PDRA01 / GVC and training - any tips

Legal & Privacy
1

Hi all,

I am wanting to (legally) fly up to and over buildings - potentially people too. As far as my research / reading goes it seems that - other than the basic Operator and Flyer licences - PDRA01 / GVC is the thing. But…

  1. I am unclear if PDRA01 and GVC are the same thing. Or is one a ‘flavour’ of the other, a sub-category, if you like? Or are they not connected at all?

  2. if the above is about right, any experience of any suppliers of training and certification for this? I keep seeing Heliguy and UAVhub pop up. Any good? Or are they paying to appear at the top of searches and there are better providers (for whatever reason) you know of?

(I know PDRA01 means doing stuff like scoping the area, planning flights with essentially formalised risk assessments (the RA bit of PDRA, I know!), keeping up-to-date paperwork etc. Seems eminently sensible to me - up to a point haha)

2

Pinging group @commercial-operators

1 Like
3

Hi i hope the following helps,
The completion GVC training is to show you have the required knowledge to safely complete a commercial flight meeting all of the CAA requirements, it will give you the knowledge you need to put together your Operations manual that you will need to submit to the CAA to obtain your Operational Authorisation (PDRA01) you can not do this without completing GVC training.
Only when you have received Your Operational Authorisation/PDRA01 you can take out commercial insurance.
I used UAV Hub to complete my GVC Training both theory and practical, at the end of this they help you put together your Operations Manual and start a paid subscription to keep it up to date and compliant with any changes in the laws.

3 Likes
4

GVC I meant, not GVS, obviously. Strange typos I do since having covid earlier this year…

5

Thread title edited. :+1:

1 Like
6

Thanks for that D_A_S, that’s pretty clear to me. I am seeing this (in order):

Flyer / Operator IDs > GVC > PDRA01 > Insurance > Legal commercial flying

Any other views especially on training providers, people?

1 Like
7

I don’t know what you’re flying, but you only really need an Operational Authorisation if what you want to do can’t be done under Open category rules.

We maintain an OA, but for the last year none of our GVC pilots has needed to use it for a project - they’ve managed to stick to Open Category.

3 Likes
8

I’ll second @D_A_S’s recommendation for UAV Hub for training. I can’t say how they compare to others, but they were excellent for my GVC training.

Couple of things to think about before taking the plunge.

Firstly, It’s not cheap. The GVC training will cost you several £100s (UAV Hub is currently £500). You’re also going to have to pay the CAA £234 for the PDRA01 Operational Authorisation (OA). Your GVC certificate lasts five years, after which you’ll need to redo the training, exam and flight test (£500). Your OA only lasts a year, so the renewal fee (£217) is an annual expense (and it gets more expensive every year).

You need to keep your Ops Manual up to date (which means keeping on top of the rules and regulations). As Trevor says, there are services such as UAV Hub’s HUB SUB, who will do that for you for a fee (another £100-£200 a year), or you can do it yourself. Be warned though; if there’s a mistake in your Ops Manual the CAA will reject your OA application.

Also - and this sounds obvious, but is worth saying - if you’re flying under your OA then you’re flying under your OA. You’ve got to do the admin and you’ve got to adhere to the specific requirements of the OA.

You’ve mentioned your goal is to be able to fly over buildings and people. An OA certainly gives you more scope to do that - one of the big differences between it and an A2 CofC is that the 50m separation in the OA doesn’t specify ‘horizontally’ so, theoretically, you’re okay if you’re 51m above them. That said, the OA also says overflight of uninvolved people “must be kept to a minimum”, so it’s definitely not carte blanche to do as you like.

As @ximi says, don’t bother if what you want to do can be done under the Open category. You might even find the more cost-effective way to get where you want to go is to get yourself a sub-250g drone. By the time you’ve paid for a GVC and the OA you’re most of the way to the cost of a Mini 4 Pro.

That said, I’ve just renewed my OA so I obviously see the benefit (one being the 50m bubble, the other being that I’ve had more than one job which would’ve been impossible without it because of landowners’ stipulations). So if you want it then go for it. :+1:

6 Likes
9

You will also have ro keep all paperwork, risk assesments, method statements etc every time you fly under your OA so its not just a case of popping out because the weather looks good. Also you have to keep strict maintenance records for each drone on your OA. Things like firmware updates, prop changes etc. I understand that the application process has changed recently and it seems you dont have to submit the Ops Manual, maintence records etc with the application. However the CAA are now carrying out audits on OA holders so you have to be sure your paperwork is up to date. Unless you need to fly a larger drone than a Mini then I certainly wouldnt bother.

4 Likes
10

I did mine with UAVHUB, and found them to be absolutely brilliant. The material is excellent, you can do the mock exams as many times as you want, the back up is second to none, and the practical was problem free (except for the police helicopter, buzzards, light aircraft and geese which insisted on flying over during the test).

2 Likes
11

Thanks ximi - I’ve got a DJI Air 2s, 2-3 years old, bought second hand, nice bit of kit IMO (inexperienced as I am!). I believe ‘Open’ category though only allows up to 50m distance from buildings etc., as the craft is over 250g (it weighs just over 660g). So I do not think open category would allow me to fly up to and over buildings. So yeah I need OA I believe. Thank you

1 Like
12

Excellent information in there JoeC. I want to do stuff commercially (no clear plan yet, I’ll… experiment’!), so, if anything I think what I want to do with drones will expand with more ‘kit’ on them potentially. Yeah I was aware of the costs but not the annual OA cost. I knew you had to get it renewed annually, but assumed that was part of the initial cost - 200 pa is not to be sniffed at, so that is also very useful to know. I’ll be doing the GVC training and getting OA for sure so thanks very much.

1 Like
13

Yes, thanks briwy. I had looked into the paperwork aspect of an OA and get it. One of dem tings. I worked in banking and financial services in the past, so governance, paperwork etc. is a familiar thing, sadly! :laughing:

Cheers

1 Like
14

Sounds like a baptism in fire Hotrodspike! Yeah, it is very much sounding like UAVHUB is the one - not hearing anything else on here really.

Thank you!

2 Likes
15

UAVHUB also do your manual for you, then send it to you to correct if necessary. Send it off to the CAA with loads a money!! and within a few days you get an email with all you need to do the sort of commercial work you want to do.
FOR (UAVHUB): Pretty easy to do, just watch the videos, remember everything, go back and watch them again. Mock exams that you can do over and over again. Experienced flight examiners. They do all the tedious hard work for you.
AGAINST (UAVHUB & CAA): Bloody expensive for the work they do, don’t do (CAA). Can’t think of anything against UAVHUB, catch them when they have a sale on and save yourself a few quid.

1 Like
16

Hmm, ok so at 595g , you can make use of A2 Open category (if you do the A2CofC). The horizontal 50m seperation distance legally is from uninvolved people, not buildings.

The CAA do mention taking into account people inside buidlings, but that is to do with a) whether your UAV would harm occupants if it crashed into the building, and b) if the occupants unexpectedly exited the building into your flight envelope.
Whilst they are inside, they are not in CAA controlled airspace.

For the first, I would say its unlikely a DJI Air 2S would crash through a wall. Mayby a window if flown at full speed in sports mode directly at it, but then I’m guessing you wouldn’t do that. Think about the risk of a fire starting and spreading if the UAV crashed into the bulding. How would people be warned to evacuate etc.

For the second, there are mitigations you can put in place e.g. Do the job at a time when the buildings are empty. Warn occupants about your pending flight. Have people control exits for the short time you are in the air. Have spotters warn you of encroachment so you can take evasive action etc. Could you make the people there ‘involved’ in your operation? Etc.

Hope that adds more info for your decision :slight_smile:

2 Likes
17

Thanks ximi

18

A full grown Wood Pigeon weighs about 500 grams, a little less than an Air 2S, so if a pigeon only leaves a dusty ghost pigeon on a window when it flies into one, I can’t see an Air 2S doing much more damage.
In a battle between a drone and a building, the building normally comes out as the winner, and there are very few draws!

19

Would you prefer me to hit your head with a 1kg rock or a 1kg bag of feathers?

20

If my head was made of brick, I wouldn’t give a toss :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

1 Like