PDRA01 Audit Checklist: CAA Requirements & Evidence Pack

The Operations Manual is not uploaded during the PDRA01 application. The applicant confirms they hold one; the CAA can request it (with flight records and logs) during audit and oversight.

Drone Ready focuses on the work behind that declaration and the evidence needed afterwards. Instead of repeating operator, aircraft and pilot details across blank templates, you enter reusable information once and receive a connected pack to review, adapt and adopt.

If selected for a PDRA01 compliance assessment, the operator has 28 calendar days from notification to provide the requested evidence. The operational authorisation may be suspended if the evidence is not received in time.

The CAA describes this activity as compliance checking or a compliance assessment. The point is to demonstrate that the operator follows its authorisation and the procedures stated in its Operations Manual.

Readiness is not a one-off PDF. It is the combination of a current manual, repeatable procedures and dated evidence showing what happened in practice.

A useful checklist turns each likely request into a named, current and retrievable record. Keep an index that identifies the document owner, revision or record date, storage location and any open corrective action, so the evidence can be reviewed without searching across unrelated folders.

Start with the Operations Manual, then trace the most recent flights through pilot currency, site assessment, aircraft status, flight log and defect or occurrence follow-up. That trace is more useful than a folder of disconnected templates because it shows whether the documented process was followed in practice.

The requested PDRA01 oversight evidence pack includes the current Operations Manual; RPC-L1 or GVC qualification and currency evidence; Operator ID; Flyer ID(s); site surveys and flight logs for the last three flights; and a maintenance log for every UAS involved in those flights.

The CAA oversight evidence pack uses the last three flights conducted under the PDRA01 authorisation before the request. Site surveys should normally be from different dates.

Create a simple index showing the owner, location, current revision and retention approach for each record set. Restrict access where records include personal data or sensitive site information.

Check that the manual matches the actual aircraft, personnel and procedures in use. Record who signed off each revision, when it became effective and how affected personnel were told about the change.

A beautifully formatted manual can still create an audit gap if completed records contradict it. Sample a few recent flights and trace each one from feasibility decision through briefing, flight log, post-flight checks and any defect action.

Technical records should make it possible to identify the aircraft, significant components, maintenance status and unresolved defects. Flight records should identify what flew, who operated it, where and when it flew, and whether anything unusual occurred.

Keep evidence of each remote pilot's required qualification, Flyer ID where applicable, organisation-specific role training and recent operating experience. The standard should match the competence and currency process described in the manual.

Also record briefings or training for observers and support personnel where the operation relies on them. Expiry dates should be visible early enough to prevent an invalid assignment.

A site file should show how the operator considered airspace restrictions, permissions, uninvolved people, access control, weather, take-off and landing areas and emergency options. Keep evidence rather than relying on a note that a check was completed.

Make current insurance evidence and emergency contacts easy to retrieve. If an occurrence or accident happened, preserve the report, investigation, corrective actions and evidence that lessons were incorporated into procedures.

Select a small sample of recent flights. For each one, confirm the pilot and aircraft were current, the site decision was recorded, required permissions were present, the flight log was complete and any defect or occurrence reached a documented closure. Record gaps with an owner and due date.