What is the DECIDE model and how does it apply to sUAS remote pilot operations?

The DECIDE model is a six-step aeronautical decision-making (ADM) framework that stands for Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, and Evaluate, as described in the FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK). For sUAS remote pilots, it provides a structured way to recognize a change or hazard during flight, assess its severity, select a desirable course of action, identify the specific alternatives available to carry it out, implement the best one, and then evaluate whether the action resolved the problem. Because small UAS operations can involve rapidly changing conditions such as battery depletion, airspace conflicts, or unexpected winds, applying DECIDE helps remote pilots work through problems methodically rather than reacting impulsively. Familiarity with this model is tested on the FAA Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) Airman Knowledge Test.

How do you use the DECIDE model when a sUAS encounters an unexpected hazard during flight?

When a hazard arises, the remote pilot first Detects that a change has occurred, then Estimates the need to react by judging urgency and risk. Next, the pilot Chooses a desirable outcome, Identifies the alternatives or specific actions that could achieve it, and Does the best available action, such as initiating a return-to-home, reducing altitude, or landing immediately. Finally, the pilot Evaluates the effect of the action to confirm the hazard has been mitigated, cycling back through the model if conditions continue to change. This continuous loop reflects the PHAK guidance that ADM is an ongoing process, not a single decision point.

Why is the DECIDE model important for crew resource management in sUAS operations?

Even when a remote pilot operates alone, the DECIDE model supports sound crew resource management (CRM) principles by imposing disciplined, systematic thinking that counters common hazardous attitudes like impulsivity or invulnerability, which the PHAK identifies as leading causes of poor aeronautical decisions. When a visual observer or other crew member is present, the model creates a shared mental framework so every team member understands the decision cycle and can contribute relevant information at each step. Using a structured model also helps remote pilots manage workload and maintain situational awareness, both of which are emphasized in FAA Advisory Circular 107-2B as critical to safe sUAS operations.

DECIDE Model Applied to sUAS Flight Operations

Every flight — manned or unmanned — is a continuous stream of decisions. For remote pilots operating small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) under FAA Part 107, that stream can move surprisingly fast: a gust kicks up, a pedestrian wanders into the area, the battery indicator drops faster than expected, or ATC issues an unexpected advisory. Without a systematic process, pilots tend to rely on impulse rather than logic, and impulse is exactly where accidents begin.

The DECIDE model is a six-step aeronautical decision-making (ADM) framework endorsed by the FAA to help pilots work through any non-normal or hazardous situation in a structured, repeatable way. Although the model was originally developed for manned aviation, the FAA's Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2) explicitly extends ADM principles — including DECIDE — to sUAS operations. Understanding and internalizing the model is both a knowledge-test requirement and a genuine safety tool for every Part 107 remote pilot.

The Six Steps of DECIDE

Each letter in DECIDE stands for a discrete cognitive action. Together they form a loop, not a one-time checklist, because real-world flight situations evolve and new hazards can appear after you have already acted on an earlier one.

D — Detect: The pilot-in-command (PIC) recognizes that a change has occurred or that a problem exists. Detection sounds obvious, but it is actually the step most likely to fail. Channelized attention — fixating on one task such as framing a camera shot — can prevent a remote pilot from noticing a deteriorating battery, encroaching traffic, or shifting wind. Actively scanning the aircraft, the environment, and your controller displays on a regular cycle is the habit that makes detection possible.
E — Estimate: The pilot evaluates the significance of the detected change. Not every anomaly is an emergency; some are merely inconveniences. Estimating means asking: How much time do I have before this becomes critical? Does this affect safety, or just mission efficiency? For example, if the aircraft is flying into a slight headwind that increases energy consumption, you might estimate you have three minutes before the low-battery warning. That estimate sets your decision urgency.
C — Choose: The pilot identifies the possible courses of action available and selects the best one. This is where creative problem-solving and knowledge of your aircraft come together. In sUAS operations, typical choices include: continue the mission, modify the flight path, reduce altitude, bring the aircraft home immediately, or land at the nearest safe spot. Part 107.19 makes clear that the remote PIC is ultimately responsible for the safe outcome — so «do nothing» is itself a choice that must be consciously evaluated, not simply the default.
I — Identify: The pilot identifies the best alternative to solve the problem or manage the risk. This step follows Choose and works out the specific solutions available for the desired course of action — for example, if you chose to «return to home,» identifying means knowing exactly which button or procedure accomplishes that, whether the software return-to-home altitude is set high enough to clear obstacles, and whether you need to clear airspace or notify your visual observer first.
D — Do: The pilot executes the identified action. This is the physical step — moving the sticks, pressing the button, communicating with the visual observer, or contacting ATC. Acting decisively but smoothly is the goal. Hesitation at the Do stage after a correct decision has been made can be just as dangerous as a wrong decision made quickly.
E — Evaluate: The pilot checks whether the action worked and whether new problems have emerged. Did the aircraft respond as expected? Is the hazard resolved? Has a new hazard appeared? This evaluation loops you back to Detect, making DECIDE a continuous cycle rather than a linear sequence. Effective evaluation requires the pilot to resist the natural tendency to assume the situation is resolved just because an action was taken.

How DECIDE Fits Into Broader ADM for Part 107

The FAA's Risk Management Handbook presents DECIDE as one tool within the larger ADM toolkit, alongside the PAVE checklist (Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures), the 3P model (Perceive, Process, Perform), and hazard/risk matrices. For sUAS operations specifically, DECIDE is particularly well-suited to dynamic, in-flight events — the kind that develop over seconds to minutes — while PAVE is better applied during pre-flight planning.

Remote pilots face a unique ADM challenge compared to manned aviation: they are physically separated from the aircraft and from the consequences of a crash in one sense, but the aircraft still operates in shared airspace with manned aircraft and over people and property. That separation can create a subtle psychological hazard called normalization of deviance — the tendency to accept small risks as normal because nothing bad has happened yet. DECIDE combats this by forcing explicit risk evaluation at every step rather than allowing drift toward complacency.

Hazardous Attitudes and DECIDE

The FAA identifies five hazardous attitudes that interfere with sound ADM: Anti-authority («Don't tell me»), Impulsivity («Do something — anything»), Invulnerability («It won't happen to me»), Macho («I can handle it»), and Resignation («What's the use?»). Each of these can short-circuit a specific DECIDE step. Impulsivity, for instance, collapses the Choose and Identify steps by bypassing evaluation entirely. Resignation can stall the Do step even after a correct decision has been reached. Recognizing your own hazardous attitude tendencies — part of crew resource management (CRM) and human factors training — helps you use DECIDE more reliably under pressure.

sUAS-Specific Applications of the Model

Consider a concrete scenario: you are conducting a Part 107 aerial survey mission. Midway through, your aircraft's telemetry shows battery voltage dropping faster than the pre-calculated rate, probably because actual winds aloft are higher than the forecast.

Detect: You notice the battery percentage is 15% lower than your planned margin at this point in the mission.
Estimate: At the current discharge rate, you have approximately four minutes of useful flight time remaining instead of the planned eight. Landing two miles from home base on the current course is not feasible.
Choose: Options include: abort the survey and return immediately, land at a pre-identified emergency landing zone half a mile away, or continue one more orbit and then return. Given the margin, you choose to return immediately.
Identify: You identify the specific actions: disengage the automated survey, switch to manual control, turn the aircraft into the wind to get maximum range efficiency, and set your return heading.
Do: You execute the return, notify your visual observer to watch for traffic, and prepare for landing at the original launch point.
Evaluate: As you fly back, you reassess battery status every 30 seconds. The discharge rate stabilizes slightly as the aircraft descends into calmer air. You land with a 7% reserve — below your personal 15% minimum, but safe. You note this for post-flight review.

Key Numbers and Rules

Part 107 does not specify a numerical battery reserve requirement, but the remote PIC must ensure the aircraft has enough power to operate safely — establish personal minimums and document them in your pre-flight planning.
Part 107.19 places final authority and responsibility for safe operations squarely on the remote PIC — there is no autopilot absolution.
The FAA recommends that risk management — of which DECIDE is a core tool — be applied continuously, not just pre-flight.
Human factors research cited in FAA-H-8083-2 shows that structured decision-making frameworks like DECIDE significantly reduce pilot error in high-workload situations.
DECIDE originated in manned aviation ADM training and is documented in FAA-H-8083-2 (Risk Management Handbook) and FAA-H-8083-25 (Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge), both of which apply to Part 107 remote pilot knowledge-test preparation.

Memory Aid

The acronym itself is the memory aid: D-E-C-I-D-E. Read it as a verb — an active command to yourself. A useful reinforcement phrase is: «Detect the change, Estimate its weight, Choose your path, Identify the way, Do it now, Evaluate the day.» Running through that phrase mentally when something feels off is often enough to break the fixation or complacency that precedes accidents.

Common Test Traps

Confusing DECIDE with PAVE: PAVE is a pre-flight risk checklist (Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures). DECIDE is an in-flight ADM loop. The FAA knowledge test will use scenarios to ask which tool applies — pre-flight planning calls for PAVE; dynamic in-flight problems call for DECIDE.
Thinking DECIDE is linear and one-shot: The model is explicitly cyclic. After the final Evaluate step, you loop back to Detect. Questions that describe an evolving situation are testing whether you know this.
Skipping the Estimate step: Test questions often describe a pilot who detects a problem and immediately acts. That skips Estimate and Choose — the hallmark of the hazardous «Impulsivity» attitude, not sound ADM.
Assuming «Do Nothing» is not a choice: The FAA is clear that inaction is itself a decision. Any answer option that implies deferring action is not automatically wrong — it could be the best choice if the estimate shows low urgency — but it must be a conscious, evaluated decision, not an omission.
Forgetting that DECIDE applies to crew and communication, not just stick-and-rudder actions: For Part 107 operations with a visual observer, the Do step often includes communicating with your VO or other crew. Isolating decision-making from your team is an ADM failure even when the stick inputs are correct.