Understanding UAS Operator and Aviation Authority Challenges with the SORA Process for UAS Operational Approval in DACH Nations

The new SORA process for authorization of unmanned flight operations has quickly become an important method and major challenge for UAS operations in and around Europe, particularly in the German-speaking DACH nations. Under the SORA process, UAS operators often experience significantly higher application workloads, costs, and time until authorization. Through a targeted set of industry outreach and data gathering initiatives, the UAV DACH SORA Focus Group sought to understand the challenges faced on all sides of the SORA process. Findings show that SORA applicants are typically very small groups with diverse experience levels, missions, and aircraft-often not from aircraft safety/certification backgrounds. On average, DACH applicants needed nearly six months for full UAS operational approval, and this long time was rated as the most painful element in the SORA process. UAS operators overall support the methodology and vision of the SORA process. With increased clarity in rules and expectations, standardization across regions, availability of aids and training materials, and additional PDRAs and STSs, the SORA process could run much more efficiently and better support the growing complexity of DACH-region UAS operations.