Minimum Remote Pilot Age Requirement - Update

Just a quick update on our previous post covering the Generic rules of the Open Category.

If you remember, in this post we had identified that the CAA were likely to reduce the age requirements from the generic EU rules in order to align with the current situation in the open category (i.e. 13 years) and they will reduce it for the Specific category to 14 years.

They have actually gone a step further and removed the age requirements in these two categories altogether.

That means Articles 9 and 9A of the UAS Implementing Regulation (EU 2019/947) have been deleted completely so there is no minimum age for remote pilots in the Open or Specific categories. One important note, however, is that there remain the requirements for competency (therefore inherently you couldn’t expect a toddler to gain an A2CofC for example) AND the age requirements for Operators remains (i.e. 18 years old).

Happy Flying All!

Specific Operations Competency Requirements

The competency of flights in the Specific Category will be determined by the risk assessment or the STS. This could range from a level of competency as defined in the Open Categories (such as the S2 CofC) through the requirements of a Certified operation pilot. In the middle ground, the UK has also introduced the GVC (General VLOS Certificate).

GVC (General VLOS Certificate)

The GVC provides a Remote Pilot Competency Certificate which provides a single qualification that is suitable for most VLOS operations within the Specific category. Additional modules may be added, currently, there is one: GVC Module 1 – BVLOS of Remote Pilot but utilising Visual Observers (i.e. EVLOS). There are both theoretical and practical aspects and it is to be conducted with an RAE (previously an NQE). It is valid for 5 years. Operators wishing to obtain this must fulfill some pre-requisites:

• Some may be exempt from theory – these will be in CAP 722.

• Obtain Basic Remote Pilot Competency – i.e. completion of CAA’s DMARES online training

• Hold a Flyer ID

GVC Theory Test

It will consist of 40 Questions, Closed Book and Multiple Choice/Long Answer/Mixed questions. The duration of the exam will be determined by the RAE. The exam will specifically cover:

• Air law/responsibilities;

• UAS airspace operating principles;

• Airmanship and aviation safety

The GVC theoretical examination may also include the A2 CofC examination in one sitting, but the examination must be expanded to 60 questions.

GVC Practical Test

This requires a practical demonstration of the pilot ability to comply with Operations Manual and STS or PDRA (I’ll cover the PDRA separately in another post). The test will be conducted outdoors and the RAE define pass/fail criteria. The test will specifically cover:

• Pre-flight Actions

• In-Flight Procedures

• Post Flight Actions

For the GVC Module 1 this will additionally include:

• BVLOS Operations with Visual Mitigation – General

• Pre flight Actions

• In Flight Procedures (with Visual Observer)

• Post Flight Actions (without Visual Observer)

Small Print: These posts are a summary only, include my personal interpretation and are not intended to be a replacement for reading the actual rules.

Open Category Competency Requirements

The sub-category you are intending to fly in, determines the level of risk to 3rd parties and therefore the level of safety to be achieved and hence the level competency required. For the open category here’s the differing levels of competency and a brief overview of what type of flights they apply to. See my previous blog post here for more details.

User Manual Familirasation

If flying in A1 with a Class 0, Privately Built, or Pre July 2022 Drone then all you need from a competency perspective is to be familiar with the user manual.

Foundation Test

If you are flying in A1 with a Class 1 Drone or in A3 with any drone then you’ll need to pass a foundation test. This is based on an online theory test with 40 questions, multiple-choice covering things such as air safety, regulations, privacy, insurance, security, etc. This could either be a entirely new test or the CAA may simply increase the number of questions in the existing DMARES test required to get a Flyer ID. The Flyer ID is currently valid for 3 years, hopefully this will remain the same.

Certificate of Remote Pilot Competency / A2 Certificate of Competency

If flying in A1 with a drone <500g (under the transitional arrangement in place until 30 June 2022) OR any aircraft in A2 then you’ll need to hold an A2 Certificate of Competence (A2 CofC). This is an additional course targeted at the extra risks that A2 flying comes with (i.e. flying close to uninvolved persons). This is a 30 question exam conducted by a CAA recognized organization (RAE - recognised assessment entity). To do this assessment you must first have completed the foundation test, obtained a Flyer ID and conducted some practical flight training in A3 but simulating A2 flight. The certificate will be valid for 5 years.

Small Print: These posts are a summary only, include my personal interpretation and is not intended to be a replacement for reading the actual rules.