UK SORA Application Process: Assessment 1 and 2

UK SORA is the CAA-accepted method for assessing most proposed Specific Category operations that are not covered by a predefined route such as PDRA01. It replaced the former Operating Safety Case application method.

The process is an application for a CAA operational authorisation, not a self-certification exercise. The applicant provides the proposed operation, risk information, selected mitigations and supporting evidence; the CAA assesses the submission and records findings through its Application Service.

The official UK SORA Application Service calculates SAIL and containment levels. It is free to explore calculations; an Operator ID is required before starting.

Prepare operation-specific inputs before relying on a result. The official service asks about the aircraft, operational volume and ground risk buffer, population exposure, airspace, operation type, adjacent area and any mitigations the applicant intends to select.

The CAA Application Service calculates the SAIL and containment levels from the applicant's entries. An operator can explore calculations before deciding whether to continue, but must fix the displayed result before moving into Assessment 1.

Drone Ready does not reproduce that calculation, predict the result or suggest inputs chosen to reach a preferred level. Its readiness scan records the result that the operator obtained from the official service and identifies preparation gaps around it.

Assessment 1 lets the CAA assess whether the application uses an appropriate SAIL and containment level and whether the selected mitigations are supported. An accepted Assessment 1 allows the applicant to move to Assessment 2; unresolved points may be returned as findings.

Assessment 1 evidence should be version controlled, specifically referenced and supported by the actual evidence claimed, including operation, aircraft, operational volume, population, airspace and mitigation material where applicable.

CAP3239A recommends one consolidated operational-details document with clear signposts to the supporting material. It asks for actual evidence rather than statements about what the applicant intends to produce later.

After Assessment 1 is accepted, the applicant records its compliance approach for the requirements that apply to the proposed operation and provides the evidence requested by the CAA. Assessment 2 is therefore requirement-by-requirement substantiation, not a repeat of the initial risk calculation.

Depending on the selected mitigations, technical requirements and SAIL, an operator may need an RAE(F) flightworthiness assessment or suitable third-party technical evidence.

Drone Ready keeps Assessment 2 document generation outside the product until the operation's official result, Assessment 1 evidence map and specialist review have established which requirements and competent third parties actually apply.

A UK SORA applicant must have an Operations Manual. Some manual sections may support compliance evidence, while technical evidence should be provided separately.

A controlled manual can explain the organisation and operating procedures, but it should not be used to hide missing calculations, test reports, design substantiation or third-party certificates. Each claim should point to the evidence that actually supports it.

Use the public readiness scan to screen the published service boundary and collect the operation details needed before using the official service. After recording the official result, use the evidence organiser to index controlled references across all thirteen CAP3239A Assessment 1 categories.

The specialist-review handoff remains a private local workspace. It packages the operator-entered context, evidence register and unresolved gaps for competent review; it does not transmit evidence, submit an application or turn reviewer notes into a regulatory outcome.