During the workshop, operators raised concerns about the competency levels of Remote Pilots seeking employment within their organisations. They noted that getting a Remote Pilot Licence might seem easy. Some training schools don't always make sure students fully understand and can do everything they need to before passing them.
The discussion also touched on instances of operators conducting activities for hire or reward without holding a ReOC. Additionally, operators found the excluded category as a factor that may affect compliance, as some operators may lack a full understanding of their obligations or fail to follow the rules.
What can operators do?
To help hire the correct staff, you should:
- implement pre-employment screening process involving:
- assessment of aeronautical knowledge
- delivery of a pre-flight briefing (simulated exercise).
- develop and maintain a training program for the operations performed that uses the experience of your RPA operators
- have an onboarding process and make sure you include all training requirements which may include:
- a complete program for standardising and improving RPA operators' skills
- documented training records for theory and practical examinations.
Be mindful that it is unrealistic for a new RPA operator who has been trained elsewhere to quickly adapt after a few flights to your:
- standard procedures
- local practices.
This can take weeks and is different for each person. Experienced organisations understand this, and the costs involved to provide:
- induction training
- a mentor
- more supervision for new operators.
You should consider how you support RPA operators with limited experience to make sure there are no safety issues.
If your RPA operator has low to average experience, you should consider discussing safety more openly.
Other options to support inexperienced operators can include:
- Start a mentoring program where junior RPA operators learn from more experienced ones. This goes beyond basic training and helps junior RPA operators gain valuable insights from seasoned pilots.
- Through mentoring and safety briefings, focus on sharing information that improves safety and prevents accidents. Discuss what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.
- Standardise operations as much as possible by using 'airline' style SOPs. This reduces variation and operator workload. It also helps focus more on safely operating the RPA.
- Encourage a positive safety culture to help operators feel comfortable raising concerns. This way, the operator can make better risk-based decisions with your support.
What are we doing and delivered?
Anyone can apply for a remote pilot licence (RePL), but you only need one if you want to:
- be a remote pilot for an individual or business that holds a remotely piloted aircraft operator's certificate (ReOC)
- fly a drone or remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) that weighs more than 25 kg but less than 150 kg over your own land.
The development of Annex A to AC 101-01 provides a means of compliance to assist operators in ensuring their staff meet the minimum requirements for holding an RePL:
You do not need a RePL if you're:
- eligible to operate a drone that is a micro RPA (250 g or less) or an excluded category RPA. The excluded categories include RPA that are either:
- more than 250 g but no more than 2 kg
- more than 2 kg but less than 25 kg (only over your own land)
- flying for recreational.
We have also produced the RPAS and AAM roadmap that outlines our approach for RPAS and AAM regulations over the next 10 to 15 years: