◇ Blog
Drone certification guides
Long-form guides on flying drones legally in Latvia and the EU — registration, the A1/A3 exam, regulations, and practical tips. Updated as the rules evolve.
2026-06-20
Your request is approved — what to check before takeoff
A BGKIS approval is not a licence to ignore the rest of the rules. What to check before takeoff — status, zone conditions, airspace.lv, and the 120 m and VLOS baseline.
- bgkis
- uas
- latvia
2026-06-20
Foreign UAS operator in Latvia — how to start with BGKIS
Registered as a UAS operator in another EEA state or Switzerland? How to create a BGKIS profile, declare your registration, and file requests in UAS zones in Latvia.
- bgkis
- uas
- latvia
2026-06-20
How to submit a UAS flight request in BGKIS — step by step
A practical walkthrough of filing a flight request in a UAS geographical zone through BGKIS — from valid registration and adding a drone to submitting and tracking status.
- bgkis
- uas
- getting-started
2026-06-20
What data the CAA requires in a UAS flight request
Field by field: what a BGKIS request asks about the operator, the remote pilot, the drone, and the planned flight — under Cabinet Regulation No. 248, point 54.
- bgkis
- uas
- latvia
2026-06-20
UAS operator vs remote pilot — two roles not to confuse
A BGKIS flight request names both the UAS operator and the remote pilot. Why they are different roles, which number goes where, and how it changes for companies.
- bgkis
- uas
- operator
2026-06-20
What is a UAS geographical zone — types and how restrictions work
A UAS geographical zone is not simply a no-fly zone. Informational, restrictive, prohibitive and facilitating zones — why they exist and how their conditions work.
- uas
- geographical-zones
- latvia
2026-06-18
Night drone flights — what the EU open category allows
Can you fly at night in the open category? Yes — with an active green flashing light and VLOS maintained. A practical guide for pilots in Latvia.
- open-category
- regulations
- easa
2026-06-17
A 100 kg Cargo Drone Joins Black Forest Mountain Rescue
Bergwacht Schwarzwald is bringing a DJI FlyCart 100 into service — a drone that flies up to 100 kg of rescue gear into hard-to-reach terrain. We explain why the payload jump matters, and why cargo is allowed but carrying people is not.
- cargo-drones
- search-and-rescue
- civil-protection
2026-06-08
BVLOS in the EU: The One Rule the Drone Market Turns On
Flying beyond visual line of sight is banned in the Open category — it moves you into the EU's Specific category. Here are the four routes to a BVLOS authorisation, why it unlocks delivery and inspection, and the real bottleneck: airspace integration.
- regulation
- easa
- eu
2026-06-08
How Europe's Airports and Critical Infrastructure Defend Against Drones
After the autumn-2025 airport closures, the EU presented a counter-drone Action Plan. We explain the split between detection and defeat, why civilians cannot use jammers, and what it means for an ordinary pilot.
- counter-uas
- security
- eu
2026-06-08
Latvia Ties Drone Fines to Turnover — 2026 Aviation Law Impact
Amendments to Latvia's Aviation Law in force from 18 February 2026 tie the heaviest legal-entity drone fines to company net turnover — up to 2 % or 7 %. What changed, the exact figures, and what commercial operators should do now.
- regulation
- latvia
- business
2026-06-08
Flying Near Latvia's 50 km Border Belt — How to Stay Legal in Daytime
Latvia enforced a night-time closure across a 50 km eastern border belt in September 2025. The restriction remains in force with changing hours and end-dates. Here is our practical reading of how to check the status, coordinate through BGKIS, and fly legally in daytime.
- airspace
- latvia
- regulations
2026-06-08
U-space: How the EU Plans to Open the Sky to Drones
U-space is the EU framework for managing many drones in low-altitude airspace — in force since 2023. We explain the four mandatory services, how a U-space airspace works, and how far the "sky full of drones" really is.
- regulation
- easa
- eu
2026-06-06
Remote ID in 2026: What's Already Mandatory and Why the Threshold May Drop to 100 g
Remote ID has been mandatory for class-marked drones since 2024. In 2026 the European Commission is pushing to drop the threshold from 250 g to 100 g — which would pull in nearly every camera drone. Here is what already applies and what to do.
- regulations
- remote-id
- eu
2026-05-28
Latvia's Counter-Drone Cluster: Origin Robotics, Eraser, and What It Changes
Latvian manufacturers Origin Robotics and Eraser are equipping mobile intercept teams on the Russian border. What is the kill chain, what Latvia is learning from Ukrainian battlefield experience, and what it means for the civilian drone training market.
- counter-drone
- latvia
- defense
2026-05-28
Latvia's Yellow and Orange Drone Alerts — What Pilots Need to Do
NBS has been sending cell-broadcast alerts in two tiers since 23 May 2026. Yellow informs about a possible threat; Orange means act immediately. Here is what each level means and our reading of it for drone pilots.
- operations
- safety
- latvia
2026-05-28
Rezekne, May 2026 — What Changed for Civilian Drone Pilots in Latgale
The Latgale operating picture shifted materially in May 2026. Errant military drones, temporary altitude caps, and mobile intercept teams on the ground — here is what changed and what it means for civilian pilots.
- operations
- safety
- latvia
2026-05-17
How Bee-Inspired Drones Find Their Way Home Without GPS or Maps
TU Delft’s Bee-Nav is not a magic autopilot. It is a lightweight return-home strategy for GPS-denied flight that combines a short learning flight, odometry, and compact visual memory.
- autonomy
- navigation
- gps-denied
2026-05-17
EU Aviation Strategy Consultation and the Drone Sector
The EU opened its new aviation strategy consultation until May 21, 2026. For the drone sector, this is the moment to influence policy language before it moves into certification.
- regulation
- easa
- eu
2026-05-17
The Rise of Autonomous Combat UAVs
Autonomous combat UAVs are no longer a distant idea. In 2026 they are moving into real military planning through collaborative combat aircraft, open autonomy architectures, and human-machine teaming in high-end air combat.
- military
- autonomy
- combat-uav
2026-05-16
Anti-Drone Systems and Electronic Warfare
Effective anti-drone defense is no longer one jammer or one interceptor. It is becoming a layered system that combines sensors, battle management, electronic warfare, and kinetic defeat.
- counter-uas
- electronic-warfare
- defense
2026-05-16
Best Thermal Drones for Search and Rescue
The best SAR thermal drone is not simply the one with a thermal camera. It is the one whose sensor quality, deployment speed, zoom, wind handling, and crew workflow actually help teams find people faster.
- thermal
- sar
- public-safety
2026-05-16
Drone Swarms and the Future of Autonomous Warfare
Drone swarms are not simply many drones flying together. The real shift is command-and-control, human-machine teaming, attritable mass, and the ability to coordinate dozens or hundreds of platforms under one operational intent.
- military
- autonomy
- swarms
2026-05-16
How Drones Are Used in Oil & Gas Industry
In oil and gas, drones are no longer just flying cameras for visual checks. They are becoming operating tools for pipeline patrol, flare stack review, tank inspection, incident response, and remote facility monitoring.
- oil-and-gas
- inspection
- enterprise