A remote pilot wants to conduct sustained operations over people using a larger drone. Categories 2 and 3 rely on manufacturer declarations of compliance, but Category 4 uses a different path. What is the distinguishing requirement for Category 4?

Why →Category 4 under 14 CFR § 107.140 requires the aircraft to be type-certificated by the FAA, operated consistently with its approved flight manual, and maintained according to the manufacturer's recommended procedures. This is a fundamentally different path than Categories 2 and 3, which use manufacturer self-declarations of means of compliance. Type certification is a formal FAA airworthiness process.

The trap →The Remote ID and registration option describes requirements that apply to essentially all sUAS and are not what distinguishes Category 4. The § 107.39 waiver option conflates the § 107.39 waiver pathway (a separate, pre-OOP option) with the Category 4 path.

Field note →Type-certificated drones are rare and expensive today. Most commercial over-people operations use Category 2 or 3 drones that the manufacturer has declared compliant, not Category 4.