Canadian Advanced Drone Exam

[Tbredhed]

We could get asked questions about what levers control what items on a Helicopter and what we should do if we are piloting an airplane and the control tower tell us something and we see something else....what should we do? We who are not pilots and perhaps never even been close to a helicopter are expected to know this? I have to be vague as we are not allowed to quote questions verbatim. We have no study manual from Transport Canada so we are really at a loss as to what to study and know. Anyone with a private or commercial pilots license would certainly have a leg up on much of this exam.

I would also like to get my advanced, I was thinking of starting an arial inspection company. Almost all of Thunder Bay is covered by either the Airport, the seaplane base or the heliport at the hospital, so I'd need it to operate within the city. I'm not sure that it will happen for a couple of reasons, first I'm not sure that DJI will submit the Mavic for certification, secondly I already run 2 businesses, plowing in the winter and I own several rentals that I maintain myself as well as work a full time job, so I'm not sure where I'd get the time. I am also wondering if I should be taking something that I enjoy doing and turning it into work, but that is a whole other kettle I'm dipping into.

I enquired with the college here in Thunder Bay whether they would be starting a drone course, they said they were already in the process of putting one together and I should check back in a couple of months. I would encourage anybody to look with their local college to see if it is planning anything. My local college also runs a flight school so maybe not something every college would offer.

I agree 100% with CookedinIh that the advanced shouldn't be taken lightly.

Cheers

 

[Cookedinlh]

I would also like to get my advanced, I was thinking of starting an arial inspection company. Almost all of Thunder Bay is covered by either the Airport, the seaplane base or the heliport at the hospital, so I'd need it to operate within the city. I'm not sure that it will happen for a couple of reasons, first I'm not sure that DJI will submit the Mavic for certification, secondly I already run 2 businesses, plowing in the winter and I own several rentals that I maintain myself as well as work a full time job, so I'm not sure where I'd get the time. I am also wondering if I should be taking something that I enjoy doing and turning it into work, but that is a whole other kettle I'm dipping into.

I enquired with the college here in Thunder Bay whether they would be starting a drone course, they said they were already in the process of putting one together and I should check back in a couple of months. I would encourage anybody to look with their local college to see if it is planning anything. My local college also runs a flight school so maybe not something every college would offer.

I agree 100% with CookedinIh that the advanced shouldn't be taken lightly.

Cheers

I would prefer a local flight school offering drone training over a community college... but there will be exceptions... as always just do some due diligence before you sign up. If you are already busy with work ... keep drone a sport or diversion and have a blast... if you are looking for a new career, come on in ... the water’s fine.
For me it’s both... but aviation takes precedence

 

[Bruce D]

I sure hope DJI gets their act together before June 1.

 

[Garbe]

Hey Cookedinlh

I get your argument as to the questions on the exam and how we should have a good understanding of all aircraft. Just out of curiosity tho, have you written the exam since the questions changed this year? The only reason I ask is because I am finding a lot of people claiming to be very qualified and still having trouble with it.
Having a background in electronics I found myself just staring at the screen over questions about LiPo Batteries. There was no correct answer. I thought I was going insane...
I have spent over $2000 for training and to prepare for this exam and I feel like I've wasted my money. I was under the impression that I was getting my training from a very reputable school. Not a single person passed the exam on their first attempt and I know for a fact most people still haven't passed. There has to be a problem somewhere if that's happening
I would love any suggestions as to where the best place is to get the proper training, I'm beyond frustrated.
You sound like you know your stuff so your opinion as to how I should (as well as anyone having the same issues) proceed with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cookedinlh]

Well you are right about being pissed you were not trained to a reasonable standard. Having written and passed basic advanced and flight reviewer exams on my first attempt in Jan I can say they are not easy and will clearly demand that you are familiar with aviation generally and drones specifically. I too struggled over some questions and could see that they were designed to show if you had a sufficient level or knowledge to be considered safe to make decisions "on your own". Remember, you only need 60% on the basic which means you actually know less than what you should know. You only know 60% of what was asked. And advanced pass of 80% is likewise reasonable for commercial ops. Yes the questions are sometimes ambiguous but so are real life problems and the ability to decide which of two similar choices is right is valid . . not "a trick question". My point is you need to know ENOUGH about the topic that you can make the right decision on your own. I've done these kinds of exams all my life and they always have a few that are questionable.

That being said, I'm not surprised most failed on their first attempt in an industry that has so little experience with "aviation". The problem is with the instructors and the schools if everyone is failing. There are few schools with sufficiently experienced instructors that have years of aviation behind them. That will get better, but for now it's a problem. Just having lots of UAV experience does not translate in this field, yet. Two that I know who have that kind of experience are The Canadian Drone Institute and Clarion Drone Academy You'll see I'm shown as a Reviewer of the later, although we have no formal contract yet. I only bring up these two because I've had some direct contact with them. There must be others equally qualified. Check out the people behind TCDI and Clarion and look at their backgrounds. How does that compare with people you trained with?

 

[Cookedinlh]

I'd also note . . . there is MUCH more to know about commercial UAV operations than passing that exam. That's just the rules and regs not the operational knowledge to actually do something useful like. . .
- Mapping, Surveying (3D modeling)
- Industrial and commercial inspection
- Photography and Cinematography
- Agriculture (crop analysis)
- Search and Rescue Fire and Law Enforcement
So if you are looking for a career it's wide open . . but not just a matter of "do you know the rules"? ( ie, the operational space) Like any career you need to get educated in a range of areas from people with that knowledge. I'm just stating the obvious, but too often I run into folks who think its easy to fly . . . because they ignore the activity in any depth.