Setting yourself up for working with drones can be a daunting process, especially when you start out.
With recent issues around airports relating to drones, it has caused a re-think in how the CAA works and interacts with drone pilots. Now larger restrictions are in place around airports and other airspace users, as well as the public being more aware and subsequently disliking drones, due to the bad press. Also, everyone now needs to take an online test and register their drone. If you are looking to use a drone commercially, this might not be such a bad thing, as it should reduce the amount of people using drones without due care and attention.
Want to fly your drone commercially?
If you want to take the next step and use your drone commercially, you will need to acquire a full drone licence, a PFCO (Permission for Commercial Operation). This will need to be attained by completing a theory and practical assessment, then submitting your operational manual to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), plus paying your annual fee and insurance documents.
The theory and practical course can be completed through a number of organisations and companies. I chose to use Coptrz’s for the following reasons; firstly, they were running the courses from a local location to me. Secondly, they had a thorough and very comprehensive course. Finally, everything was clear to understand and provided a good insight into using your drone for commercial purposes.
The Course
The course lasted four days. The first two days were theory based (slightly reminded me of being back in the classroom at school, but much more fun!), being led by an instructor and learning all the ins and outs of drone operations theory. There was a lot of information to take in, but it was really useful to understand what is required of a commercial drone pilot. The instructor gave an in depth knowledge and insight into what was needed to complete commercial work. Whether it’s looking at the airspace around your working location, people and possible surrounding hazards. In addition the dos and don’ts of creating all the appropriate documentation for the flight plan including Risk Assessments.
Day three, the theory test. If this part was failed you couldn’t complete the practical test on the following day, you can retake the test at a later date. Thankfully I passed first time! Very similar to a car theory test, which, when, at the time of my completion was multiple choice. ABCD options to a number of questions, every 6-8 questions covering a different topic of drone theory. I think it was 64 questions with an hour and a half time limit. The topics varied from drone practice, health and safety, reading navigational maps, aeronautical maps and the principles about your equipment, among other things. Upon passing I moved onto the next step, which was the flight assessment.
The Flight Test
After passing the theory test we were taken through the finer details of a flight plan and everything that needed to be completed in a practical and written sense prior to a flight, as we had learned through the theory. We were also talked through manoeuvres that would need to be completed, as in a driving test, while discussing safe distances etc. This allowed us to understand the full detail of everything we had learned, putting it into practice, as if it was for our first commercial client. This enabled us to understand and implement everything we had learned, which was of a great benefit. Finally, the fourth day, the practical assessment. We each had 20 to 30 minutes slots in which to complete the manoeuvres, again like a driving test. Plus anything extra the invigilator requested during the examination. There wasn’t a time restriction on how long the assessment took, as long as it was being done safely and the manoeuvres were completed correctly. An example of an invigilator’s extra request could be, “Someone has walked into your airspace that is not under your control.” What should you do? The answer is to move the drone out the persons range (50M away while in flight), another example could be “Calibrate the compass of your drone”. One important note here is that if you have a drone that has an “ATTI” mode function, you will have to demonstrate that you can operate your drone in this mode safely and following certain additional manoeuvres.
Like on a driving test there are minors and majors. If you get a major, you fail the test. On completion of the test you are invited back to the office, where you will have a debriefing, discussing how the test went, any points to maybe work on and whether you passed or failed. I am very pleased to say that I passed my flight test and have now been flying commercially for a year.
The fantastic parts I found for using Coptrz were detailed worksheets, this helped with ingesting all the written information you need to learn, for the theory test, as well as the written documents you need to produce for a commercial flight. The most important part was the contacts you acquire with the team and especially the instructor, even after completing the course. This has enabled me to, more than once, contact them with small queries when starting out commercially, which has been excellent. This is important because it gives you that extra security, and really helps you start on your journey of becoming a drone pilot and doing commercial work. The customer service is second to none and gives you support which helps make you feel safe in the knowledge that you fully understand and have everything you need to create fantastic and exciting imagery for your clients.
By John Sheppard
