Introduction

The risk-based regulatory approach for UAS is endorsed by ICAO in the Foreword to Part IV of Annex 6 to the Chicago Convention. In the European Union this approach is implemented through Commission Regulation EU 2019/947, establishing three risk-based categories of operations: Open, Specific and Certified.

Art. 11 therein requires for the specific category a process for risk assessment and implementation of mitigations to satisfy the safety objectives. The Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) recommended a Specific Operation Risk Assessment (SORA) methodology by for worldwide application already in 2017. V2.0 was released by JARUS in 2019. V2.0 of SORA was recommended for use in Europe by EASA (AMC1 to Art. 11 of EC 2019/947) in October 2019.

In 2024, JARUS published a new version of SORA, namely SORA v2.5, which has introduced significant innovations (e.g. consideration of population density for the ground risk). Presently, either version may be accepted by competent authorities in different jurisdictions anywhere in the world, including in ECAC.

In September 2025, EASA amended AMC1 to Art.11 to transpose v2.5 into the EU common ‘soft’ rules for UAS safety.

In doing so, EASA more specifically clarified the respective responsibilities of that Agency at EU lebìvel, of the national competent authorities, as well as the different roles of UAS designers, manufacturers and operators.

The course will focus on:

• Safety Assessment Methodologies in UAS Regulations
• SORA 2.5 approach for the evaluation of the Ground Risk
• ‘old’, but still possibly applicable approach v2.0 for Ground Risk
• SORA 2.5 approach for evaluation of the Air Risk (unchanged in relation to v2.0)
• SORA 2.5 Annexes, including Operation Safety Objectives (OSOs) and supporting documentation.

The course aims to provide a deep overview of the SORA methodology (both v2.0 and v2.5) and also practical examples of application and exercises to enable participants to apply such methodology in their everyday job, as applicants or inspectors.

Course Content

11 lectures of about 50 minutes, plus 9 group exercises. In total, 20 activities distributed over 3 consecutive days.

The 11 lectures include:

• Course introduction and objectives
• Background (OPS categories, why SORA 2.5 and main differences with SORA v2.0)
• SORA Introduction (objectives, applicability, terminology, structure)
• SORA Process – Collection of relevant information
• Intrinsic Ground Risk model in v2.0 and in v2.5
• Mitigations to reduce the Intrinsic Ground Risk in v2.0 and in v2.5
• SORA Process  - Air Risk Model
• Strategic and tactical mitigations to reduce the Initial Air Risk
• SORA Process – SAIL and Containment requirements
• SORA Process - Operational Safety Objectives
• Full example of application of SORA process to a real scenario

In addition to questions and answers at the end, but even solicited during the lectures and availability of the trainer during the breaks, two group exercises per day are planned:

• Identify the OPS category and SORA applicability for different operational scenarios and models of UAS;
• Assign Intrinsic Ground Risk Class to a given operational scenario
• Identify proper ground risk mitigations for different operational scenarios;
• Assess the Initial Air risk of a UAS mission in the Specific category
• Propose strategic and tactical mitigations to reduce the air risk to an acceptable level;
• Verify if Operational Safety Objectives (OSO) are met in a given scenario.

Learning Objectives

After completing the course, you will be able to:

• Explain the SORA (v2.0 or v2.5) process to colleagues.
• Apply autonomously SORA v2.0 or v2.5 to develop risk assessment for their intended UAS operations.
• Explain the SORA v2.0 and v2.5 methodology to stakeholders and to effectively assess the received applications for authorisation to operate UAS in the specific category.

Who should take this course

Aviation professionals, CAA Inspectors, Operators and Manufacturers feel the need to learn how to apply the SORA methodology to develop or evaluate safety assessments for operations in the Specific category. The assessment is always required in this category, whether for a standard scenario, an application for authorisation, or internal records of the certified UAS operator.

The target group includes:

• Middle managers, policy advisors, rulemaking officials, developers of pre-defined risk assessments (PDRA) and inspectors of CAAs;
• Middle managers of the UAS industry, remote pilots, instructors  and other aviation professionals desiring to receive training on the SORA methodology to prepare for future application in the “specific” category;
• Personnel of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) wishing to better understand how SORA deals with the interaction between UAS and other traffic in the airspace.

Pre-requisites

Essential:

• Good command of the English language; and
• University graduation (Bachelor's), or 3 years of experience in traditional aviation, or 1 year of experience on drones.

Desirable:

• Good understanding of the respective roles of institutions, agencies, and other entities involved in developing the regulatory framework for drones; and having attended the course UAS-OPS.

Duration

3 Days - 09:00-16.30 on first two days, 09:00-16.00 on the third day