Knowledge Base
General Flight Questions

How to get flight permission

How to Obtain Flight Permission

  1. The requirements are established by the Federal Aviation Rules (FAR), specifically clauses 49 and 52 pertaining to unmanned aerial vehicles.
  2. Drones with a maximum take-off weight of up to 30 kg may be operated without a special permit, provided all the following conditions are met.

  • Outside populated areas.
  • Outside airport control zones (see maps: SkyArc, FPLN, SPPI).
  • More than 5 km away from uncontrolled airfields or landing areas.
  • During daylight hours only.
  • At a maximum altitude of 150 meters.
  • The drone remains within visual line of sight (VLOS).
  • No public events, sports competitions, or security events are taking place in the flight area.

  1. If any of the listed conditions is not met, official permissions are required—typically from the local administration and for airspace use (AS).
  2. Drones weighing up to 250 g usually do not require permission from local authorities (exceptions are listed below). For drones over 250 g, this permission is mandatory.
  3. In Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sevastopol, permission from local authorities is required for all drone operations, including for models under 250 g.
  4. Permission from local authorities is also mandatory for drones under 250 g if the flight takes place in an area where public events, sports competitions, or security operations are being held.
  5. To obtain permission from local authorities, liability insurance—as stipulated by Article 131 of the Civil Code (similar to motor vehicle insurance)—is required.
  6. Permission for airspace use (except as outlined in point 2) requires submitting a flight plan to the relevant Air Traffic Control (ATC) center and receiving their approval.
  7. Preparing a flight plan manually is a time-consuming process that requires specific expertise and usually must be initiated at least 5 days before the intended flight. This complexity is why most pilots do not obtain permission through the manual procedure.

Useful Links:

  • SkyArc — a free, non-commercial service designed to simplify the process of obtaining flight permissions: https://skyarc.ru/
  • SPPI (Official Rosaviatsia service) — the official online portal of the Federal Air Transport Agency for submitting and managing flight plans.: https://sppi.ivprf.ru/