Beyond getting your Free Flyer ID from the CAA, the only two formally recognised courses that you can do are the A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) and the General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC).
These serve different purposes, quite simply, the A2 CofC is primarily for people who want to fly 'small drones' or fly in 'low risk' environments, whereas the GVC is for people who want to fly 'large drones' or who want to fly more complex and 'high risk' flights.
What is the GVC Drone Course?
The GVC course with UAVHUB is primarily an E-learning course that contains about 9+ hours of video e-learning.
As part of the E-Learning, you will learn about:
- Air Law & Responsibilities
- UAS Airspace Operating Principles
- Airmanship and Aviation Safety
- Human Performance Limitations
- Meteorology
- Navigation
- UAS General Knowledge
- Operator Responsibilities
- Operating Procedures
- UK Low Flying System & Collision Effects
You will also have to complete an Operations Manual and conduct a flight test at one of our flight training facilities. As part of the service, you will receive a fully completed operations manual, based on the UAVHUB template that meets all of the CAA requirements for Operational Authorisation PDRA-01.
Gaining the GVC will enable you to get authorisation from the CAA to fly all aircraft between 0 - 25 KG within congested areas (areas used for recreational, commercial, industrial and residential purposes).
As part of the GVC Drone Course qualification, you will be able to take additional bolt-on modules which will enable you to get additional authorisation from the CAA such as Extended Visual Line of Sight.
What is the A2 CofC Drone Course?
The A2 CofC Drone Course is for drone pilots who fly smaller aircraft in less 'riskier' environments. There's currently a 2 year transitional period for 'legacy' drones on the market which is worth bearing in mind when looking at the A2 C of C drone course.
The A2 C of C (A2 Certificate of Competency) was introduced to allow you to fly small drones 'close to people' and under the new regulations, you can operate a drone commercially for the first time without needing to spend ££££'s on training and CAA Permissions!
The new A2 subcategory will allow you to ‘fly closer to people’ if you hold an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) and are flying either a C2 class aircraft or if your drone weighs less than 2Kg; so it's the perfect qualification if you're flying drones like those in the DJI Mavic/Mavic 2 series and the Parrot Anafi.
You'll need to do an A2 C of C Training Course and Theory Examination with a CAA Approved Drone Training school like UAVHub to be able to get your A2 Certificate and take advantage of the amazing opportunities this new system offers for Drone Pilots who fly small drones!
You can find out more about the A2 CofC by clicking here.
I'm still not sure which course I should go for...
If you are unsure whether a GVC or an A2 CofC drone course is right for you, then give the UAVHUB team a call on 0800 033 4400 or email us at hello@uavhub.com.
We'll be able to walk you through which course is best for you based on your aircraft and your own requirements.
