White rectangle with a central red cross extending to all four sides of the flag. Each of the four quadrants displays a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross. Sometimes referred to as the Five-Cross Flag. Although adopted as the official Georgian flag in 2004, the five-cross design is based on a 14th century banner of the Kingdom of Georgia.

Flag courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Google Earth

Metal doorway to the Jvari Monastery (Monastery of the Cross) at Mtskheta.

Photo courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Government

According to Britannica, in 1992 Georgia, which had been operating under a Soviet-era constitution from 1978, reinstated its 1921 pre-Soviet constitution. A constitutional commission was formed in 1992 to draft a new constitution, and, after a protracted dispute over the extent of the authority to be accorded the executive, a new document was adopted in 1995.

Georgia is a unitary multiparty republic. Under the 1995 constitution the president was given extensive powers, but those were significantly reduced by constitutional amendments enacted in 2013 that expanded the role of the prime minister and the cabinet. Up through the presidential election of 2018, the president was elected to a maximum of two five-year terms by direct universal suffrage. Beginning in 2024, the president will be elected by an electoral college of 300 lawmakers and representatives. The legislature is an elected parliament whose members serve four-year terms. The judicial system includes district and city courts and a Supreme Court.

Civil / National Aviation Authority (CAA/NAA)

The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) provides the following services:

• organization and coordination of international relations of the agency;
• cooperation with international organizations operating in the aviation field;
• receiving delegations of international civil aviation organizations and aviation authorities of other countries, organizing meetings and compiling and storing relevant documents;
• relations with the public and mass media – ensuring the transparency of the agency’s activities, informing the public about the agency’s annual reports and the situation in the relevant field;
• managing the agency’s human resources, managing the personal files of employees, preparing materials on official transfer of employees, incentives and disciplinary responsibility;
• management and coordination of training/retraining programs of agency employees;
• planning and organizing attendance of employees at internal and external training courses;
• ensuring the agency’s proceedings in accordance with the uniform rules of proceedings;
• the registration of administrative-legal acts of the director of the agency and the incoming and outgoing correspondence of the agency, as well as the analysis and control of the execution of control tasks, writing down the documents taken under control within the established period, timely delivery of correspondence;
• operation of aviation fixed telecommunication network facilities, receiving/sending correspondence;
• storage of archival materials, archive production.

Airspace

SkyVector – Google Maps – ADS-B Exchange

ICAO countries publish an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This document is divided into three parts: General (GEN), En Route (ENR) and Aerodromes (AD). ENR 1.4 details the types of airspace classes they chose to adopt from classes A through G. Georgia AIP

Drone Regulations

UAS Laws – registration

Categories of exploitation

Unmanned aerial vehicle system operation categories are: open, specific, and certified.

An operation is classified as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operation in the “open category” only if the following requirements are met:

• The UAS belongs to one of the classes defined by the Civil Aviation Agency, or is self-made, or meets the conditions established by the rules of the Civil Aviation Agency;
• The maximum take-off weight of an unmanned aerial vehicle is less than 25 kg;
• A remote pilot ensures that the unmanned aerial vehicle is at a safe distance from people and does not fly over crowded areas;
• The remote pilot flies the unmanned aircraft within visual line of sight, unless using “follow-me mode” or using an observer as prescribed by Civil Aviation Agency regulations;
• During the flight, the unmanned aerial vehicle will not take off at a height higher than 120 meters above the ground surface, except when overcoming an obstacle, as prescribed by the rules of the Civil Aviation Agency;
• During the flight, the unmanned aerial vehicle will not carry dangerous cargo and will not drop objects;

The “open category” of UAS operation is divided into three subcategories: A1, A2 and A3, according to operational restrictions, remote pilot and technical capability requirements of the UAS.

The operation is carried out in the “specific category” if any of the requirements established in the “open category” are not fulfilled, in which case the operator is obliged to obtain the appropriate authorization from the Civil Aviation Agency.
In order to obtain authorization, the operator must apply to the agency in accordance with the established rule.
The operator is not required to obtain authorization from the agency if he submits a declaration to the agency for the operation which, in accordance with the established requirements, belongs to the standard scenario.
No authorization or declaration is required:

• If the operator has a light unmanned aircraft system operator’s certificate (LUC) with appropriate privileges in accordance with the established requirements;
• In the event that the operation is carried out within the framework of the ‘model aircraft operating organization’ which has received authorization.

An operation is classified as a UAS operation in the “Certified Category” only if the following requirements are met:

• The UAS is certified according to the requirements established by the Civil Aviation Agency; and
• Operation is carried out under any of the following conditions:
  • on top of the place of gathering of people;
  • when transporting people;
  • When transporting dangerous goods, which in the event of a serious incident may cause a high risk to third parties.

In addition, a UAS operation is classified as a UAS operation in the “certified category” when the agency, based on a risk assessment, determines that the risk of the operation cannot be adequately reduced without certification of the UAS and UAS operator and, if applicable, remote pilot licensing.

A Specific Operational Risk Assessment (SORA) provides an applicant with guidance on what is required to obtain agency authorization to fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in a given operational environment.
SORA is primarily intended for a “specific category” of UAS operations.
Given the design and operating conditions, SORA provides an adequate combination of prevention mechanisms to mitigate potential threats to humans on the ground or in the air, ensuring that the operator maintains the unmanned aerial vehicle within the operational space and achieves an acceptable level of operational risk.
SORA methodology
SORA methodology consists of ten system units:

• Step 1: Description of the operational concept
• Step 2 and Step 3: Determination of Ground Risk Class (GRC)
• Step 4 and Step 5: Determination of Air Risk Class (ARC)
• Step 6: Tactical Mitigation Performance Requirements and Reliability Levels
• Step 7: Define specific assurance and integrity levels
• Step 8: Define Operational Safety Objectives (OSO)
• Step 9: Consideration of Boundary Area / Airspace
• Step 10: Comprehensive security portfolio

Light unmanned aerial vehicle systems are mainly divided into 5 classes’.
These classes are related to the operational subcategories of the open category as follows:

No-fly and restricted areas

Operation in prohibited and restricted areas for flight is allowed only within the scope of authorization. Please view the mentioned areas

Application

In the near future, a specially designed application on Android & iOS system will be available for the users of the unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Public events

Exploitation over and near public gathering places is permitted only within the scope of authorization or certificate issued by the agency.

Marking

The marking must be placed on the outer surface of the ship’s structure in an easily visible place.

The unmanned aircraft system must be marked with a user registration number prior to operation.

The marking must be placed on the outer surface of the ship’s structure in an easily visible place.

Marking must be done in such a way that the customer registration number cannot be easily removed, damaged or erased.

Safety rules

Please familiarize yourself with the relevant safety rules in force in Georgia before starting the flight.

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Regulations & Policies

None found by the author.

However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) News

None found by the author.

However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!

Short Essay Questions