Drone basics: what you need to know before you fly

Before you fly, you need to understand five things: which flight category you are operating in, what class your drone carries, what VLOS means, where geographical zones lie, and what duties fall on you as the pilot. These terms come back in every regulation, every exam question and every guide, so without them the rest is unreadable.

This article does not teach you how to fly. It explains what the words in the rules actually mean. Drone regulation in the European Union is set by EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and is common to all member states. Your national aviation authority adds its own zones, notification procedures and sometimes an insurance requirement on top, so always confirm the details locally.

Three flight categories: open, specific, certified

EASA rules split every drone flight into three categories according to risk, not according to whether you fly for fun or for money.

The open category covers low-risk operations and contains essentially all recreational flying plus a large share of commercial work. It needs no authorisation, only operator registration and proof of competency. The drone must weigh under 25 kilograms, stay within visual line of sight, stay no higher than 120 metres above ground, never fly over assemblies of people, and carry no dropped load.

The specific category begins where the open one ends: flights beyond visual line of sight, above 120 metres, over people, or with heavier equipment. It requires an authorisation from the aviation authority or operation under a ready-made standard scenario, preceded by a risk assessment.

The certified category applies to the highest-risk operations, such as carrying people or dangerous goods, and resembles manned aviation. It does not concern a beginner in any way.

Subcategories A1, A2 and A3 inside the open category

The open category splits into three subcategories, and the difference between them comes down to one question: how close to people may you fly.

A1 is flying near people. You may overfly individual uninvolved persons, though not deliberately and never hovering above them, and never over assemblies. It applies to drones of class C0 and C1.

A2 is flying at a safe distance from people, meaning as a rule 30 metres horizontally, or 5 metres with the low-speed mode engaged. It applies to class C2 drones and requires a separate A2 certificate of competency, obtained by sitting an exam at a recognised body.

A3 is flying far from people, in areas where you will not endanger uninvolved persons, keeping at least 150 metres from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas. It applies to C3, C4 and heavier legacy drones without a class label.

Your subcategory follows from the drone’s class and your qualifications together. A certificate alone will not move a heavy drone into A1, and a light drone does not force you into A3.

Classes C0 to C6: what they mean

The C class is a label applied by the manufacturer describing the safety-relevant technical properties of the drone. You will find it on the airframe and in the documentation.

C0 covers drones under 250 grams take-off mass with a speed limit of 19 metres per second. The lightest regime, subcategory A1.

C1 covers drones under 900 grams that meet impact energy requirements and carry Remote ID and geo-awareness. Also A1, but with extra requirements.

C2 covers drones under 4 kilograms with a low-speed mode. Subcategory A2, once you have passed the relevant exam.

C3 and C4 cover drones under 25 kilograms, with C4 being models without automatic control modes, intended for traditional aeromodellers. Both fly in A3.

C5 and C6 do not belong to the open category at all. They are classes for the specific category, used within standard scenarios. C5 is typically a C3 drone plus a retrofit kit, C6 is equipment for higher-speed, longer-range operations.

Drones bought before the class system came in carry no label and fall under transitional rules based on mass alone.

VLOS, BVLOS and EVLOS

VLOS stands for Visual Line of Sight, meaning flight within sight of the pilot. It means you can see the drone with the unaided eye throughout, and can judge its position and surroundings well enough to avoid a collision.

The key words are unaided eye. The camera feed on your controller screen is not VLOS, because it does not show what is happening beside the drone. Corrective glasses are fine, binoculars serve only for an occasional check, never for conducting the flight. In practice VLOS runs out sooner than radio range suggests: a small drone disappears from view after a few hundred metres while the link still works.

BVLOS, Beyond Visual Line of Sight, is flight outside your visual range. It always requires the specific category and an authorisation, and never fits inside the open category.

EVLOS is extended visual line of sight using observers who keep eyes on the drone and stay in contact with the pilot. That too sits in the specific category.

Geographical zones

A geographical zone is an area where drone flights are prohibited, restricted, or subject to permission. States define them themselves and publish them in official apps and maps.

Typical zones cover the surroundings of airports and helipads, military areas, national parks and reserves, the space around critical infrastructure such as power stations and chemical plants, prisons and government buildings. Cities are often subject to height limits or a flight notification requirement.

Zones split into permanent and temporary. A temporary zone can appear for a few hours because of a public event, a rescue operation or a state visit. That is why you check the map before every flight, not once a season.

Many drones include geo-awareness that warns about a zone or blocks take-off. Treat that as an aid, not as the source of truth: the onboard database can be out of date, and the responsibility for checking the zone rests with you.

The pilot’s basic duties

Whatever the category and class, a handful of rules always apply in the open category.

Keep the drone in visual line of sight throughout the flight. Do not exceed 120 metres above ground level, measured from the nearest point of the surface rather than from your launch point. Never fly over assemblies of people. Carry no dangerous goods and drop nothing from the drone. Give way to manned aircraft, and if you see an aeroplane or helicopter, descend immediately and land.

On top of that come the formal duties: operator registration, the operator number displayed on the drone, valid proof of competency, active Remote ID where the drone has it, and a zone check before take-off. You are also responsible for the privacy of anyone who may end up in frame, and for any damage the drone causes.

Then there is the common sense the rules cannot spell out: you do not fly after drinking, you do not fly in conditions beyond your equipment, and you do not linger over someone else’s property without reason.

Common questions

Do I need a qualification to fly a drone recreationally? Yes. In the open category you need proof of competency whether you fly for pleasure or for payment, because EASA rules classify flights by risk, not by purpose. The only relaxation is for the lightest C0 drones under 250 grams in subcategory A1, where the requirements are minimal, though operator registration still applies to a drone with a camera. Confirm the details with your national aviation authority.

What is the difference between the open and specific categories? The open category is low-risk flying without authorisation, under hard limits: up to 25 kilograms, within visual line of sight, up to 120 metres, never over assemblies. The specific category starts when you exceed any of those limits, and requires an authorisation from the aviation authority or operation under a standard scenario, preceded by a risk assessment. Practically all recreational flying fits inside the open category.

Is the 120 metre limit measured from my launch point? No. The 120 metre limit is measured from the nearest point of the earth’s surface, not from where you took off. Flying out over a descending slope means your height above terrain grows even though the telemetry reading stays the same. Near an obstacle taller than 105 metres you may climb to 15 metres above its top, with the permission of whoever controls the structure.

What is Remote ID and does it apply to me? Remote ID is a remote identification system that broadcasts in real time your operator number, the drone’s position and the pilot’s position, so authorities can establish who is flying. The requirement applies to classes C1, C2, C3, C5 and C6, while C0 is exempt. If your drone supports Remote ID, you must enter your operator number in its settings and you must not switch the function off.

Your next step

Come back to this list whenever an unfamiliar abbreviation turns up in another article or in an exam question. The logical next step is to work out which subcategory your drone falls into, then run through the checklist of formalities before your first flight. The guides and trainer in dronexamine take you through all these concepts in exam-question form, which fixes them in memory faster than reading alone.