US Part 107 Pilot in Europe

[Mind'sEye Watering]

American here. If I decide to visit Europe and fly my drone for commercial purposes, does my current Part 107 License do me any good at all?
Or do I need to test for and obtain a Europe-specific license?

 

[Vic Moss]

Not a bit. 107 is for U.S. airspace only. There is no reciprocity between countries at the moment when it comes to UAS operations. That would take ICAO to establish and then have signatory countries agree to.

And if you think the FAA moves slow, you should see how fast ICAO (doesn't) move...

 

[Mind'sEye Watering]

Not a bit.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks.

 

[Dmcvey]

But, if you get Certified in one EU country it is good in all EU member states, also Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein accept EU rules. ,

Drone Laws in the European Union | UAV Coach (2022).

 

[Don Horn]

I'm from the USA, have a Part 107, a DJI Mini 3 Pro (with lightweight batteries) and am going on a Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. Researching taking a drone, it seems that flying a 249g drone is kind of OK in a few places, but the entire routing of our trip seems somewhat restrictive for drone operations. Even at 249g. Do I need to get an EASA recognized license? Do I need to register the drone with the EASA? Is my US drone insurance valid in the EU (I assume so, but....)? Is it even advisable to take a drone on this routing regardless of the weight? If anyone has experience with flying a drone on the shore excursions associated with the Viking Grand European Tour, please do let me know. I'd greatly appreciate any input. Thank you for your guidance.

 

[patatino]

I'm from the USA, have a Part 107, a DJI Mini 3 Pro (with lightweight batteries) and am going on a Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. Researching taking a drone, it seems that flying a 249g drone is kind of OK in a few places, but the entire routing of our trip seems somewhat restrictive for drone operations. Even at 249g. Do I need to get an EASA recognized license? Do I need to register the drone with the EASA? Is my US drone insurance valid in the EU (I assume so, but....)? Is it even advisable to take a drone on this routing regardless of the weight? If anyone has experience with flying a drone on the shore excursions associated with the Viking Grand European Tour, please do let me know. I'd greatly appreciate any input. Thank you for your guidance.

Hello,

You do not need an operator licence or certificate to operate a sub 250g drone, however as it has a camera you will need to register the drone in one of the EU member states (and label the drone with your operator number).

You can operate the mini in subcategory A1, meaning close to or over persons but not over group of persons.

Pay attention that each country has their own layer of regulation on top of the EU rules. E.g. for Germany, here is the geozone tool showing you where you are not allowed to operate: dipul MapTool

As you can see, many zones are forbidden in Germany, including federal waterways.

Some useful information here: Drones (UAS) | EASA

In particular:

I bought a DJI Mini (weight 249g) how can I operate it? | EASA

DJI Mini is a drone with a weight of 249g, has a camera and it is not a toy (meaning that it does not comply with the toy directive). Therefore, the following actions have to be taken in order to comply with Regulation (EU) 2019/947:

www.easa.europa.eu

I am a Non-EU resident visiting Europe and I plan to fly my drone in the 'open' category, do I need to register? | EASA

All drone operations conducted in the EASA Member States must comply with the Drone Regulation, no matter what the nationality of the operator or remote pilot is. Therefore, as a non-EU resident, you are also required to register with the National Aviation Authority of the first EU country...

www.easa.europa.eu

Your cruise will probably take you through Cologne in Germany, so you will pass right in front of EASA

 

[Don Horn]

Thank you so very much for your helpful reply.

 

[Aerophile]

I'm also a 107 pilot in the US, heading to Europe for a vacation in September, also have a Mini 3 Pro. Short version: Nothing you have from the US makes you legal to fly the drone in Europe. You need to register in any EU state (which should require watching some online training and "passing" a simple online test), you get a registration number which you must attach to your drone. That takes care of most of what you need, but as every EU nation has the option of adding additional requirements (eg some require insurance), you need to check the regs for each EU nation you may be flying in. It may seem a bit confusing at first but turns out to be fairly simple.

I went through the online training and test, and the registration, in the Irish system a couple days ago (it's good for all EU countries and a few others that follow the same EASA regulations). It was quite simple and straightforward, though you will have to memorize a few rules and details. The test is not difficult.

Note that you will need to check airspace restrictions carefully - your cruise probably takes you through a lot of dense, urban areas which may (probably do) have lots of no-fly zones. Each country probably has its own app or other system to depict airspace restrictions - it'll keep you busy.

BTW, I'm going to Malta (which is an EU member state) and they require insurance, which I do not yet have - so I'm now working on getting drone insurance. May I ask who you get your policy through? Thanks.

 

[Don Horn]

I greatly appreciate this information. I’ll take the Irish test and register the Mini 3. I looked at taking the test in German, but I don’t speak German. So, that would have been problematic….

Regarding drone insurance: Check with the company that provides your home/car/life insurance to determine if they offer drone insurance. Perhaps, it might be included in some type of umbrella policy. If not, Skywatch may provide the coverage you need. There are a lot of choices. I’ve seen products from <$20US/mo. to >$50US/mo. I believe there are more extensive insurance products for different industries (e.g., movies, inspections, etc.) and that pricing depends on what you’re flying, where you’re flying and how much liability coverage you WANT versus how much you’re REQUIRED to have. That’s my understanding of the matter.

Again, thank you for the information you provided.