Pfco

Drmacg

Novice Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
26
Age
54
Location
Londonderry
Hello. I have done a lot of reading into PfCO. It's all confusing.

I would to like to fly commercialy as an individual.

There are many companies offering online courses orces etc etc. All at mad prices. Do these companies guarantee a PfCO?

If someone could help what is the route to getting PfCO. Example... What I need and what I need to get.

Thanks in advance folks.
 
If you think the cost of the course is expensive, wait until you see the cost of the insurance...

Why do you want to fly commercially? What's your business model? Much of the commercial market is saturated now, so unless you are adding services to an existing business - eg: roofing inspections instead of getting the ladders out, don't expect to make a lot of money.

What experience do you have flying drones? You will need to pass a practical test on your chosen drone and although not onerous, you will need a degree of competence and confidence to pass.

I suggest you do some serious research into the subject, as your questions suggest you don't have a lot of knowledge or experience. That will help you to pick the right course provider and enable you to qualify for the best cost and time commitment.
 
I had thought of doing one of those course's a few years ago , I think they were about £1300. It enabled me to charge to do some commercial work. I though better of the idea. Flying a drone relies on a few factors, one of them being the weather . Living in the North East of England , I could plan to fly and then be faced with wind or rain and that would be the end of it. I dont think I could ever make a living at it , not that I needed too , I'm a painter and Decorater , So, I think I could have wasted £1300. The rules and regulations seem to be getting tougher as time goes by. So, I'mquite happy to fly as a hobbyist when time and weather permits.
 
Pfco wont be needed from November 2020 (or dec depending on covid delays) the distinction between personal flight and commercial flight is being removed and you probably cant book onto anymore pfco courses, this means a change (again) in drone laws, classification, size of drone v distance and more.

 
Pfco wont be needed from November 2020 (or dec depending on covid delays) the distinction between personal flight and commercial flight is being removed and you probably cant book onto anymore pfco courses, this means a change (again) in drone laws, classification, size of drone v distance and more.

Thanks for the link. Very concise and easy to understand.
Although PFCO as a term is disappearing, it is being replaced by Operational Authorisation. This will allow you to fly drones that do not meet the new Open Category standards under terms similar to PFCO, but as you rightly say, the distinction between commercial and non-commercial is removed.

If you are buying a new drone, I would wait until the ones that meet the new Open Category standards are fully available - provided you can find one that meets your requirements for your intended work. You will still need to do some online training, have an approved user manual (It should be supplied with the drone) and although not explicit in the regulations, I think you will also require public liability insurance for commercial work.

Operational Authorisation may still be required for larger or older drones, as well as those built specifically for a task or constructed from parts or a kit.

In short, if you can achieve your commercial work with one of the new Open Category drones, just do the online training and CoC. If however you need a more specialised aircraft you would still be advised to do a higher level of training and to apply for Operational Authorisation.

The regulations are designed to encourage more people to start flying commercially. It might be worth considering what that will do to an already saturated market...
 
I've actually got my PfCO and it is valid for a full year regardless of when the new regulations come into play. Most of the PfCO courses I've seen are now around the £500 mark so they've dropped quite a bit. I'm not sure why people seem to think it's a saturated market though. Maybe for photography but not for any of the other applications you can use a drone for.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom