EASA introduction video for SORA

In this section let's take a look at the CAA operational authorization from a service company point of view.

Obtaining operational authorization is a critical step for spraying drone operations as you can't operate big agricultural drones without it.

Your main target is to obtain such permit for your drone as quick as possible with minimum operational limitations.

Listen carefully, as this will have influence on your daily activities. 

 As already mentioned, spraying drone operations fall into specific category, mainly because the drone weight is above 25 kg and this is considered as risky operation. You will have to submit a risk assessment to obtain a Civil aviation agency operational authorization.

Don't confuse specific and certified category, as the last one is reserved only for high risk activities like air taxi.

 Here is a list of different scenarios, which will allow you to apply for operational authorization.

So, what is the best option for a service company?

As before, we do recommend using G03 scenario or SORA. There is a chance some local regulations are still in force in your country of residence and they will allow you to operate spraying drones as well.

How do you apply for a G03 scenario and prepare all necessary documents?

Well, we recommend asking assistance from any of local companies, which provide regulatory consultancy related to drones.

If they haven't prepared any G03 or SORA documents for spraying drones in the past, they might require up to 3 month to prepare all necessary paperwork for CAA. The price of such service might range from 3 thousand euros up to 10 thousand euros, which significantly depends on the volume of additional information requested by CAA. Yes, you can prepare all documents by yourself, but it would probably take at least 6 months of hard work and aviations regulation study. We don't recommend preparing documents by yourself as it is much better to spend 6 months of your time to find broad range of potential clients. Crop Pilot is planning to launch an online CAA compliance and logging platform, which will include ready to use CAA paperwork. We can't guarantee it will be accepted by your local CAA, as in every European country there could be a set of local rules and requirements.

Nevertheless, if the CAA asks for only minor adjustments, you will be able to make them by yourself and save few thousand euros. So don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter on Crop Pilot website. Document processing time will depend on your local CAA workload and could range from a few month up to 6 or 8 month. If you would like to start offering your services in early spring, for example in March, make sure to prepare and submit all documents well in advance.

 As you remember, in the generic part we discussed two types of pizzas - one pizza is cooked by the chief cook and second pizza has to be cooked by yourself.

In our opinion a pre-cooked pizza tastes much better and takes less time. But there are some disadvantages about this scenario, which you have to know.

It will allow you to fly beyond visual line of sight in sparsely populated areas in pre-approved locations.

Pre-approved location means a location, which was submitted and reviewed by local CAA and this process might take some time, especially during busy summer season. So the disadvantage could be long waiting time to get approval for new locations. Therefore you have to inform your clients to book a spraying or spreading services at least a week or two in advance, or ideally at the start of the agricultural season. The field approval is valid for the duration of the permit, which is normally 2 years.

In most cases G03 scenario will allow you to fly a drone which is bigger than 3 meters measured diagonally (!) as long as it has relatively small kinetic energy level. This has to be discussed and agreed with your local CAA. Most new drones are above 3 meters except for XAG P100 model, so in worst case there is at least one drone which is suitable for G03 scenario.

What could be the benefit of applying with a SORA risk assessment which you have to cook yourself? 

Consult your CAA to explain you the difference between PDRA and SORA processes, as there could be some benefits of SORA which are not apparent at a first glance..

We have been using G03 scenario and so far the only downside was waiting time for field approval. Also, in some cases, fields are located in sparsely populated areas, but G03 scenario is not suitable for such areas. Please consult your local CAA for additional safety measures for flights within densely populated areas. One option as an independent flight termination system, but we are not aware that there is any such system designed for DJI or XAG drones. LUC certificate might give you an opportunity to fly in various locations without CAA pre-approval, but obtaining LUC certificate is a very sophisticated process. Please consult your local CAA for more detailed instructions, as after gaining a year of operational experience, we strongly recommend service companies to obtain a LUC certificate.