A new course to qualify drone pilots for approved licences is being offered by the University of Wolverhampton
The Remote Pilot Certificate SUAS (RPCS) course, which is Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved, leads to Permission for Aerial Work status – providing commercial drone pilots with the skills and qualification to operate safely and legally in UK airspace.
The two and a half day course – one of the cheapest in the UK – is being offered in collaboration with partner Rheinmetall Unmanned Systems Training Academy (RUSTA) and includes a theoretical overview of air law, principles of flight and insights into meteorology as well as covering emergency procedures.
Two University of Wolverhampton technicians based in its Visualisation Centres at Telford Innovation Campus and the Wolverhampton Science Park secured their CAA Pilot’s Licences to fly drones earlier this year.
The University currently has three different types of radio-controlled drones suitable for both interior and exterior usage, complete with high definition cameras designed to capture video and still images.
Maninder Sembhi, Technician in the Visualisation Centres in Business Solutions, said: “It’s actually important to be aware of the rules and regulations and the safe operation of expensive equipment when flying drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to ensure that safety is never compromised. The RPCS course is a detailed introduction designed to teach everything that an operator needs and wants to know to qualify as a commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) pilot.”
The course is being run on various dates in 2016 at the University’s Science Park, Wolverhampton, Business Solutions Centre, Telford Innovation Campus, and Business Solutions Centre, Hereford.