Air Traffic Rules and Procedures for RPAS
RPAS operations share airspace with manned aviation, so the rules of the air apply. The candidate must understand right-of-way, separation, airspace classification and communication procedures.
The foundational principle is see-and-avoid: the remote pilot must remain vigilant and give way to manned aircraft at all times. RPAS are typically required to yield to all manned traffic regardless of category. Know the right-of-way hierarchy: aircraft in distress, then balloons, then gliders, then airships, then powered aircraft; aircraft landing or on final approach have priority; an aircraft on the right has right-of-way in converging head-on or crossing situations unless one is more manoeuvrable.
Airspace matters: controlled airspace requires clearance, and many RPAS operations are confined to specific altitude limits and lateral boundaries around aerodromes. Understand the meaning of no-fly zones, geofencing and temporary restrictions such as those issued for events or emergencies.
Traps:
- Assuming that because an RPAS is small it has priority. It does not.
- Confusing 'clear of cloud' with 'clear of traffic'.
- Forgetting that a clearance to enter controlled airspace is not a clearance to do anything else.
Worked example: A manned helicopter and an RPAS are converging, with the helicopter on the left. The RPAS must give way - both because it is the less manoeuvrable/unpowered-equivalent in the hierarchy and because RPAS yield to manned traffic. The correct answer is to alter course to the right and pass behind. Rule of thumb: when in doubt, yield and turn right.