Yes, training conducted in one EASA Member State will be recognised in all others.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

For operation falling under the ‘specific’ category, the training depends on the
operation you intend to conduct. So unless the operation falls into a standard
scenario, after the risk assessment, you will need to propose a possible training
course to the National Aviation Authority. The authority will, in each case, evaluate
the adequacy of the training, and if they confirm it in the operational authorisation,
the training will become the required training.
If your operation falls into a standard scenario, the remote pilot must:

• hold a certificate of remote pilot theoretical knowledge for operation under standard scenarios;
• hold an accreditation of completion of the STS-01 practical skill training.

To do so, the remote pilot must complete and successfully pass an online training
course.
Both the certificate and accreditation can be issued by a competent authority or an
entity chosen to do so.

Regulatory reference: UAS.SPEC.050 (d) and UAS.SPEC.060 (b) of EU Regulation
2019/947

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

The validity of a LUC is unlimited as long as the organisation remains compliant
with the LUC’s requirements. An LUC can be revoked or surrendered.

Regulatory reference: UASE.LUC.080 of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

All drone operations conducted in the EASA Member States must comply with the
Drone Regulation, no matter what the nationality of the operator or remote pilot is.
Therefore, as a non-EU resident, you are also required to register with the National
Aviation Authority of the first EU country where you intend to operate.
You will then be issued with a ‘drone operator registration number’ that needs
to be displayed with a sticker on all the drones you own. You must also
upload it into the ‘remote identification system’ of your drone(s).
Once registered in the host country, the drone operator’s registration will be valid
across Europe and the operator will be required to follow all the provisions of the
Drone Regulation.
If you intend to operate in the ’specific’ category, you must submit a declaration for
a standard scenario or apply for an operational authorisation to the National
Aviation Authority of the EU Member State(s) where you registered.
If you want to conduct operations in a Member State different from the one in which
you registered, you need to follow the same procedure as all other national citizens
of the Member State where you registered. Refer to question ‘I plan to provide
services (commercial and other) with drone(s)‘.

Regulatory reference: Art.41 (1) and (2) of EU regulation 2019/945.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

All drone operations conducted in the EASA Member States must comply with the
Drone Regulation, no matter what the nationality of the operator or remote pilot is.
Therefore, as a non-EU resident, you are also required to register with the National
Aviation Authority of the first EU country where you intend to operate.
You will then be issued with a ‘drone operator registration number’ that needs
to be displayed with a sticker on all the drones you own. You must also
upload it into the ‘remote identification system’ of your drone(s).
Once registered in the host country, the drone operator’s registration will be valid
across Europe and the operator will be required to follow all the provisions of the
Drone Regulation.
If you intend to operate in the ’specific’ category, you must submit a declaration for
a standard scenario or apply for an operational authorisation to the National
Aviation Authority of the EU Member State(s) where you registered.
If you want to conduct operations in a Member State different from the one in which
you registered, you need to follow the same procedure as all other national citizens
of the Member State where you registered. Refer to question ‘I plan to provide
services (commercial and other) with drone(s)‘.

Regulatory reference: Art.41 (1) and (2) of EU regulation 2019/945.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Yes, privately built drones can be used, and depending on their weight, operated in
the ’open’ category or the ’specific’ category. You, as the drone operator, need to
fulfil all the requirements of the Regulation, and in the ’open’ category, you can
only operate under subcategory:

• A1 when the drone’s maximum take-off weight (MTOM) including its payload is less than 250 g and the maximum speed is less than 19 m/s; or in
• A3 when the drone’s MTOM including its payload is less than 25 kg.

Regulatory reference: UAS.OPEN.020 (5) (a) and UASOPEAN.040 (4)(a) Annex part A of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Yes, from 31 December 2020 to 1 January 2024, you may fly your drone without
class Identification label in the ’open’ category under the following conditions:

• drones with less than 500 g MTOM cannot fly over people, and pilot competency is determined by your National Aviation Authority;
• drones with less than 2 kg MTOM can fly 50 metres or more (horizontally) from people and the pilot must undergo training equivalent to subcategory A2 (see the FAQ section on training);
• drones with less than 25 kg MTOM, can fly in areas free from people, 150 metres or more away from properties, and the pilot must undergo training equivalent to subcategory A3 (see the FAQ section on training).

After 1 January 2024, you can still fly your drone without class identification labels,
however, only under the following subcategories of operation, for which you have to
fully comply with:

• Subcategory A1 when the drone’s maximum take-off weight (MTOM) is less than 250 g; or
• Subcategory A3 when the drone’s maximum take-off weight is less than 25 kg.

You will not need to apply any retrofit/sticker to the drone in subcategories A1 or A3.

Regulatory reference: Article 20 and Annex part A of EU regulation 2019/947 and EU regulation 2019/945.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Firstly check whether your operation can be accommodated within a standard
scenario. If it can, you do not need an authorisation, but you do need to submit a
declaration to the National Aviation Authority. A standard scenario is an operation
defined in the Appendix to the drone regulation (EU Regulation 2019/947). You need
to use a drone marked with the appropriate class identification label (5 or 6). After
submitting the declaration to the National Aviation Authority, you will receive the
confirmation of receipt and completeness from the National Aviation Authority and
operate following the limitations of the standard scenario.
Otherwise, there are other means to obtain an operational authorisation under the
‘specific’ category, depending on the level of risk the operation poses. The drone
operator can apply for:

1. An operational authorisation by conducting a risk assessment of the
intended operation using a methodology for the risk assessment; one
possible method is the SORA (specific operation risk assessment) that you can find as AMC1 to Article 11 to Regulation (EU) 2019/947. This methodology helps
to identify the risk level of the operation and to identify the mitigations and
operational safety objectives needed to make the operation safe. When the
drone operator believes they have put in place satisfactory measures to ensure
the safety of the operation, they send all the information to the National
Aviation Authority and apply for an operational authorisation. When the
National Aviation Authority is satisfied, it provides the drone operator with the
authorisation, and the operation can be started.

2. An operation authorisation through a predefined risk assessment’
(PDRA) as a simplification of the drone operator conducting a risk assessment.
For those operations that will be the most common in Europe, EASA will carry
out the risk assessment and will publish, as an acceptable means of compliance
with the drone regulation, the list of the actions that the drone operator needs
to put in place in order to conduct the operation safely. An application for an
authorisation to the National Aviation Authority is still needed, however, both
the drone operator and the National Aviation Authority will benefit from the
standardised measures defined in the PDRA. The PDRAs are published by EASA
as AMC to Art 11 to Regulation (EU) 2019/947; more are already under
development.

3. Light UAS operator certificate (LUC): this is a voluntary certification, after
which the National Aviation Authority may allocate some privileges to the drone
operator.
Drone operators may ask the National Aviation Authority to assess their
organisation to evaluate whether they are capable of assessing the risk of an
operation themselves. The requirements to be demonstrated by drone
operators are defined in Part C of Regulation (EU) 2019/947. When the National
Aviation Authority is satisfied, they will issue a light UAS operator certificate
(LUC) and they will allocate privileges to the drone operators based on their
level of maturity. The privileges may be one or more of the following:

• To conduct operations covered by standard scenarios without submitting a declaration;
• To self-authorise operations conducted by the drone operator and covered by a PDRA without applying for an authorisation.
• To self-authorise all operations conducted by the drone operator without applying for an authorisation.

Regulatory reference: article 12 of EU regulation 2012/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Drones in the ’specific’ category do not need a class identification label (except if
operating in a standard scenario).

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

By 31 December 2020, any authorisation given by one MS will be valid in the rest of
Europe. The drone operator is required to first submit the declaration (if intending
to conduct an operation covered by a standard scenario) or receive an operational
authorisation from the National Aviation Authority of the state of registration.

For an operation covered by a standard scenario (SS), the drone operator must
send to the National Aviation Authority where it intends to operate, a copy of the
declaration and a copy of the confirmation of receipt and completeness received by
the National Aviation Authority of the state of registration. Then the drone operator
may start the operation following the requirement of the standard scenario and
verifying the geographical zone published by the National Aviation Authority where
the operation is conducted.

For operations not covered by a standard scenario in the ’specific’ category, the
drone operator must ensure that the mitigating measures submitted in his original
risk assessment are appropriate to the new environment it plan to operate in or
update them is necessary.

Then the drone operator must provide the National Aviation Authority of the
Member State of the intended operation with an application, which must include:
(a) a copy of the operational authorisation granted by the National Aviation
Authority of the Member State of registration; with

(b) the location (s) of the intended operation, including the updated mitigation
measures.

Upon receipt of the application, the National Aviation Authority of the Member State
of the intended operation will review the updated mitigation measure proposed.
They will confirm to the drone operator that the application is satisfactory. Once the
operator receives the confirmation, they may start the intended operation.
If the drone operator has been granted, by the National Aviation Authority of the
state of registration, an LUC (a light UAS operator certificate) with privileges to selfauthorise its operations, they must provide the National Aviation Authority of the
State of the intended operation with

• a copy of the term of approval of the LUC and
• the location or locations of the intended operation;

Regulatory reference: article 13 of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Privately built drones of any weight can be operated in the ’specific’ category, if
included in the operational authorisation issued by the National Aviation Authority.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Each EASA Member State will
determine drone geographical zones, which are areas where drones may not fly
(e.g. national parks, city centres or near airports) or may fly only under certain
conditions, or where they need a flight authorisation. Therefore, it is important for
you to consult your National Aviation Authority to check where you can and cannot
fly your drone.
These geographical zones apply to all categories.
In addition, you are not allowed to fly a drone close to or inside an area where there
is an ongoing emergency response.
See the links to National Aviation Authorities at:
https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa

Regulatory reference: Article 15 and UAS.OPEN.060 (4) of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Generally when you operate in the ‘open’ category, you are not allowed to fly over
uninvolved people, unless you have a privately built drone with a weight below 250
g or a drone purchased on the market with a class identification label0 or 1 mark.
In any case, try to minimise the time during which you fly over people.

If you have a drone with a CE class 2 mark, under subcategory A2, as a general
Page 11 of 65
rule, keep the UA at a lateral distance from any uninvolved person that is not less
than the height at which the drone is flying (this is the ‘1:1 rule’, i.e. if the UA is
flying at a height of 40 m, the distance from any uninvolved person should be at
least 40 m), and never fly closer than 30 metres horizontally from any uninvolved
person. If your drone is equipped with a low-speed mode function and this is active,
you can fly as close as 5 metres from uninvolved people.

Distance from uninvolved people in the case of flying with a class C2 drone
In all other cases (drones with class identification label3, 4, 5 or 6 marks or
privately built and heavier than 250 g), you need to ensure that no uninvolved
people are present within the range of the operation.

Regulatory reference: article 4 (1) (c) and UAS.OPEN.040 of EU regulation
2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Any certificates of remote pilots’ competency issued by national authorities will
remain valid until 1 January 2022, after which your National Aviation Authority will
have to convert your national certificate(s) to new one(s) that comply with this
Regulation.
Whether or not you have to undergo more training after that date will depend on
the conversion process that your National Aviation Authority decides to put in
place.
As of 31 December 2020, if you do not have a national certificate for your remote
pilot competency, you will have to undergo the required competency training as
required for the ‘open’ category.

Regulatory reference: Article 21 and Annex part A (UAS.OPEN.020) and
(UAS.OPEN.040) of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Any certificates of remote pilots’ competency issued by national authorities will
remain valid until 1 January 2022, after which your National Aviation Authority will
have to convert your national certificate(s) to new one(s) that comply with this
Regulation.
Whether or not you have to undergo more training after that date will depend on
the conversion process that your National Aviation Authority decides to put in
place.
As of 31 December 2020, if you do not have a national certificate for your remote
pilot competency, you will have to undergo the required competency training as
required for the ‘open’ category.

Regulatory reference: Article 21 and Annex part A (UAS.OPEN.020) and (UAS.OPEN.040) of EU Regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Model flyers have the following options to conduct their operations:

(a) They may operate as members of a model club or association that has
received from the competent authority an authorisation, as defined in Article 16 of
the UAS Regulation. In this case, they should comply with the procedures of the
model club or association in accordance with the authorisation. The authorisation
will define all the conditions to operate, and may deviate from the Regulation (for
example it may allow operations with drones exceeding 25 kg, or flying higher than
120 m etc). Member States may enable model aircraft clubs and associations to
register their members in the registration systems established in accordance with
Article 14 on their behalf. If this is not the case, the members of model aircraft
clubs and associations shall register themselves in accordance with Article 14.

(b) If a person does not want to become a member of a club or association,
they may use the special geographical zones defined by EASA Member States, in
accordance with Article 15(2) of the UAS Regulation, where drones and model
aircraft are exempted from certain technical requirements, and/or where the
operational limitations are extended, including the mass or height limitations.

(c) Lastly, models may be operated in subcategory A3. Please refer to the FAQ
Regulatory reference: Art.16 of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

According to the class identification label of the drone or the weight, in the case of
privately built drones, they can be operated in different conditions as described
below:
Drones bearing a CE class 0 mark or that are privately built and weigh up to 250 g
can fly in subcategory A1, which means almost everywhere, except over assemblies
of people, or areas that the state has forbidden by imposing a restriction on the
flight of drones (please consult the website of your National Aviation Authority. See
https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa ).

Drones bearing a class identification label 1 can also be operated in subcategory
A1 with the difference that you are required to minimise flying over uninvolved
people.

Drones bearing a class identification label 2 can be operated in subcategory A2,
which means in urban environments, however, you are required to keep a safe
distance from any uninvolved people. As a rule, this minimum distance should be
equal to the height at which the drone is flying (e.g. if you are flying at a height of
30 m, make sure that the closest uninvolved person is at least 30 m from the position where the drone would vertically fall in the event of an incident). In any
case, this distance must never be less than 5 m. In addition, you can also fly in the
conditions defined for subcategory A3. Finally, you must avoid flying in areas that
the state has forbidden by imposing a restriction on the flight of drones.
(Please consult the website of your National Aviation Authority for additional
information.
See https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa).

Drones bearing a class identification label 3 or 4 , or that are privately built and
weigh up to 25 kg, can be operated in subcategory A3. That means that they can
never be operated in urban environments that you need to keep the drone at least
150 m from residential, commercial or industrial areas, and to only operate in areas
where no uninvolved people are present in the range where the drone can be
operated. In any case, you must avoid flying in areas that the state has forbidden
by imposing a restriction on the flight of drones (please consult the website of your
National Aviation Authority for additional information, see
https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa)

For the full image of requirements and limitations applicable to different classes of
drones and conducted operations, please refer to the table below:

* The minimum age can be lowered by the state to 12, in which case, this new
threshold will be valid only in that state.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

As a drone operator flying in the ’open’ category, you must:

• ensure that the drone displays the drone operator registration number (e.g. with a sticker) and the same number is uploaded into the remote identification;
• develop operational procedures (written procedures are required when the drone operator employs more than one remote pilot, otherwise it is enough that the
• remote pilot follows the procedures defined by the manufacturer in the user’s manual);
• ensure that there is no radio interference that may affect the command and control link of the drone;
• designate a remote pilot for each operation; it is important that it is clear who is the person responsible for each flight;
• ensure that the remote pilot and the personnel supporting the operation of the drone are familiar with the user’s manual and with the drone operator’s procedures, have appropriate competency, and are provided with the relevant information concerning any geographical zones published by the MS;
• ensure that the maps in the geo-awareness system of the drone are up to date, unless you are flying in a geographical zone where geo-awareness is not required;
• ensure that, unless you are using a privately built drone, it has a declaration in conformity to the CE class mark and its class label (0 to 4) is affixed to the aircraft; and
• ensure that the persons involved in the operation of the drone is aware of the risks involved in operations under subcategories A2 and A3.

Regulatory reference: UAS.OPEN.050 under Annex 1 and art.19 (2)

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

As a remote pilot you must:
Before the flight:

• complete the training and examination required for the type of operation you will be involved in;
• have relevant up-to-date information about any geographical zones published by the National Aviation Authority;
• check for obstacles and the presence of people not involved in the operation of the drone (unless operating in the A1 subcategory with a privately built drone or a drone with a CE class 0 mark;
• check that the drone is fit for flight and the operation it will undertake;
• check that the remote control works properly (if applicable); and ensure that the weight of the drone is within the limit of the category or subcategory of the intended operation.

During the flight in the ’open’ category, you must:

• not operate the drone when you are unfit either due to the consumption of psychoactive/ hallucinogenic substances or alcohol, or unfit due to sickness;
• keep the drone at a distance such that you can clearly see it; you may use a UA observer to scan the airspace when you want to fly in first person view. UA observers must be located alongside you such that they can immediately communicate in case they see an obstacle and give you instructions such as to immediately land the drone.
• if you or the UA observer see a manned aircraft, give way to it, and make sure you are far away from it. If you have any doubt about the operation, you should land the drone immediately.
• comply with the limitation of the geographical zones;
• operate the drone according to the manufacturer’s user manual;
• comply with the operator’s procedure; and do not operate where an emergency response service is ongoing (e.g. in the case of an accident, keep away from that location since an emergency helicopter may be required to be used);

Regulatory reference: UAS.OPEN.060 under Annex part A EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

As a drone operator flying in the ’specific’ category, you must:

• ensure that the drone displays the drone operator registration number (e.g. with a sticker) and the same number is uploaded into the remote identification;
• develop operational procedures (written procedures are required when the drone operator employs more than one remote pilot, otherwise it is enough that the remote pilot follows the procedures defined by the manufacturer in the user’s manual);
• ensure that there is no radio interference that may affect the command and control link of the drone;
• designate a remote pilot for each operation; it is important that it is clear who is the person responsible for each flight;
• ensure that the remote pilot and the personnel supporting the operation of the drone are familiar with the user’s manual and with the drone operator’s procedures, have appropriate competency, and are provided with the relevant information concerning any geographical zones published by the MS;
• ensure that the maps in the geo-awareness system of the drone are up to date, unless you are flying in a geographical zone where geo-awareness is not required;
• ensure that, unless you are using a privately built drone, it has a declaration in conformity to the CE class mark and its class label (0 to 4) is affixed to the aircraft; and
• ensure that the persons involved in the operation of the drone is aware of the risks involved in operations under subcategories A2 and A3.
• carry out each operation within the limitations defined in the declaration or operational authorisation;
• develop procedures to ensure the security of the operation;
• establish measures against unlawful interference and unauthorised access;
• ensure that the privacy of people is protected, and there may also be a requirement to conduct a data protection impact assessment if requested by the National Aviation Authority;
• provide the remote pilot with guidelines on how to minimise the nuisance caused by noise and emissions;
• ensure that the pilot conducting the operation and the other personnel in charge comply with all the conditions required for operating in the ’specific’ category;
• keep a record of the drone operation; and
• maintain the drone in a suitable condition to ensure safe operation.

Regulatory reference: UAS.SPEC.050 of EU Regulation 2019/947

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

As a remote pilot you must:
Before the flight:

• complete the training and examination required for the type of operation you will be involved in;
• have relevant up-to-date information about any geographical zones published by the National Aviation Authority;
• check for obstacles and the presence of people not involved in the operation of the drone (unless operating in the A1 subcategory with a privately built drone or a drone with a CE class 0 mark;
• check that the drone is fit for flight and the operation it will undertake;
• check that the remote control works properly (if applicable); and
• ensure that the weight of the drone is within the limit of the category or subcategory of the intended operation.
• ensure that the operating environment is compatible with the authorised or declared limitations, and
• ensure that Air Traffic Services , airspace users and other stakeholders are informed of the intended operation.
• During the flight in the ’specific’ category, you must:
• not operate the drone when you are unfit either due to the consumption of psychoactive/ hallucinogenic substances or alcohol, or unfit due to sickness;
• keep the drone at a distance such that you can clearly see it; you may use a UA observer to scan the airspace when you want to fly in first person view. UA observers must be located alongside you such that they can immediately communicate in case they see an obstacle and give you instructions such as to immediately land the drone.
• if you or the UA observer see a manned aircraft, give way to it, and make sure you are far  way from it. If you have any doubt about the operation, you should land the drone immediately.
• comply with the limitation of the geographical zones;
• operate the drone according to the manufacturer’s user manual;
• comply with the operator’s procedure; and
• do not operate where an emergency response service is ongoing (e.g. in the case of an accident, keep away from that location since an emergency helicopter may be required to be used);
• Comply with the authorised or declared limitations.

Regulatory reference: UAS.SPEC.060 of EU Regulation 2019/947

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

‘An uninvolved person is a person who is not participating in the UAS operation or
who is not aware of the instructions and safety precautions given by the UAS
(drone) operator’.
A person is considered involved if he/she decides to be a part of the operation,
understands the risk and is able to check the position of the drone while it is flying.
Therefore, in order to be considered ‘involved’ in the operation, a person needs to:

• give consent to be a part of the operation (e.g. consent to be overflown by the
• drone); the consent needs to be explicit;
• receive from the drone operator/remote pilot instructions and safety precautions
• to be applied in case of an emergency situation; and
• not be busy with any other activities that would make the person unable to check
• the position of the drone and, in case of an incident, take action to avoid being
• hit.

Writing on a ticket that a drone will be used during an event is not considered
sufficient, since the drone operator needs to receive individual explicit consent and
make sure people understand the risk and the procedures to be taken in case of an
emergency.
During the operation, it is expected that involved persons will follow the trajectory
of the drone and be ready to take action to protect themselves in case the drone
behaves unexpectedly. If, during the UAS operation, people are busy working or
watching something that is not compatible with monitoring the trajectory of the
drone, than they cannot be considered to be involved.
Examples of uninvolved people:

• spectators gathered for sport activities, concerts or other mass events;
• people in a beach or in a park, or walking on the streets.

An uninvolved person is not only a person who is directly exposed to a drone, but
could also be a person who is in a bus, car, etc., and who is indirectly exposed. For
example, if a drone is flying over a car, its driver should be considered to be an
‘uninvolved person’. The reason is that a drone flying close to a car (even if it does
not impact it) could possibly distract its driver and therefore cause a car accident.

Regulatory reference: GM1 Article 2(18) Definitions, ED Decision 2019/021/R.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

For the ‘open’ category or standard scenarios, the National Aviation Authority is
responsible for issuing the certificates. A certificate for Remote Pilot competency is
valid for 5 years. If the revalidation is conducted before the certificate expires,
the remote pilot may attend a seminar provided by the National Aviation Authority
or by an entity recognised by it, otherwise competencies need to be redemonstrated.

Regulatory reference: DRONE.OPEN.070 (1) of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

For standard scenarios, the National Aviation Authority is responsible for issuing the
certificates. A certificate for Remote Pilot competency is valid for 5 years. If the
revalidation is conducted before the certificate expires, the remote pilot may attend
a seminar provided by the National Aviation Authority or by an entity recognised by
it, otherwise competencies need to be re-demonstrated.

For operations in the ‘specific’ category that are not covered by standard scenarios,
the training will be defined in the operational authorisation provided by the National
Aviation Authority.

Regulatory reference: Article 12 of EU Regulation 2019/947 and UAS.STS-01.020
Contact your National Aviation Authority for further information
(see https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa).

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

You need to be an organisation to be eligible to apply for a LUC, however you can
subcontract some of the activities.
Regulatory reference: UAS.LUC.010.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Your maximum flight height is generally 120 m from the earth’s surface. Please
check whether the National Aviation Authority imposes a geographical zone with a
lower limit in the area where you fly. If you need to fly over an obstacle taller than
120 m, you are allowed to fly up to 15 metres above the height of the obstacle, but
only if there is an explicit request from the owner of the obstacle (e.g. a contract
with the owner to perform an inspection). In such a case, you may fly within a
horizontal distance of 50 metres from the obstacle.
When you are operating in hilly environments, the height of the drone above the
Page 12 of 65
surface of the earth should be within the grey zone in the picture below: you need
to keep the drone within 120 m of the closest point of the terrain. This means that
there may be conditions such as on top of a hill where even if you keep your drone
120 m from the side of the hill, you are actually flying at a distance higher than 120
m above the bottom of the valley. So as long as you keep your drone within 120 m
of the shoulder of the hill (as in the grey area in the picture below), your flight is
legal.

Regulatory reference: UAS.OPEN.010 (2) (3) Annex Part A of EU Regulation
2019/947

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

A drone is considered as a toy when it could be attractive to a child. More precisely,
products designed or intended whether or not exclusively, for use in play by
children under 14 years of age should be considered as a toy and comply with the
Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys. The compliance of a drone with that
directive is declared in the corresponding EU declaration of conformity. In case of
doubts, the fact that a product should be considered as a toy is assessed by market
surveillance authorities based on a number of characteristics related to the
attractiveness of the product for kids, accessibility, etc.
However, manufacturers may clearly exclude their product from the application of
the Directive on the safety of toys (when a confusion is possible) by indicating
clearly a minimum age > 13 years on their product (packaging, manual etc.) (e.g;
“not for use under 14 years”).
Regulatory reference: Article 2 of Directive 2009/48/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the safety of toys.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

A drone can be operated in the “Open “category when it:

• bears one of the class identification labels 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; or
• is privately built and its weight is less than 25 kg; or
• it is purchased before 1 January 2023, with no class identification label as above;
• will not be operated directly over people, unless it bears a class identification
• label or is lighter than 250 g. (Please refer to subcategories of operations: A1, A2
• and A3 to find out where you can fly with your drone);
• will be maintained in visual line of sight (VLOS) or the remote pilot will be assisted
• by a UA observer;
• is flown at a height of no more than 120 metres;
• will not carry any dangerous goods and will not drop any material.

Regulatory reference: Article 4 and article 20 of EU Regulation 2019/947; Annex
part A and Article 5(1) of EU Regulation 2019/947, Part1 to 5 Annex of EU regulation
2019/945.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

When operating under the ‘specific’ category, if the operations can be conducted
within the limitation of a standard scenario and using an appropriate drone, the
drone operator only needs to submit a declaration to the National Aviation Authority
and wait for the confirmation of receipt and completeness. For all other operations
in the ’specific’ category, an operational authorisation issued by the National
Aviation Authority is needed.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

The Subcategory is determined either by:

• the label showing the class identification label (0, 1, 2, 3 or 4), affixed to your drone; or
• the weight of your drone, for a privately built drone or for a drone without class identification label (called legacy drones);

Caveat: in order to facilitate the transition, drones without class identification labels may fly until 1st of January 2023 according to the requirements defined in article 22 of EU regulation 2019/947 (please refer to FAQ on flying without CE Class Markings for additional information).

Applying the instructions above, please refer to the table below to determine the subcategory you must fly under. For instance, drones with CE class 2 marks canmarks can be only be flown under subcategory A2 (close to people) or A3 (far from people).

Please consider that your state may publish geographical zones that may restrict the use of your drone.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Yes, training conducted in one EASA member state will be recognised in all others.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

A drone operator is any person, whether natural or an
organisation, who owns the drone(s) or rents the drone. You can be both a
drone operator and a remote pilot if you are also the person who actually flies the
drone. However, you could be the remote pilot without being a drone operator, if,
for example, you are a pilot working for a company which provides services with
drones. In that case, the company is the drone operator and you are the remote
pilot.
If you bought a drone to fly it in your leisure time, you are both the drone operator
and remote pilot.
If you bought a drone to give away as a gift, the person who will receive the gift and
then fly the drone will be the drone operator and the remote pilot.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

‘Unmanned Aircraft’ means any aircraft operating or designed to operate autonomously or to be piloted remotely without a pilot on board;

This definition includes all types of aircraft without a pilot on board, including radiocontrolled flying models (powered fixed wing, helicopters, gliders) whether they have an on-board camera or not.

The 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.

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.

Regulatory reference: paragraph 30 of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 1139/2018 / Article 2(1) of EU regulation 2019/947 and article 3(3) of EU regulation 2019/945

A light UAS operator certificate (LUC) is an organisational approval certificate.
Drone operators may ask the National Aviation Authority of registration to have
their organisation assessed to demonstrate that they are capable of assessing the
risk of an operation themselves. The requirements to be demonstrated by drone
operators are defined in Part C of Regulation (EU) 2019/947. When the National
Aviation Authority is satisfied, they will issue a light UAS operator certificate (LUC)
and they will assign privileges to the drone operators based on their level of
maturity. The privileges may allow the organisation to self-authorise operations
without applying for an authorisation.
The privileges may be one or more of the following:

• Conduct operations covered by standard scenarios without submitting the declaration;
• self-authorise operations conducted by the drone operator and covered by a PDRA without applying for an authorisation;
• self-authorise all operations conducted by the drone operator without applying for an authorisation.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

An assembly of people is a crowd of people. It is not defined by a specific number of
people, but is related to the possibility for an individual to move around in order to
avoid the consequences of a drone which is out of control. If a group of people are
so densely packed that their possibility to freely escape or move away from the
drone is limited, then it is considered to be an assembly of people.
Examples of assemblies of people are the people in:

• sport, cultural, religious or political events;
• beaches or parks on a sunny day;
• commercial streets during the opening hours of the shops; or
• ski resorts/tracks/lanes.

Regulatory reference: GM1 Article 2(3) Definitions, ED Decision 2019/021/R

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

The minimum age for remote pilots of drones in the ‘open’ and ’specific’ categories
is 16 years old, however, check with your local National Aviation Authority, as they
can lower the minimum age requirement.
However, there is no minimum age for flying a drone with a CE class 0 mark under
subcategory A1.

Regulatory reference: Article 9 EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

No prior authorisation is needed for operations in the 'open' category.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

It depends on the privileges granted by the National Aviation Authority.
Regulatory reference: Article 5 of EU Regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

You, as drone operator, are always required to have an insurance for your drone if
you are using a drone with a weight above 20kg. However most of EASA Member
States mandate a third party insurance also if you are operating a lighter drone. So
please consult the national regulation.

Regulatory reference: Article 14 (2) (d) of EU regulation 2019/947.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Given that there is not yet any mutual recognition established between EASA and
other countries, in the domain of drones, the training or qualification obtained in
your country of residence will not be accepted in the EU. Therefore, you will have to
undergo the required training before you can fly your drone. In the meantime, other
nations may develop regulations that may be considered by the EU commission as
equivalent to those in Europe. Information on future recognition will be published on
the EU Commission website as soon as it is finalised.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)

Given that there is not yet any mutual recognition established between EASA and other countries, in the domain of drones, the training or qualification obtained in
your country of residence will not be accepted in the EU. Therefore, you will have to
undergo the required training before you can fly your drone. In the meantime, other
nations may develop regulations that may be considered by the EU commission as
equivalent to those in Europe. Information on future recognition will be published on
the EU Commission website as soon as it is finalised.

(Reference Source EASA's FAQS)