Open Category Drone Operations
Low-risk drone flights
What Is The Open Category?
The Open Category is designed for drone operations which are low risk in nature - either because the drone is light weight or operations are conducted far away from people.
Generally speaking, the Open Category is designed for recreational drone pilots or for low-risk commercial operations.
You can operate recreationally or commercially in the Open Category.
Open Categories: Sub-categories
The Open Category is split into three sub-categories.
These sub-categories determine where you can fly your drone - based on the weight of your aircraft.
The sub-categories are:
A1: Fly Over People But Not Crowds
A2: Fly Near People
A3: Fly Far From People
Each subcategory comes with its own set of requirements - however, pilots must abide by the following rules across all subcategories:
Maximum flight height of 120m/400ft.
Maintain visual line of sight of the aircraft at all times.
No dropping of articles/or carrying dangerous goods.
No flights within restricted airspace (Restricted Areas, Danger Areas, FRZs) without relevant permission.
You must have a green flashing light turned on when conducting night flights.
A1 Subcategory: Fly Over People
The A1 subcategory sets out operational rules for lightweight drones.
Drones that can fly in the A1 subcategory are:
Less than 250g (non-class-marked).
UK class marked drone: UK0 or UK1.
EU C class marked drone: C0.
EU C class marked drone: C1 until the end of December 2027.
Class-marked drone: Weights
UK0 (C0) = less than 250g.
UK1 (C1) = less than 900g.
Rules for drone flying in the A1 subcategory
You can fly over people, including people who are not involved in what you’re doing.
Do not fly over crowds.
Do I need drone training?
No formal drone training, such as A2 CofC of GVC, is required.
Drone registration
Flyer ID = any drone weighing 100g or more.
Operator ID = any drone weighing 250g-25kg or 100g-250g with a camera.
Open Category: A2 Subcategory
The A2 subcategory is for class-marked drones weighing up to 4kg, or non-class-marked drones weighing up to 2kg.
It allows you to fly these larger aircraft near to people - but you must have an A2 Certificate of Competency, which can be completed with heliguy™, to fly in the A2 subcategory.
If you do not have an A2 CofC, you need to fly far from people, as per the requirements of the A3 subcategory.
Class-marked drones - up to 4kg
Type of drone | Operating Area | Training |
|---|---|---|
UK2 class C2 class drone until the end of December 2027. | Do not fly within 30m of people unless they’re involved in what you are doing, or you fly in low-speed mode. If you fly in low speed mode, you can reduce this distance to 5m from people. You must not fly over people who are not involved in what you're doing. | Complete the CAA's free test to obtain a Flyer ID if you don't already have one. A2 CofC - theory learning; theory test; and self-practical training. The A2 CofC can be completed with heliguy™. |
Non-class-marked drones
Type of drone | Operating Area | Training |
|---|---|---|
Less than 2kg and not UK2 or C2 class. | You must not fly within 50m of uninvolved people. You must not fly over people who are not involved in what you're doing. | Complete the CAA's free test to obtain a Flyer ID if you don't already have one. A2 CofC - theory learning; theory test; and self-practical training. The A2 CofC can be completed with heliguy™. |
Open Category: A3 Subcategory
Any drone weighing under 25kg can be flown in the A3 subcategory - but this restricts flights to being 'far from people'.
Pilots of larger aircraft - such as the DJI Matrice 400 and Matrice 350 - will likely opt for operations in the Specific Category, to allow greater flight freedoms.
Operating Area | Registration | Competency |
|---|---|---|
You must not fly within 50m of uninvolved people. You must not fly over people who are not involved in what you're doing. You must not fly within 150m of residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas. You must not fly closer to individual residential buildings than 50m horizontally. | Yes | Complete the CAA's drone registration test for a Flyer ID, if you need one. |
Open Category Drone Training: The A2 CofC
The A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) is the official training course for pilots in the Open Category. This course applies to:
Pilots flying UK2 or C2 drones in the A2 subcategory.
Pilots flying non-class-marked drones weighing up to 2kg in the A2 subcategory.
Pilots who want to operate in these subcategories but do not have an A2 CofC will need to operate in the A3 subcategory - restricting flights to 'far from people'.
The A2 CofC involves:
Theory learning
Multiple choice exam - covering air law/responsibilities, UAS airspace operating principles, and airmanship and aviation safety.
Self-practical flying - a minimum of 2 hours. Keep flight logs. Abide by the rules of the A3 subcategory, ie flights far from people.
The A2 CofC is valid for 5 years.
heliguy™ is a CAA-approved RAE (Recognised Assessment Entity) and delivers A2 CofC training. Benefits of training with heliguy™ include:
Online learning through the heliguy™ Learning Management System, for a remote and on-demand learning experience. Access live support from heliguy™ in-house instructors from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Sit the exam remotely via web cam.
Learn from an experienced and trusted training provider, which has 10 full-time instructors and has delivered training to 7,000+ candidates.
Do I Need Insurance When Flying A Drone In The Open Category?
If you fly a drone or model aircraft for recreation, sport, or as a hobby, you can choose whether or not to have insurance.
If you fly for any other reason, you must have third-party insurance.
For example, you must have insurance if you:
get paid to take pictures or record video;
get paid to carry out surveys;
provide delivery services;
use your drone for work, such as on a farm, park, or estate;
use a drone in an educational setting, such as a school, college, or university.