Commercial drone training courses

It is important that people learn to fly a drone responsibly and gain the necessary “CAA drone training” in the UK if they intend to use drones (also known as SUAs or RPAs) for commercial reasons.

If you are intending to use a drone for commercial purposes it is a regulatory requirement to obtain CAA permissions, and therefore beneficial to undertake SUA training or RPA training (as some may call it). For example, if you want to carry out work for certain businesses or organisations you may find they want people who know about appropriate drone use as they will want to work with people who know how to use a drone safely. It is a requirement that such people will have met the requirements of the UK CAA’s CAP722 Chapter 4: Civil UAS Remote Pilot Competency and abide by legislation within ANO2016 and regulations.

The UK drone training we provide will help those looking to carry out survey work, take aerial video shots or use the knowledge gained through their SUA training courses for their business, such as mapping or helping with services work, including search and rescue or insurance assessment. For example, there are many aspects of aerial filming which need to be considered if you wish to carry out aerial surveillance, so we will make sure that these are discussed during the course so you will learn about these responsibilities and drone best practice expected to meet regulatory requirements and obtain your permissions from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority).

No one should currently be claiming that they run drone licensing courses whether they are calling their courses UAV training courses, CAA drone courses or a drone flying course in the UK, as there is no actual drone license currently available (for SUA weighing less than 20Kg). Any reputable course, such as the one run by NATS, should be an enabler to gain permission from the CAA. Our course has NQE status (NATS is a National Qualified Entity) and as such will recommend people for CAA permissions approval at the end of the course. We will also have helped you to complete the all important operations manual/Operational Safety Case (OSC), which you must send to the CAA as part of their competency confirmation process.

When people are using drones for commercial reasons, whether they own the drones themselves or are hiring in someone to carry out filming or surveying, there will be an expectation that the pilot controlling the unmanned aircraft has undergone training. This will be especially important for insurance and liability reasons.

It makes sense to attend drone safety training in the UK with NATS as we are already specialists in airspace management and are aware of the complexities and safety issues of air traffic management. The UK drone training we provide will give you access to SUA professional pilots in a small group as well as on a one to one basis, when completing the operations manual/OSC.

If you have any questions, would like more information or wish to book on the course please email rpas@nats.co.uk