Riverside pass with a cyclist and crosswind
An A2 certificate holder is flying a 3.5 kg C2 drone at 25 m AGL along a riverside path to inspect flood damage. Low-speed mode is active and limits speed to 3 m/s. The path is 4 m wide. A cyclist is 6 m ahead horizontally and approaching. The pilot intends to keep 6 m lateral separation, allow the cyclist to pass, and then land. The camera shows that a crosswind is drifting the drone sideways toward the path, so the cyclist may pass almost directly beneath it. No other people are nearby. The pilot says the 5 m rule is satisfied and that overflight is not intended. The battery is at 45% and the return-to-home point is set behind the pilot. The pilot asks whether to continue the pass or abort the inspection.
1. Does the 5 m reduced-distance rule permit this pass? Explain the difference between horizontal distance and overflight.
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No. The 5 m figure is a reduced horizontal distance from uninvolved people, available only when low-speed mode is active and the risk assessment supports it. It is not permission to overfly people. A2 operations still prohibit overflight of uninvolved people.
The planned 6 m lateral separation is above 5 m, but the crosswind is already drifting the aircraft toward the path, and the cyclist may pass almost directly beneath it. The pilot’s statement that overflight is ‘not intended’ does not control the outcome; a foreseeable drift that puts the cyclist under the drone is an overflight risk. The pass should be aborted. The pilot should move the aircraft away from the path, keep clear of the cyclist and land in a safe area rather than continue the inspection.
2. What is the safest action sequence given the cyclist, the crosswind and the 45% battery?
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The safest action is to abort the pass immediately, not to continue and hope the cyclist passes clear. The pilot should turn or hover away from the path while maintaining separation, avoid climbing directly over the cyclist and avoid using return-to-home if that route would cross the path. A manual landing in a clear area away from the cyclist is preferable.
The 45% battery is not an emergency, but it reduces the margin for repeated attempts and should not be used to justify pressing on. The pilot should land, reassess the wind and reposition the launch/landing point so that the inspection can be done without a person passing beneath the aircraft. If the wind drift cannot be controlled, the task should be postponed.