Check the Korean drone certificate class before paying for training
Buying an agricultural, filming or surveying drone often involves choosing a training course at the same time.
Choosing by the aircraft’s apparent size or price can lead to paying for more training than the intended aircraft needs, or completing a class that does not cover it.
This calculator uses the manufacturer’s maximum takeoff weight and empty-weight specifications to identify the required Korean unmanned multicopter class and compare standard training hours with actual quotes.
It is intended for farms and people preparing for work with unmanned multicopters.
The recreational or business purpose does not change the weight boundaries; business registration and insurance remain separate checks.
Unmanned airplanes, helicopters, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and airships are outside this calculator’s individual assessment scope.
Korea-based rules for 2026, checked on 2026-11-01.
Relevant versions: Aviation Safety Act effective 2026-09-17, Enforcement Rule effective 2026-07-01, and qualification/training notice effective 2025-05-14.
The 60/40/32-hour figures describe standard institutional programs for new entrants; individual-experience and upgrade routes require separate confirmation.
Classes 1–4 and the maximum takeoff weight boundaries
Article 306 of the Aviation Safety Act Enforcement Rule defines certificate coverage and class boundaries.
The calculator compares the entered value without rounding it first.
An exact upper boundary remains in the lower weight class: an aircraft rated at exactly 25 kg is Class 2, while a rating above 25 kg requires checking Class 1.
Korean unmanned multicopter certificate classes by maximum takeoff weight and minimum age| Required class | Manufacturer maximum takeoff weight | Minimum age |
|---|
| Certificate exempt | 250 g or less | — |
| Class 4 | Above 250 g, up to and including 2 kg | 10 |
| Class 3 | Above 2 kg, up to and including 7 kg | 14 |
| Class 2 | Above 7 kg, up to and including 25 kg | 14 |
| Class 1 | Above 25 kg; empty weight excluding fuel no more than 150 kg | 14 |
An aircraft with empty weight exceeding 150 kg is outside this ultralight calculator’s scope and is not automatically labeled Class 1.
Being exempt from the pilot certificate at 250 g or less does not establish permission to fly at a particular location.
Certificate coverage and operating permission are separate decisions.
Entering maximum takeoff weight and empty weight
Use the manufacturer’s rated limit
Enter the manufacturer’s maximum takeoff weight in kilograms, including the permitted fuel, battery and payload.
Do not substitute the lighter load planned for today’s flight.
Shipping or packaging weight may also differ from the aircraft specification, so check the actual field name on the specification sheet.
Check empty weight separately
Empty weight excludes fuel; for a battery-powered aircraft, the battery is included.
It is a separate measure used to establish the 150 kg ultralight limit.
If the entered empty weight exceeds maximum takeoff weight, review the values and their definitions.
Results are withheld when specifications are unconfirmed or the selected aircraft is not an unmanned multicopter.
Convert 250 g to 0.25 kg when using the kilogram field.
Keep decimal precision near a boundary: displayed formatting does not change the value used for classification.
Standard professional-institution training hours for multicopters
Annex 2 of the Korean notice on unmanned aircraft pilot qualifications and professional training institutions provides the following standard programs for new multicopter trainees.
Theory, simulation, instructor-accompanied flight and solo flight are separate components.
Actual flight is the sum of accompanied and solo time: 20 hours for Class 1, 10 for Class 2, and 6 for Class 3.
Annex 2 multicopter standard program hours for theory, simulation, accompanied flight, solo flight and total| Class | Theory | Simulation | Accompanied | Solo | Total |
|---|
| Class 1 | 20 h | 20 h | 8 h | 12 h | 60 h |
| Class 2 | 20 h | 10 h | 4 h | 6 h | 40 h |
| Class 3 | 20 h | 6 h | 2 h | 4 h | 32 h |
Use the correct aircraft-specific allocation.
Multicopter accompanied hours are 8/4/2 and solo hours are 12/6/4.
The 10/5/3 plus 10/5/3 allocation belongs to the airplane-related annex and must not be substituted simply because the totals match.
Ask the institution about the individual Annex 2 components.
Institutional training, individual experience and Class 4 online learning
Comparing a standard new-entry program
A new trainee without a certificate can use 60/40/32 hours when comparing standard professional-institution course quotes.
Review the theory, simulation and flight schedule separately.
Daily scheduling, weather and aircraft availability affect completion dates, so dividing total hours by daily hours does not establish a guaranteed finish date.
Submitting individual flight experience
The institutional total is not imposed as the personal training requirement for every individual-experience applicant.
TS must confirm qualifying aircraft, lawful flight records, flight-experience certificates and medical documentation.
This calculator does not certify logbook entries or convert informal practice into recognized legal experience.
Classes 1 and 2 have theory and practical procedures.
TS describes Class 3 issuance after theory success and an eligibility review including flight experience, without a separate practical examination.
Any theory-examination exemption after institutional training depends on actual completion and recognition.
Class 4 uses the separate TS six-hour online course; it is not added to the 20-hour theory program or to actual flight hours.
How existing certificates and age affect the result
The required class is the minimum certificate coverage for the aircraft.
For the same aircraft type, a higher class covers the lower classes, so a standard training table does not mean an existing holder must enroll again.
A lower existing class prompts an additional-qualification review; upgrade credit is not established until the institution and TS confirm it.
- Required Class 2 with existing Class 1 or 2: check same-type coverage rather than assume a new course.
- Required Class 1 with existing Class 3: review additional qualification and withhold a standard-course hourly comparison.
- Below age 14 for Classes 1–3, or below age 10 for Class 4: the result does not claim current eligibility.
- Do not enter a certificate for a different aircraft type as an existing multicopter certificate.
Someone below the age threshold can still inspect the aircraft class and general course table for planning.
That reference does not establish current application eligibility.
Recheck age on the application date and the applicable medical and document requirements, and read both the aircraft type and the class on the certificate.
Step-by-step use and saving the review
- Find the aircraft type, maximum takeoff weight and empty weight on the manufacturer’s specification sheet, then indicate whether they are confirmed.
- Enter age, an existing certificate for the same multicopter type, and the recreational or business purpose.
- Select institutional training or individual experience, and read any reason for withholding a result.
- Check the class, weight boundaries and the allocation of theory, simulation and actual flight.
- Compare quotes for the same class and included services, then enter confirmed additional costs.
- Save or print the review and confirm it with the institution and TS alongside the specification sheet, certificate and quotes.
A saved result records the inputs at that time; it is not a TS eligibility decision or a flight permit.
Recalculate when specifications or quote inclusions change.
Resolve input errors before relying on a new result, and confirm remaining unknown costs before making a payment decision.
Worked example: a 26 kg sprayer versus a 24.5 kg aircraft
Assume a 50-year-old new entrant without a certificate is considering multicopters with empty weight of 12 kg excluding fuel.
A manufacturer-rated maximum takeoff weight of 26 kg exceeds 25 kg, so the relevant class is Class 1 and its standard institutional course is 60 hours.
A different aircraft rated at 24.5 kg falls within Class 2, whose standard course is 40 hours: a 20-hour difference.
26 kg → Class 1, 60 hours
The components are 20 theory + 20 simulation + 8 accompanied + 12 solo hours.
The rating is 1 kg above the 25 kg boundary.
Completing a new-entry Class 2 course does not provide the certificate coverage for this aircraft.
24.5 kg → Class 2, 40 hours
The components are 20 theory + 10 simulation + 4 accompanied + 6 solo hours.
The rating is 0.5 kg below the 25 kg boundary.
Reducing payload does not change a manufacturer-rated 26 kg aircraft into a 24.5 kg-rated aircraft.
This is not a recommendation based on an assumption that the two aircraft perform the same work.
Compare coverage area, payload, battery operations, safety and actual course quotes.
If you already hold Class 1, first check whether any new certificate training is needed at all.
Course quotes, hourly reference prices and total budgets
Use actual written quotes rather than assume a legally fixed market-wide training price.
The hourly reference is course tuition divided by standard new-entry program hours, not the price of one hour of actual flight.
Applying that denominator to individual experience, upgrade training or an existing holder can mislead, so those comparisons are withheld.
Illustrative quotes for the same Class 1 program
Institution A: KRW 2,400,000 ÷ 60 hours = KRW 40,000 per hour.
Institution B: KRW 2,200,000 ÷ 60 hours ≈ KRW 36,666.67 per hour.
With separately confirmed examination, issuance and other costs of KRW 100,000 for each option, totals are KRW 2,500,000 and KRW 2,300,000, a KRW 200,000 difference.
These are fictional inputs explaining the calculation, not actual tuition or official TS examination fees.
Match the class, included services and VAT treatment before comparing quotes.
Do not add examination or issuance costs twice when already included in tuition.
Include confirmed travel, accommodation, equipment rental or retest budgets where relevant, while leaving unknown amounts unconfirmed rather than entering zero.
Preflight checks and sanctions for flying without a certificate
The general administrative fine schedule under Aviation Safety Act Article 166(2) and Enforcement Decree Annex 5, item 2, subitem Heo, lists KRW 2 million for the first violation, KRW 3 million for the second, and KRW 4 million for the third or subsequent violation.
Escalation refers to dispositions for the same violation within the previous five years; mitigation, aggravation and the actual violation require the authority’s review.
The calculator does not determine a personal fine merely from a lower certificate class or entered aircraft.
An administrative fine is not the only possible sanction.
Where uncertificated operation of an aircraft without the required safety certification falls under Article 161(2)(1), the administrative-fine provision excludes that case and criminal penalties of up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 10 million may apply.
Do not interpret the schedule as permission to fly by paying KRW 2 million.
Even with the pilot certificate, flight approval, special-flight approval, airspace, filming, aircraft reporting, safety certification, business registration and insurance may require separate action.
The result replaces none of those procedures and does not guarantee operating safety.
Review the aircraft and pilot documents together and check current law and TS notices before operating.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Class 1 holder also need Classes 2 and 4?
For the same unmanned multicopter type, no additional lower-class certificate is needed.
Article 6 of the qualification notice allows Class 1 to cover Classes 1–4, Class 2 to cover Classes 2–4, and Class 3 to cover Classes 3–4.
A certificate for an unmanned airplane or helicopter is not automatically treated as a multicopter certificate.
Which class applies at exactly 25 kg?
Exactly 25 kg is within Class 2.
Above 25 kg, Class 1 applies within the ultralight scope, which also requires empty weight excluding fuel not to exceed 150 kg.
Exactly 7 kg belongs to Class 3, 2 kg to Class 4, and 250 g to the certificate exemption.
Can a drone weighing 250 g or less fly anywhere?
The exemption concerns the pilot certificate.
It does not remove airspace restrictions, flight approvals, filming procedures or operating safety rules.
Check the actual location and intended operation separately.
How does the Class 4 online route work?
TS describes a six-hour online course followed by a completion certificate, with a minimum age of 10.
These six hours are separate from the 20 theory hours in the Class 1–3 institutional programs.
Check TS Learning Center for current enrollment and completion procedures.
Must everyone with flight experience complete 60 hours?
No.
The 60-hour figure describes the standard Class 1 program for a new entrant at a professional training institution.
It is not a universal total imposed on every applicant using an individual flight-experience route.
TS must review qualifying aircraft, lawful flight records, documents and the relevant examination process.
How many hours does a Class 3 holder save when upgrading?
This calculator does not establish an upgrade credit.
Selecting a lower existing class produces an additional-qualification and course-credit review message, and withholds the standard hourly comparison.
Ask the institution and TS to check your certificate and flight-experience documents before relying on a shorter program.
Is there a practical examination for Class 3?
TS describes Class 3 issuance after the theory examination and eligibility review including flight-experience documents, without a separate practical examination.
Classes 1 and 2 have theory and practical procedures.
Any theory-examination exemption after an institutional course depends on actual completion and recognition.
Is a blank fee the same as zero?
No.
A blank fee is unconfirmed, while zero means you have established that there is no additional charge.
A total requires both a course quote and confirmed additional costs.
The calculator never fills an unknown cost with an assumed free amount.
Official sources and verification date
The Korean requirements were checked through the National Law Information OPEN API and official annexes; TS materials confirm online training and examination procedures.
Checked on 2026-11-01.
The dates below describe the cited document versions; recheck amendments before a later application.
Start with the aircraft specification sheet
Confirm the manufacturer’s maximum takeoff weight and empty weight, then enter them above.
Compare the required class with your existing certificate and obtain quotes for the same course scope before deciding what to pay for.
If specifications, experience credit, upgrade recognition or fees remain unconfirmed, update the review after speaking with the institution and TS.