Linking to the previous articles
In the previous articles, we concluded that drone compliance is not a one-off administrative step, but a working practice: planning, a clear responsibility framework, risk management and feedback. In the specific category, lawful and safe use indeed depends on the deliberate management of the operation’s risks.
This leads to the key question: what should someone know who is not only looking to “take an exam” but wants to use drones routinely in a corporate environment, while establishing a safety culture? Beyond the legal minimum, modern drone training must develop competencies that actually work in real operations.
Pillar 1: Legal and compliance knowledge – clear understanding of the framework
The foundation of training is understanding the European regulatory logic. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 introduces the open, specific and certified operational categories. As a reminder, the category is not determined by the type of drone, but by the internal risks associated with the intended operation.
Even in the open category, competence requirements are explicit. According to EASA’s summary, in subcategory A1/A3, the remote pilot must acquire basic knowledge through online training, and then—depending on the Member State—take an online or in-person exam. EASA refers to this as the “Proof of completion for online training”. For A2, the requirement is higher: in addition to the A1/A3 proof, practical self-training must be completed and declared, and after acquiring the relevant theoretical knowledge, an additional theoretical exam must be passed.
In Hungary, the registration process and exam organisation are available on official platforms: the KTI drone page provides information, courses and registration, while the KAV Examination Centre page publishes drone examination details (dates, fee schedule and conditions).
This compliance pillar also includes understanding the logic of product requirements: Regulation (EU) 2019/945 sets the framework for placing drones on the market, their class markings (C0–C6), and several technical requirements (e.g., remote identification). This knowledge helps operators realistically assess the platform’s capabilities and limitations.
Pillar 2: Technical knowledge – the system’s real capabilities and limits
Modern training does not only teach drone handling; it builds system-level technical thinking. Typical topics include:
- Core systems: power supply (battery), control, GNSS, sensors.
- Onboard and ground-side safety functions: RTH logic, failsafe modes, geofencing, geocaging.
- Data and radio link: handling signal loss, interference, and frequency bands.
- Maintenance and sustainment: firmware updates, configuration discipline, pre-flight checks.
- Payload and sensor use: camera, multispectral/thermal sensors, calibration and common quality pitfalls.
The goal is not to turn everyone into an engineer, but to ensure that operational decision-making (what we commit to and what we do not) rests on a real technical foundation.
Pillar 3: Operational competence – planning, execution and post-operation review
Good mission planning starts on the ground: site survey, environmental conditions (weather, visibility), exposure of people and infrastructure, and the airspace situation. Training should therefore practise the following (as covered in the previous article):
- Preparing the ConOps (Concept of Operations – detailed description of the operation) and defining the portion of airspace available for the operation together with the necessary operational constraints: what we fly, where, when, and under what limitations.
- Identifying ground risks: estimating ground exposure (population density) and managing the ground risk buffer zone.
- Identifying air risks: planning the airspace, traffic and the air environment.
- Determining the resulting risk and the operational safety objectives based on the final ground and air risks.
- Designing risk-reduction measures and mapping them to the required levels of assurance: which procedural/technical/human measures reduce the risks encountered, and how reliable and effective they are.
Within this pillar, human factors are a key topic: excessive routine, divided attention, decision biases, and the normalisation of deviance (when minor non-compliance becomes routine) typically arise not from technical failures but from human behaviour. Training should therefore use scenarios to practise decision-making situations and mission-interruption conditions.
Pillar 4: Data management and data protection – responsibility for data collected from the air
Drone operations often collect imagery, location data and infrastructure-related data. EASA explicitly warns that personal data collection may occur even unintentionally, and in such cases, data protection obligations arise.
In modern training, data management cannot be neglected. Typical minimum topics include:
- When a recording becomes personal data (identifiable individuals, licence plates, site access patterns).
- Lawful basis and purpose limitation (GDPR): why we collect data, how long we store it, and to whom we disclose it.
- Data minimisation: only what is necessary.
- Access and security: permissions, encryption, storage and deletion rules.
- Handling sensitive contexts: populated areas, public spaces, institutions (such as schools and hospitals), and events.
If training omits this pillar, the business risk of the drone project increases—not only legally, but also in terms of reputation and customer trust.
How should the training be structured in a corporate environment?
A hallmark of modern training is that it is competency-based and delivers measurable outcomes. A practical blueprint:
- Legal foundations + categories + responsibilities (open/specific/certified).
- Technical foundations and sustainment (platform + payload).
- Operational processes (planning, execution, post-operation review, PDCA).
- Data management (GDPR, access, data security).
- Scenario-based exercises and exam simulation: real environments, decision situations, mission-interruption conditions.
- Refresher and recurrent training: periodic knowledge updates and case-study-based lessons learned.
The ultimate goal is that drone operations should not be a one-person skill, but an organisational capability, encompassing standard processes, documentation, feedback, and continuous improvement.