Hi All,
I am new to flying drones and new to this club. I have a DJI Mini 4 Pro and, for the moment, the only drone I am likely to own. I obtained a Flyer ID (as well as Op ID) just for the education. I like the idea of continuing with the education / competency and was wondering what general opinion is on the A2 CoC with the changes (that I understand are) proposed in 2026. Is this worth doing?
Thank you in advance.
Paul.
Hi Paul,
Two ways of approaching it:
If you aren’t going to get another, bigger drone yet then I wouldn’t bother. It’s not necessary for the Mini 4.
I also wouldn’t lose any sleep over the proposed changes. They’re a bit of a moving target at the moment. The date has changed before and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets extended again.
If you’re interested in the A2 CofC for your own satisfaction and to increase your knowledge then I’d say to go for it. It’s why I did my first drone-specific training course. Nowt wrong with wanting to understand things better.
Agreed, I’m fully expecting it to be delayed again.
@paulvalentine if you do go ahead with the A2 CofC, be sure to check out the member-discount for your special offers on training courses 
Hi Paul - Joe @JoeC has summed it up quite nicely.
The A2 CofC course may teach you something about the rules of flying a drone but it won’t make you fly it any better as there’s no practical element to the course.
If you’re sticking with sub 250 gram drones then there’s no real benefit other than the knowledge you’ll gain. As a paid up member of GADC you can get some good discounts on the course and if you’re planning to get a larger drone then its a no brainer to do the course as the benefits are then certainly worth the spend. After 2026 - who knows - don’t believe the CAA even know yet 
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate the advice.
I certainly will! Thank you!
I think, even if you only have the Mini 4 Pro, the A2 CoC would allow you to add strobes etc to the drone, and even if it goes above the 250g limit, you are still pretty much OK.
Thank you. Good point on the strobes. I have seen some videos on the improvement they give in some situations to the VLOS.
And also no one’s ever failed, ever 
Must take it again to prove you wrong 
I got 100% last time
I still got stressed as it’s the first ‘real’ exam I have done in 30 years !
I have recently gained an A2 certificate with UAV Academy, the think I find strange about the whole 2026 review is that the UK have followed Europe with the CE regulations for transmitter powers. However, they are prevarictaing over simply adopting the European model of drone ratings C0 - C4. What could be easier?
This will be an OFCOM thing, rather than a CAA thing 
I know that I’m just comparing the willingness to adopt European regulations by two UK governing bodies.
Are you trying to apply common sense to UK government organisations?