Updated 9th June 2020: To reflect CAP1789 minimum age requirements and Lighting requirements.

While I’ve covered the specific rules for the three different scenarios of the Open Categories, I wanted to try and group together the generic ones that apply no matter which of the three Open categories you’re flying in.

Maximum Flying Height

As per the current rules and regulations (unless you have an exemption from the CAA), the maximum permitted height in 99% of circumstances* is 400ft above the ground. However, in the new world this looks like it can be extended (without the need for additional CAA authorisation) in two key scenarios:

Model Gliders - when soaring around hilltops 400ft above the ground, flying horizontally away from yourself the ground can quickly drop away as the terrain of the hill drops. For this reason the new rules permit the 400ft to be from the pilot as opposed to the earth (note: VLOS is still required) when using gliders in this scenario.
Obstacles - the whole point of 400ft is generally to seperate unmanned aircraft and manned aircraft. However, if there is a man made obstacle that goes above 400ft, let’s say to 500ft, then it’s safe to say the manned aircraft will not be flying below 500ft (in most circumstances). Therefore the regulation allows drones to fly within 15m of that obstance horizontally or vertically.

*I say 99% because currently, when flying within a Flight Restriction Zone, drone operators may fly above 400ft with permission from the Air Traffic Service Provider.

Minimum Age Requirments

Currently, commercial drone operators must be a minimum of 18 years old as this is the minimum age required for a PfCO and Operator ID. Also a pilot (but not an operator) may currently obtain his/her own Flyer ID at 13 years. The new regulations state the minimum age for this is now 16 years (for specific and open), however, the CAA have the power to reduce this by up to 4 years in the open (or 2 years in the specific), the CAA have stated they will do this in order to align with the current situation in the open category (i.e. 13 years) and they will reduce it for the Specific category to 14 years. It’s worth adding that in the new regulations there is no minimum age if the drone is being flown in A1 and it is a C0 drone classed as toy, it is privately built and <250g, legacy <250g OR operating under the supervision of a pilot who already holds the required competency of the flight/drone (e.g. A1/A2/A3).

Airworthiness Requirements

Quite simply the safety of drone design must comply with the delegated regulation unless it is

Privately built
Covered by a model aircraft club/association framework
Placed on the market before 1 July 2022

Registration Requirements

There’s an onus on the Operator (as opposed to the Remote Pilot, but they be the same person) to register the drone when operating in the Open Category if the drone is more than 250g, can transfer a Kinetic Energy of more than 80 Joules OR is capable of capturing personal data. It is not required is the drone is classed as a Toy.

Geographical Zones

This will work in a similar fashion to the Flight Restriction Zones as already displayed on the NoFlyDrones home page. They can be set up for the purpose of safety, security, privacy, or environmental reasons. The key difference is that these are not going to be as black and white as a NO fly zones like we have today. They could restrict certain types of drone operations or drone classes, certain areas may require an OA or they may only allow drones equipped with certain features.

Lighting and Remote ID

From 1 July 2022, a green flashing light must be activated when flying at night.

From 1 January 2022 operators must ensure that each individual unmanned aircraft is installed with an active and up to date remote identification system

Small Print: These posts are a summary only, include my personal interpretation and is not intended to be a replacement for reading the actual rules.