HI-DRONIC / SAFE OPERATIONS
A practical compliance framework for commercial drone cleaning across Europe—and a clear distinction between aircraft, robots and ground tools.
EU 2019/947
The EU open category does not allow the unmanned aircraft to drop material in flight. A cleaning mission that projects water or product therefore normally requires a specific-category route, even when the flight remains close to a façade. The final route depends on the exact operation and risk assessment.
C5 / C6 / SORA
VLOS over a controlled ground area in a populated environment. Maximum operating height 120 m within the scenario. Requires a genuinely C5-marked UAS, operator declaration, operations manual, trained remote pilot, direct remote identification and every STS mitigation.
BVLOS over a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated environment, with the required airspace observers and scenario limits. Requires a genuinely C6-marked UAS, operator declaration, training, DRI and the full STS-02 procedure.
If the mission does not fit an STS, the operator applies through a PDRA where applicable or a SORA-based assessment. The competent authority approves the operation and its mitigations before flight; an LUC may provide privileges only within its scope.
C5 and C6 are product class markings—not pilot licences and not marketing descriptions. HI-DRONIC confirms a class only from the delivered unit’s physical label and EU declaration of conformity. A C5 unit is not automatically C6, and vice versa.
GO / NO-GO
AIR / GROUND
Registration, competency, airspace/geozone check and the appropriate specific-category route are required before a cleaning flight. C5/C6 status must be documented per delivered unit.
It does not fly. Site-owner permission, roof/edge protection, electrical safety, panel-manufacturer instructions, water management and occupational safety still apply.
It is a ground-operated telescopic tool. Work-at-height prevention, exclusion zones, electrical/overhead hazards, water runoff, public protection and safe handling still apply.
WEATHER GATE
The pre-flight decision covers current and forecast wind—including gusts and façade turbulence—visibility, precipitation, temperature, icing, lightning, solar heat, electromagnetic or GNSS conditions and hose behaviour. HI-DRONIC does not publish one universal wind value: the lowest applicable certified or authorised limit controls. The pilot-in-command may stop at any time.
FR · CZ · SK · PL · ES · DE
HI-DRONIC is established in the Czech Republic. For a cross-border specific-category operation, the home-state authorisation or declaration is only the starting point: complete the host-state procedure, check national geographical zones and obtain local coordination before mobilisation.
For every country: verify insurance rules, pilot evidence, STS declaration or host confirmation, airspace coordination, privacy, public-space permits, environmental discharge rules and occupational safety.
OFFICIAL SOURCES