PfCO CAA Approved Drone Training Course formally PFAW
The ICARUS drone training course will allow an individual or company under the CAA regulations to receive compensation for work carried out using a drone or quadcopter. The course is a necessity if you are looking to succeed in an aerial photography business, land mapping or land surveying business.

If you plan to fly your drone for yours or someone else's commercial gain, you need a Permission for Commercial Operation (PfCO) from the UK  Civil Aviation Authority. If you or someone else in your party stands to benefit financially or in kind from the flight, you need to prove you are competent and insured - which can legally only be done through a PfCO. The PfCO is proof and evidence that you are insured and trained in air regulation and safety, Lithium-Polymer safety and flight competence.

A few example which ICARUS have given where a PfCO is needed:

• A photographer wishing to take aerial landscape and wedding photos with a DJI Phantom 4, to sell as prints
• A surveyor wishing to inspect high structures for damage with an AscTec Falcon 8, as part of their report
• An estate agent wishing to take aerial property photos with a 3DR Solo, to use in marketing
• An emergency service wishing to use a DJI Inspire 1 with thermal imaging, for surveillance or fire monitoring

The course takes place over a period of 2 days.

First Day

• Intro & Air Law
• Principles of Flight
• Meteorology
• Airspace & Operating Principles
• Ops Manual & Risk Assessment

Second Day

• Human Factors
• Operator Responsibilities & Airmanship
• Navigation
• Flight Planning
• Li-Po Batteries & UKLFS
• Revision/Exam

The second phase of the ICARUS Course is the completion of your Operations Manual - a legal requirement by the  CAA. Basically it is one big risk assessment. We will expose you to the CAA Operations Manual Template which is a good place to start. You are more than welcome to view our manual too whilst you are on the course to get a good idea of the level at which to pitch your document. Remember, your Operations Manual is there to help you and should only contain information which is relevant to YOUR operations.

The final phase of the ICARUS course will take the form of a client request for aerial work on a mutually convenient date. We will send you a request, much the same as that which you will likely receive from someone once you have your PfCO. It will then be over to you to use all of the tools and techniques you learned on the theory course. You will need to plan, execute and de-brief the task safely whilst remaining within the rules and regulations laid down by the CAA.

During  the Operational Evaluation, you should expect a couple of emergencies to be given to you at some point by the examiner and you will need to  demonstrate that you are reasonably comfortable flying your aircraft in  ‘ATTI’ mode.

Finally, upon successful completion of your Operational Evaluation, your  ICARUS Examiner will complete the required paperwork to recommend the  issue of a PfCO to you by the CAA!