People, Vehicles, and Exposure Categories
Control exposure first, then apply the exact aircraft category, declaration, site, assembly, and moving-vehicle conditions to the remaining operation.
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
- 01Identify the rule, source, or principle behind this idea: Category 1 aircraft weigh 0.55 pounds or less throughout the operation and have no exposed rotating parts that would cause lacerations; Category 2 and 3 aircraft must not cause injury equal to or greater than the transfer of 11 and 25 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, respectively, and require FAA-accepted means and declarations of compliance plus the applicable design protections; Category 4 uses an airworthiness certificate and its operating limitations.
- 02Explain the operational effect of this idea: Category 3 may not operate over an open-air assembly; its limited operations over people require a closed or restricted-access site with notice, or no sustained flight over a person unless that person participates directly or has qualifying protection.
- 03Apply the lesson to a new mission and defend a go, modify, or no-go decision.
01 / MISSION
Begin with the operating problem.
An event organizer wants a continuous orbit above a dense outdoor audience using an ordinary camera drone.
02 / CORE BRIEF
What the remote pilot needs to know.
Category 1 aircraft weigh 0.55 pounds or less throughout the operation and have no exposed rotating parts that would cause lacerations; Category 2 and 3 aircraft must not cause injury equal to or greater than the transfer of 11 and 25 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, respectively, and require FAA-accepted means and declarations of compliance plus the applicable design protections; Category 4 uses an airworthiness certificate and its operating limitations.
Category 3 may not operate over an open-air assembly; its limited operations over people require a closed or restricted-access site with notice, or no sustained flight over a person unless that person participates directly or has qualifying protection.
Sustained flight over an open-air assembly under Category 1, 2, or 4 requires Remote ID compliance; over moving vehicles, Categories 1 through 3 require either a closed or restricted-access site with notice to everyone in the vehicles or no sustained flight over the vehicles, while Category 4 follows its certificate and approved limitations.
03 / PILOT DECISION
Make the call.
Eliminate the overflight unless a Category 1, 2, or 4 aircraft and the entire operation satisfy the applicable category, open-air-assembly, Remote ID, and moving-vehicle rules, or an applicable waiver authorizes the deviation. Restricted access alone does not legalize a Category 3 flight over an open-air assembly.
04 / FIELD CHECK
Put it into the flight plan.
Draw the path, classify every exposed person and vehicle, and verify the aircraft's accepted declaration or airworthiness record, required and optional components, configuration, modifications, operating instructions, category, and every operating condition.
05 / KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Can a Category 3 aircraft fly over an open-air assembly merely because the event site restricts access?
Reveal the debrief
No. Category 3 may not operate over an open-air assembly; a restricted-access site does not remove that prohibition.
RELATED FAA REFERENCES
Verify before you fly.
- FAA — Operations Over People
- 14 CFR Part 107 — current eCFR
- FAA — Remote Identification
- FAA — Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards
Educational summary only. Current regulation, FAA approval conditions, manufacturer instructions, and site-specific facts control the operation.