3 Day Commercial Drone Training Course
At Uplift Drones, we recommend all students completely new to drone flying should take the Advanced PfCO course. This is because it includes 2 days of theory training followed by a third day of practical flight test preparation, to ensure you become a competent and confident drone pilot.
This 3-day PfCO course leads to our NQE recommendation to the CAA for granting the applicant a Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) and leads to full CAA qualification, that allows you to undertake commercial work with drones in the UK. 
To ensure you are well prepared for the course, you will have access to our online pre-course material (e-learning). Please ensure you work through the e-learning material prior to attending Ground School, as this will greatly improve your understanding of the modules and theory test score.
Our 2-day Ground School is all theory-based in the classroom. Within those 2 days we cover modules from Air Law to Meteorology to Risk Assessments. You will take your theory examination at the end of Day 2.
All course days run promptly from 08:30 to approx. 17:00, please allow ample travel time to and from your course location. Course attendees must bring a laptop or tablet/mobile device that is WiFi capable to the course as this will be used in classroom activities.
Your third day of the Advanced PfCO course features 3 hours of hands-on practical flight training, focusing on how to plan and fly a commercial job in readiness for your flight test. This is a rare opportunity to practice more difficult flying (such as ATTI flying) in a safe environment, and to enhance your flight skills with an instructor on hand.
It’s an invaluable practical session for those looking to maximise their chances of passing their flight test, and for those who want to ‘hit the ground running’ when they are ready to start their commercial operations. We provide all students with a market-leading drone and drone insurance for the practical flight training session.
The Advanced PfCO course also includes the cost of your practical flight test, which is conducted on a separate day when you feel ready to pass with confidence. Although the cost is included, you will need to book your practical flight test separately and in advance with the Uplift office team. If the examination is failed the student will incur a retest fee.
There is a Flight Test Preparation eCourse included within your eLearning study materials, to guide you through the process and requirements to undertake your Practical Flight Assessment.
You will need to complete the following before your Flight Test:
Additionally:
Important:
Our friendly team are on hand to answer any questions you may have about the Flight Test, so please do not hesitate to contact us!
You are required to complete an Operations Manual. This sets out how you will operate your drone safely and contains the procedures you will use when flying your drone. This is something you can complete in your own time with our templates, which you can access via the online portal ‘Downloads’ section.
All of our PfCO students are assigned a dedicated Uplift Drones Instructor as their main point of contact throughout the Permission application process. This instructor will review your Ops Manual and answer any queries you may have along the way. Once this final section is complete and has been signed off by the Uplift training team, you can then submit your PfCO application to the CAA.
When you have completed all parts of the course successfully, you can submit your paperwork to the CAA via their online application process. But first, read through our guidance to the CAA PfCO application: https://www.upliftdronetraining.com/documentation/ – you will also find the direct link to the CAA’s online application portal.
The CAA charge a fee for UAS applications (currently £253) in addition to the online course price. Payment is made online in the final stages of their online UAS application.
Did you know, the CAA now charge an application rejection fee of £124.00, with one of the most common reasons for rejection being ops manuals that do not meet the required standard.
We are so confident that our PfCO Refresh & Review course will lead to your application renewal being approved first time, that we will refund you £124.00 to cover the CAA fee should your application be rejected due to any errors relating to your operations manual, following our comprehensive review. Terms and Conditions apply.
Day 1 of the Uplift Drones theory course will cover the following subjects that meet and exceed the CAA recommended syllabus.
Day 2 introduces exciting new subjects that will expand your knowledge of drone operations and prove invaluable in your career.
Day 3’s flight training is conducted with our qualified flying instructors, to apply the key principles of flying and the skills needed to be confident and safe during operation of the unmanned aircraft. The flight training consists of:
Your practical Flight Test is conducted at a later date, when you feel ready to pass the practical examination with confidence.
The cost of your Flight Test is included within this course, however your test must be booked separately, in advance with our office team.
You must book and pass your Flight Test within 9 months of passing your Theory Test.
* In the unlikely event a re-sit is required the first re-sit is free for the theory exam. There is an extra charge for a flight test re-sit. You must prove 5 hours of flight logs to book your flight test.
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