EASA A1/A3 common mistakes
EASA A1/A3 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Applying the A2 horizontal separation rule (50 m, or 30 m in low-speed mode) to A3 flights, or applying the 150 m area rule to A1/A2 flights.
The three open subcategories are revised as a single block, so the numbers get attached to the wrong column; exam scenarios describe a situation without naming the subcategory out loud.
What to do instead
Rebuild the subcategory table from memory each study session: A1 - no overflight of assemblies; A2 - 50 m from uninvolved people (30 m in low-speed mode with a C2); A3 - no uninvolved people and 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas. In every scenario question, first state the subcategory, then apply its rule.
Treating 'open category' as 'no permission needed, so no airspace rules apply' and skipping geo-zone, NOTAM and aerodrome checks before a flight.
The phrase 'no authorisation required' is learned as an absolute and then generalised to airspace, which is a separate layer of regulation.
What to do instead
Use a fixed pre-flight sequence: national geo-zone/class map check, then NOTAM and airspace check, then site survey. Train yourself so that any question mentioning an aerodrome, prison, hospital helipad or public event automatically triggers a restriction check.
Choosing the subcategory from the drone's mass alone and ignoring the C-class marking on the label and in the manual.
Retail listings emphasise weight, and candidates assume weight is the only criterion; the class label is what actually determines A1/A2/A3 eligibility.
What to do instead
Answer class first, weight second: a C1 drone may be flown in A1, while a legacy drone of the same mass with no class marking falls to A3. Learn the C0–C4 definitions and where the label is found.
Answering visual line of sight questions as if 'I can see the aircraft' is sufficient, and treating FPV goggles as satisfying see-and-avoid.
Recreational FPV flying makes goggles feel normal, and 'visual line of sight' sounds self-explanatory, so the unaided-contact and scan requirements are never really learned.
What to do instead
Define VLOS as unaided direct eye contact (corrective glasses allowed; binoculars, screens and goggles not) that lets you monitor the flight path and detect conflicting traffic. FPV flight requires a separate observer in direct communication with the pilot. Drill this with scenario questions rather than definitions.
Assuming recreational flying is outside data protection law, or that privacy only matters when filming commercially.
Data protection is mentally filed under business and marketing, and the privacy paragraph in the drone regulation is short and read only once.
What to do instead
Learn a recreational privacy checklist: avoid capturing identifiable people without need, keep footage to the minimum necessary, do not publish images of identifiable people, and respect expectations of privacy in gardens and homes. Any question combining a camera with people is a privacy question.
Assuming third-party liability insurance is either automatically included with operator registration or never required in the open category.
Insurance is set at national level, so the EU text is deliberately vague and candidates fill the gap with an assumption rather than a fact.
What to do instead
State it precisely: insurance is mandatory where national law requires it, and registration provides no cover. Know your own Member State's rule and remember the policy is held by the operator, not necessarily by the person flying.
Treating 120 m as height above the launch point, and ignoring terrain and the cloud-clearance requirement that accompanies the ceiling.
Apps display altitude above take-off, so candidates equate the number on the screen with the legal limit and never think about the surface directly below the aircraft.
What to do instead
Learn that 120 m is a ceiling above the surface directly beneath the aircraft, not a target and not measured from the launch point, and that you must also remain clear of cloud and within VLOS. In scenario questions, check terrain and weather before choosing an altitude answer.
Answering fitness-to-fly questions with 'I feel fine', ignoring fatigue, medication and alcohol.
There is no medical certificate in the open category, so candidates infer there is no fitness requirement at all.
What to do instead
Learn the pilot's legal obligation not to fly under the influence of alcohol, drugs or impairing medication, or when unfit through fatigue or illness. Apply a mnemonic such as IMSAFE to each scenario and answer 'do not fly' whenever impairment appears.
Believing the remote pilot and the operator must be the same person, or that the operator must be present at the flight.
In single-person recreational flying they usually are the same person, and exam wording uses 'operator' loosely, so the distinction is never separated in the candidate's mind.
What to do instead
Write out the two definitions: the operator is the person or entity responsible for the flight, registered, holding the operator ID and the insurance; the remote pilot is the person at the controls. They can be different people, and the operator need not be on site. Identify who the question is asking about before answering.
Lumping security restrictions in with general no-fly zones and treating a geo-zone warning as advisory, so prisons, critical infrastructure and emergency scenes are not recognised as hard restrictions.
Security is a short domain, app warnings are often shown in yellow, and candidates assume a warning is a suggestion rather than a legal boundary.
What to do instead
Learn that national security restrictions can be hard no-fly areas, that interfering with emergency response is an offence, and that any app warning means stop and check, not continue. Revise the national list of security-sensitive sites before the exam.