Free EASA A2 lesson: measuring horizontal distance

1. Find the point below the drone

Imagine a vertical line from the drone straight down to level ground. Its length is the drone’s height above that ground. The person is standing at a different point.

2. Measure along the ground

Horizontal separation runs from the point below the drone to the uninvolved person, parallel to the ground. It is not the sloping distance directly from the drone to the person. The pilot’s position and the take-off point do not define this measurement. Raising the drone changes its height without changing its horizontal position.

3. Work through an example

The model starts with a drone 15 metres above level ground and a person 30 metres from the point below it. The horizontal separation is 30 metres. Raising it to 25 metres while keeping the same ground position leaves that horizontal separation at 30 metres. Move the height and distance controls separately and watch which measurement changes.

4. Apply the measurement

For a class C2 drone in A2, the normal minimum horizontal distance from uninvolved people is 30 metres. A reduction towards 5 metres needs active low-speed mode and an assessment of weather, drone performance and segregation of the area. Guidance also asks you to consider height and the 1:1 principle: the horizontal distance should not be less than the height. The legal minimum alone does not make a flight safe.

Now answer a question about the measurement. It does not ask you to approve the flight.