av8 flight school
Where do I start? If you want to fly and operate drones professionally, the
General VLOS Certificate (GVC) is the most practical and effective way to reach
your aims. Legally you don't need any special training or certification to fly
drones commercially (just a Flyer ID, Operator ID and correct insurance),
however for most operators the limitations on where you can fly and how close
you can get to people are far too restrictive to be practical. This is referred
to as the Open Category. It is possible to fly with fewer restrictions in Open
Category via the A2 Certificate of Competence (A2 CofC), however there are some
strong caveats with regards to its usefulness and longevity (see the A2 CofC
below for more info). The way to remove and reduce the limitations on where you
can fly is by obtaining a CAA Operational Authorisation (an "OA") so you can
operate in what's called the Specific Category. To obtain an OA, you first need
to complete a GVC course with an approved training provider, like AV8. The OA is
a formal permission that allows you to fly drones up to 25kg inside congested
and built up areas and to within 50m of people. The important distinction to
note is that this 50m separation distance is measured as an invisible "bubble"
around the drone, as apposed to the 50m "cylinder" that applies in the Open
Category. This effectively means that, subject to certain safety precautions,
you have enormous freedoms in where you can fly, even to the point of flying
overhead people if you're more than 50m above them if it can be done safely (and
for no longer than necessary). An OA also provides you with a far more
professional client-facing image, so much so that its estimated that around 80%
of the UK's £42bn drone industry is only available to operators with an OA,
since most clients specify it as a baseline requirement. If you're planning on
flying for another drone operator, it will also very likely be a requirement
that you have. a full GVC. The GVC is a pilot competency course designed to
provide you with everything you need to obtain an Operational Authorisation (OA)
from the CAA. It consists of some online study, an exam conducted under formal
conditions, the creation of an operations manual, and finally a practical flight
test. Once you've completed the course, you're awarded both the GVC and A2 CofC
(our courses are modular!) and you can then use your shiny new certificate to
apply to the CAA (see below for more info on the OA). Having a GVC brings a lot
of flexibility and professionalism to your drone operations. You learn about
flight operations, meteorology (the weather), flight performance, as well as the
practicalities of planning and conducting safe and legal drone flights.
Depending on your circumstances, the course can be finished in as little as a
week, however most students complete it over the course of 4 to 6 weeks on a
part time basis. The theory section of the course is completed online via our
virtual learning environment; super easy to use and navigate and there are lots
of quizzes and knowledge checks to keep you on track. Once you're ready, the
exam is online and on-demand 24/7/365 (literally!). You'll connect with a
proctor (a human being) who'll help you get set up and ready. The exam is
multiple choice and covers the same areas as the knowledge checks. Because of
the way our courses are structured we have a near 100% first time pass rate,
however if you happened to have a bad day we provide you with some additional
support and retakes of the exam are always free. With the exam complete you'll
be able to log in to Flight Docs, our very own automated system for creating
your operations manual. It takes around 30 minutes, after which you'll have a
full compliant and formatted document sitting in your inbox. The final step is
your practical flight test. We have a network of flight examiners across the
whole of the UK from which you can choose the one closest and most convenient to
you. We also provide you with the details of how the flight test is performed
right at the start of your course so you can practice whilst you study. The test
itself consists of planning for the flight, setting up, completing the various
manoeuvres, responding to simulated emergencies and closing your operation down.
It may seem a little daunting but we guide you every step of the way.
