GVC Drone Training (General Visual Line of Sight Certificate)

Who should attend this course?

Whether you intend to progress your hobby, become a pilot for an existing drone company, start a new business or add drones to your existing one, this course has been specifically designed for people looking to fly drones for commercial purposes.

This is the higher level of training for professional drone pilots and is aimed at beginners who either have little or no prior experience with drones. Therefore, there is no requirement for any pre-existing knowledge or qualifications.

Course Objectives

To provide sufficient knowledge to pass theory and flight assessments. To provide a framework for operations through scenario based experiential teaching. To teach you to be self-sufficient (learn how to find the information rather than memorise it).

Course Outcomes

Once you have submitted an approved operations manual and are successful in passing both the theory and flight assessments, you will receive a GVC Certificate. This can be used in the application for an Operational Authorisation or allow you to operate for another drone operator.

Course Content

The following areas of knowledge will be covered: Airmanship, Air Law, Airspace, Meteorology, Human Factors, Aircraft Knowledge. This syllabus is mandated by the CAA for all RAE’s. By the end of this course you will understand and be able to apply the knowledge required to make you a competent and safe drone pilot.

Course Prerequisites

No prior knowledge or experience is required prior to booking onto this course, although if you do have experience it will be beneficial. The minimum age for attendance is 14 for pilots flying for a company with an existing Operational Authorisation or PfCO. The minimum age for applying for an Operational Authorisation is 18 years of age. The drone that you conduct your flight assessment with must be the one that you are looking to apply for an Operational Authorisation is with (Multirotor or Fixed wing).

You will be required to bring a laptop that is reliable and fast and be competent at using it. Anything less will compromise your experience and ability to learn which can impact on others in the classroom.

We recommend a minimum of 10 hours practice flying prior to booking a flight assessment, and our additional practical flight training options can help save a lot of time and money along the learning and development process.

Stage 1: Distance Learning

First you will learn the knowledge needed to operate drones with help of our unique interactive course handbook. This is full of quick quizzes, tops tips, anecdotes and illustrations to help make the information relevant and bring it alive so thats its an informative and enjoyable read. If you have a drone and feel confident to fly it, then any flying experience will help put things into context.

Stage 2: Ground School

The 2-day ground face to face school focuses on consolidating your understanding of the knowledge you have gained when reading the handbook by guiding you through the workflow process for delivering a real world scenario over the course of the two days. This puts the knowledge you’ve learnt into context and makes you familiar with what to expect in preparation for your first job.

Face to Face Ground School

The face to face ground school includes various activities, group sessions, discussions and even a word search. There is no exam which means there is more time for learning and less time for worrying. This is in contrast to most other training schools which simply repeat the information provided in the course handbook in a series of powerpoint slides.

The workflow is as follows: 1. Task Review 2. Risk Assessment 3. Method Statement 4. Pre Deployment 5. On Site 6. Flying 7. Post Flight 8. Emergencies 9. Operational Procedures.

In addition, the start time on the first day allows candidates to travel in on the morning of the course, therefore requiring only one night of accommodation if staying away from home.

Remote Ground School

The remote ground school includes all of the same engaging activities as the face to face ground school, however it is facilitated using Zoom video conferencing software. This has proved to be a very popular course, in response to the UK lockdown.

Self-directed Ground School

The self-directed ground school is for those want to learn at their own pace. As such, there is no interactive learning delivered by our instructors. Instead, you’ll receive our ground school handbook which you can learn from in your own time. This will provide you will all of the necessary knowledge required to get you ready for your GVC theory exam.

Stage 3: Operations Manual Development

Once the ground school is complete the candidate will need to prepare for their assessment day. The flight assessment must be completed in accordance with an approved operations manual that is specific to your organisation. This requires you to write one and we’ve taken yet another innovative and unique approach to integrating this into our course. Rather than simply giving you a completed template or one with little guidance to complete it, we’ve turned it into another learning tool to further help consolidate your knowledge and understanding.

Stage 4: Assessment Day

Once the operations manual has been approved and the candidate feels prepared they can then book the assessment day. There are two assessments to be completed: 1. Theory Exam 2. Flight Assessment. 4 hours is allocated for both assessments which gives plenty of time.

Stage 5: Application to CAA for an Operational Authorisation

Upon successful completion of the two assessments, HALO Drones will provide a GVC Certificate and guidance on how to apply for a Operational Authorisation using the CAA online application form.

What if I fail either of the assessments?

If you fail any assessments, you will be allowed to re-sit subject to the following criteria:

A mark within 25% of the pass mark – A resit is permitted after a minimum of 1 week. 

A mark outside 25% of the pass mark – A resit is permitted after a minimum of 2 weeks. 

You can complete a maximum of three attempts in either of the assessments, before having to attend another course. There is a charge, but before you worry about the cost implications of failing, we would like to reassure you that our course structure and training methodology has been designed to reduce the likelihood of this happening. We don’t want you to fail, and the charge is merely to cover our expenses.

What is not included on the course?

Accommodation and the CAA’s application fee for an Operational Authorisation which is currently £257.00 (June 2020). Visit the CAA website for the latest information.