How can a pilot maintain situational awareness during a flight?

Maintaining situational awareness during a flight is crucial for ensuring safety and making informed decisions. Continuously scanning the surroundings and monitoring drone data allows the pilot to remain aware of any potential hazards, changes in weather conditions, and the overall status of the drone. This proactive approach helps pilots identify and react to unexpected situations, such as the presence of other aircraft, obstacles, or individuals near the flight area.

Relying solely on the drone's camera feed, as articulated in one of the choices, can create a narrow field of vision and result in missing critical information occurring outside of that view. Furthermore, confining flights to familiar areas might minimize risks, but it doesn’t enhance the pilot's ability to maintain awareness in dynamically changing environments. Lastly, limiting communication with ground control reduces access to vital information that could inform the pilot about factors affecting the flight, such as updates on airspace restrictions or weather changes. Thus, engaging in continuous scanning and monitoring is the most effective strategy for ensuring comprehensive situational awareness.