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NLR provides RPAS individual Technical Assessments needed (for an exemption) of a CAA-NL Special Certificate of Airworthiness (CoA).
The RPAS Technical Assessment
- Concerns the assessment of an individual RPAS, based on the technical criteria issued by the CAA-NL
- Consists of one assessment (a second assessment is not included in the price)
- Usually takes place at the NLR RPAS Test Centre in Flevoland, the Netherlands
- Results in an assessment report which you can hand over to the CAA-NL for (an exemption for) a Special Certificate of Airworthiness (CoA)
- Costs a minimum of € 2200,- (excluding VAT). The actual total cost depends on the number of identical RPAS assessed simultaneously and the number of required iterations.
The RPAS Technical Assessment consists of 3 parts:
- Review of RPAS documentation
The CAA-NL requires a technical review of the documents, containing the technical details of the RPAS and a description of how to deal with emergency situations. In many cases the RPAS manufacturer can supply the required information. It remains the responsibility of the applicant however to submit all required information in the proper format. - RPAS ground inspection
The RPAS will be inspected and reviewed against specified technical requirements. The RPAS has to be constructed in such a way that it can endure expected conditions it may encounter during its operations. Besides the mechanical aspects the inspection also covers the engine, power supply, data link and electronics. - RPAS flight inspection
During flight tests it will be determined if the RPAS satisfies the technical requirements which cannot be verified from the documentation or ground inspection. A couple of emergency scenarios will have to be demonstrated and assessed.
Registration for the Technical Assessment can be done by sending an e-mail to uas-operations@nlr.nl. This email must include the application form and required documentation. A first appointment for the RPAS ground and flight inspection will be made in mutual agreement.