UK: A2 CoC - Too easy?

[Tig]

After fours hours studying (a really great course, granted, but still...) and well under 10 minutes of exam, I've got my A2.

I know that we just want to fly freely but if we are to be regulated for safety, surely it shouldn't be this easy?

 

[old man mavic]

@Tig most of the course is common sense i agree but its not really about how hard or not it is
it demonstrates that you have reached a certain level of competence ,to fly your drone safely,you are not flying a manned aircraft so the knowledge is proportionate to the risks and danger to others that the drone would pose in your hands

 

[Richard1970]

Who do you book with I used coptrz it took me nearly 3 weeks as I needed flying hours after I enrolled
The exam is easy just common sense

 

[Tig]

Who do you book with I used coptrz it took me nearly 3 weeks as I needed flying hours after I enrolled
The exam is easy just common sense

I watch Mr MPW on YouTube, so I used UAVHUB

 

[Deleted member 133794]

Yes it is mostly common sense and proportionate to what we do but it
still teaches you the stuff you might not automatically think of when
out flying, which in the long run will make you a safer pilot. Also it's worth
remembering lots of people have NO common sense.

 

[Cymru]

Its hard "enough" to safely operate within A2.
A2 itself is fairly conservative with what it allows so i cant see the issue.
Basically it ensures you know the restrictions and have a base level of common sense.

You could argue its a minimum level all operators should have though.

 

[African wildlife]

Hi Tig. I agree with you. Far too many examinations are nowadays more or less worthless. Passes are given out like sweeties. It's more become a box-ticking exercise, rather than genuinely raising the standards. It's a race to the bottom - instead of aspiring to be genuinely up there with the very best. Individuals and society are poorer as a result. I'm all for equal opportunity as a starting point, but then merit must kick in to sort out the different levels of capability.

 

[Cymru]

That extra level does exist - PfCO/GVC etc.

 

[DeadStick]

What does a PFCO allow you to do that the A2 doesnt? (Disregarding restrictions on weight/class of machine)
how many flight hours does the A2 require?

 

[old man mavic]

@DeadStick the Pfco has gone now since 1st Jan this year,and has been replaced by the GVC, there is no deference between commercial or hobby now ,but in order to carry out commercial operations with the larger drones that pose more risk to others ,you need the extra knowledge that the GVC gives you and you will need to keep logs of all your flights,and seek permissions from the the CAA for such flights in restricted air space, plus you will need a special liability insurance to enable such flights to be undertaken ,you are allowed to monetise your vids and pics now without the need for commercial certification ,the weight and classification of your drone is what matters now

 

[Cymru]

PfCO and now GVC are mainly getting you to think more about risk assessments and mitigation and with that in mine allow you to apply for extra permissions and waivers for things like restricted airspace, proximity to people and objects and so on. Its more about changing the way of planning and thinking than actual operation.

With the new changes, most people likely dont NEED that extra flexibility so an A2 (or 1) conventional operation with insurance will suffice.

 

[Cymru]

Be interesting to see if this rumoured Air 2S has any CE certification attached to it. If not, there's very little reason for anyone in Europe to buy it as it'll have a very low useful shelf life once the product ships.

DJI do seem to be resisting releasing certified products for some reason. It could come back to bite them at some point soon. The FPV isn't certified for example.

I'd LOVE to have a drone i could operate in A1 that has a decent camera setup. I'd sacrifice range, some endurance and so on as the payback is huge. Currently though none of their offerings have camera and bitrate quality anywhere near what i'd class as acceptable to make a switch down.

(Likely my last thread, i'll get a forum ban once the political moderators get out of bed so bye for now!)