Next year, Finland will introduce strict regulations for drone pilots in accordance with the new EU guidelines.
The new regulations, which came into force this year, require all drone pilots (except unmanned aircraft weighing less than 250 g) to register with the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and pass a theory test online.
From February 2022, in addition to the online test, pilots of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will have to pass an assessment in a controlled environment in order to fly drones in urban areas.
Traficom estimates that about 5,000 pilots will need to obtain a new license for urban areas, but so far only twenty people have passed the assessment.
This is due to the fact that the technical system developed for the evaluation was published at the end of November and there are currently only eight approved test sites in Finland.
The new regulations will take effect throughout the EU, so anyone who has obtained a permit in Finland can also fly drones in other countries.
The primary objective of the new guidelines is to increase safety in the light of the rapid increase in recreational use by occupiers, especially in populated areas.
In the future, a pilot who flies drones near densely populated urban areas will have to renew his license every five years.
From 2023, drones sold in shops will require the CE mark to ensure that they comply with new EU directives and regulations. Unmarked aircraft are only allowed in sparsely populated areas.
The EU also intends to require remote identification of drones in the future, which would allow authorities to locate the aircraft and its pilot and identify the owner.
Source: The Nordic Page