Regulations, readiness and checklists

Why this matters

Even the most skilful team can break the law by flying in a restricted area, using unregistered radio equipment, or flying after a sleepless night. Checking the law and readiness before flight is as much a flying skill as handling the sticks. This course covers the basics; detail comes later in the law and safety courses.

Who oversees what

The team’s building photo mission involves several matters. Registration with one body does not mean permission on every front.

The NBTC’s frequency rules are being revised in 2026, so check the announcement in force on the day of every flight.

Main flight conditions

The 2015 (B.E. 2558) Ministry of Transport announcement sets general conditions for pilots. Key examples:

• Keep the aircraft in sight at all times; do not fly by camera view alone
• Fly between sunrise and sunset, and do not approach or enter cloud
• Stay no higher than 90 m (300 ft) above the ground
• Stay at least 9 km from airports unless permitted
• Keep a horizontal distance from people, vehicles and buildings of at least 30 m for recreational drones up to 2 kg, and 50 m for registered pilots
• Do not fly over communities or gatherings, and do not invade privacy

Pilots register through CAAT’s UAS Portal, which includes an online knowledge test; registration is valid for 2 years. Flights outside the general conditions, such as at night or above 90 m, fall under the 2026 (B.E. 2569) CAAT announcement on Specific-category flight, which requires a pilot rating, aircraft registration and per-flight permission. The building photo mission on campus also needs the university’s permission and must keep the required distance from buildings, or seek further permission.

Pilot and mission readiness

The FAA remote pilot study guide (FAA-G-8082-22) offers two memory aids. They help avoid overlooking issues; they are not scores certifying fitness to fly.

• IMSAFE assesses the pilot: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion
• PAVE assesses the flight’s risk: Pilot-in-command, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures (such as a delivery deadline)

A checklist that means something

An item “battery OK” does not say what was checked. A good checklist states the item, criterion, evidence, checker and time, and separates four states:

checklist = [
    ("pilot registration valid", "PASS", "UAS Portal record checked"),
    ("radio equipment registered with NBTC", "PASS", "registration number on file"),
    ("site permission from the university", "PASS", "letter dated this week"),
    ("area not restricted (eAIP and CAAT notices)", "UNKNOWN", "notices not yet checked today"),
    ("IMSAFE: pilot rested", "FAIL", "slept 4 hours"),
    ("battery charged and not swollen", "PASS", "4.18 V per cell, no swelling"),
    ("RTL altitude above the building", "PASS", "RTL set to 35 m"),
    ("night-flight lighting", "N/A", "daytime mission"),
]
counts = {s: sum(1 for _, st, _ in checklist if st == s) for s in ("PASS", "FAIL", "UNKNOWN", "N/A")}
print(counts)
blocking = [(item, st, note) for item, st, note in checklist if st in ("FAIL", "UNKNOWN")]
print("decision:", "GO" if not blocking else "NO-GO")
for item, st, note in blocking:
    print(f"  {st:<7} {item} ({note})")

{'PASS': 5, 'FAIL': 1, 'UNKNOWN': 1, 'N/A': 1}
decision: NO-GO
  UNKNOWN area not restricted (eAIP and CAAT notices) (notices not yet checked today)
  FAIL    IMSAFE: pilot rested (slept 4 hours)

Module lab

Common mistakes

Summary

• One mission involves CAAT, NBTC, aeronautical information and the landowner, each checked separately
• The main 2015 conditions include keeping the aircraft in sight, flying in daylight, staying below 90 m and 9 km from airports
• IMSAFE assesses the pilot; PAVE assesses the flight
• A checklist separates PASS, FAIL, UNKNOWN and N/A, and it is go only with no FAIL and no UNKNOWN

Check your understanding

1. Under the 2015 announcement, how high above the ground may you fly?
2. Which body handles registration of a drone’s radio equipment?
3. What do F and E stand for in IMSAFE?
4. A checklist has 10 PASS, 1 UNKNOWN and 0 FAIL. What should you decide?
5. How long is pilot registration under the 2015 announcement valid?