2.2 Standard Operating Conditions (SOC)

Standard Operating Conditions (SOC)

The Standard Operating Conditions (SOC) are the baseline operating limits defined in CASR 101.238. They exist to keep unmanned aircraft clear of crewed aircraft, people on the ground, and sensitive airspace, and they form the default operating envelope that a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) holder works within.

When the SOC Apply — and to Whom

CASA divides commercial RPA work into three operation types: micro RPA operations, excluded RPA operations, and included RPA operations.

• For excluded RPA operations (defined in CASR 101.237), AC 101-01 describes the SOC as unalterable rules. An excluded operator cannot apply to exceed them. That is the trade-off for not needing a RePL or ReOC.
• Micro RPA operations (250 g or less) are a standalone class requiring neither a ReOC nor a RePL. They are still bound by the general Part 101 operating rules, and micro RPA cannot presently be operated under a ReOC — although a micro operator may apply to CASA for a flight authorisation such as BVLOS.
• For included operations (a RePL holder flying under a ReOC), the same substantive limits apply as general flight rules, but a ReOC holder can apply to CASA to be authorised outside them.

A common exam trap is assuming a RePL alone lets you exceed the SOC; it does not. Exceeding a SOC limit requires an approval or authorisation held by the ReOC, and the pilot must be trained and assessed competent for that operation.

The SOC, Condition by Condition

AC 101-01 sets out the SOC as follows. The RPA is operated:

And the RPA is not operated:

Where "day only" actually comes from

Candidates routinely list "daylight only" as a tenth SOC item. Read the regulation carefully: the night prohibition is a separate rule, not part of the CASR 101.238 list. Unless otherwise approved by CASA, an RPA must not be operated at night, where night means the period between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of the following morning civil twilight. Weather limits — not operating in cloud, or in visibility too poor to maintain VLOS — come from CASR 101.095. The practical effect is the same (a standard flight is a day, visual flight), but knowing which rule carries which limit is exactly the sort of distinction an examiner can test.

How the aerodrome distance is measured

The 3 NM / 5.5 km figure is measured from the aerodrome's published measurement point — for a runway, the midpoint between the two threshold centrepoints — not from the fence line or the terminal. Two refinements matter:

• Micro RPA may be flown within 5.5 km of the measurement point of the runway of a controlled or non-controlled aerodrome up to 45 m height, provided they stay out of the movement area, out of the approach and departure paths, outside the aerodrome boundary (for a controlled aerodrome), and create no collision hazard.
• At a non-controlled aerodrome, an excluded RPA may operate within 5.5 km when no crewed aircraft are operating. The moment a crewed aircraft begins to taxi for departure, or is approaching, the RPA must be landed and kept on the ground until the aircraft has departed or landed and taxied clear.
• Outside tower hours, a controlled aerodrome is treated as a non-controlled aerodrome.

The excluded category (CASR 101.237) deserves special attention because it is the most common source of SOC confusion. AC 101-01 defines an excluded RPA operation as one flown in compliance with the SOC that is also either:

• in an RPA of not more than 2 kg; or
• in an RPA of not more than 150 kg operated over land owned or leased by the RPA owner (the landholder rule); or
• in an RPA of not more than 150 kg operated solely for training or experience.

Excluded operators do not need a RePL or a ReOC (with one exception — the medium landholder case still needs a RePL). The trade-off for the lighter licensing burden is a rigid operating envelope: excluded operations cannot be approved beyond the SOC at all. If an excluded operator needs to exceed any SOC limit, they must move into the included regime — hold a RePL, fly for a ReOC holder, and obtain the relevant approval.

Why Each Limit Exists

Each SOC limit maps to a specific safety risk:

• 120 m AGL keeps RPA below the altitude where most crewed aircraft operate in the circuit and on approach, providing vertical separation.
• VLOS and the day-only rule ensure the pilot can see the aircraft and surrounding traffic — see-and-avoid is the primary collision-avoidance method at low altitude.
• 30 m from people reduces injury risk if control is lost. ReOC holders may operate closer than 30 m but not closer than 15 m, and only where the person has given consent after being briefed on the risks; a risk assessment and mitigators are expected first. Going inside 15 m requires a CASA authorisation under CASR 101.245 plus an exemption from CASR 101.280.
• 3 NM from a controlled aerodrome protects instrument approach and circuit traffic at towered aerodromes where crewed aircraft density is highest.
• One RPA per pilot caps cognitive and visual workload so the pilot can maintain effective see-and-avoid.
• No populous areas limits third-party risk over crowds and built-up areas where a failure could cause mass casualties.
• No prohibited/RA3 areas protects high-security or high-risk zones. Australia currently has no permanently prohibited areas — temporary ones are notified by NOTAM — but there are many permanent restricted areas, categorised RA1, RA2 and RA3, with the category published in ERSA (permanent) or AIP SUP (temporary).

ReOC Holders and SOC Deviations

A Remote Operator's Certificate (ReOC) does not automatically remove the SOC. It qualifies the operator to apply for authorisations that let individual pilots operate outside them. Typical approvals cover BVLOS, EVLOS, above-400 ft operations (via Form 101-09, RPA Flight Authorisation), operations inside an aerodrome no-fly zone, multi-RPA, and populous-area flight. Each usually requires a safety case, documented practices and procedures, and sometimes additional equipment. Night is the notable shortcut: CASA has already issued a night approval (CASA 01/17) to all ReOC holders, so an operator whose documented procedures match the CASA sample operations manual does not need a further night application. For the exam, remember the direction of the logic: SOC is the default; authorisations are exceptions, and the authorisation sits with the operator, not with the individual RePL.

A useful exam shorthand for the SOC: territory, sight, height, people, airspace, populous, aerodrome, public-safety, one-RPA. If a scenario describes an RPA flight, walk that list and check each one. Many scenario questions embed more than one SOC breach (e.g. a pilot flying at night, within 2 NM of a towered aerodrome, over a populous area) and ask whether the flight is legal — it is not, because any SOC breach makes the operation outside the standard envelope, regardless of whether the other limits are respected.