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The European Drone Rules And Regulations

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Have you ever thought about flying drones in the sky? Are you curious about your drone flight? Where are you from or in which country? Just suppose Europe? Europe is just like a geographical continent and the European Union is an organized participation of a few countries, located in the same continent on a political level. So before going further about drone legislation, we need to relate the situation before 2021 for drone pilots to understand new laws about drones, particularly in Europe.

Old Times of Flying Drone

Simply you can say a model airplane is a drone. In old times, different countries had their laws for flying drones. For example in Belgium, you could buy and fly a drone over your energy at a maximum altitude of forty meters and before flying you had to take some training against 3000 euro to get a Belgium license then could fly by following prescribed rules and regulations. If you want to fly the drone in a public place then you have to take permission. Same as Britain, Netherlands, France, Germany has some rules and regulations but the biggest issue is that no country accepts each other’s flying licenses. Therefore you have a local license of the existing country.

European Union Drone Legislations

As per the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), It is lawful to fly a drone in the European Union and you must be aware of and flexible with the drone regulations mentioned below before doing so.

Effective from January 1, 2021, EASA has standardized drone regulations and the new regulatory framework replaces existing regulations. Further, in addition to the twenty-eight member states, Switzerland, Denmark, Cyprus, Belgium,  Iceland, Romania, Spain, Germany,  Norway, and Lichtenstein have adopted the new EASA drone regulations.

General Rules For Flying A Drone Specifically In The European Union

Here is the complete checklist of the most important rules for flying a drone in the European Union. Under the new regulation, there are mainly three categories that determine drone regulations which are focused on the weight of the drone and its intended operations.

  1. The Open Category

A1, A2, A3

  1. The Specific Category
  2. The Certified Category

The Open Category

 A drone lies under the open category if such things are present.

  • Drone has 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 class identification labels
  • The maximum take-off mass should be less than twenty-five kilograms which are 55 lbs.
  • Remote drone pilot keeps a safe distance away from people
  • The drone will not be operated directly over people unless it has an identification label
  • The pilot will have to maintain a visual line of sight
  • The pilot will be assisted by a UA observer
  • The remote pilot will operate a drone under 10m or 400ft
  • Any dangerous thing will not be carried by the drone and the drone doesn’t drop any kind of material.

Open Subcategories

Open A1 Category

Your drone can be operated in the Open A1 category if:

  • Marked with class identification labels 0 and 1
  • Marked as C1 means drone pilot must be registered with the EASA
  • C0 labeled drones have a maximum takeoff weight 250g (0.55lbs)
  • C1 labeled drones have a maximum takeoff weight of 900g (1.98lbs)
  • The flight speed of your drone should not be greater than 19 m/s (42 mph)
  • You are restricted to fly in crowded places and prohibited area
Open A2 Category

Your drone can be operated in the Open A2 category if:

Open A3 Category

Your drone can be operated in the Open A3 category if:

  • Remarkable with class identification label 3 or 4
  • Must be registered with EASA and pilot should be 16 years of age
  • C3 or you can say C4 labeled drones maximum takeoff weight will be 4kg (8.81 lbs)
  • The minimum distance away from people would be 150m or 492 ft
The Specific Category 

Your drone will come into a specific category if:

  • A remote pilot flies under a standard scenario issued by EASA or NAA
  • The declaration must be submitted to the NAA
  • The remote pilot need to conduct a predetermined risk assessment before operation and get approval from NAA
  • Drone pilot has been granted a Light UAS operator certificate (LUC)
  • Your pilot must have a Certificate of Remote Pilot Theoretical Knowledge
  • The remote pilot must hold an accreditation of  accomplishment of the STS-01 Practical skill lessons
The Certified Category

This category is designed for large drones and used for high-risk drone operations that’s why it represents the greatest degree of risk

  • The operation is conducted under any of the circumstances like people of an over-aged group
  • Involves the human’s transports
  • Transporting dangerous things that involve a high risk of an accident
Very Special Attentions For Foreigners

There is not a big deal for standard consumer drones such as DJI Mavic or DJI Phantom because most people fly under an Open category of drone considerations and get a license. Foreigners need to apply for access first by country just by filling the application form and getting a login and password and then you get free training online. There are some special traveling considerations for foreigners within the European Union highlighted as open and specific categories.

The Open Category
  • You must register your drone with the National Aviation Authority of the first EU country where you wish to fly
  • Your drone registration number must be displayed on all of your drones and also into the Remote Identification System
  • Registration must be valid for use in EASA member states
  • You have to fulfill drone regulations, specific to each member state.
The Specific Category

If you want to operate your drone in a specific location then you have to submit a declaration and apply for an operational authorization to the NAA member state.

Now it’s time to prepare yourself for flying drones in Europe and before flying you must follow the guide map first and print out your license in high quality and enjoy your dream that’s come true.