Flying drones near airports using grids

The rules for unmanned aircraft operations are based on the Measure of General Nature on the Establishment of a Restricted Area (LKR10-UAS) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. This legal document establishes a method of ensuring airport protection by defining a 5.5 km circle from the airport reference point with conditional entry depending on the weight of the aircraft, with an obligation to fly outside the airport protective zones with height restrictions for buildings (unless such a flight is coordinated). The introduction of the GRID map layer for pilots does not represent any new rules for the operation of drones, but in the case of controlled airports, it introduces them graphically to the course of these protective zones, which in some cases are not easily accessible. Ignorance of the actual course of flight height restrictions in a given location is one of the causes of violations of drone operation rules in the vicinity of airports and can thus pose a threat to operational safety.

Grids simplify the process of approving drone flights up to 0.91 kg in the vicinity of airports and deciding whether or not it is necessary to coordinate the flight with ATC and the operator of a specific airport. If the pilot intends to fly above the maximum possible height of the Grid or with a drone heavier than 0.91, there is still an obligation to coordinate his flight with the ATC and the airport operator. A graphical representation of the grids in the vicinity of a controlled airport can be found below.

Grids do not take into account the risks of drone operation to persons, buildings, infrastructure, etc. located on the ground, which are described in the applicable legislation, i.e. in the OOP LKR10-UAS. More information on ground risks and protective zones can be found here: Buffer Zones.

Beware of flights beyond the 5.5 km circle from the ARP, where the protecitve zone may limit the drone's flight height to below 100 m above the ground. Therefore, always check the maximum possible flight height in the GRID map layer in the DronView. In this way, you will prevent a possible threat to the safety of air traffic.

Grids are defined as a grid network in a pre-defined area. The evaluation of the displayed value is done by comparing the digital data of the terrain relief and airport protective zones with the height limitation of the buildings in the given rectangle. The rounded difference of these two values then defines the maximum flight height above the ground in a given rectangle, if it is observed, there will be no violation of the protective zones.