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INTRODUCTIE

The moment you launch an unmanned aircraft, you are taking part in air traffic. When you participate in air traffic, you will encounter all sorts of other aircraft and have to comply with rules regarding height, priority, airspace areas, flying times and safe distances from infrastructure and people, for example. As of 31 December 2020, the European regulations for operating an unmanned aircraft will be the same throughout the European Union (EU). At the same time, this legislation also offers each Member State of the European Union a degree of liberty to add its own restrictions or national regulations. EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) legislation is based on the risk profile attached to a particular type of flight and defines three different categories, which each have their own rules and regulations.

Open-category

This category is for operations with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) weighing less than 25 kg and includes virtually all amateur pilots, as well as several professional pilots. All operations in this category are classified as low risk. The Open category comprises three subcategories:

A1: This subcategory is for class C1 UAS.

A2: This subcategory is for class C2 UAS.

A3: This subcategory is for class C3 UAS weighing more than 4kg and class C4 UAS when not operating in a model flying club or other permitted zone. Class C2 UAS may also be flown in subcategory A3, provided they meet all A3 requirements.

The different UAS classes are defined as follows:

C0: Privately built UAS, including toys, weighing between 0 and 250 g

C1: Micro UAS weighing between 250 g and 900 g

C2: Mini UAS weighing between 900 g and 4 kg

C3: General UAS weighing between 4 kg and 25 kg

C4: Privately built or model UAS weighing between 4 kg and 25 kg

Since these so-called CE labels are not yet available, the distribution up to and including 31 December 2022 is as follows:

A1: drones till 500 gram 

A2: drones from 500 gram till 2 kilogram 

A3: drones from 2 kilogram till 25 kilogram 

A1 and A3 are classified under the same risk category, these two subcategories therefore fall under DronePilot Basic Light training. Do you want to achieve A2 in addition to A1/A3? Then the DronePilot Basic training fits in perfectly with this.

Training requirements for the Open-category

In pursuance of the laws and legislation, certain training requirements have been laid down for the three subcategories. To operate a class A1 and/or class A3 UAS, the remote pilot must have completed (online) training with a recognised training institute. The examination for the European Drone Certificate for the subcategories A1/A3 consists of 40 questions on the following subjects:

1. Air traffic safety
2. Airspace restrictions
3. Aviation regulations
4. Human performance and limitations
5. Flight operation procedures
6. General knowledge of the unmanned aircraft
7. Privacy and date protection
8. Insurance
9. Security

The A2 subcategory is subjected to the same training requirements as described above with an additional theoretical examination consisting of 30 questions on the following subjects:The A2 subcategory is subjected to the same training requirements as described above with an additional theoretical examination consisting of 30 questions on the following subjects:

1. Meteorology
2. Flight performance of the unmanned aircraft
3. Technical and operational measures to reduce ground risks

The minimum age for remote pilots flying drones in classes C1-C4 is 16 years. There is no minimum age for class C0 drones and/or privately built drones lighter than 250 g. Minors (< 16 years of age) are also allowed to fly a drone under the direct supervision of a certified pilot. However, Member States may lower this minimum age based on a risk-based approach. The minimum age to fly a drone may be lowered by a maximum of 4 years for the Open category and 2 years for the Specific category.