of the information, features and feedback provided by the payload in order to successfully achieve the objectives of the flight; it is assumed that the loss of the ability to operate the payload is equivalent to the inability to successfully achieve the objectives of the flight; if no payload is installed or the payload does not need the attention of the remote pilot in order to successfully achieve the objectives of the flight then this task shall be ignored;
5. Communicate – the ability of the remote pilot to communicate with other involved persons as far as required for the successful conduct of the flight; it is assumed that the loss of the ability to communicate is equivalent to the inability to successfully achieve the objectives of the flight; if the remote pilot does not need to communicate

The Handling Quality Rating (HQR) is defined by the loss of the most critical task i.e. the loss of the ability to control trajectory results in a HQ rating of 1, regardless of remaining ability to observe, operate or communicate.

ensuring that every UAS configuration we test is safe, robust, and legally certifiable.

We cover:

Full Configuration Coverage
All combinations of drones, batteries, and payloads are tested or represented by validated equivalents to ensure accurate and reliable performance data.

Failure Resistance Verification
We simulate critical failure scenarios (e.g., software faults, hardware failures) using controlled tools provided by the manufacturer, ensuring the drone remains safe and operable—or fails safely.

Extreme Condition Testing
We test under the most severe and benign operating environments (e.g., temperature, wind, lighting) to verify performance across all realistic conditions.

Full Mode & Transition Assessment
Manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic flight modes are tested, including all transitions and emergency conditions—ensuring control and stability across the board.

Flight Handling & Quality Evaluation
Through structured test flights—take-off, hovering, climbing, descent, acceleration, and more—we assess handling quality ratings (HQR) to industry benchmarks.

Access-Limited Airspace Compliance
For drones with geofencing or access-limiting functions, we test interception accuracy, boundary compliance, and flight control under restricted conditions.

Each test is meticulously documented with logs, flight video, and sensor data, ensuringtransparent traceabilityand* confidence in compliance*.

Whether you're aiming forC-class markingor preparing for amarket launch in Europe, our test program ensures you're ready—with the evidence to prove it.