The different scenarios – General information
The decree of December 17, 2015 on the design of civil aircraft that circulate without a person on board, the conditions of their use and the capabilities required of the people who use them defines 4 scenarios for the use of remotely piloted aircraft:
Flying height
Flight height limited to 120 m
To fly above 120 m, a request must be sent to the DSAC/IR responsible for your area, using CERFA form no. 15478, available online.
Exception for flights over man-made obstacles:
When an unmanned aircraft operates within a horizontal radius of 50 meters
around an artificial obstacle taller than 105 meters, the maximum altitude
may be increased to 15 meters above the height of the obstacle
Definitions :
Types of Aircraft – UAS types:
– Aerodynes: refers to an “heavier-than-air” aircraft whose lift is primarily provided by aerodynamic forces, such as the lift generated by a fixed wing (airplane) or a rotating (helicopter). They can be divided into two broad categories:
– powered: airplanes (fixed-wing), helicopters (rotary-wing), multirotor drones, etc.
– unpowered: gliders, kites…
– Aerostats: refers to an aircraft whose lift is provided primarily by an aerostatic force, Archimedes’ principle. This category of aircraft, sometimes called “lighter-than-air,” includes balloons (unpowered) and airships (powered).
Flight in sight:
A model aircraft is said to be operating “within sight” when the remote pilot maintains a direct view of the aircraft and a clear view of the airspace, allowing them to detect any approaching aircraft and prevent collisions.
The Flight Out of Sight:
A model aircraft is said to be operating “out of sight” when its maneuvers are at a distance from the remote pilot such that the latter cannot maintain a direct view of the aircraft.
Immersive Flight:
A remotely piloted aircraft may be operated by a person who does not have a direct line of sight to the aircraft (known as “immersive” flight or “First Person View” (FPV)). The person remotely piloting a drone in FPV mode must be accompanied by a second person whose role is to keep the drone in sight and take control of it in the event of an incident. It is this second person who is legally considered the remote pilot.
Mass:
The mass considered is the aircraft’s total flight mass, including its batteries, mission equipment, etc. However, the aircraft’s mass does not include:
– for aerostats, the mass of the lifting gas;
– for tethered aircraft, the mass of the tethering system.
Tethered aircraft:
This refers to an aircraft connected by any physical means:
– to the ground
– to a mobile object or an operator, provided that such mobile object or operator cannot be lifted or dragged by the force exerted by the aircraft.
Safety Perimeter:
Also known as the “Third-Party Exclusion Zone,” this perimeter—which must be in place in scenarios S-1, S-2, and S-3—is an area marked off (for example, with cones and barrier tape) within which the presence of persons not involved in the mission (onlookers, the public) is prohibited.
Populated area:
An aircraft is said to be operating in a “populated area” when it is operating:
– within or at a horizontal distance of less than 50 meters from a built-up area shown on aeronautical charts;
– at a horizontal distance of less than 150 meters from a gathering of people (50 meters in the case of Scenario S-4)
Urban areas:
The urban areas considered for the definition of the populated zone are those shown on current aeronautical charts published by the Aeronautical Information Service (SIA) at a scale of 1:500,000 or, failing that, at a scale of 1:250,000.
Notes:
– The urban areas in question are those identified as “urban areas” in the map legend, under the “overflight rules” section; urban areas identified as “navigation markers / small urban areas” are not affected.
– For overseas territories for which no SIA map at a scale of 1:500,000 or 1:250,000 is available, all urban areas must be taken into account.
The boundaries of the built-up area are those of cadastral parcels served by a portion of a road “in built-up areas” as defined by the Highway Code (article R. 110-2). These sections of road are defined by municipal by-law and marked with road signs.
Autonomous Flight:
An aircraft is considered to be operating “autonomously” when it flies automatically and no remote pilot is monitoring its flight or is able to intervene to alter its flight path. This definition does not apply to phases of flight of a remotely piloted aircraft during which the remote pilot loses the ability to intervene in the aircraft’s flight path as a result of the implementation of emergency procedures or the loss of the command and control link.
Gatherings of people:
This refers to a gathering of several dozen people, including: audiences at shows or sporting events, public parks, beaches, or tourist sites during peak times, parades…
Maximum permitted mass based on operational scenarios:
Unless specifically authorized, only aircraft whose mass does not exceed the following limits, depending on the scenario, may be used:
Scenario S-1: no particular restrictions (*)
Scenario S-2:
– Below 50 m in altitude: no specific restrictions (*)
– Above 50 m: only aircraft with a mass of 2 kg or less
Scenario S-3:
– Tethered aircraft: no specific restrictions (*)
– Untethered aircraft: only aircraft with a mass of 8 kg or less
Scenario S-4: only aircraft weighing 2 kg or less
(*)Aircraft over 25 kg Aircraft over 25 kg are subject to additional technical design conditions, defined on a case-by-case basis. The DSAC should be contacted in advance of any project involving such an aircraft.
