A remote pilot plans to fly a small drone weighing 0.6 pounds directly over a crowd at an outdoor festival for a commercial video shoot. Under the Operations Over People rule, which category would allow sustained flight over open-air assemblies of people without a waiver, provided all conditions are met?
- ACategory 4, because it holds an FAA-approved flight manual and airworthiness certificate
- BCategory 2, because it has passed a means-of-compliance safety review
- CCategory 1, because the aircraft weighs 0.55 lbs or less including everything attached and has no exposed rotating parts capable of lacerating skin
- DNo category permits flight over open-air assemblies without a waiver
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Category 1, because the aircraft weighs 0.55 lbs or less including everything attached and has no exposed rotating parts capable of lacerating skin
Under 14 CFR Part 107 Subpart D, Category 1 aircraft (weighing 0.55 lbs or less including everything attached, with no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin) may operate over open-air assemblies of people without further operational restrictions or a waiver. The scenario's drone weighs 0.6 lbs, exceeding the Category 1 threshold, so it would not actually qualify—testing recognition that only sub-0.55 lb aircraft meet Category 1.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Category 4 requires an airworthiness certificate but does not automatically allow open-air assembly overflight without meeting operating limitations in the flight manual.
- B. Category 2 requires a means-of-compliance declaration but still restricts sustained flight over open-air assemblies unless it also meets Category 4's operating limitations.
- D. Category 1 aircraft under 0.55 lbs are explicitly permitted over open-air assemblies without a waiver.
Operations Over People Categories
Part 107 Subpart D defines four categories (1-4) of sUAS eligible for routine operations over people based on weight, injury risk, and means of compliance.
- Category 1: ≤0.55 lbs, no exposed lacerating rotors
- Category 2 & 3: require means of compliance declaration and injury severity limits
- Category 4: requires airworthiness certificate and flight manual operating limitations
Memory trick: 'One is light as a feather, over crowds it can weather.'