Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com Considers the practical issues associated with the requirement for regulatory compliance for Drone “OPS”
Introduction
EU Regulation 2019/947 caters for most types of operation and their levels of risk. It does so through three categories of operations: the ‘open’, ‘specific’ and ‘certified’ categories.
EASA Regulations use the term UAS, unmanned aircraft system, to refer to a drone, its system and all the other equipment used to control and operate it, such as the command unit, the possible catapult to launch it and others.
This definition of a Drone includes all types of aircraft without a pilot on board, including radio-controlled flying models (powered fixed-wing, helicopters, gliders) whether they have an onboard camera or not.
RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) is a subcategory of UAS, which includes both RPAS and fully autonomous UAS. Fully autonomous UAS fly completely by themselves without the need for any pilot intervention.
EASA Adopts a Risk-Based Approach to Drone Operations – What does this mean?
- No Differentiation between leisure or Commercial OPS – Assessment Criteria based on:
o Weight of Drone
o Specification
o Required Operation
Open Category
- Class identification label (according to Regulation (EU) 2019/945) ranging from 0 to 6 from lighter to heavier models; or
- Privately built; or
- Placed on the market before 1 July 2022.
Specific Category
All drones falling under this category include those without a class identification label.
As of 31 December 2020:
- Registration of drone operators and certified drones becomes mandatory;
- Operations in the ‘specific’ category may be conducted after authorisation has been given by the National Aviation Authority;
Derogation – between 31 December 2020 and 1 January 2023, drone users operating drones without class identification label can continue to operate in the limited category under Article 22 of EU Regulation 2019/947.
As of January 2022:
- National authorisations, certificates, and declarations must be fully converted to the new EU System;
- EASA Member States must make available information on geographical zones for geo-awareness in a digital format harmonised between the EU countries;
As of January 2023:
- All operations in the ‘open’ category and all drone operators must fully comply with EU Regulation 2019/947 and EU Regulation 2019/945.
Concerning “Drone Operator”
- A Drone Operator is
o Any person, whether natural or an organisation, who owns or rents the drone.
Note 1 – You can be both a drone operator and a remote pilot if you are also the person who actually flies the drone.
Note 2 – You may be the remote pilot working for a company which provides services with drones. (The company is considered the operator)
What is the difference between autonomous and automatic drone?
An autonomous drone is able to conduct a safe flight without the intervention of a pilot.
It does so with the help of artificial intelligence, enabling it to cope with all kinds of unforeseen and unpredictable emergency situations.
This is different from automatic operations, where the drone flies pre-determined routes defined by the drone operator before starting the flight.
For this type of drone, it is essential for the remote pilot to take control of the drone to intervene in unforeseen events for which the drone has not been programmed. While automatic drones are allowed in all categories, autonomous drones are not allowed in the ’open’ category.
Autonomous drones need a level of verification of compliance with the technical requirements that is not compatible with the system put in place for the ’open’ category.
Autonomous operations are, instead, allowed in the ’specific’ category, where the Regulation includes a tool flexible enough to verify requirements with the appropriate level of robustness.
Autonomous operations are also allowed in the ’certified’ category.
Next Steps
Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com and Sofema Online www.sofemaonline.com provide regulatory compliant vocational training compliant with EASA regulations. For further information and support please email team@sassofia.com
Tags:
EASA, Drones, SAS blogs, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, UAS, EU Regulation 2019/947, RPAS, Drone Operations, EU Regulation 2019/945, Autonomous drone, Automatic drone
