February 02, 2023

sasadmin

Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com looks at the regulations related to the operation of Drones below 25KG.

Introduction: ‘Open’ category of Drone Operations Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (Article 4)

Operations shall be classified as UAS operations in the ‘open’ category only where the following requirements are met:

(a) the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) belongs to one of the classes set out in Delegated Regulation (EU)2019/945 or is privately built or meets the conditions defined in Article 20;
(b) the unmanned aircraft has a maximum take-off mass of less than 25 kg;
(c) the remote pilot ensures that the unmanned aircraft is kept at a safe distance from people and that it is not flown over assemblies of people;
(d) the remote pilot keeps the unmanned aircraft in visual line of sight VLOS at all times except when flying in follow-me mode or when using an unmanned aircraft observer as specified in Part A of the Annex;
(e) during flight, the unmanned aircraft is maintained within 120 meters from the closest point of the surface of the earth, except when overflying an obstacle, as specified in Part A of the Annex
(f) during flight, the unmanned aircraft does not carry dangerous goods and does not drop any material;

UAS Operations

UAS operations in the ‘open’ category shall be divided into three sub-categories in accordance with the requirements set out in Part A of the Annex.

(a) subcategory A1;
(b) subcategory A2;
(c) subcategory A3.

Operations in the ‘open’ category shall be limited to:

(a) flights conducted in visual line of sight (VLOS);
(b) heights not exceeding 120 m above the surface.

When the operation involves flying the UA in close proximity to a fixed obstacle that is taller than 120 m, the maximum height of the UAS operation may be increased up to 50 m above the height of the obstacle, for the portion of the flight in close proximity to it and at the request of the entity responsible for the obstacle.

UAS.OPEN.020 UAS operations in subcategory A1

UAS operations in subcategory A1 shall:

  1. not be conducted over open-air assembly of persons;
  2. by way of derogation from UAS.OPEN.070(3)(e), be conducted up to a height of 50 m above the surface when in follow-me mode;
  3. be performed by a remote pilot who has:

(a) been familiarized with the UAS to be operated; or
(b) in the case of a UA with an MTOM, including payload, of more than 250 g, demonstrated the competencies necessary to ensure a safe flight, respecting privacy, data protection, security and environmental requirements, by having completed an online training course and passed an online test, according to a manner and format established by EASA, and provided by an entity recognised by the competent authority;

  1. be performed with a UA:

(a) when privately built that has an MTOM, including payload, of less than 250 g;
(b) marked as class C0, as defined in Appendix 1 to Regulation (EU) …/… [DA]; or
(c) marked as class C1, as defined in Appendix 2 to Regulation (EU) …/… [DA] and operated with active and updated electronic identification and geo-awareness systems.

UAS.OPEN.030 UAS operations in subcategory A2

UAS operations in subcategory A2 shall be performed:

  1. so that the UA is not flown over uninvolved persons;
  2. at a safe distance from uninvolved persons;
  3. by a remote pilot who holds a certificate of remote pilot competency that is necessary to ensure a safe flight, respecting privacy, data protection, security and environmental requirements, by passing a theoretical test in a manner and format established by EASA at an entity recognised by the competent authority; and
  4. with a UA marked as class C2, as defined in Appendix 3 to Regulation (EU) …/… [DA], operated with active and updated electronic identification and geo-awareness systems.

UAS.OPEN.040 UAS operations in subcategory A3

UAS operations in subcategory A3 shall be performed:

  1. in an area where the remote pilot reasonably expects that no uninvolved person will be endangered within the range where the UA will be flown, during the entire time of the UAS operation and keeping a safe distance from the boundaries of congested areas;
  2. By a remote pilot who has demonstrated the competencies necessary to ensure a safe flight, respecting privacy, data protection, security and environmental requirements, by having completed an online training course and passed an online test, according to a manner and format established by EASA, and provided by an entity recognised by the competent authority.

Next Steps

Follow this link to our Library to find & Download related documents for Free.

Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) www.sassofia.com and Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com provide classroom, webinar & online EASA regulatory compliant & vocational training – please see the websites or email team@sassofia.com

Share this with your network:

Tags:

aviation, EASA, EASA regulations, Sofema Online, UAS, Drone Operations, EASA Drone Operations, UAS operation, Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Open Category, Regulation (EU)2019/945