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UK based Flight Training School/Academy

Would you have an interest in a Flight Training School/Academy - Working towards PFAW?

  • Yes - Very Interested and I want to work towards my PFAW

  • Yes - Very Interested but I do not want to work towards PFAW

  • Yes - Interested but only for a couple of hours/1/2 day training session

  • No - No interest in either training or working towards my PFAW


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Guys & Girls,

First of all, sorry for the long post....

I have recently been in talks with DJI as they have offered me a position with them but for various logistical reasons I am unable to take up the post :(

However, I am toying with the idea of setting up a 'training school/academy' for operators who are interested in working towards their Permission For Aerial Work (PFAW) in the UK with the CAA.
I must stress this would not be a qualification as per an NQE, but would prepare you for what to expect and what you will be asked to go through should you decide to embark down the route of signing up for a full PFAW training regime and undergo Ground School, Exams, Operations Manual writing, Flight Assessments and submission of SRG1320 to the Civil Aviation Authority.

For many, the route to obtaining PFAW can be very daunting and it is fair to say it is not 'a walk in the park' as there is a lot of information to take in during the course of 2-3 days with a written exam afterwards etc. Once a candidate has passed their theory (with a pass mark of around 75%) you would then be expected to write a 40-60 page operations manual giving technical as well as procedural details together with checklists and 'Boldface' (Emergency) procedures in the event of an emergency situation. On top of this there are risk assessments, site surveys, meteorological theory, air law, principles of flight, airspace segregation, logbooks, insurance requirements and routine maintenance subjects to cover. Once you have submitted and have an approved ops manual you will then go on to a flight assessment - which for many is the most scary part :eek:

What my course would (hopefully) aim to do is give potential candidates a 'heads up' on what to expect during their training both theoretically and practically and give them the extra confidence to go forward and work towards full PFAW.
If people are hesitant in spending £2,500+ in trying to obtain their qualification for RPAS commercial work then for many it would make sense to attend a 'school' or 'academy' for a fraction of the cost which will give them guidance on what to expect and help prepare them for full training.
It may also afford some the experience whereby they decide that PFAW is not for them and they have not then committed to over £2,500!
If after attending the flight school/academy an individual decides not to go forward with PFAW with an NQE then they should hopefully have some valuable flight training, practical experience as well as gaining a better understanding of their multirotor platform.

My anticipated course would be a full day and very much a 'hands on' approach with the emphasis on practical safe flying, checklist procedures, maintenance, warning signs to look out for in preventing incidents etc etc. I will also take candidate through a mock flight assessment with a few surprises thrown in!
For those not wanting to go the route of PFAW but still would like some tuition in setting up, going through/writng checklists and practical flying experience (yes there will be some atti in there :p) then I would offer a couple of hours or half day as well.

Schooling would be central (East Midlands based) for now and there would be a maximum of two possibly three candidates per session so there are no big classes to contend with!
Oh - It also is not limited to the Inspire/Inspire Pro - any Multirotor platform is fine.... I've built/flown/owned many of them.

Please can I ask people to let me know their interest in something like this so I can gauge whether the whole thing is worth the time and effort to set it all up.

Many thanks for your time and apologies again for the long post.

The Editor
 
Ed- any ball park steer on price?

Hi Red Baron,
I am still working on price points as I am looking at various venues to hold the training (both inside for theory and outside for the flying) so it is difficult to give an absolute figure at this point.

However, I am roughly looking at:

Days Training working towards PFAW - £375
Days Training non PFAW orientated - £300
3 Hours (Best Practice/Safer Flying) - £200

There maybe other more in depth or more basic courses to come into play but that will depend on the interest and call for them.
Please don't take the above prices as gospel as I am still finalising things however, what I would say is,

1. I would like to keep the price under £400 (for the PFAW orientated course) to give better value than many out there.
2. You will be getting me talking, shouting and training you (maybe there should be a discount for that :p) and I probably know more about the Inspire than most.... Not saying I know everything but hopefully my reputation on here gives people enough confidence to book with me?

I will leave this thread up for a week or so to get a proper idea of interest then, if there are sufficient numbers we can go from there.

For venue, we are looking at East Midlands (around Newark, Lincoln, Nottingham neck of the woods)
The venues I am looking at all have
Conference rooms (for the theory bits)
Accommodation available either on site or very nearby (at candidates own cost)
Flying field on site.

Hope that helps a bit.

Cheers

The Editor
 
Last edited:
Great idea, would be a huge help. Even if to help people understand the worsening minefield around flying these days.


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Thanks - Now you've joined in does this mean I need to think about a course on The Stick. :p
 
OK, I have a venue that has conference facilities and also a flying field outside. :)
Only trouble is haven't really reached critical mass yet to make it viable.
If anyone is interested please post up/vote as I would like to get some classes going before Christmas.
 
Guys,

Thanks for voting/showing an interest. At this stage, can I ask how far afield people would be traveling from (for setting starting and finishing times etc) and whether any of you would need to book up accommodation.
Nothing cast in stone - just getting an idea of numbers etc.
The venue is likely to be around Honnington, Lincolnshire.

Thanks
 
I have some interest in this kind of offering, but I'd be much more interested in something which is more practical than theory based. I feel that classroom based sessions often end up with a lot of time being wasted by people talking nonsense or parrot fashioning stuff they've read on forums about DJI products and the CAA rather than focusing on the task at hand - the BNUC-s ground course being my first hand experience of this.

As someone who is getting ready for a flight test I'd be looking for lots of 'real world' operations experience, maybe working in a group, taking turns to be PIC, observer, payload operator. Doing repetitive field work tasks - on-site risk assessment, setting up working area, preflight checks etc. with the course tutor demonstrating, observing and stepping in as/when required.

The idea being to build a solid working process which is almost second nature - so when it comes to flight test day nothing feels new.

Just my two penneth.
 
If be interested in this, I'm in Milton Keynes and would travel for it.

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That's interesting. My course will be very much practical/flight based but of course there has to be a certain amount of theory in there.
A lot of people do not realise what exactly will be asked of them during the whole route to PFAW.
You will probably be more interested in the practical/best practice 1/2 day which would be better suited to you since you have already gone through ground school.
Don't forget, there has to be a few surprises ('emergencies') thrown in there as well to test your boldface actions/procedures.
 
That's interesting. My course will be very much practical/flight based but of course there has to be a certain amount of theory in there.
A lot of people do not realise what exactly will be asked of them during the whole route to PFAW.
You will probably be more interested in the practical/best practice 1/2 day which would be better suited to you since you have already gone through ground school.
Don't forget, there has to be a few surprises ('emergencies') thrown in there as well to test your boldface actions/procedures.

Hi Ed,

I've completed ground school, so the practical/ best practice 1/2 day is what I'm looking for. I live in Cornwall but am prepared to travel.

Cheers

Dave
 
Hi Ed,

I've completed ground school, so the practical/ best practice 1/2 day is what I'm looking for. I live in Cornwall but am prepared to travel.

Cheers

Dave

Thanks Dave - have you voted?

Yeah, Cornwall to the Midlands (and back) same day with some heavy concentration flying in there might be a bit of a stretch! :p
 
I'd be interested in both the theory and practical side of things. The writing of an Op's manual scares the life out o f me
 
I'd be interested in both the theory and practical side of things. The writing of an Op's manual scares the life out o f me
Haha......it's about 50/50. Some are terrified at the thought of a flight assesement with an instructor observing and marking a sheet on a clipboard as you fly.
Some are concerned about writing a 40-60 page ops manual and FRC's. :)
 

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