The A2 Certificate of Competence (A2 CofC) Course was introduced in 2020. It was introduced by the CAA to meet the drone pilot competence requirements of the Open Category of the new UK drone regulations. The regulations are now in force and allow drone users to operate under the Open Category. The A2 CofC allows remote pilots to operate under the A2 and A1 Transitional subcategories of the Open category, granting you the right to operate larger drones closer to uninvolved people. You can find out more about the Open Category here.

At present, all theory elements and examinations of our A2CofC course are now being carried out online. But our course has some differences to those being carried out by other providers:

1. All courses are “live” online courses taught by an instructor via Zoom so that you can ask questions and interact with other candidates. We believe that open access online training often still leaves candidates with misconceptions.
2. All our courses include 3 months of support following the course, meaning that we are available to assist with ongoing questions and support for your drone operations.
3. We decided to make the best use we could of the time on our course. So, our A2 CofC course contains extra content that means it actually forms day 1 of the GVC course, so if you ever want to update to GVC, you simply have to attend day 2 and carry out a Practical Flight Test.

The A2 CofC Course consists of 4 theory modules. There is no formal practical requirement, but you are required to self-declare your drone flying experience. Once you have your A2 CofC it allows you to operate appropriate drones under the A2 and A1 Transitional subcategories of the UK CAA Open Category. These categories became active on 31st December 2020 and your A2 CofC is valid for 5 years from the point of issue.

The A2 CofC is a one day theory course. We have also designed the course to form day 1 of the GVC course. So, if you wish to upgrade to GVC to operate under the Specific category within 5 years of your A2 CofC certification you will just need to complete day 2 of the GVC Theory Course and a Practical Flight Test.

As UK drone legislation is still evolving, it is important that you keep yourself up-to-date with any changes and we assist you with that mainly through this web portal as part of your course which is free for the first 3 months, following completion of the course.

In addition, we give you access to systems to help you download appropriate Quick Reference Handbooks (QRHs) for your drones. This isn’t strictly required to operate in the Open Category, but we feel it is the best way to help demonstrate that your drone flights are carried out safely and professionally.

Check out the pricing below to see how much more you get when you choose an A2 COfC course from Global Drone Training.

In preparation for the A2 CofC Theory Course you must adhere to the CAA drone and model aircraft code and obtain a Flyer ID from the CAA. Before we can issue your certificate, you must also self-declare your practical skills. This includes knowing how to check your flight area is safe, setting up your drone properly, being able to fly your drone safely and knowing how to deal wih emergencies.

Once you are confident that your practical skills are competent and safe, you can use our online system to self-declare your training. We cannot issue your certification until you have completed the declaration.

If you would like the option of having your skills independently verified, we offer a simple verification (quarter day drone flight training) or half and full days of training that include verification of your skills by a Global Drone Training assessor. Please see our Flight Training page for more details.

The A2 CofC Theory course is a one-day course covering the four modules below. We have designed our course to go slightly beyond the basic A2 CofC syllabus so that it is also able to form day 1 of your GVC should you wish to upgrade in the future. As a result, you will cover more topics than a standard A2 CofC course, giving you a deeper knowledge of drones and legislation and also introducing you to Operations Manuals and Quick Reference Handbooks which, although not technically required in the Open Category, form an excellent backbone for carrying out safe, compliant drone operations.

All course materials, including pens, will be provided. For online courses, we will post out a course pack.

A2 Certificate of Competence Course Pricing

Once you have successfully passed your A2 CofC Course you will receive an invitation to join the closed Facebook group. The delay is to prevent any accidental breaches of the integrity of the exams.

The group is for anyone who has been through a course with Global Drone Training and is moderated by the Global Drone Training team. It is a useful resource for asking a wider group of operators with different levels of experience questions around hardware, regulation and operational issues.

Please see a recent post from Elliott below around the use and purpose of the group.

Don’t use Facebook?

If you do not use Facebook then don’t worry as all important regulation updates are communicated by email and posted to the news page.