First A2 flight with intermittent remote ID
A pilot passed the A2 online theoretical exam two months ago and has downloaded the certificate PDF. The aircraft is a 3.2 kg C2 drone. The planned first A2 flight is a facade inspection at an industrial estate, with uninvolved workers 12 m horizontally from the planned hover point; low-speed mode is active at 2.5 m/s. Before take-off, the remote identification app shows intermittent broadcast: the signal drops for 5–10 seconds roughly every minute. The pilot has not completed or declared practical self-training, believing the A2 exam is sufficient. The site manager is waiting and asks for an 8-minute flight. Weather is calm and GPS reception is good. The pilot asks whether the flight may proceed, and if not, which deficiencies matter most.
1. Does the A2 online exam alone authorise this first A2 flight? Explain the practical self-training declaration.
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No. Passing the A2 online theoretical exam is necessary but does not by itself complete the A2 preparation. Before operating in A2, the remote pilot must also complete the required practical self-training and make the associated declaration/record that it has been done. The certificate PDF shows theoretical competence only; it does not prove that the practical self-training element has been completed.
Because this would be the pilot’s first A2 flight, the missing self-training is a direct blocker. The pilot should not treat the site manager’s schedule as a reason to skip it. The practical self-training must be completed and declared before this A2 operation, and the pilot should be able to explain what was practised, including distance management and emergency actions.
2. Assess the 12 m separation and the intermittent remote identification. Can the flight proceed if the self-training issue were resolved?
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The 12 m separation is below the 30 m baseline but above the 5 m reduced-distance floor. With low-speed mode active at 2.5 m/s and calm weather, 12 m could in principle fall within the reduced-distance regime, provided the pilot judges the risk acceptable and does not overfly the workers. Workers can move, so the area would need to be controlled or the hover point moved farther away.
However, the intermittent remote identification is a separate blocker. A C2 operation requires functioning remote identification; drops of 5–10 seconds every minute are not a reliable broadcast. The pilot must not dispatch with a known intermittent signal. The remote ID module or firmware must be corrected and the broadcast verified as continuous before take-off. Even with self-training resolved, the flight should not proceed until the remote identification defect is fixed.