EASA A1/A3 key terms

An occurrence involving an unmanned aircraft in which a person is seriously or fatally injured, or the aircraft or property is substantially damaged.

An incident in which an accident nearly happened, such as a near miss with a manned aircraft or a loss of control over people.

The process of telling the competent authority about accidents, serious incidents and other safety events so that causes can be investigated and safety improved.

The duty of the remote pilot to watch for other aircraft, people and obstacles and to manoeuvre the drone so that a collision is avoided.

A safety culture in which honest mistakes can be reported without fear of punishment, while deliberate violations or reckless behaviour are still treated seriously.

Airspace of defined dimensions where air traffic control service is provided, often requiring a clearance before an aircraft may enter.

A defined volume of airspace in which flight is forbidden at all times, usually for security, safety or environmental reasons.

A defined volume of airspace where flight is limited or allowed only under certain conditions, such as at specific times or with prior permission.

A notice sent to airspace users giving timely information about temporary changes or hazards that are not yet published in the aeronautical information publication.

A software function that uses the drone's location to stop it entering predefined zones, or to limit its height or distance from the pilot.

A set of digital services and procedures that support safe, secure and efficient drone flights in defined volumes of airspace, especially in towns and cities.

The lowest-risk EASA drone operation category, requiring no prior authorisation but subject to strict limits on aircraft mass, height, distance from people and location.

A drone operation category with risk above the open category, requiring an operational authorisation or a declaration based on a risk assessment.

The maximum mass of an unmanned aircraft, including payload and any fitted equipment, at which the pilot is allowed to begin the take-off.

A marking such as C0, C1 or C2 on a drone that shows which technical requirements and open-category limits the aircraft meets.

The natural or legal person who is responsible for operating an unmanned aircraft system and who must register with the competent authority where required.

The person who manipulates the flight controls of an unmanned aircraft and is responsible for the safe conduct of the flight.

A unique code given to a registered UAS operator, which must be displayed on the aircraft and used in direct remote identification.

A flight condition in which the remote pilot can see the unmanned aircraft continuously and clearly without any aids other than corrective lenses.

The remote pilot's accurate understanding of the aircraft, the surrounding airspace, other traffic, people and weather conditions at any moment.

A state of self-satisfaction and reduced alertness that grows when a pilot repeats a task many times without problems, leading to missed checks.

A physical and mental state of reduced performance caused by long duty periods, insufficient sleep or demanding tasks, which increases the chance of error.

A response to pressure or threat that can narrow attention and harm decision-making, although moderate stress may sometimes improve alertness.

A written or mental list of items to check before take-off, such as weather, airspace, battery charge, propeller condition and control link.

An inspection of the take-off and landing area and its surroundings to identify obstacles, people, hazards and safe places for an emergency landing.

Pre-planned actions to take if something goes wrong in flight, such as a lost link, low battery or the sudden appearance of a manned aircraft.

An automated function that flies the drone back to a stored home point, often triggered by loss of signal or low battery.

The programmed behaviour of a drone when the command and control link fails, typically hovering, landing or returning to the home point.

A built-in safety feature that automatically brings a drone to a safer state when a failure occurs, such as signal loss or low battery.

A system that broadcasts information about a drone in flight, such as its identity, position and operator registration number, so it can be identified remotely.

A flight mode that limits the drone's speed, usually to 3 m/s, and is required for some open-category operations close to people.

The maximum height above the surface at which an open-category drone may normally fly, unless a specific rule or permission allows otherwise.

The horizontal separation that must be kept from uninvolved people during open-category flights, depending on the drone class and the subcategory.

Any information about an identified or identifiable person, such as a face, voice, location or video footage captured by a drone camera.

The principle that only personal data needed for a specific purpose should be collected and used, avoiding excessive or irrelevant recording.

The rule that personal data collected for one purpose, such as roof inspection, must not be used for another purpose without a lawful basis.

Insurance that covers the operator's legal responsibility to pay for injury or damage caused to other people or their property by the drone.

An EU regulation that sets minimum insurance requirements for aircraft operators, including, in certain specified cases, operators of unmanned aircraft.

Measures taken to protect drones, control stations, data links and stored data from unauthorised access, deliberate interference, disruption or theft.

A deliberate act such as taking control of a drone, jamming its signal or attacking its systems with the aim of causing harm or disruption.