How to get your CAA PfCO: What's involved & should you do it?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- #PFCO #A2CofC
**As of 2021, PfCO is now replaced with the A2CofC or the GVC, both offered by UAV8 **
www.uav8.co/
UAV8 still conduct training with online tutors via Zoom with 1-1 tutoring available too.
******
All my tutorial Videos: www.youtube.co...
**Thinking of getting the Mavic 2 Pro, Pro or Mavic Air? Help me & my channel by clicking these links even if you don't buy, and you'll get free shipping if you do:
Osmo Pocket:
click.dji.com/...
Mavic 2 Pro (with Smart Controller option):
click.dji.com/...
Mavic 2 Zoom: click.dji.comAI8RZwM6aoxwhg1xUWwxxw?pm=link
Original Mavic Pro
click.dji.com/...
Mavic Air
click.dji.com/...
Useful stuff on my website: www.ianinlondon.com
All my gear: www.ianinlondo...
And for USA viewers: www.amazon.com...
For UK flyers, use the NATS drone-assist app by air-traffic control: dronesafe.uk/dr...
And the friendliest UK-based drone forum:
greyarro.ws/
12 Months 3rd party liability insurance for £19:
www.fpvuk.org/...
For anyone that wants to buy me a beer, my paypal is: www.paypal.me/...
Shot in 4K and uploaded in 1080p.
Music by Epidemic Sound
Happy flying guys.... Ian
So, way more involved than you might think and pretty expensive too. Interested to hear your thoughts on what's involved and the costs. Do you think it's right and worth it? Cheers, ian
Like you say in the vid if your are going to be flying for a living and using a drone all day everyday then maybe! But to be honest NO it's not worth it. I'm no professional but I know when and where to fly my drone and it's not rocket science to know when bad weather is coming in and you don't take the drone up in bad weather. Maybe at higher altitudes there maybe air currents I am unaware of but I never fly that high! And the cost is just so high that even the enthusiast who wants to abide by the law would find this cost just not worth it and then continue to have to send a report and more cost each year seems to be another money making scheme. Seriously they need to rethink or at least bring out a casual drone pilots scheme this will put a lot of drone flyers off wanting to do the right thing! Then there is the flying part, really on a football field good conditions make it more realistic! Not impressed at all.
@@divebigblue Yep; all valid points Adrian. Maybe with the new registrtaion scheme coming up end of November they may re-think the whole process.... But I'm not betting on it.... Cheers, Ian
Thanks Ian for sharing this, very informative and incredibly important. I have now joined the Mavic-2 club.. yes you were right, what a machine! I have been given the same opportunity to go on a CAA course as you did. This is something I am considering as part of my work. But first.. learning a new skill. It's great fun.
M.
@@babanarr3311 Hey fella! Welcome to the M2 Club! Yes, i'ts a fantastic beast! And great news on getting the chance for your PfCO via work. That's £1,000 saved! :) What model did you have before? Ian
@@IaninLondon Hi Ian, I borrowed a Spark for a while and was hooked, so I just read everything about drones and looked at everything on TH-cam. Been about 18 months watching the Dji developments and the problems with them and benefits of Dji. The shop offers training so I am interested in learning a new skill.
So only had to do one thing, and get one.
Hopefully I will show my efforts soon.
😎👍
Once again Ian a very helpful and useful video. I think the most important part for me was your honesty. Whatever you do with regard to drone videos Ian never ever tell anything other than the truth and always give your honest opinion. You are becoming renowned for that and I appreciate it, as do all of your followers. Keep up the good work please and thank you.
Thanks Scooby. Being totally straight to the point is always a fundamental for me and my stuff. Glad it's appreciated. Cheers, Ian
I think I will stick to my recreational flying. Thanks for your video Ian.
Thanks Ian for a very useful appraisal. I think the level of fees involved reflects the wishes of the CAA to minimise drone operators which is a shame but I for one will be flying for pleasure, not business. I cannot justify the initial expense nor the ongoing £185 annual renewal. I wonder if The European Union Aviation Safety Agency or EASA issue their own licences which might be recognized in the UK as part of a reciprocal arrangement so one could undergo training in, say, France where it might be cheaper however the whole aspect of droning is a bit of a jungle so I can't see this as a practical solution without a lot of research.
Until the CAA align their publications and rules, and update them for the technology that most consumer drones have, we will struggle with these over the top courses...
Can do this in the USA for half the cost.. UK way to expensive and tricky.. An honest reportage from Ian, restored my faith.
As per notes, this is out of date and the pfco no longer exists. Commercial work is possible without any additional training in the UK and Europe now, which is a great improvement. ,👍🏻👍🏻
Once again straightforward and simple advice. Thank you Ian!!
I think the course should be more focused on the practical side even more so for a hobbyist like myself with the emphasis on safe flying, what you had to do was more like the kind of classroom work I had to do on microlight training some years ago, having said that Ian well done mate, at least now myself and the many who follow your channel can say we take advice from someone qualified to give it. 😁
Thanks Alwyn. TBH that was a large part of the reason for me doing this; I want people to know I'm doing my best to give good and accurate advice. This course would actually have been way more appropriate for microlight and glider pilots that are absolutely reliant on much of what we were taught. Anyway, thanks for the good words. Ian
£1000:00 plus £185 a year to keep updated .When I get Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract will apply for mine
Well done Ian, congratulations! I have been thinking about taking the plunge, but as I am just a hobbyist have been undecided. I can't thank you enough for actually taking the time and expense to show us what's involved, and for giving us an honest view 👏👍
Yep. Glad I did it but hopefully helped a few people out too 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It reminds me of the exams I took 30 years ago to become a paraglide hill pilot, it was a ppl really, the exam took months to study for. Like most things in life overly complicated for the need. As usual a very interesting video, let’s now get back to our drones. Ha! 😎👍🏻 brilliant Ian.
Have to say tho, if I were hang gliding, I'd probably want this sort of material to be taught. But then again, I guess you should know this sort of stuff before you go leaping off steep hills and hang by an over-sized kite! 😉😉
Excellent Ian. Opened my eyes. I certainly won’t be taking the course. Thanks........
great video. the prohibitive cost and over complication are to be expected from a bureaucracy but the trade off is that those who go through it can charge more for their services
It does kind of show how Bureaucratic we are here in the UK - this discussion came up this week on #KenHeron #TNL stream and the cost involved with a #PFCO vs the US equivalent #Part107 was staggering. Its close to a factor of 10 more expensive here! Thanks though for the honest video and spending so much money so that we may not have to :)
Yep, I 107 is around $130 . It's really disappointing how disparate the FAA and CAA are on this. Especially as all the aviation authorities generally follow the same rules and regs.... Cheers, Ian
Its all about money thats why they over complicate it to make it look ‘expensive’
Thanks for the insight as to what's required don't think I will bother.
Nice video Ian. Confirmed what I always suspected. Cheers
25-30 page Operations Manual? Mine ended up at 67 pages...! But, I did mine to run a commercial drone business. Totally worth it and all the training will help in the day-to-day job. Sure, there are a few things that I wondered why we were being taught, but when you take into account this is a pared down version of a PPL, then no surprise there are sections on weather, etc. When you remember that weather is probably the most limiting factor when flying your drone, it helps to understand it. With my course we had a few weeks of online learning before our 3-day course and flight assessment. Just waiting for the CAA to give me my PfCO now - current backlog is 25 working days, but hopefully will hear back next week. With jobs I have lined up, should make my money back within a couple of months.
Ah, interesting!!! I've been waiting 20 days and wondered if they'd seen this video and were debating whether to accept me! 😃. The point I was trying to make was that considering you get practically no additional flight rights, and so little training on actually flying the drone (which say for an estate agent who has their day job, and flying the drone is a tiny part of their job) I figured they could actually focus on more practical things rather than stuff a glider pilot might be more interested in.... Anyway, well done and good to hear you've got work lined up 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 cheers, Ian
Ian, you do get a lot more flight rights. It’s really up to the pilot to make sure they are up to scratch with their flying training. I try to practice as much as I can. If you’re doing it as a business it’s worth your while becoming as proficient as possible. Ideally I’d like to end up doing TV work. I submitted my application on 29 April, so should hear back this week. Good luck with yours! And remember, it is working days you need to count 😀
Many thanks for a good honest review of your training.
Great outline of the training and course! Thanks for spending the money and reporting back... Really useful video.
As ever very helpful, thanks Ian and congratulations on your pass 😀👍👍
Thanks Karen. Just that lovely Ops Manual to write now... 😉
i totally agree with what you said. Over complicated. I want to put the drone 20 feet in the air and take pictures of houses. wont fly in high winds and wont fly in bad weather.. With what you described you learnt you'd be qualified to fly a 747!
Thanks Ian
Doing my pfco next weekend with UAV8! Was a little worried that the lack of Atti mode on my Mavic 2 zoom would be an issue until I saw yours! Also read your comments on the subject. Really useful video, thanks!
Best of luck! Cheers, Ian
Great video mate, very fair. It was good to meet you.
Cheers Jamie. Likewise. And best of luck with the training 👍🏻👍🏻
Totally agree Ian there’s so much they could teach you but miss out on practical work have completed mine brilliant instructor but bloody hell zzzzzzzzzzz🚁🚁
Exactly.... Hard work in all the wrong places...... Congrats on getting yours too👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Ian, thanks for posting your video, like others I was balancing whether to jump in and attend a PfCO or not and your video has made up my mind to wait and see if your video has influenced the CAA to look at the curriculum. After all I understand other comments that it’s all about safe flying, of course it is and getting that message across to those that will push the limits is crucial to those flyers that may tarnish responsible drone flyers reputation. I agree with your comments in the video that it’s too in depth and when you suggest if you really need that much detail says to me that the content needs to be revised and specifically intended for drone flyers. If I’m going to spend around £1k and then a yearly fee I’d like to walk away from a course that spent more time assessing my safety and flying skills coupled with theory on safety, law and what a drone flyer needs to know rather than the content you mentioned. Thanks again for the video, I’ve saved a few quid and I’ve got more time to practice my figure 8’s!!!
Thanks Martin. Don't forget major changes may be happening next year anyway where required CAA training is based on risk or type of flight rather than money. As it should be. Will be watching and keeping you posted.... Ian.
Great video, as always. Couldn’t agree more though, there was a lot to take in, and there is so much taught which isn’t used. When we could be taught how to fly safely and how to recover from issues. The guys at UAV8 we’re great though, full of useful info.
BTW, it’s not actually a licence, it’s only a permission to fly commercially 🤓
All true. Very happy with uav8 and a great but tiring weekend. Given the fantastic ambiguity of most of the CAA regs and permissions, I think we can call it pretty much anything... Including a license for the CAA to print money 😂😂. Keep in touch Alan 👍🏻👍🏻
Many thanks indeed. As somebody completely new to all this, I found this video very helpful from start to finish. Thankyou Ian 👍🏼
Brilliant video Ian. The licences is not something I’ve intended to go for, but it’s been interesting to solidify the fact that I won’t! Your take on it seemed very balanced. Now get out there and post some more of your great aerial footage 😁👍🏻
Cheers Phil. Let's see what new training they come up with later this year. Working on next video but always up for ideas....👍🏻
Hi Ian.
Talking about ideas...
Now looking at where you live is obviously not a problem. For me I live in a city but near the coast and although I'm regularly thinking 'what a lovely day to take the drone out' my biggest barrier is where I can.
What about a video that asseses the area in which your in so as to find places to fly?
Maybe not the most exciting but it's my biggest decision for whenever I fly!
@@1971382 Like this one? Or do you mean the appropriateness of where to fly? th-cam.com/video/n706dpiZ4XU/w-d-xo.html
Very interesting, as you say great if it’s work related but for me who going to start flying drones for pleasure and a hobby it’s an expense I don’t need, but great insight into what’s required for the PfCO, thanks 😊
Congratulations Ian, here in the states it's different but I pretty much got the point. Looking forward to it sometime in summer!
I think it's way easier now as the FAA states you need to fly to 107 standards.... Either way pretty sure it's way cheaper in the States 👍🏻. Cheers, Ian
Yup $149 30% discount = $105 US
@@365drones9 versus over a £1,000 here....... 😒.
Ouch! that hurts!
A fantastic video covering the pros and cons of taking the pfco course. And what you felt relevant and non relevant information.
Cheers, ya video cleared up more in 13 mins that 2 hours on CAA website etc
Cheers for that 👍🏻. CAA website publications need a serious overhaul..... Ian.
I hold a PPL/IR and to convert that to a CPL/IR would be horrendously expensive just for fun. I have the hours but would need to take many more exams and a CPL flight test. You pays your money take your choice. If you were to fly your drone commercially you would find being able to forecast the weather in advance very useful. This is the purpose of the weather section. 😊
You are getting the exams from the CAA system, they have dragged out from my syllabus as a commercial pilot, flying large twin aircraft, they put all they could drag out of the questions hanging around in their computor. It is a wonder they didn't ask the calculation of tyre pressures on aquaplaning on a wet runway.?????? total bo;;ocks as a reason to charge money. weather can be seen looking out the window and checking the wind speed.
Exactly. But this looks like it's all changing next year now.....
Great video Ian. I was thinking about taking the licence, but your video has helped me to make up my mind to stay well clear of it and save myself a grand 👍
Well, as said, it's interesting, but not necessarily relevant to safer flying! Cheers, Ian
Yes ok, everything fine fella...
...but I urgently need to know how the polar maritime air mass can move down through mountain ranges causing cold and wet weather.
And I need to know right NOW.
Cheeeers
Well I'M your man for that as I got those questions right in the exam 😎😎😎
Hello my friend, watched your video on the pfco as I was thinking about it. As you stated if you are doing a job that requires it then yes its worth doing. I myself just have a normal 9 to 5 job and just fly for fun and it's my hobby I feel that doing the pfco. It does seem like a lot of money if you are going to be doing a job that requires it. Me personally I will continue to fly for fun within the rules and regulations. I found your videos informative and thanks for your time in doing it. Happy flying my friend and stay safe )
Thanks David. Yes, the PfCO is definitely one for commercial only, and is being replaced towards the end of 202 anyway finally! Thanks, Ian
That’s great to know Ian, thank you!!
Thanks for taking the time to write this. As usual anything government connected will be overly focused in possibly the least important areas. I appreciate this is not this courses remit will it stop people breaking the law. Probably not. I can see the need but I am actually using my drones so rarely now, I’ll skip this. Great video as always
Thanks Alan. Yes, best intentions but missing the mark...
Great insight into what to expect. Thanks for taking the time to post this.
Good video and very much as expected. A course that should probably be a day at the most by the sounds of it.
Very insightful, excellent eye opener thank you. Been considering improving drone skills in prep for commercial
I would definitely wait for the new EASA rules rather than go through the pain of a PfCO...
Totally agree with your views. Thank you
👍🏻👍🏻
some years ago I took my "A" & "B" certificate for model aircraft. The examiner said he wanted me to climb to 400 feet to do a simulated engine off landing. I was flying a "PACER" around 76 inch span with a 26 cc petrol engine so it was quite a big aircraft
I climbed to what I estimated was 400 feet and he said go up higher so I said I was at about 400 feet. "No go higher I will tell you when you get to 400 feet so up I went I estimated to around 1000 feet OK he said chop the throttle and land near you. This I did and came to a stop about 12 - 15 feet from myself. I had a data logger fitted and on checking later I was at 948 feet when he thought I had reached 400 feet. Some examiner. A friend of mine took his straight after and on his simulated dead stick landing (small fun fly model 40 size glow engine) went past himself and landed in the long grass at the end of the runway (160 yrs. long) he still passed. Draw your own conclusions from that.
And were you a safer flyer after all this?😃😃. It's pretty poor that the examiner over estimated the altitude so badly. My tester told me to just go up to 400' but only as high as I was comfortable, without referencing the display. Erring on the side of caution, I ended up at 360 feet and was happy with that...👍🏻
Just watched this Ian. I'm currently doing my A2 C of C and i must admit it is a little like what you described here. I think the CAA / EASA should have spoken to guys like you when designing this course and maybe not made it for commercial people. The A2 C of C should be for normal people like me to help you fly better
Shame to hear that the new course isn't better geared to everyday fliers....
Hi Ben just wanted to say ive just watched some of your
videos, wanted to put a comment but there all put out as
child friendly, any way nice job with your videos.
Another great video!
Thanks for the information, for myself as I don’t use my drone that often as I am disabled and in my golden years it is silly for hobby, a bit paying load of cash just because I want to take a photo that might be unusual for hobbies, mine sits at the bottom of the cupboard waiting for good weather conditions and to be flown in a safe manner, the CCA are taking things to far it is not an people carrying aircraft just a camera that flies for a little more than its battery will allow rant over.
Hopefully you'll soon be able to head out to the countryside soon and fly without issue 👍🏻
Thank you Ian. Very informative! Much appreciated!
As a former Licensed Aircraft Engineer and PPL holder I can sympathise with your misgivings about the CAA. However, if it were made easy and cheaper then I think everyone would be doing the test and it might de-value the qualification. They do set high standards and I believe that is why the Uk is one of the safest places in the world to fly and operate any type of aircraft, and that can't be bad.
My fundamental issue is why does a flight become more dangerous and therefore need this level of training just because you're getting paid? 99% of flights at rnade by hobbyists so I don't see this situation making things safer. But this all may change in the upcoming review of rules that may simply base all rules and regs on the likely risk as opposed to any monetary payment...... Let's see what happens. Cheers, Ian.
@@IaninLondon Thanks for the reply Ian, yes I agree it shouldn't be based on wether or not you are getting paid. When I held my PPL I could take as many passengers as the aircraft I was certified on could carry, but I could not get paid for it, which is stupid. Anyway, as you say, it may all change soon? Keep up the good work on the videos, I found you through the Glyn Dewis podcast.
@@BarryPaffey Aha! I had fun chatting with Glyn. I htink I made my feelings on the PfCo prtty clear there too :) Great to have you on board! Cheers, Ian
hi Ian, i built my own drone, for a kit, and yes you should know everything about the drone, the ins and outs, from what type of motors you are using, ESC , make shore your firmware up dated, and flight controller to, just like a car, i also built a car to from scratch, the weather plays i important part of flying, that is why they put that in the exam, i haven't done that type test yet, i just fly as a Hobby only
You don't need to understand the engine components of a car in order to drive, and I apply the same principle to the drones. And unexpected wind is pretty much the only weather that will truly affect flight.... But kudos for building this stuff from scratch 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@@IaninLondon well i disagree on that one, i built my drone to learn, as like the car, so i don't get in to trouble if i brick down, so instead of me buying a all ready built done from the manufactures, and dont learn any thing, but thats me, i like the learn complex's stuff, because i Suffer with ADHD, but thats not the point, if you learn to build a drone, you will know how it works, like using betaflight, and inav and cleanflight so on, on the lighter note, well done for passing
@@mcdjacedad7359 Defo nothing wrong with knowing how it all works inside out....👍🏻
Very informative and shares my opinion that the course is way OTT. I booked my PfCO, but cancelled because, it was highly expensive, and all it really allowed me to do was fly a little closer to crowds and buildings. At 65 years old, I'm unlikely to get employment as a pilot. I think people assume you can do anything with a license, but it's just not so. Most qualified flyers are still bending CAA and local regulations. As I understand it, the correct way around those regs is to present an Operational Safety Case for approval by the CAA, which I suspect is a whole lot more expensive than the course (£1,700?) and probably hard to obtain. Please educate me if I'm wrong.
You're spot on. Over the top, too expensive and you get barely any additional flying rights other than the right to charge money. I genuinely have no idea of the fee for OSC submission; their site is not the clearest on fees..... CHeers, Ian
Hi Ian, useful info, if not as you suggest peppered with unnecessary parts of training (much like getting your 'Part P' in Electrical installations - where you have to learn all about generators!! - for some odd reason??)
Regulatory bodies have to try and justify their existence... just a shame they don't do it more pragmatically.... Cheers, Ian
@b gg I know exactly what you mean regarding keeping the regulatory cards for gas and electric going each year. Can you click the link under this video and register your thoughts before 7 June? 👍🏻👍🏻th-cam.com/video/pd_mdJPLRKM/w-d-xo.html
I think one of the reasons the CAA make you look in so much depth at the subjects is the weed out those who are not serious. I'm like you - I would do it for achievement reasons as much as anything. I'm contemplating the GVC, which I believe is cheaper nowadays. Have you done, or will you be doing the GVC? I did the A2CofC which I found very interesting, but equally laborious in places.
Thanks very for this one Ian, somehow missed this one at the time. Rather disappointing really, although my working life is well gone now I'd wondered if doing this might be a shortcut to greater expertise in the air, as well as broadening my awareness of all those "don'ts" that bedevil this leisure activity. Plaudits to you for making this video to better advise us all...
Currently a little concerned about the nonsense proposed by the FAA in the US. Lots of worried operators over there lest those proposals might get passed in whole or even in part. And if the US goes that way, how long for our CAA to align us with them? The hardware additions involved seem likely to effectively ground all my miniature drone squadron. Once legislators get a bit of control, seems all they ever want is more and more.
Thanks again for all your useful videos!
I would certainly wait until after the 1 July as new rules come in and the PfCO will be replaced. And only time will tell what nonsense will be introduced in the USA and here...
Good review Ian. Sums up my thoughts as well. UAV8 were an excellent team and no regrets with choosing them. Just so much unnecessary stuff we have to know.
Well done Ian! I agree with all you say. Ian in Beverley :-)
Interesting vid again...as always. Personally I think it is a little over the top for recreational pilots. Too much theory about weather conditions etc. Congrats however with your brand new license. Thanks Ian!
Thanks Ronald 👍🏻
@Ian in London have just contacted the CAA and after a long chat i pointed out that you are not Commercial until you make a profit that is taxable so that discludes anyone making less than 20k per year that is not declared as a taxable income. Commercial means to make a profit. So this means that you can get around this by includong your daily costs and wages. Hope this helps as this implicates all small TH-cam Channels. You are allowed an income for costs provided you can prove you have not made a profit. Wages, expenses, including Drone costs, fuel, food is declared covering expenses and is not a profit. So you are still a Private Entity if you earning less than a Taxable nonprofit wage, to make money or make a profit are 2 totally different things 😊
I'd be interested in that being tested. You can be commercially unviable by making a loss but still commercial. their rules are pretty clear that ANY reward, be it monetary or goods, counts as commercial and therefore needs a PFCO. Hopefully all this will go away in the new rules being drawn up where the permission is based on risk, not monetary reward. Which of course is how it should be.... Ian.
@@IaninLondon look up the definition of Commercial ... it states for Profit .. not monetary reward ... expenses and wages are not profit ... ask the Inland Revenue 😊
@@vandavo it's not my, yours or a dictionary definition that counts. It's the CAA's who simply state any flight undertaken for reward is defined as requiring a PFCO. Obviously I absolutely agree with you on the fact we shouldn't need this until we're clearly profitable. I just need to point out what the CAA rules are. Similarly contradictory is the fact they don't count TH-cam as commercial, even tho many videos, mine included, are specifically made for monetized channels which will earn us a bit of money......👍🏻😃
@@IaninLondon its actually the definitiin under the Legalese Business Dictionary that Counts .. what is applicable by Law under Parliamenry Rule .. this you will find in Legalese Dictionary ... Commercial is for Profit or Monetary Gain ... if you are not Profiting or Gaining then you are not Commercial .... as described by Parliament, Trading Standards and Legalese Law of Business ... not my definition ... its theres ... CAA are bound by these rules of trade regardless of their own definition ... if you are not gaining ir profiting then it is not Commercial ... hope this helps Ian as it affects a lot of people and channels 👍👍
Keywords being Gain, Profit and Reward. Expenses is none of the fore mentioned. However Reward can mean to make yourself look better, a personal reward. Terminology is very key to Commerce and Commercial.
Hope you took advantage of the Grey Arrows Drone Club exclusive discount with UAV8 there Ian 👍🏻
I had a discount via my subscriber who recommended uav8. Let me know what the deal is and I'll amend the link. ian.....👍🏻👍🏻
Another good video Ian and some interesting thoughts. I am going through my PfCO process at the moment with a company that puts much more emphasis on the flight assessment. I completed my 4 day classroom training and exam (damn, you beat me by 1#!). The Flight assessment includes a full planning process and is done after you complete your Ops Manual. Interesting the different options that the PfCO is taught considering it to. Set CAA standard. I have to agree with you totally about the Ops Manual. Why I accept some elements are important, I think it is far too in depth.
Good luck with the Ops Manual
Thanks Brian
4 days training sounds a lot tho! But as you say, interesting how many different options there are for getting the same overly complicated curriculum learned and tested... As I said, everything has some relevance but way more practical stuff wasn't even tested or taught....
I really enjoyed this thanks for posting but most of all well done!
If you do a PPL you learn all kinds of things that in some cases you don’t actually need, from how aviation law came into being, how a engine works to how the human body works etc etc but.... heres the thing you now have a license that make you better than those don’t! on paper at least which is the most important part.
Massive well done! Great vid
Thanks Lee. Yep, TBH I did this more to prove a point to myself and I'm happy I did it. (But still massively over the top! ) 🤠
Thanks for the reply Ian, hmmm I wonder if you could help? I was flying my drone over the top of ridge so i could reveal the valley below as the craft passed over the crest of the ridge a huge gust of wind forced it skyward, could you explain what went wrong please? Iam sure you can 😗
@@leekidman6128 Hoping you got thr drone back? you will very often have very strong updrafts at the crest of a hill, especially it's a ridge with a near vertical strip of rock running along the ridge. This is because the wind is trying to flow over the ridge, hits the top ridge and is forced upwards very fast. Hopefully a shock but nothing terminal... :) Ian
Everything’s fine thanks Ian, if only i’d have been on the PFCO course with you and known about anabatic winds..... dam! 😮
@@leekidman6128 And of course if you'd done the pfco course, you'd know that this type of wind over ridges wasn't covered...... 😂
Thanks Ian, once again a straight talking well presented video telling the facts, I am a keen photographer and do it as a hobby.
I am to retire soon and my plan were to purchase a drone to give me new ways of getting picture I couldn't before.
I have been researching and trawling what drone I should purchase and what new skills I need.
Plus what courses are required I now find that there is a avalanche of new rules and regulations coming out from the CAA over the next 18 months that will make it ridiculously hard to fly a drone anywhere in the UK unless you have a PFCO or something similar.
I dont believe in the statement "you cant teach a old dog new tricks" however after this video I think the cost and the intense highly detailed none practical course is not for me. I'll take my money and spend it on something that will make me laugh rather than something that will be constantly getting more restrictive and costly not to mention bureaucrats knowing your every move.
Once again Ian thank you for you straight talking videos.
Hi Gerald. Don't let the new regs put you off. In two years, you'll still be abel to fly in open countryside without issue or any training requirements.
If you're still unsure, maybe get a Mini, as this is fairly cheap but gives great results. It's not for windy conditions though. Otherwise the new Mavic Air 2 is terrific, will not be blown away even in strong winds, and will do you fine.
Either way, if you're not plannig to fly near towns or any houses, you will have no issues now or in the future. Ian
Thanks Ian for your reply. I was looking at the Mavic Air 2 from your reviews so far. I’m thinking this is very portable and stable with a good camera and gimbal. Thanks again for the solid advice.
Well said mate . Its all OTT
Its like taking a commercial divers course and leaning mixed gas the all you need to dive as an SSI open watercourse.
Blimey what a course. I'm looking at part 102, which amounts to the same thing here in NZ. Be interesting to see what the course contains. And of course how much it will cost.
Would be good to know... Keep us posted and good luck fella. Ian 👍🏻👍🏻
Another great video Ian and thanks for this. Have 3 questions, if you fail the exam is that £800 down the drain or do the guys go through the questions and help you to try and answer, also did the questions have multiple answers? Oh and lastly of you pass and receive the Cert, does it expire within X amount of years or is there no expiry date on the cert?
Thanks Lee. Good questions. First off, yes, they will work with you, without giving the answers of course, but go over the relevant areas again to allow you another go. Some of the questions were multiple choice and others were open with no suggested answer. Finally, I genuinely don't know about the expiry. I guess having passed the exam and assessment, most people crack on with the Ops Manual asap.... Cheers, Ian
Very informative and now more relevant with the new laws coming in on 31 Dec 2020. Sadly I own a Parrot Anafi and so it affects me. Not sure what I'm going to do about it because I fly just for fun (safely). I've only owned for a couple of months and it looks like I will have to sell it because of this. Anyway thanks for the video I thoroughly enjoyed it.
You won't have to sell it, certainly not during the 2 year transmission period...
Who gave the CAA authority to say you can’t sell your images,
When we buy a phone or a camera, no one says we can’t sell them
It's typical CAA, not having a clue about drone activity and what needs to be taught. I have to speak with CAA on a regular basis with offshore helifuel systems and the CAA dictate what's needed on a system but don't have a bloody clue how the systems operate. Very frustrating company to deal with.
Thanks for that Ian, great video 👏👍
Ian....firstly great video, honest. And down to earth and cannot fault your assessment.....however...many here are missing the point, the object of the PfCO is to ensure TOTAL safety before and during a flight. The CAA have a duty of care to everyone involved with flying in this country regardless if you are a pilot, passenger, business or individual on the ground. What happens when flying determine variables of safety both in the air and on the ground. The CAA are charged with maintaining everyone’s safety in a very crowded airspace. They don’t have issues with Drone flyers they have issues with morons that fly drones unsafely and from what We have seen recently around major airports they are out there. Only recently the RAF have had near misses with drones in the Mach Loop where basic common sense says DON’T put a airborne obstacle in front of a Jet travelling at over 500 knots...but they do it....I live under the Helicopter Defence School AOO where we get aircraft down to 100ft, so studying flight plans, weather, terrain etc is vitally important if I don’t want to bring a helicopter down on a school or village. And bear in mind I live out in the sticks, the probability of a near miss or accident is magnified in urban areas. Hundred fold. Even as a hobbyist you have a duty of care to everyone when putting a aircraft up (drone is an aircraft period, treat it as such and you can’t go wrong). If people are looking to blame anyone blame the cockwombles that feel the need to ignore the rules and endanger life near airports, not the CAA. They are there to keep everyone safe, both in the air and on the ground.
Thanks Steve! Excellent points made! I think my main issue is that an appropriately levelled training and test would get way more people to take it up. But instead, we have a situation where 99% of users go completely untrained because they understandably don't want to fork out a grand to get..... practically no extra flight rights! Why does money make a flight more risky? Certainly it may push the pilot into a situation where he or she wouldn't otherwise choose to fly, but that is a risk assessment on the flight itself, NOT the totally unrelated fact that money is exchanging hands. So that's my beef. The CAA could do so much better here but instead have hacked together a programme based on glider pilot requirements and made it financially unachievable for the majority, meaning they're doing nothing to actually further safety other than the standard drone code... But, this may change in the upcoming review that may be taking the risk assessment of a flight more into consideration rather than money. Let's see what happens over the next few months 👍🏻👍🏻 Cheers, Ian.
Ian in London totally agree with your points here, it does appear to be a money-making exercise, but I also think they are pandering to the pressure caused by those idiots that don’t observe the rules, indeed the law in the UK. Most none drone people have only the media’s view of what we do and which is skewed at its very best. I personally think that the CAA have been ‘advised’ into making it difficult so only the committed pilot will do want to pay for it, in turn putting off the idiots.....yeah right......This isn’t going to work because it drives people ‘underground ‘ making drone ownership and use harder to police. The register will come into being on the 1st of October, let’s see what effect it has. IMHO like everything the government rush through, it will be a mess and cause more harm than good....keep up the good work buddy, good to hear a voice in the wilderness 🤙
There's a guy wrote a comment regarding a Paramotor. No training. No licence and can go to 3000 feet, so reading what your saying doesn't make sense. Surely something flying around at 3000 feet is more dangerous than a guy flying a drone at 400 feet, yet the drone guy has all the bad press. Personally it's got bugger all to do with safety. It's money making that's all and that guy in his Paramotor proves that. Most people are responsible, be it a drone pilot, a motorist or whatever else.
@@paulos9304 Yes. True. I'm guessing the only mitigating factor for paramotors is that you need to do training or you may die. But even so, unsure why they can fly so high ....
@@IaninLondon hi Ian. Yer I was actually refering to Steve walls comment when he was saying about the CAA rules on safety and the likes. All very relevent if your up there in your plane, microlight but it's a drone. It's all to do with making money,
By the way, great video. Interesting and informative
Great video and information Ian as usual just say what you think great job and well done on passing the test👍👍🇬🇧
i think we have something similar here in ireland but not 100% sure .i know there a 2 day course followed by a flight test few weeks later ..it seems very over the top compared to say the usa .but this was a great insight to what to expect .i would like to do the course but must find out more about it ..thanks for behind the scenes footage it was very interesting thanks ian great video
Cheers Thomas. Maybe wait 6 months.... Changes are afoot......
Hi - Thanks so much for the video, it was very informative. I'm doing my flight assessment a week today, weather permitting! Just a question - When you had to go up 400 feet without the screen, did you simply have to turn your phone / monitor off? and How exact does the figure of 8 need to be? Thanks
Tip. I mentally counted the seconds to get up to 400 ft beforehand and estimated from there 😃. You just had to look away from screen on the day. He made me do the 8 a couple of times... Best of luck 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for this Ian. A real insight. Been contemplating getting my pfco for a while now. Had one of my videos of Silbury requested by the BBC and it is premiering in a Werner Herzog documentary in New York. I gave it to them for free because I wasn't commercially qualified! I always imagined the training would be 90% practical, so good to know what I would be getting into. Aside from TH-cam, do you mind me asking if operate commercially yourself, and if so in what sense?
Thanks Chris. TH-cam isn't considered commercial by the CAA, and so far I've had no commercial work at all. Can3i ask how the BBC found your silbury footage? Have you got it posted anywhere? Ian
@@IaninLondon It's on my TH-cam channel and a researcher got in touch as he'd been tasked with finding some summer footage that matched the mood of other drone shots they'd got. Quite a big project apparently, which was produced in LA by Werner himself. I'd never heard of him but he's pretty well known as a film maker. Debuting at the Tribeca Film festival and I'll get a credit. If I'd had Pfco it probably would have covered the cost! D'oh!
@@chrisbaishdrones I can see why they asked to use your footage.... beautiful...
Take a look people: th-cam.com/video/mKckqWj9C9A/w-d-xo.html
Hi there! Great advice and lots of useful information. Always good to be on the safe side.
Being a hobby photographer that occasionally sells a few prints, does it mean that I won't be able to sell those photos taken with a drone?
Thanks for sharing.
Technically the rules are that you can't fly for reward unless you're PfCo'd. But, if you fly for pleasure and then subsequently sell the odd picture without any advanced knowledge of that sale, then it's a grey area and I personally wouldn't worry too much about.
@@IaninLondon It's not a grey area in an way, shape of form. It's literally the definition of 'flying for valuable consideration'. Not that the CAA are going to bother pulling you for it. The PFCO is a waste of time because the CAA nor the police are interested in enforcing any of their own rules.
Nanny State and jobs for the boys .
Not really the CAA know a trick or two and everything they do is geared up to safety. Would you say that ensuring Air Traffic Controllers for example should just be allowed to sit behind a console and make things up as they go along? No you wouldn’t be happy on an aircraft knowing that some unqualified muppets has just put you on a collision course ?
Well everything this guy went through has a relevance and he should have asked the trainers why he was learning all that stuff but clearly he didn’t
@@buffplums non sequitur
Great video. As somebody who is about to sign up to a course and build a business I'm glad I have seen this.
thanks Ian .
looks as hard as i thought it would be and expensive too , think al stick to being a hobbyist . Great video.🤔👍
It's not as hard as you may think. I recently attended a 2.5 day ground school course with Phantom Flight School, completing online theory training and assessments beforehand. I wasn't looking forward to the assessments during the ground school course, however passed with flying colours (excuse the pun).
Great video and agree with alot of what your saying - Seems the CAA when it comes to commercial operation want not just a piece of the action but a sizable donation to really disincentivize the masses from taking up this as a occupation. Annual operation manual updates and fees seem a excuse for updated legislation to be imposed regularly by an authority which doesn't understand the current market and its exponential growth. Example A: Custom built FPV is becoming more popular by hobbyist and commercial operators - how do they excuse non line of sight/breaks in RF transmission?
Well done on passing and thanks alot for this video highlighting your views- much needed
There's so many contradictions in the CAA legislation I don't know where to start.... But I'll finish with their statement that "as the CAA is only concerned with aircraft safety, flying drones in an enclosed building doesn't fall under their remit at all. So you might ask why flying drones outside lower than any nearby building or tree comes under their remit.... But there you are...
It is interesting to note that you can fly a Paramotor where you are actually in the air above people and have some considerable weight but you need no licence at all..... Total madness
Good point... No consistency.....
Well done mate
A very good article thanks, but it has put me off doing the course even though I love flying my Fimi X8 and would like to make some money but I'm not sure the work is there to justify the cost.
The rules are changing this summer, so maybe wait until July and reassess then....
Ian in London
That sounds promising 😁
I’m new to drones but I want to be able to earn money from drones what shall I do? I’m new to flying drone does this course teach you how to fly it?
Thanks Ian, and more rules next year!
Yes..... 👍🏻
very helpful video mate
Are they having a bubble !!!!!!!! Heavey costs and mental training for the causal flyer....
Great video and very informative. But one question, during your assessment you said you had to fly 400ft without using your screen....did I hear that correctly? How is one supposed to do that?
You rise up until you're comfortable it's within vlos and defo not above 400'. I got to 360 feet. I practiced at home a few times and guaged how small the drone was when it was around 350 feet.... It wasn't a major part of the assessment tho.... The figure of 8 was more of a deal.....
Bloody hell mate. Passing the exams to get my pilots licence to fly a hot air balloon was easier than what you just did. Why is it so over the top. Not sure I would bother. The balloon papers were £25 each when I did them. £125 in all. No way would I pay nearly a grand. But fair play for passing it. Ps. Do they give discount if you take your own sandwiches 😊
Ha, that makes me laugh Bob. I reckon I'd want to have learned all the stuff about weather if i was flying a balloon..
Anyway, passed, assessed, just my Ops Manual to write now... You can get a 10% discount by quoting my channel name.. :) Amazing food included....😎😎.
While I would be very keen to undergo the training and achieve my PfCO, I have almost no interest in flying commercially as such. It would be a useful thing to have, especially on the odd occasions when I use the drone for lost dog search and rescue, when permission (for example) to fly over land with restrictive bye-laws would be easily gained so long as you were "certified". What I would not be prepared to do is to shell out almost £200 a year to keep it current.
Imagine if car drivers were told they had to pay that sort of fee to keep their driving licence!!
I have to admit that really, really annoyed me when I found out (part way through the course!) I was ok taking the initial hit as a one off, but paying £185 each year just to maintain it is plain wrong.
Was thinking about this until I heard about the 30 pages and £185 a year. WTF
Hopefully this will become obsolete with the new Drone being proposed..... For now, I agree. Hopelessly over the top for most user's needs..
As of July, we might be able to shop around and get a license in other EU countries with fewer fees because they will automatically be valid everywhere in the EU
If we were still in the EU..........☹️
Ian in London going off what I’ve read on the CAA’s website: So long as we don’t leave without a deal not much should change and we should keep working with the EASA as if were still a member state 🤞🏻
@@NullHyp most easyJet pilots in UK now have Austrian easa licences! Brexit has huge impact on commercial flying.
I would like to do the PfCO but I’m not willing to jump through all those hoops just yet , hopefully it will be simplified in the coming years as drones become more common. I get that flying anything is dangerous but do RC Plane and helicopter pilots have the same rules ? I doubt it. The rules need to be much clearer , eg flying over a rail line can be argued all ways and I don’t know if I can or not. Thanks for another great video.
Thumbs up ere' Ian, great video and in sight on what happens - great advice - many thanks for sharing the info :)
Great video, i love it.
Great video i ever watch. 👍👍👍👍👍
I am planning to buy Skydio2 from USA. And reship to the UK because they don't ship outside of the USA & CANADA and also is not certified by UK. I was wondering if i reship to the UK is there any chances to confiscate the drone at UK customs? I am happy to pay tax and duty charges. If you give me some information regarding these i would be really appreciated. Thank
They will not confiscate but may well charge you quite high import charges and also vat. Ian.
@@IaninLondon thank you for your great advice...👍👍
Bit of a piss-take that it is 700 quid... I want to get this for a FPV drone. Would the process be the same?
I can't see how you can as fpv flying requires a dedicated watcher alongside for each flight to make it legal....
@@IaninLondon What a joke... At least indoor flying is exempt.
Totally agree that for the hobbyist drone pilot the PfCO is complete overkill. It would be great to have something more practical for hobbyists that may want to monetise content.
Don't forget the CAA specifically states TH-cam revenue does not constitute paid drone work and does not need a pfco....👍🏻👍🏻
@@IaninLondon thanks for clarification, I wasn't aware :-)
I can understand that what you’ve been taught maybe overkill, but with the license you get your able to fly anything up to 20kgs in remote areas where weather knowledge might actually be needed (what happens if your unable to get a weather update due to no phone signal?). I found this part of the course the easiest, the hardest is getting the OPs manual done, only just finished doing mine last night 😩
Fair points but in truth I guess 99% of pfco pilots will be flying standard sub 7kg GPS drones that can handle wind fairly well.... Admittedly I too found the meteorological elements the most interesting and easiest, but spending 2 hours on risk assessments may have been more productive and practical...... And remember, you get practically no additional flying rights over hobbyists. Just the CAA's permission to charge money for your flight. Which in my mind is nothing to do with air safety.... Anyway, it's done now...👍🏻
Ian in London yeah it’s mainly all risk assessment which is boring as hell. I’ve a Mavic 2 pro myself but hopefully in the future fly an inspire or matrice for higher end filming. There’s a few more perks to getting your pfco though; your able to fly within the 150m limit of people and buildings (50m), including open events (max 1000 people ) and congested areas. Without your pfco you’re mainly limited to the coast or remote areas that are public and with no people around.
How did pilots cope before mobile phone signals?
Figure of 8 is hard to master
It's surprisingly difficult isn't it?!
Why not set up your own drone assessment course for enthusiast's that is focused on flying safely, liked this video gave good insight into going for it or not.
Good info thanks for the insight 👍