The use of unmanned aircraft requires appropriate airspace regulation and management. To address these issues, the European Union has established a regulatory framework to facilitate airspace management: U-Space. What is U-Space? The U-Space services are responsible for regulation and management
Discover the new MANEX drone operating manual. To begin operating a UAS in a specific category within French and/or European low-altitude airspace, the operator must obtain an operating authorization, linked to their activity declaration, from the competent authority in their country. The MANEX (formerly the MAP) is a document written by a
When an operator wishes to carry out an operation that does not conform to standard scenarios (national or European), they must apply for an operating permit (granted for a maximum period of one year) from the authority in their country, providing a risk analysis study carried out using the SORA, PDRA, or LUC method, as applicable. Within the scope of this article,
Declaration of authorization to conduct flights abroad: what about European drone legislation (cross-border procedure)? Are you a remote pilot of aircraft and wish to conduct drone flights in another European country? Here's what European drone legislation says. It allows a drone pilot to fly in a country other than
Non-standard and European drone scenarios: good to know. From December 2, 2021 (the date could be postponed by two years), all new drone operators must use European scenarios within their ConOPs. Existing drone operators will be able to continue carrying out their missions under the existing European scenarios.
Which drone scenario should be used from December 2, 2021? National drone scenario or European drone scenario? This is the question many of you are asking. Here is the answer: from December 2, 2021, under European drone regulations, all new drone operators must fly using the
Professional Drones, Market Trends and Current Situation According to the latest activity reports (the most recent being from 2019) published by the Directorate of Civil Aviation Safety (DSAC), the number of registered professional drones (i.e., those weighing more than 800 grams) is steadily increasing: 9,582, 13,647 and 15 respectively
Drone pilot training organizations: Drone pilot training, what market? According to the DSAC activity report, 12,272 drone pilots had graduated as of December 31, 2019 (3,113 more than in 2018). The annual market for training these French professional drone pilots is estimated at approximately
Drone pilot training: what's changing in 2021? In 2021, drone regulations changed. Drone registration rules for all European remote pilots, as well as flight altitudes and scenarios, have evolved since January 1, 2021. For this reason, drone pilot training has also been evolving since that date. A reminder of the...
The new European drone regulations: what changes from January 1, 2021. In the previous article, we discussed the changes to drone regulations starting in early 2021 regarding the registration of European drones with the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) on the AlphaTango website. In today's article, we discuss in more detail the operational impacts of the
Drone regulations in Europe: what changes on December 31, 2020. Drone regulations are changing in 2021 in Europe (and therefore in France). The bulletin from the Directorate of Civil Aviation Safety (DSAC) informs us about the changes to drone regulations in Europe for drone registration.
Drone mapping, rules, and restrictions for flying your drone. Mapping data comes into play before (flight planning), during (geolocation, co-activity, integration into air traffic, etc.), and after flights of civilian drones (flight log, data processing, GDPR, etc.). While geolocation (or geofencing) is a major issue
How do you choose your professional drone? What is the best professional drone for inspecting linear infrastructure? Currently, there are around twenty civilian drone manufacturers worldwide, each marketing approximately one hundred production drone models. All these drones have different technical characteristics in order to...
Drone training: how to become a drone pilot? To become a professional drone pilot (and comply with current aeronautical regulations), it is necessary to obtain state-recognized diplomas issued by the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority), or even to have completed several practical training courses offered by a training center.
Drone scenario: regulations changed at the end of 2020. Following the publication of EU Regulation 2018/1139, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) became responsible for drone regulations. Since then, two EU aeronautical regulations have been published (June 2019): 2019/947 and 2019/945. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the application of the regulation
Professional drone certification, regulations, and technical constraints: Every professional drone (since December 26, 2018, any drone weighing more than 800 grams is considered a professional drone) must be certified and/or registered before being authorized to fly. To obtain this certification from the Directorate General
All professional drones (i.e., those weighing over 800 grams) must be certified to be authorized to fly. Both the manufacturer and the operator must therefore comply with certain technical and regulatory requirements before the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) deems the aircraft airworthy. The rules concerning aircraft certification: Certification is a two-tiered process: First, the manufacturer
A drone remains a non-autonomous device in the hands of a human being. And for safety reasons, and to protect property and people, remote pilots must demonstrate complete mastery of their device and the necessary theoretical knowledge for its operation. What does drone regulation say for remote pilots? Within the framework of
Having experienced exponential growth for many years, the use of professional civilian drones is heavily regulated to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of people operating nearby. To this end, numerous drone laws and regulations have been implemented. Responsibilities, in the event of a problem, are clearly defined between the manufacturer and
Every day, hundreds of drones fly simultaneously and must share the airspace with airplanes and military aircraft. One of the DGAC's roles is to coordinate all these actors. To achieve this, the DSAC has established four main regulatory principles: Operational drone scenarios
In 2020, as in previous years, the number of drones registered worldwide, across all sectors, followed an exponential growth curve. The main manufacturers remain Chinese companies for civilian drones (recreational and professional) and American companies for military drones. These two countries together market more than 801 TP3Ts.
What you need to know to choose a drone. Even though more than 70% drones are used for aerial photography, the needs expressed by clients are becoming increasingly specific. For example, while aerial surveillance requires covering long linear distances with a level of
Storing Aerial Drone Footage – The Challenges Drones are primarily used for aerial photography. These drone missions generate large multimedia files that drone operators struggle to collect, process, and archive securely. But how large are these files?
How do you define a drone aerial photography service? Drones are primarily used for aerial photography. However, this image capture covers very diverse uses: real estate, structural inspections, filmmaking, etc., implying different specifications from one service to another and consequently
French professional drones: who owns them and what is their purpose? Number of professional drone operators in France. 8,837 is the number of professional drone operators (equipment weighing over 800 grams) in France in 2019 (figure from the January 2020 issue of the DGAC's Civil Aviation magazine). This represents an official growth of approximately
Securing Airspace in the Face of Civilian Drone Use Since 2016, the rise of drones has been described as a real threat to the safety of commercial aircraft and the public. Indeed, this new type of traffic in low-altitude airspace is causing unprecedented disruptions: (i) Prohibited filming, (ii)
The Role of Drones in Logistics: The Future of Drones in Logistics. Logistics, constantly seeking to reinvent itself, hopes to fulfill that old science-fiction fantasy: delivering packages by air from one point to another, safely, and ideally with minimal human intervention.
Drone airspace, drone legislation: what you need to know. Drone airspace begins from the first meter above the ground. It is divided into two main distinct areas. Above 150 meters (500 feet) above ground level, it is reserved for airplanes and other manned aircraft. Below 150 meters,
