Your safety, the safety of those around you and your SSEA is your primary goal and concern as an operator. The SMEE must be operated correctly in every respect and as a remote pilot, you must be careful during every flight. This training material will guide you through everything you need to know to be able to fly as safely as possible.
What is important to consider for a safe flight?
In aviation, situational awareness (SA) is a key factor. Situational awareness refers to the pilot (in your case, the remote pilot) controlling the entire situation – the flight, the aircraft, the environment, the airspace. You need to be able to understand what is happening during the flight and what can affect it: other pilots, weather conditions, limitations of the SFE and the remote pilot, etc.
Risks arising from the flight of an SFE shall be reduced and controlled to an acceptable level so as not to endanger other persons or their property.
The better the situational awareness, the safer the flight.
Taking into account the environment
You are not allowed to fly your SSEA as and where you want. There are many areas and airspaces that have restrictions or prohibitions on flying an SFE, either during certain periods or continuously. You may be able to “unlock” some of these restrictions through the use of an app or through the civil aviation service, or after consultation with the air traffic control tower, while some of these restrictions or prohibitions will always remain closed to flying.
It is important that you are very familiar with the environment and the route in order to make the flight as safe as possible. Don’t forget to inform those close to you that the flight will take place.
the remote pilot is responsible for and must be concerned for the safety of the flight of his/her SFE.
You can read more about this in Section 5: Operating Procedures.
Be healthy and focused
As a remote pilot, you need to be sober and rested. Do not drink alcohol or use drugs or medicines that may affect your performance during the flight. It is important to understand how external and internal factors can affect you and your ability. You can read more about this in Section 4: Human performance limitations.
Always fly within visual line of sight (VLOS)
A concept you will encounter when flying Semi-EAS is flying within visual line of site (VLOS). This means that I can see my Semi-EA and the airspace it is moving through, throughout the flight. Keeping your SFE within visual line of sight makes it easier for you to maintain a safe distance from people, animals, buildings, vehicles and other aircraft and if necessary avoid a collision with them
Maximum flight distance
The maximum distance of the SFE from the operator depends on the size of the SFE and on the environmental characteristics of the area (such as visibility, presence of high obstacles, etc.) If the operation takes place in an area where there are no obstacles and you have unobstructed visibility up to the horizon, the SFE can fly at a distance such that it remains clearly visible. If obstacles are present, the The distance shall be reduced so that the remote operator is able to assess the relative distance of the SMEE from that obstacle.
Never fly your SSEA above 120 metres
The maximum height that a Glider can reach in the Open class is 120 metres above ground level (AGL). If an artificial obstacle is greater than 120 metres, the Glider may fly 15 metres above the obstacle at the request of the owner.
The rules place an obligation on the remote pilot to check the airspace thoroughly to avoid the risk of collision with manned aircraft. This means that the remote pilot is primarily responsible for avoiding collisions. The reason is that manned aircraft operators may not be able to see your SFE due to its small size. Therefore, you should make a collision risk assessment and take appropriate measures. As soon as the remote pilot sees another aircraft or parachute or any other airspace user, you must immediately keep the SMEE at a safe distance from it and land if the SMEE is in orbit towards the other object. If the remote pilot observes an aircraft passing through the sky at a low altitude at which it may interact with the SFE, he/she shall immediately reduce the altitude of the SFE.
What is a “crowd of people”?
You are not allowed to fly your SMEA over a number of people in the Open class.
The number of people has been defined by an objective criterion related to an individual’s ability to move to limit the effects of an out-of-control SSEA. Examples of crowd of people are:
- sporting, cultural, religious or political events
- beaches or parks on a sunny day.
- shopping streets during shop opening hours – and
- ski resorts / slopes / lanes.
What are “uninvolved persons”
Non-involved persons are those persons who are not involved in the flight of the SFE or who are not aware of the instructions and safety precautions provided by the operator of the SFE.
In the event that an SFE has to operate on or near non-participants for a long period of time, these people cannot be considered as non-participants and must be briefed prior to the operation on the nature of the flight and the conditions of the flight.
Individuals can be considered “involved” when:
- explicit consent has been given to the pilot of the SFE or remote pilot to participate in the SFE operation (even indirectly as a spectator); and
- have received from the operator of the SFE or from the remote operator clear instructions and safety precautions to be followed in the event that the SFE exhibits any unplanned behaviour.
The “person involved”:
- is in a position to decide whether or not to participate in the SEA operation.
- has a general understanding of the risks
- has reasonable assurances during SSE operations, with safety measures taken by the operator of the SSE; and
- is not prohibited from participating in the event or activity if he/she decides not to participate in the SSEA operation.
Spectators or other people gathered for sporting activities or other mass public events for which the flight is not the primary objective of the flight are generally considered “non-participants”.
People sitting on a beach or in a park or walking on a street are also generally considered to be uninvolved persons.
Example: when shooting with a SSEA at a large music festival or public event, it is not enough to inform the audience through an announcement, email or text message. To be considered a person involved, permission must be sought from each individual person and they must be informed of the potential risks.
In the event of unexpected flight over uninvolved persons, the remote pilot shall reduce as far as possible the time during which the unmanned aircraft is flying over these persons.
In the C0 categories, i.e. SMAs with a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) of less than 250g, the pilot may fly over non-participating humans, but never over groups of people.
Do not carry hazardous substances, gases or liquids as a payload
In the context of a flight with an SEM, you may also encounter the concept of dangerous goods. This refers to such objects or substances carried by the SFE that could be dangerous in the event of a collision or accident. It is prohibited to transport dangerous goods without a permit. Explosive, flammable, toxic, radioactive, corrosive or infectious substances, gases or liquids are all examples of dangerous goods.