Flight preparation: checklist, rules and documents
Drone work starts before the propellers turn. In this lesson you will learn how to prepare for a flight, when not to fly and which documents you need.
- You will put the steps in order, from before the flight to after it.
- You will sort conditions into "I fly" and "I don't fly".
- You will learn your drone's class and the registration, licence and permits it needs.
A three-stage check
TARIMKON's flight safety lesson divides the work into three stages. Each stage has its own checks.
Check the propellers, body, battery, remote controller, software and GPS signal. Enter the field boundary into the software. Identify trees, power lines and buildings. If the wind or visibility is not suitable, do not fly.
Take off from flat, firm ground. Hover briefly and watch the systems. Always keep the drone in sight (visual line of sight). Take over the controls if needed. Land before the battery reaches a critical level.
Check the body, propellers and spraying system. If you sprayed, clean the tank. Dispose of any leftover pesticide properly. Record the date, the area and the type of application.
Wind and weather: the manufacturer's limit
Every drone's manual gives a wind limit. For example, the manual of the DJI Agras T25 spraying drone says:
- Do not fly if the wind is over 6 metres per second (6 m/s), or in rain, snow or fog.
- For herbicides, fungicides and insecticides that can drift, the wind should be below 3 m/s.
- Do not fly near or over people, animals or water.
Your drone's class
The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM) put its new instruction for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into force on 30 July 2026. The instruction divides drones into four classes by maximum take-off weight.
| Class | Maximum take-off weight | Example in this module |
|---|---|---|
| M0 | 500 g - 4 kg | DJI Mavic 3M mapping drone (up to 1,050 g) |
| M1 | 4 kg - 25 kg | Not in this module |
| M2 | 25 kg - 150 kg | DJI Agras T25 spraying drone (32 kg with its battery, 52 kg with a full tank) |
| M3 | 150 kg and above | Not in this module |
The spraying drone in the example is over 25 kg even with an empty tank. That is why it is in class M2. M2 and M3 drones need an airworthiness certificate from SHGM.
Licence, registration and permits
Under the new instruction, the pilot's licence, not the drone's weight, decides which flights are allowed.
- P0 (amateur): non-commercial flights in daylight, with the drone in sight. Up to 120 m height and 3,000 m distance.
- P1 (commercial): commercial flights with the drone in sight. The same 120 m and 3,000 m limits apply.
- P2 (advanced): flights beyond visual line of sight, autonomous flights and high-risk flights.
- Apart from simple toy-like UAVs, everyone who uses a drone registers in SHGM's system (İHATTYS).
- Check the map before the flight. In a green zone no extra permit is needed; elsewhere, flights need a permit.
- The transition period runs until 31 July 2027. Until İHATTYS opens, the old registration and permit rules also apply.
Extra rules for spraying
The December 2025 regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye sets further rules for drone spraying:
- The drone's spraying unit must be licensed by the Ministry.
- The flight is carried out jointly by a person with a UAV pilot licence and a professional applicator.
- A pesticide that needs a prescription is not applied without one.
- Beekeepers and the local headman (muhtar) are informed before spraying.
On insurance: the TARIMKON lesson notes treat third-party liability insurance as compulsory. The 2026 instruction has no article dedicated to insurance. But the pilot is responsible for the safety of third parties on the ground. Ask your insurer and SHGM about the current conditions.
This simulation does not replace a pilot certificate or a flight permit. Before a real flight, check SHGM's current instruction.
A producer cooperative has bought a spraying drone for shared use. TARIMKON material also recommends that expensive spraying drones are shared through a cooperative or a chamber of agriculture. The first working day is tomorrow. The team wants to prepare step by step. Training scenario; not a real measurement.
Steps of the flight day
Training scenario; not a real measurement. The cooperative's drone team goes out on its first job tomorrow.
Do I fly or not?
Training scenario; not a real measurement. Read each situation and put it in the right group.
More detail: the relevant articles of the instruction
SHGM Unmanned Aircraft Systems Instruction (SHT-İHA, 2026):
- Article 6: amateur flights with the drone in sight need at least P0, and commercial flights at least P1. High-risk work, such as flights beyond visual line of sight and carrying dangerous goods, needs P2.
- Article 8: classes M0-M3, and the airworthiness certificate for M2-M3.
- Article 11: users register through İHATTYS.
- Article 12: green, orange and red zones; flights outside the green zone need a permit.
- Article 15: the licence does not depend on class or weight; the pilot is responsible for the safety of third parties.
- Provisional Article 1: there is time until 31 July 2027 to comply.
Check with SHGM and your applicator which licence level drone spraying falls under. Rules can change; always check the current text of the instruction.
In short
- The check has three stages: before, during and after the flight.
- If the wind, visibility or equipment is not suitable, do not fly.
- Weight decides the class; the pilot licence decides which flights are allowed. Spraying also needs a Ministry licence, a prescription and notification.
References
- TARIMKON training material: MODÜL 3, Ders 71 - Uçuş simülasyonu ve güvenlik kuralları; Ders 75 - Yasal çerçeve ve mevzuat. [MODULE 3: Flight simulation and safety rules; Legal framework and regulations]
- TARIMKON training material: Akıllı ve Hassas Tarım Teknolojilerinin Benimsenmesinde Sosyal ve Davranışsal Dinamikler. [Social and Behavioral Dynamics in the Adoption of Smart and Precision Agriculture Technologies]
- Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü (2026). İnsansız Hava Aracı Sistemleri Talimatı (SHT-İHA). [Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Instruction]
- Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü (2026). İnsansız Hava Aracı Sistemleri Talimatı (SHT-İHA) Yayımlanmıştır. [Announcement: the SHT-İHA instruction has been published]
- T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı (2025). Bitki Koruma Ürünlerinin Uygulanması ve Denetimine İlişkin Yönetmelik. Resmî Gazete, 13.12.2025. [Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye: Regulation on the Application and Inspection of Plant Protection Products; Official Gazette]
- DJI (2024). Agras T50/T25 User Manual v1.0.
- DJI. DJI Mavic 3M teknik özellikler (accessed 16.10.2026). [specifications page]
Enroll in the course for your progress to be saved.