Drone Ops Consultants

Night drone operations

CAA, EASA and FAA rules

Commercial drone work at night is allowed in the UK, the EU and the United States, but each regulator sets its own conditions. The UK and the EU require a green flashing light on the drone at night. The US requires anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles and night knowledge for the remote pilot.

This guide sets out the night rules of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), how night fits into Specific category risk assessments, and how to plan a night job so the crew can fly it safely.

Vetted consultants

2 results

Pegasus Vectoring

London, GB

Pegasus Vectoring provides specialist consultancy for organisations developing and operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the Specific Category. They guide clients from initial operational concept through SORA development, regulatory authorisation, and ongoing compliance assurance, ensuring safe, practical and regulator‑defensible capabilities. Services include operational design, airspace and ground environment assessment, SORA and operational authorisation support, competence development

Pegasus Vectoring Limited is an independent specialist consultancy helping organisations develop safe, practical and regulator-ready unmanned aviation capabilities. We start with the client’s operational need—not a predetermined regulatory solution. Working collaboratively, we define the objective, characterise the operating environment and develop a proportionate operational and regulatory strategy. Our support extends from early feasibility and concept development through risk assessment, OSC and SORA applications, operational documentation, findings resolution and ongoing assurance. Our experience includes BVLOS operations within Atypical Air Environments, critical infrastructure and heavy-lift UAS. Led by a former airline captain with 23 years of aviation experience and UK CAA and UAE GCAA Airline Transport Pilot Licences, Pegasus combines operational judgement with structured regulatory analysis. Our aim is not simply to secure an approval, but to help clients establish a safe, sustainable and scalable operational capability.

CAA

Vaspba Remote Piloted Systems Ltd

Winfrith, GB

CAA Regulatory Consultancy | Agriculture | Heavy Lift | BVLOS | Drone Forensics & Expert Witness Support

Vaspba Remote Piloted Systems Ltd is a UK specialist in uncrewed aircraft systems, regulatory consultancy and operational support. We assist organisations with CAA Operational Authorisations, PDRA and SORA applications, ConOps, Operations Manuals, risk assessments, compliance evidence and BVLOS projects. Our services also include independent drone accident investigation, flight-log analysis, technical reporting and expert-witness support for legal, insurance and commercial disputes. With practical experience in UAS design, integration, testing, servicing and operations, we provide evidence-based advice grounded in real-world aviation and engineering experience.

CAA

UK: night flying in the Open and Specific categories

The UK regulation defines night as the hours between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight. Since 1 January 2026, any drone flown at night in the Open category must carry a green flashing light, and the remote pilot must keep it on for the whole flight. The CAA says that if the light switches off for any reason, such as while the camera is recording, the pilot can no longer comply with the rule.

Drones with a UK1, UK2, UK3, UK5 or UK6 class mark must have the light built in. UK0 and UK4 drones, and drones with no class mark, may need one fitted. The rules set no minimum brightness or flash rate, but the CAA expects the light to be securely attached and clearly visible from the ground. An add-on light counts towards the drone's mass, so a 5 g light on a 249 g drone takes it out of the under 250 g rules.

In the Specific category, the UK regulation requires each aircraft to carry at least one green flashing light for visibility at night. The CAA can disapply this in an operational authorization where the operator has a legitimate reason, such as an aircraft fitted with standard aircraft lighting under the rules of the air. Ask for this in the application. The CAA's visual line of sight (VLOS) guidance sets no separate night limit, but notes that the drone's visibility and the ambient light may reduce how far away it can be flown. The pilot must still be able to see which way the aircraft is facing.

For UK SORA applications, the CAA's guidance says the argument that night flying lowers ground risk because fewer people are outdoors is not accepted for the sheltering mitigation at its low level. It can be used at the medium level, where the operator has to substantiate it.

EU: night rules under Regulation 2019/947

Regulation (EU) 2019/947 uses the same definition of night. Since 1 July 2022, a remote pilot flying in the Open category at night must make sure a green flashing light on the drone is switched on (point UAS.OPEN.060(2)(g)). Drones with a C1, C2 or C3 class mark are built with one under Regulation (EU) 2019/945, so that a person on the ground can tell the drone apart from a manned aircraft.

In the Specific category, the operator must make sure each aircraft is fitted with at least one green flashing light for visibility at night (point UAS.SPEC.050(1)(l)(i)), which has also applied since 1 July 2022. The predefined risk assessments PDRA-G01, PDRA-G02 and PDRA-G03 each ask the operator to declare that the drone carries this light if it flies at night.

EASA's SORA guidance lets night count in two ways, both with limits. On ground risk, it takes the same position as the CAA: the argument that fewer people are outdoors at night is not accepted at the low level of the sheltering mitigation but can be used at the medium level. On air risk, limiting operations to certain times of day, such as only at night, is listed as one form of operational restriction.

EASA's guidance for Specific category remote pilots also recommends a night operations training module. It covers night illusions and night vision, the use of aircraft lights, the reduced accuracy of visual obstacle avoidance systems in the dark, and a daylight test flight of the area, because power lines are nearly invisible at night.

United States: night operations under Part 107

Since 21 April 2021, Part 107 has allowed routine night flying without a waiver. Under 14 CFR 107.29, the remote pilot in command must have completed the initial knowledge test or the online recurrent training after 6 April 2021. Both include a night operations knowledge area. The aircraft must have lit anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.

The same lighting rule applies during civil twilight, which outside Alaska means the 30 minutes before official sunrise and the 30 minutes after official sunset. The pilot may reduce the intensity of the lights if conditions make that safer, but may not switch them off.

Flying with the anti-collision lights off needs a waiver of 107.29(a)(2) or (b), which are among the sections listed as waivable in 14 CFR 107.205. Night waivers issued before 21 April 2021 cannot be used after 17 May 2021. Our guide to Part 107 waivers covers how applications work.

In controlled airspace you still need an airspace authorization through LAANC or FAADroneZone, and the FAA lists both for night operations. LAANC gives near real-time approval at participating airports up to the altitudes on the UAS Facility Maps. The FAA says FAADroneZone requests have historically taken up to eight weeks to process, so apply early.

Planning a night job

Visit the site in daylight and record what is there, because objects look different in the dark and wires are hard to see. These are the areas most night plans need to cover:

  • Site survey: walk or fly the site in daylight, map obstacles, wires and trees, and mark take-off, landing and emergency landing spots
  • Lighting: light the take-off and landing area, check the aircraft's lights are fitted and working, and set a procedure for a light failure
  • Observers: brief each observer on their position, their role and how they will talk to the pilot, and give them a torch
  • Sensors: do not rely on vision-based obstacle avoidance, which may be less accurate at night
  • Loss of sight: decide in advance what the pilot does if they lose sight of the aircraft, such as an immediate return to home
  • Fatigue: plan rest before and during night shifts, and stand down anyone unfit to fly through tiredness
  • Weather: check for mist, fog and rain, which are harder to judge in the dark and reduce what a thermal camera can see

What a consultant does, and what to ask before hiring

A consultant can review your night procedures, prepare the night elements of a Specific category application, write lighting and emergency procedures for the operations manual, and plan crew training. They cannot grant an authorization or promise an outcome: the regulator decides. Consultants listed on DOC are vetted (identity, legal entity, sanctions screening and professional indemnity insurance), and their regulator experience is shown as verified only where it has been evidenced.

  • Which regulator's night rules have you worked with, and on what kinds of operation?
  • How would you support a claim in our risk assessment that fewer people are present at night?
  • Will you write our procedures for light failure and loss of sight?
  • Can you check that our add-on lights keep each drone within its weight limit?
  • What training records should our night crew keep?

Common mistakes

Most of these mistakes can be caught at the planning stage:

  • Fitting a green light that turns off when the camera records, which breaks the UK Open category rule
  • Adding a light to a sub-250 g drone and pushing it over the weight limit
  • Treating a visible point of light as VLOS when the pilot cannot see which way the drone is facing
  • Claiming lower ground risk for night flying in a SORA without evidence to back it up
  • Switching off anti-collision lights under Part 107 without a waiver
  • Skipping the daylight site survey and meeting wires or trees for the first time in the dark

Common questions

Do I need a green flashing light to fly a drone at night in the UK?

Yes, in the Open category. Since 1 January 2026, a drone flown at night must carry a green flashing light that stays on for the whole flight. UK1, UK2, UK3, UK5 and UK6 class-marked drones have it built in. Others may need one fitted, and its weight counts towards the drone's total. In the Specific category the light is also required unless the CAA disapplies it in your operational authorization.

Is the EU night rule the same as the UK rule?

It is very similar. Regulation (EU) 2019/947 has required a green flashing light for Open category night flights since 1 July 2022, and requires Specific category operators to fit one to every aircraft. Both regimes define night as the hours between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight. Also check the geographical zones published by the country you plan to fly in.

Do I need a waiver to fly at night under Part 107?

Not for routine night flying. Since 21 April 2021, you can fly at night if the remote pilot has passed the knowledge test or completed the online recurrent training after 6 April 2021, and the drone has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles. You need a waiver only to fly without those lights, as 107.29(a)(2) and (b) are among the waivable sections.

Can night flying reduce ground risk in a SORA?

Only with evidence. UK and EASA guidance both say the argument that fewer people are outdoors at night is not accepted for the sheltering mitigation at its low level. It can be used at the medium level, where you have to substantiate it, for example with data on how many people are in the area at night. The regulator decides whether your evidence is enough.

Can I fly in controlled airspace at night?

Yes, with the right permission. Under Part 107 you need an airspace authorization through LAANC or FAADroneZone, and the FAA says FAADroneZone authorizations are available for day and night operations. FAADroneZone processing has historically taken up to eight weeks. In the UK and EU, check whether the zones and restrictions on your site are active when you plan to fly, and get any permission you need first.

What training does a night crew need?

Under Part 107, the remote pilot must have passed the initial knowledge test or completed the online recurrent training after 6 April 2021, and both cover night operations. For Specific category work in the EU, EASA's guidance recommends a night operations training module covering night illusions, lighting and obstacles. In the UK, check what your operational authorization and operations manual require.