MANEX: an operations manual on the EASA template
The flaw of an operations manual is that it goes out of date as soon as a pilot, a drone or a procedure changes. Waypoint360 builds it on the EASA template, draws the annex from your data, and tells you when it no longer reflects reality.
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A manual that goes out of date
The MANEX, or operations manual, describes how an operator flies: its organisation, its procedures, its flight areas, the training of its remote pilots, its emergency response plan, its aircraft and their maintenance. It is written once, with care, for an application for authorisation or a declaration.
Then a remote pilot joins, a drone goes in for repair, a checklist changes. The manual does not move. On the day of the inspection, it describes an organisation that no longer exists.
When it is mandatory
- Application for authorisation in the specific category (Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947): the manual accompanies the application.
- Declaration of a standard scenario (STS-01 or STS-02): the manual is required, with a minimum content set by Appendix 5. It is not attached to the declaration; it is kept available to the authority.
- Open category: nothing requires it. It remains useful as soon as a team flies with several people.
On each mission, Waypoint360 shows a status light: published manual covering the mission's category, manual recommended, or manual mandatory and missing.
The structure of the EASA template
EASA's acceptable means of compliance recommend, for any operation in the specific category, a manual structure described in Annex A of SORA. It is not mandatory, but advised. In August 2023, EASA published a complete example of it, for a SAIL II operation.
The Waypoint360 MANEX takes up its seven parts, in the same order:
- A, general: organisation, responsibilities, concept of operations;
- B, procedures: normal, contingency and emergency, occurrence reporting;
- C, flight areas;
- D, remote pilot training;
- E, emergency response plan (ERP);
- T, technical part;
- M, maintenance.
It covers 45 of the template's 48 subsections. Under each section, the screen shows which part of the template it belongs to and which SORA safety objectives (OSOs) it helps demonstrate. The manual and the SORA assessment answer each other.
An annex drawn from your data
The EASA template ends with an annex: evidence, forms, checklists, manuals. Waypoint360 builds it from what the app already knows:
- your remote pilots, their role and their certifications;
- your fleet, with serial numbers and categories;
- the technical log, with the latest maintenance of each aircraft;
- your checklists, and the moment of the flight each one belongs to.
On publication, the annex is frozen with the version of the manual. A document handed to the authority does not change before its eyes.
The manual tells you when it has gone out of date
After publication, Waypoint360 compares your data with that of the published version. When they diverge, the screen says so, point by point: a remote pilot added, certifications changed, a drone removed, a checklist added. You know what the gap concerns, and you publish a new version when you decide to.
STS competencies, without confusion
To fly in a standard scenario, the A2 certificate is not enough. You need a certificate of theoretical knowledge specific to the STSs (in France, the CATS) and a certificate of practical skill completion for STS-01 or STS-02. The A2 only lightens the theoretical exam. Part D of the manual reflects this.
What is not available yet
- Procedures (Part B) and maintenance (Part M) repeated for each aircraft, as the template does.
- A checklist template for the emergency response plan.
- The contingency volume taken directly from the SORA assessment.
Sources
- Easy Access Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, EASA: UAS.STS-01.020, UAS.STS-01.030, UAS.STS-02.030, Appendix 5, AMC1 UAS.SPEC.030(3)(e).
- EASA, Operations Manual example for UAS operations at SAIL II, August 2023, EASA document library.
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Articles 11 and 12.
- Drone operations in the specific category, DGAC: specific category guide, edition 2, §14 and §16.3.
Frequently asked questions
Is the MANEX mandatory?
In the specific category, yes: it accompanies an application for authorisation (Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947), and a standard scenario (STS) declaration requires one, kept available to the authority. In the open category, it is recommended. Waypoint360 shows this on each mission, according to its category and your country.
Do I have to attach the MANEX to an STS declaration?
No. The declaration form does not ask for it. It must be up to date and shown in case of inspection. In France, the DSAC guide says so: no document is to be attached to the declaration, all must be kept and made available.
Is the EASA template enough as it is?
No, and EASA says so itself: it is an example for one specific operation (in visual line of sight, over a sparsely populated area, SAIL II), which must be adapted. Waypoint360 takes up its structure and links each section to the references it covers. The content remains yours.
What does the generated annex contain?
Your remote pilots and their certifications, your fleet, the technical log with the latest maintenance of each drone, and your checklists. Documents such as certificates, insurance or manufacturer manuals are listed, not stored in the manual.
Does AI write my MANEX for me?
It proposes a first draft, section by section. The manual always comes out as a draft and can only be published after your review and approval. It names your organisation as responsible for its content.