Place Your Drone

Practise the open-category distances for the EU drone exam, free: five situations, one rule each time. Put the drone where EU regulations allow it, then find out why. No sign-up, right in your browser.

How this free practice works

1. Drag the drone across the map (or tap the spot you want) to bring it into the mission zone, the amber dashed circle.
2. Check: the map shows the measured distances, the rule that applies and where to find it in the regulation.
3. Five rounds, a score out of 5. Today's game is the same for everyone; “Play again” draws another one.

Open-category distances: A1, A2 and A3 in short

A1: flying close to people, never over an assembly

With a class C0 drone (or a privately built one under 250 g), flying over uninvolved persons is allowed. With a C1, the remote pilot avoids flying over them. In both cases, never over an assembly of people.

A2: at least 30 m from people, 5 m with low speed mode

A class C2 drone stays at least 30 m away, horizontally, from uninvolved persons. That distance can go down to 5 m if the low speed mode is active and after assessing the weather, the drone's performance and the segregation of the overflown area.

A3: far from built-up areas, at least 150 m

The flight takes place at least 150 m, horizontally, from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas, in a place where no uninvolved person is endangered. Classes C2, C3, C4, or a privately built drone under 25 kg.

Frequently asked questions about open-category distances

The 12 quiz situations, from A1 to A3

1. Filming a fountain in A2 A2 · C2
2. Photographing a field near a village A3 · C2
3. Filming a church on market day A1 · C0
4. Photographing a jetty, low speed mode on A2 · C2
5. Inspecting a pylon between two areas A3 · C3
6. Filming a kiosk in a park A1 · C1
7. Filming a statue with an assistant A2 · C2
8. Surveying a windmill with a privately built drone A3 · Privately built, 18 kg
9. Filming a concert stage, 240 g drone A1 · Privately built, 240 g
10. Filming a kiosk near a picnic A2 · C2
11. Inspecting a barn between a campsite and a hamlet A3 · C4
12. Filming a festival stage with a C1 A1 · C1

What the game checks, and what it does not

• It checks one thing: the horizontal distance, seen from above, or overflight. The regulation sets no measuring method. For A2, an EASA acceptable means of compliance (AMC1 UAS.OPEN.030(1)), which is not an article of the regulation, measures the distance from the point where the drone would hit the ground in a vertical fall; the game applies that measurement to every situation. The same AMC also recommends, close to people, a lateral distance at least equal to the flight height: the game does not take height into account.
• Map conventions: the assembly is the crowd drawn on the map, and an area ends at its dashed outline. In the field, it is up to the remote pilot to judge; EASA guidance material GM1 Article 2(3) gives as examples sport or cultural events and shopping streets during opening hours.
• It does not check visual line of sight, the 120 m height limit, registration, training, UAS geographical zones or national rules, which all apply on top. C1, C2 and C3 drones must also have direct remote identification and the geo-awareness function active and up to date: the game does not check this.
• This is independent practice: it is not an exam, an attestation or a certificate.