Training entities in national standard scenarios (STS-ES)

General Information

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the use of unmanned aircraft entered into application on 31 December 2020. Article 23(4) of this Regulation provides for the possibility for Member States to develop national standard scenarios equivalent to those laid down in the Regulation itself, valid for a transitional period, i.e. until 31 December 2025, and to submit the corresponding STS-ES operational declarations until 30 August 2024.

In the case of Spain, two national standard scenarios (STS-ES-01 and STS-ES02) were defined and established through the publication of the Resolution of the management of the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency approving national standard scenarios (STS-ES) for UAS operations in the ‘specific’ category under cover of an operational declaration in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 of 24 May 2019 on the rules and procedures applicable to the use of unmanned aircraft.

The Resolution establishes in its point UAS.STS-ES.040 that the practical training of remote pilots will be provided by entities recognized by EASA and UAS operators declared to EASA to provide this practical training, and in both cases the applicable requirements will be those established in Appendix 3 to the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

The national standard scenarios approved by this resolution may only apply in the territory and airspace of Spanish sovereignty to the use of unmanned aircraft to which Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 applies.

All those Training Entities and UAS Operators wishing to provide remote pilot training in national “standard” scenarios (STS-ES) are reminded that the process is declarative, and must be carried out under the conditions developed in the Guide to provide practical training in national standard scenarios sts-es-01/sts-es-02.

Statement of Recognized Entities

All those Recognized Entities that intend to provide practical training of remote pilots in national standard scenarios (STS-ES), must first be recognized for this, being necessary to submit a declaration to AESA through the following link.

The following guide indicates step by step how to correctly submit the declaration as a recognized entity, as well as the student declaration.

Filing Guide for Recognized Entities and Declared UAS Operators Ed.06

From the moment the application is submitted through the website, the entity may begin to practice as recognised and provide training and assessment of practical skills for that national standard scenario in which it has been declared. In those cases where the request is not correct for any reason, it will be resolved with a resolution for non-compliance and a new application must be submitted.

Additionally, those recognized entities that use UAS of their possession to provide practical training, must register as UAS operators and include the operator number in all their UAS. All the information regarding the registration of operators is compiled in the web section Register of drone/UAS operator

A List of Recognized Entities (periodicupdate)is available below.

Declaration of UAS Operators

UAS operators intending to provide practical remote pilot training in national standard scenarios (STS-ES) must be registered as a UAS operator and submit to AESA an operational declaration in the desired national standard scenario (STS-ES). Both procedures are carried out through the following link.

Once the operator registration has been carried out and the declarations of operations have been submitted in accordance with the desired national standard scenario, UAS operators must submit a declaration to EASA to provide the practical remote pilot training in the national standard scenarios to be formed (STS-ES-01 and/or STS-ES-02) through the same procedure established for the recognised entities, from this link.

You have at your disposal the following guide that indicates step by step how to correctly submit the declaration as a UAS operator, as well as the student declaration.

Filing Guide for Recognized Entities and Declared UAS Operators Ed.06

Upon submission of the declaration, the declared UAS operator may start providing practical skills training and assessment for that national standard scenario. In those cases where the request is not correct for any reason, it will be resolved with a resolution for non-compliance and a new application must be submitted.

Documentary Records

Student declaration:

Recognised entities and UAS Operators carrying out practical training activities in either of the two national standard scenarios (STS-ES) shall submit monthly the declaration of students who have passed the continuous assessment, and thus obtained the accreditation of practical skills for each national standard scenario, as appropriate. 

The procedure is carried out through electronic headquarters, in which the following data must be provided;

• Name and surname of the student.
• Identification data of the NIE/NIF/PASSPORT.
• Scenario declared (STS-ES-01 or STS-ES-02)
• Date of delivery of the accreditation.
• Personal encoding of the accreditation provided by the entity or the UAS operator.

Section 2 of the Guide on the submission of declarations of recognised entities and declared operators, available in the previous sections, shows in detail the procedure for declaring students valid for both declared UAS Operators and Entities Recognized by AESA to provide practical training in national standard scenarios (STS-ES).

Instruction Manual for Entities and UAS Operators:

Recognised entities and UAS Operators carrying out practical training activities in either of the two national standard scenarios (STS-ES) shall have either an Instruction Annex to their Operations Manual or a separate Instruction Manual specifying all aspects required by point 11 of Appendix 3 to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947.

As an aid to the Recognized Entities and the UAS Operators declared to the elaboration of the document, a Guide Material has been developed for the elaboration of the Instruction Manual, which includes the essential aspects required in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, so that interested parties can adapt the content of the document to their Instruction Manual specific to their practical training in national standard scenarios (STS-ES).

• Instruction Manual National Standard Scenarios (STS-ES)_Ed.01

Theoretical training in national standard scenarios (STS-ES)

The necessary training that accredits the UAS pilot to perform operations in national standard scenarios (STS-ES) consists of two parts, theoretical training and training based on a continuous assessment of practical skills of remote pilots.

In the case of the theoretical remote pilot training in the “specific” category, it will be valid both for the national “standard” scenarios (STS-ES) and for the European standard scenarios (STS) since the syllabus and the content of the subjects of the theoretical knowledge examination of the “specific” category has already been adapted to be valid for both scenarios.

The subjects corresponding to this level are indicated in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, and a more detailed version to serve as a study guide is available at this link: Theoretical knowledge exam STS Ed.02

Theoretical training for “standard” scenarios can be provided by a training entity, a UAS operator, or on their own, always following the syllabus agenda. It is recalled that only EASA is responsible for the evaluation of the theoretical knowledge of remote pilot and the issuance of the corresponding certificate.

Practical training in national standard scenarios (STS-ES)

The training and continuous assessment of practical skills of the national standard scenarios (STS-ES) must be provided through a Recognized Entity or a UAS Operator declared to EASA.

In order to facilitate these declared UAS Entities and Operators to carry out correct training in accordance with the “Standard” Scenario Resolution, the Guide on the Requirements for Providing Training and Assessment of Practical Skills for STS-ES Training has been provided. In it you can find the following aspects;

• Procedure for declaration of Recognized Entities and UAS Operators;
• General requirements for the provision of training;
• Documentary requirements;
• Requirements for UAS used in training;
• Practical remote pilot skills training programme in national standard scenarios (STS-ES), including pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight planning;
• Requirements for the representative flight area of the STS-ES;
• Formats of the accreditation to be issued after passing the training and continuous evaluation, and the model progress book.

Direct Distance Identification System (“DRI”) requirement

From 1 January 2024, it shall be a prerequisite that UAS intended to carry out “specific” Category Training operations under any of the national standard scenarios (STS-ES) have a Direct Remote Identification System ("DRI").

The training entities and the UAS Operators declared to provide the practical training of the national standard scenarios (STS-ES) shall ensure compliance with Appendix 6 and Appendix 4 to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 respectively, the performance of which is to comply with the applicable provisions set out in the declarations, including the requirements applicable to the operations of the standard scenario to be formed. (STS-ES-0X).

It will be recommended that the Training Entities and the declared UAS Operators indicate and show the student, within their training activities, the operation and methodology of using the Direct Distance Identification System (“DRI”) to ensure that the future remote pilot knows the application, installation and operation of this device. It has all the information in the section of Remote identification system and class markings.

Contact AESA UAS Division:

In case of doubt or special situations related to the ‘specific’ category training, you can direct your query to the drone mailbox (formaciondrones.aesa@seguridadaerea.es).