2021 EU DRONE LAWS - EASY GUIDE - YouTube

Drone regulations in Europe have become the same for everyone ! Is that a good thing or

a bad thing?

Coming up !

Bonjour my fellow hi tech fans, welcome to my channel my name is Celine and together

we’ll learn and understand more about these new drone regulations.

Since January 2021 all European citizens are following the same regulations.

In practice, this means that once a drone pilot has received a state authorisation,

he/she will be allowed to freely fly their drone in the European Union. 

The new framework will introduce three categories of operations :

1/ open, 2/ specific and

3/ certified.

Let’s look first at the Open Category, it covers low-risk operations and it will not

require an authorization, but it will be subject to strict limitations.

You’ll have to register your drone and you’ll still need to take a small test online just

to show you know the rules and regulations.

Let’s see the rules for the Open Category.

Your drone should always be in your visual periphery.

You cannot fly at night.

You can fly up to 120 meters with drones in the A1, A2 and A3 class identification label.

What does A1, A2 and A3 mean?

A1 means drones less than 900 grams (here you have the Mavic Mini, the Spark, the Mavic Air, Mavic

Pro or Anafi for instance).

A2 means drones more than 900 grams but less than 4 kilos (like the Phantom and the Mavic

2 Pro for instance).

A3 means drones more than 4 kilos but less than 25 kilos.

This doesn’t mean that you can fly everywhere you want with these basics rules.

You’ll still have to find out if the places you want to capture with your drone are safe

and if the authorities are allowing you to use your drone in these places.

And there is an app that can help you out to find where to film safely : Drone-spot

app ! If you see red spots on the map, then you can’t film there.

You’ll mostly see those red spots in cities.

Today and for the next 2 years (for A1 class), there won’t be any technical requirement

on the drone.

Meaning, no obligations to have the Remote ID and the Geo awareness on your drone.

With the A2 and A3 drone class, you will have to do more than just register your drone online

and take a quick online test I’m afraid.

2 theoretical tests and one practical test at a drone school are mandatory.

Insurance : it’s strongly advised to have an insurance for all A classes, well…if

there is an accident with someone or something and you’ll need to cover the damages you’ll

need an insurance.

You may be covered by your existing accident & damage insurance, otherwise you may want

to add an extra drone liability cover.

Let’s talk about the Specific category.

For medium risk operations, drone operators will have to require an authorization from

the national aviation authority on the basis of a standardized risk assessment.

Operations involving drones of more than 25 kg and/or operated beyond visual line of sight

will typically fall under the “specific” category.

As a drone operator you must perform a risk assessment (that will be provided by EASA)

and define mitigating measures or verify that they comply with a specific scenario defined

by EASA (or the national aviation authority).

On that basis you will be able to obtain an authorization from the national aviation authority

(in some cases a simple declaration may be enough).

The authorization or the specific scenario will define the authorized operation and the

applicable mitigating measures (drone technical requirements, pilot competence, etc.).

Finally, in case of high risk operations, standard aviation rules will apply (certified

category).

What if you don’t follow the regulations?

Well the authorities can take your drone, you can also pay a fine or you can have some

jail time depending on the gravity of your behavior.

If you need more information about the applicable drone regulations , I’ll put a link in the

description down below.

Now tell me are you happy with these new regulations or is it getting more and more complicated?

Personally, as I am living in Belgium and the regulations were so strict…I’m happy

we are now all following the same regulations and it will be easier for me to use my drone

abroad than before.

If you want to know what it was like in Belgium before this regulation, click on the card

right here , I’ll also put the link in the description.

Et les amis if you haven’t done it yet, like and subscribe to make sure we will see

each other next week !

Take care, Salut !