UAS/Drones remote pilot training
Training of UAS/drones pilots in the ‘open’ category
General information
- Have an MTOM of 250 g or more, or which, in the event of a collision, is capable of transferring to a human a kinetic energy greater than 80 joules;
- It is equipped with a sensor capable of capturing personal data, such as a camera or microphone, unless it complies with Directive 2009/48/EC (“Toys Directive”).
IMPORTANT: non-regulated training courses, i.e. all with the exception of training for subcategories A1/A3 (free online training and examination provided by EASA), are not official or accredited by EASA or any other public entity, whether Spanish or European. It is important to point out that, if this were to be publicised, it would be erroneous and false information that could lead to confusion for students, undermining the legitimacy of European legislation and conferring powers that do not correspond to it. More information in the following note:
The ‘open’ category covers low-risk UAS transactions that do not require authorisation or declaration. This is divided into three subcategories; A1, A2 and A3, and the training required by the pilot will depend on the characteristics of the aircraft with which he intends to carry out the operations. The following table summarises the operating conditions in the ‘open’ category;
The UAS operator must register with AESA's website as long as the UAS with which it operates meets some of the following requirements;
In clarification of the above points of registration requirements as an operator for low weight UAS, further information is provided in the following document: Information on drones of less than 250g.
Training in “open” subcategory A1/A3
- Be of private construction with a MTOM <250 g and maximum speed less than 19m/s.
- Have a MTOM <250 g, without class marking and placed on the market before 1 January 2024, with the requirements set out in point “UAS/droneswithout class marking (legacy) other than privately constructed”
- Have class C0 marking label.
- All those UAS that have class C1 marking.
- Be privately built with a MTOM of up to 25 kg.
- Have an MTOM ≥ 250 g, without class marking and placed on the market before 1 January 2024, with the requirements set out in point “UAS/droneswithout class marking (legacy) other than privately constructed”,
- Carry class C2, C3 or C4 marking label.
- Course curriculum training subcategory A1/A3 Ed.12
- Course Enrollment and Exam Guide subcategories A1/A3 Ed.6
- Link to the procedure
- Explanatory video on course registration and exam subcategories A1/A3 v1
- Online training pass test explanatory video for download A1/A3 v1
Training Requirements in Subcategory A1;
All UAS pilots intending to conduct operations with UAS with the characteristics defined below shall only be required to be familiar with the user manual provided by the UAS manufacturer;
It is recommended that, although it is not mandatory to obtain online training, the UAS pilot has the certificate of theoretical knowledge in subcategory A1/A3, which is a free theoretical exam taught by AESA, to ensure that the pilot has the basic knowledge in aeronautical training that allows UAS operations to be carried out safely.
All UAS pilots intending to conduct operations with UAS in subcategory A1 with the characteristics defined below shall obtain the certificate of theoretical remote pilot knowledge in subcategory A1/A3;
The training in subcategory A1 allows the UAS pilot to carry out operations avoiding the overflight of non-participating people and not allowing the overflight on concentrations of people.
Training Requirements in Subcategory A3;
All UAS pilots intending to conduct operations with UAS in subcategory A3 with the characteristics defined below shall obtain the certificate of theoretical remote pilot knowledge in subcategory A1/A3;
The training in subcategory A3 allows the UAS pilot to carry out operations at a distance of at least 150 meters from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas, as well as not allowing overflight over people or over concentrations of people.
Procedure for access to examination and certification in subcategory A1/A3;
The theoretical remote pilot certificate in Subcategory A1/A3 can only be obtained by completing an online training, followed by an equally online exam given by AESA. The registration, training and examination procedure is completely free of charge.
The agenda under consideration consists of 9 different subjects, resulting in 40 questions with a duration of 40 minutes.
To obtain the certificate of “E-training pass test”, you have to pass the exam with at least 75% of the correct answers and will appear at the end of any attempt as Suitable. Once the examination has been passed, no action is required.
When the certificate has been issued, the user will receive a notice in the email in which he has registered. The certificate has a validity of 5 years and, the renewal process must be initiated before the expiration date.
In the event that the 2 exam attempts are exhausted and a grade of Not Suitable is obtained, the remote pilot will receive a negative resolution and, after the closure of the file that may take 24 hours, he must re-register to get two new attempts and pass the exam.
Access to the training and examination course is limited to a period of 30 working days, starting from the moment the registration notice providing access to the course and/or examination, as applicable, is sent. If after the period of 30 working days no exam attempt is made or if you have not satisfactorily passed the exam, the request will be considered resolved, by withdrawal or refusal, and consequently you will have to make a new registration to regain access.
Training in the ‘open’ subcategory A2
- Course curriculum training subcategory A2 Ed.06
- Exam registration guide subcategory A2 Ed.07
- Link to the procedure
- Access to the exam without the STS remote pilot theoretical knowledge certificate
- Access to the exam with the certificate of theoretical knowledge of remote pilot STS
- Appears; Accessing the following Link
- Citizen Folder; Accessing the following Link
- DEHú; Accessing the following Link
The ‘open’ A2 subcategory training is intended for all UAS pilots who wish to carry out their operations with UAS only with Class C2 Marking, not being able to operate with a UAS with different characteristics.
Procedure for access to examination and certification in subcategory A2;
To obtain the remote pilot certificate in subcategory A2, the pilot must previously pass the theoretical remote pilot exam in subcategory A1/A3, and declare to AESA, at the time of registration of the exam, that a self-training of practical skills has been completed.
This practical skills self-training must take place in an area where no non-participating person is endangered and at a horizontal distance of at least 150 metres from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas. The remote pilot must perform as many flights as he deems necessary to acquire a reasonable level of knowledge and skills to operate the UAS.
For more details on the practical skills to be acquired by the remote pilot refer to the following guide:
**NOTE: On certain occasions the remote pilot identification number in category A1/A3 will be requested during the declaration process. This will have an ESP-RP-0000000XXXXX format, which should not be confused with the operator number.
Obtaining the certificate of theoretical knowledge in A2;
The exam given by AESA has telemonitoring technology (access to webcam, microphone and screen), and depending on the previous training that the remote pilot has, two options are available;
Those remote pilots who are in possession of the certificate of theoretical knowledge of remote pilot in A1/A3, must take an exam, which consists of 30 test questions and has a maximum time limit of 30 minutes.
Those remote pilots who hold a certificate of theoretical knowledge of remote pilot in standard scenarios (STS), may apply to obtain the certificate of competence of remote pilot (A2), without the need for a previous examination. They must make the application as indicated in point 2 of the Guide to Enrollment in the exam subcategory A2 Ed.07
As in the ‘open’ A1/A3 sub-category procedure, the remote pilot will have 2 attempts to overcome it, and must obtain at least 75% of the correct answers. Once the exam is passed, no action is necessary. When the certificate has been issued, the user will receive a notice in the email in which he has registered. The certificate has a validity of 5 years and, the renewal process must be initiated before the expiration date.
In the event that the 2 exam attempts are exhausted and a grade of Not Suitable is obtained, the remote pilot will receive a negative resolution and, after the closure of the file that may take 24 hours, he must re-register to get two new attempts and pass the exam.
For more information on the detailed training scheme for open category see this link:
Formation scheme A1-A3 and A2 Ed.05
IMPORTANT*
Once the request has been submitted, and if everything is correct, the user will receive an email at the address provided stating that a notification is available that he can open through;
In case of non-acceptance of such notification, the processing of the file, as well as the issuance of decisions and certificates, may be delayed by between 10 and 15 days, since the system does not process the result of the examination until such notification has been accepted or has expired.
Contact AESA UAS Division:
In case of doubt or special situations related to the ‘open’ category training, you can direct your query to the drone mailbox (formaciondrones.aesa@seguridadaerea.es).
