Operations Over People & Vehicles
~12 min read · Sort Category 1–4 operations over people and the moving-vehicle restrictions.
Flying over people went from 'forbidden without a waiver' to a four-category permission system. The exam expects you to match aircraft categories to operations — especially the difference between transiting overhead and sustained flight, and what open-air assemblies demand.
The four categories
Operations over people are allowed when the aircraft fits one of four categories. Category 1: aircraft weighs 0.55 lb (250 g) or less including everything attached, with no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin. Category 2: heavier aircraft shown (by manufacturer declaration of compliance) to cause injury below a kinetic-energy threshold comparable to 11 ft-lb, no exposed rotating parts, no FAA-identified safety defect. Category 3: the same but at a higher 25 ft-lb threshold — and with operational restrictions attached. Category 4: aircraft holding an airworthiness certificate, operated per its approved procedures.
- Cat 1: ≤0.55 lb, no exposed rotating parts, Remote ID for sustained ops over crowds
- Cat 2: ≤11 ft-lb injury threshold, declaration of compliance
- Cat 3: ≤25 ft-lb, but restricted operations only
- Cat 4: airworthiness certificate (type-certificated aircraft)
Category 3's operational restrictions
Category 3 aircraft may NOT operate over open-air assemblies of people. Over other people, Category 3 flight is allowed only if either (a) the operation is within or over a closed- or restricted-access site where everyone inside has been notified, or (b) the aircraft merely transits over people — brief overflight, no sustained hover or loitering.
- Cat 3 + open-air assembly: never
- Closed/restricted site with notice: sustained flight OK
- Everywhere else: transit only, no hovering over people
Assemblies, vehicles, and Remote ID
Sustained flight over an open-air assembly (concerts, rallies, crowded beaches) requires Category 1, 2, or 4 — and the aircraft must have Standard Remote ID. Operations over people in moving vehicles are additionally restricted: allowed within the category system but generally limited to transiting or closed/restricted sites, because a vehicle occupant cannot see or avoid the aircraft.
Worked example
A production company wants continuous overhead footage of a 5,000-person outdoor music festival. They own a 240-g Cat 1 drone with prop guards and Standard Remote ID, and a 1.4-kg Cat 3 aircraft. Which aircraft, if either, can do the job?
A festival crowd is an open-air assembly, and continuous footage means sustained flight. Category 3 is eliminated immediately — it can never operate over open-air assemblies. The Cat 1 aircraft qualifies: 240 g ≤ 250 g, no exposed rotating parts (prop guards), and sustained flight over an assembly demands Standard Remote ID, which it has. Answer: the Cat 1 drone may fly the job; the Cat 3 aircraft may not, no matter what waiver-free mitigations the company proposes.
Common exam pitfalls
Treating Category 3 as usable over crowds with precautions.
Cat 3 over an open-air assembly is flatly prohibited — its permissions are closed sites and transiting only.
Forgetting Remote ID when the category checks out.
Sustained flight over open-air assemblies requires Standard Remote ID in addition to Cat 1/2/4.
Weighing the bare aircraft for Category 1.
The 0.55-lb limit includes everything on board at takeoff — prop guards, camera, and accessories count.
1 is tiny, 2 is gentle (11), 3 is restricted (25), 4 is certificated.
Recap
- Cat 1: ≤0.55 lb total, no exposed rotating parts
- Cat 2 / Cat 3: injury thresholds of 11 / 25 ft-lb via declaration of compliance
- Cat 3: never over open-air assemblies; closed sites or transit only
- Cat 4: airworthiness-certificated aircraft
- Sustained flight over assemblies: Cat 1/2/4 + Standard Remote ID
- Weight and parts are measured as flown, accessories included
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