Drone UAV RPAS 102 Course Questions and Answers

Drone / UAV / RPAS Questions

Q. Who needs a drone training 102 course?

A. Anyone who operates outside the CAA rules of 101 drone operation. This means if you intend to:

operate your drone in areas where piloted aircraft like planes and helicopters may operate
operate your drone within 4 km of an aerodrome
operate your drone over 400 AGL (above ground level)
operate your drone at night
fly over people or property without permission (as per CAA 101 rules)

If you want a better understanding of airspace so you are complying with airspace rules, and to ensure the safety of your drone and people you are flying over or around, then our drone 101 training course is a great place to start.

If you want to be able to operate outside 101 parameters, fly without having to ask permission every time you intend using your drone in public places, to operate above 400 AGL and comply with ATC (air traffic control) then you legally need to attend 102 certification.

102 certificated courses can only be run by 141 certified organisations like ourselves under our parent company Aviation Training 2017 Limited.

Our intensive 102 courses run over two days and are taught by licenced aircraft flight instructors who are also drone enthusiasts.

Q. What Will I Learn In Our 101 And 102 Training?

Civil Aviation Rules that are applicable to you and how to comply with those rules when flying your UAV
Interpretation and meaning of CAA Parts (documentation) and specific requirements operators of unmanned aircraft need to follow to meet compliance with regulations
Airspace knowledge about the “upside down wedding cake” areas of the airspace around your region
Flight planning – where you are going to fly and mitigating hazards/protecting your drone from damage or loss
About different airspaces such as controlled and uncontrolled airspace and how restrictions in those airspaces apply to you
How to read weather and how it impacts your flying
Airshare website – how to log your flights on Airshare and get Air Traffic Control authorisation
Who to ask for permission from to fly under Civil Aviation Rule Part 101 and 102
Guidance and training for reading and understanding Visual Navigation Chart (VNC)
NOTAMS (notice to airmen), what they are and when need to file one as a UAV pilot
What it’s like for pilots to fly around drones, case studies and real lie scenarios that help you make good decisions when flying your drone
Tips to help you preserve the longevity of your drone.
Airmanship and rules to help you stay out of trouble with authorities but also keep you and your drone (UAV) safe
Flight operations – all about how your drone works, flies, battery care and longevity etc
Privacy considerations around people and property
Certified operations rules and expectations
Trip to the Tauranga control tower (where possible) to hear from the ATC controllers you’ll be liaising with
Knowledge testing to meet CAA requirements for certification

Q. How long is the 102 course?

A. Our RPAS courses are intensive, and run for two whole days, from 8 am till 5 pm and include breaks for lunch.

On the first day you will learn about airspace rules, meteorology, resources you can use as a drone pilot and what you need to know as a pilot of an unmanned aircraft. Our two instructors Scotty and Lawrence are experienced helicopter and fixed-wing instructors. They share a wealth of knowledge that our students can use to not only adhere to understand the rules, but also understand from a pilots perspective as well as a drone pilots point of view, the 3D picture of the airspace above us.

Lawrence is also a model aircraft competition champion, and knows pretty much everything there is to know about remote control aircraft from battery care to radio frequency modulators.

Scotty flew for the UK military in helicopters, so he’s very knowledgeable on everything to do with low flying zones, and the areas you’ll be sharing airspace with as a pilot of and unmanned aircraft.

Our 102 courses are designed to be interactive, interesting and practical so you can enjoy the learning environment while confidently learning to operate your drone from a comprehensively legal, safe and aware position.

Q. What will I get after completing the UAV RPAS training course?

A. You will leave with a 141 certified 102 course completion certificate. You can then apply (with your exposition) to CAA to get certified to operate commercially OR outside of part 101 rules.

Q. What is a 102 exposition?

Applicants for a 102 certificate must submit an ‘exposition’ document showing that they have identified hazards and risks of their operation, and how they intend to mitigate those risks.

Each application will be considered on its merit – this allows for the wide scope of operations made possible by RPAS. CAA charge $240 per hour to look over your exposition and liase with you, so they recommend having an exposition written for you by an organisation such as us. Expositions cost around $3000 on average, but as CAA states, are well worth it because you can easily clock up $3000 worth of CAA’s time to get your RPAS exposition accepted.

CAA do provide some example documents to help you. As well as the Part 101 compliance matrix mentioned above, there is an additional one for Part 102 – note that you need to complete both to apply for a Part 102 certificate. There’s also a sample exposition that you can copy or use as a template for your exposition. See Forms on the CAA website and Advisory Circulars (CAA links open in a new tab) for advice on how to comply with the rules.

Q. How much does an RPAS 102 course cost?

A. If you attend a course with other attendees (we run courses regularly) course fees start from $500 per day.

Q. Where do you run courses?

A. Our hangar and offices are located at Tauranga airport:

13 Dakota Way, Mount Maunganui, 3116

Book your UAV training with us on our Aviation Training Contact Page or Telephone Ross on: 027 957 3860
[email protected]

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