2.1 Open Category A1 / A2 / A3 & 2026 Near People Rename

Why the CAA Splits Flying by Risk

UK drone and model aircraft rules do not start from the brand of aircraft you own. They start from risk: how heavy the aircraft is, how close it will be to people who are not part of the flight, and how complex the mission is. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) groups operations into three categories:

1. Open Category — basic, low-risk flying that most recreational and many commercial pilots start in.
2. Specific Category — moderate-risk flying that needs an operational authorisation (or an equivalent approved route) because the risks exceed Open limits.
3. Certified Category — complex, high-risk flying treated more like manned aviation, with type certification and operating approval.

You move through the categories as the flying becomes more advanced. Wanting to fly a heavier aircraft closer to people, beyond Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), or in ways Open forbids is a signal that Open alone is no longer enough. The A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) sits inside Open: it is the extra remote-pilot qualification that unlocks the Near People (A2) sub-category so you can fly closer legally without jumping straight into Specific Category. It is not a Specific Category operational authorisation and it does not allow Certified operations.

The Three Open Sub-Categories (Names from 1 January 2026)

Everyone starts in the Open Category. Open has three sub-categories defined by how close you may fly to people who are not involved in what you are doing. From 1 January 2026 the CAA uses plain-English names alongside the A1/A2/A3 codes:

If you are just starting out, you will normally begin in Over People (A1) or Far from People (A3) depending on the class mark or weight of your aircraft. You only move into Near People (A2) after you hold a valid A2 CofC (and the required IDs).

Over People (A1)

What you can fly

• Aircraft with UK class marks UK0 or UK1
• European class marks C0, and (during the transition window the CAA publishes) C1 where still permitted in A1
• Legacy aircraft (no class mark) with mass less than 250 g

What you can do

• Fly over people who are not involved in the operation
• Fly within residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas
• You must not fly over crowds or assemblies of people
• You must still keep a safe distance from people in the sense of not creating an unnecessary hazard; “may overfly uninvolved people” is not a licence to skim heads or ignore privacy and nuisance rules

What you need

• Flyer ID if the aircraft weighs 100 g or more
• Operator ID if the aircraft has a camera (and, under current CAA Open rules, where Operator ID thresholds apply — typically when the aircraft is 100 g or more with a camera)
• You do not need an A2 CofC for pure A1 flying with an eligible aircraft

A1 is the Open sub-category built around very low ground risk. That is why the mass and class limits are tight: the aircraft that may overfly uninvolved people are the ones the rules treat as lowest energy.

Near People (A2) — Why the A2 CofC Exists

Near People (A2) is the sub-category you are studying for. It answers a common operational need: fly a more capable aircraft in towns, estates, industrial sites and parks, closer to people than A3 allows, without intentionally flying over uninvolved people and without needing Specific Category for that proximity alone.

What you can fly

• UK2 or European C2 class aircraft with mass less than 4 kg
• Legacy (no class mark) aircraft with mass less than 2 kg

Horizontal distances from uninvolved people

What you can do

• Fly in residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas (unlike A3, which keeps you well clear of those area types)
• You must not intentionally fly over people who are not involved in the operation — this applies to all A2 flying, class-marked or legacy
• You must still comply with all other Open rules (VLOS, 120 m height, restricted airspace, no dangerous goods, privacy, landowner permission for take-off and landing, and so on)

What you need

• A valid A2 Certificate of Competency issued after training and examination with a CAA-recognised assessment entity / training provider (RAE(PC) route as published by the CAA)
• Flyer ID and Operator ID as required for the aircraft

Exam framing: if a scenario asks how a remote pilot legally reduces separation from uninvolved people while remaining in Open Category and operating in a built-up area, the answer is almost always A2 Near People with a valid A2 CofC and an eligible aircraft, not “just fly carefully in A3” and not “A1 overflight with a 3 kg drone.”

Far from People (A3)

What you can fly

• UK class marks UK2, UK3, UK4
• European class marks C2, C3, C4 (where still valid under transition rules)
• Legacy aircraft with mass less than 25 kg

What you can do — the distance stack you must memorise

• At least 50 m horizontally from people who are not involved
• Do not fly over uninvolved people
• At least 150 m horizontally from residential, recreational, commercial or industrial areas
• At least 50 m horizontally from individual buildings (the CAA describes individual buildings as those at least 50 m from other buildings)

What you need

• Flyer ID and Operator ID as required — you do not need an A2 CofC merely to fly in A3

A3 is where many heavier or less-restricted aircraft live in Open Category. The trade-off is geography: you need open space far from people and far from the kinds of areas where people live, work and play. If your job is roof inspection on a terraced street, A3 is usually the wrong sub-category even if your mass is under 25 kg — you need A2 privileges (or Specific Category if Open limits still cannot be met).

Side-by-Side Comparison for the Exam

How to Choose the Sub-Category on Exam Scenarios

Work the problem in this order:

1. What is the aircraft? Class mark and mass decide which sub-categories are even available. A 900 g legacy multirotor is not A1; a 3 kg UK2 may be A2 or A3, not A1.
2. Where are you relative to people and areas? If you need to operate inside a housing estate closer than 50 m to uninvolved people, A3 is out. If you need to overfly uninvolved people, only A1-eligible aircraft work.
3. What qualification do you hold? Flyer ID alone does not unlock A2 distances. A2 CofC is the Open-category step that makes Near People legal.
4. Does Open still fit? If you need BVLOS, higher risk than Open allows, or operations outside Open limits, you are looking at Specific (or Certified), not a clever reading of A2.

The A2 CofC in the Risk Ladder

Think of the A2 CofC as a remote-pilot competence gate inside Open Category, not as a free pass for any advanced mission. Completing the theory exam, practical self-declaration path, and holding the certificate for its validity period allows you to claim Near People (A2) privileges when the aircraft and the flight plan match A2 rules. It does not:

• Authorise intentional overflight of uninvolved people with a UK2/C2 or legacy <2 kg aircraft
• Remove the 120 m height limit or VLOS requirement in Open
• Allow you into airport Flight Restriction Zones (FRZs) without the normal permissions
• Replace Specific Category operational authorisation when the operation exceeds Open limits

On the A2 CofC exam, air-law items often test whether you understand which sub-category you are in and what the certificate actually buys. The correct mental model is: A2 CofC + eligible aircraft + compliance with A2 distances and Open common rules = legal Near People flying.