UK Drone Laws: New Drone Classes (VIDEO)

UPDATE (June 8, 2020): The European drone regulations which were set to start in the UK in July, and then in November, have been delayed for a second time and will now start on December 31, 2020. Read more about it and how it affects you here.

This is the fourth video in the series. The others are:

• Part One: Overview.

• Part Two: The Open Category.

• Part Three: The GVC And Using Your PfCO.

Transcript: UK Drone Laws – Part Four, New Drone Classes And CE Markings

Please note that some of the information in the transcript has been changed to reflect the delayed start to the drone regulations in the UK.

Hello and welcome to this video where we're going to be looking at the new CE Markings for drones and the associated C Ratings.

By July 2022 (note, this is now the start of January 2023), all drones sold on the European Market must be CE marked.

The class rating system has been developed alongside the new operational categories. We've made a separate video on these operational categories.

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The specifications for the aircraft C0 through C4 have already been released. C5 and C6 are still in development.

*Note, there are not currently any C0 to C4 drones on the market.

There is a great deal of information to look into, however, most of this is just for the manufacturers.

In this video, we're just going to focus on what it means to you, the pilot.

With each drone you purchase, there's going to be a leaflet in the box. The leaflet explains the dos and don'ts of operating your drone to make sure you stay legal and safe.

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As a brief overview, the C0 and C1 aircraft can be flown in the A1 subcategory.

The C2 aircraft can be flown in the A2 subcategory and the C3 and C4 aircraft can be flown in the A3 subcategory.

C5 and C6 aircraft will be used for the Specific Category. Provisions for legacy and home-built aircraft is they must only be flown in the A3 subcategory.

During the Transition Period - from the start of the regulations to December 31, 2022 - you can operate an aircraft that weighs less than 500 grams in the A1 subcategory or an aircraft that weighs less than 2 kilograms in the A2 subcategory but for either of these you will require the A2 CofC which you can find more information about on the training page of the Heliguy website.

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