GVC and A2CofC Conversion Course Information
On the 31st December 2020, the UK CAA is adopting the retained EU UAS regulation package. This means that during 2020 all existing PfCOs will renew as an Operational Authorisation. Whils there is no need to do anything immediately, all remote pilots operating under an Operational Authorisation must hold a General VLOS Certificate by 1st January 2024.
Overview
The UK CAA are allowing legacy drone certifications to be used as evidence of remote pilot competence until 1st January 2024. Under the new UK drone regulations there are two remote pilot competence certifications. The A2 Certificate of Competence (A2CofC) will allow pilots to operate under the Open Category. An Operational Authorisation isn’t needed for this as operations in Open Category are seen as low or no risk and, as a result, do not need CAA involvement. Safety under the Open Category is maintained by maintaining an appropriate distance from uninvolved people dependent on the size of the drone you are using.
The General VLOS Certificate (GVC) is needed to get a new Operational Authorisation and will eventually be required by all pilots operating under an Operational Authorisation.
There is a lot of overlap between the A2Cofc, the GVC and the legacy certifications. As a result, we are able to offer a conversion course for remopte pilots who hold an existing PfCO and a legacy certification.
We will require evidence of recent flight logs as well as your existing certifications in order to enrol you on the GVC conversion course.
Candidates who successfully complete the course with receive certifications for both the GVC and A2CofC.
If you are close to your PfCO renewal, you can also purchase our CAA application assistance package alongside your conversion course. This can be purchased at the Pro member discount price adding additional £95 to the price of your course. Please feel free to read the reviews we receive for this service on the main home page.
GVC and A2CofC Conversion Course
The GVC conversion course involves half a day of live online or face-to-face teaching, followed by a 32 mark examination. Prerequisites are:
- Evidence of recent operational drone flight logs
- Copy of legacy certifications (e.g. BNUCs, UAPQ-s, RPQ-s, ICARUS)
The Air Law module covers the new UK drone regulations that come into force on 31st December 2020. It focuses on the overview of the air law, how it links in with the EU drone regulations and more detail on how the Specific category works. Initially, for most existing operators, the Specific catergory won’t look much different to the current PfCO.
The Open category is new, so has a whole module dedicated to understanding how it works and where existing operators may be able to make use of the Open category regulations.
The final module covers off a number of syllabus items that were added to the course during the CAA rewrite in early 2020.
All candidates attending the conversion course will already be familiar with a lot of the material, but it may be worth digging out your old certification material and refreshing your memory on basic UASÂ knowledge, meteorology, human factors, navigation and charts.
3 Modules
The Theory Course covers the following 3 modules:
- Air Law and Responsibilities
- Open Category UAS Operating Procedures
- Additional new syllabus content
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Pass Mark
There is a 32 mark closed-book exam associated with the conversion course. The exam is multiple choice and designed to reinforce the learning from the course.
The pass mark for the exam is 75%.
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Course materials
A light lunch will be provided on both days of the two day GVC Theory Course and refreshments will be available during the morning and afternoon breaks.
Most course materials, including pens, will be provided. We will ask you to complete an initial process so that you have all the paperwork you need for the course. You can bring that with you in digital or printed format.
GVC and A2CofC Conversion Course Pricing
GVC and A2CofC Conversion Course
Includes VAT- Half-day theory competence course and examination
- Candidate materials
- GVC Certification
- A2 CofC Certification
- One year Global Drone Training Pro membership (existing members attending the course will have their Pro Membership extended for 12 months from the date of the course)
- Access to our library of Quick Reference Handbook for most common aircraft
- Access to our closed Facebook group for support and networking
- Access to our online training portal for the first twelve months, providing training resources and useful information for remote pilots
- 10% discount code for Airdata UAV (airdata.com)
- Access to discounted drone equipment
GVC and A2CofC Conversion Course with Application Support
Includes VAT- Half-day theory competence course and examination
- Candidate materials
- GVC Certification
- A2 CofC Certification
- One year Global Drone Training Pro membership (existing members attending the course will have their Pro Membership extended for 12 months from the date of the course)
- Access to our library of Quick Reference Handbook for most common aircraft
- + Access to our online Operations Manual assistance at renewal
- + Assistance with the CAA renewal process (including the changes necessary where a PfCO is converting to an Operational Authorisation)
- Access to our closed Facebook group for support and networking
- Access to our online training portal for the first twelve months, providing training resources and useful information for remote pilots
- 10% discount code for Airdata UAV (airdata.com)
- Access to discounted drone equipment
Global Drone Training closed Facebook group
Once you have successfully passed the GVC Conversion 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.
As numbers have grown again and I’m starting to lose track of posts a little bit, just a few things from people have nudged me to write this. There is starting to become a real critical mass of very competent people in their own areas on here, but we all have things we don’t know, can improve etc. and we really do want this to be a place for collaboration and personal/business development. I will be populating the Global Drone Training membership area with useful general information, but this is still going to be a good place for all kinds of assistance. Please do remember that there will always be those less experienced than you so please be nice!
1) Can you sell things? Certainly, second-hand sales are fine. Please make sure you describe the item well, state the price and collection details clearly and provide good photographs. We can’t take responsibility for any transactions organised between group members.
2) Can you post your own work? Definitely. All members are welcome to post their own work or even work they find inspiring. Please don’t be offended if moderators delete duplicate posts.
3) Can we invite anyone? No. This group is very deliberately for instructors and current and past candidates of Global Drone Training. At least that way we mostly know people are singing from the same song sheet. There are a good number of open FB groups that people can join.
4) Is Jonathan really scared of cows? Yes, did he mention it?
Global Drone Training Pro Membership
Undertaking a GVC Conversion Course with Global Drone Training enrols you automatically into a Pro Membership. This lasts for 12 months following your Practical Flight Test and provides you access to the latest training resources, email and telephone advice with your operations, and regulation updates. If you have purchased Application Support, it entitles you to generate an up-to-date Operations Manual which we will check before assisting you with your renewal documentation.
After 12 months, Pro Membership is subject to a fee and is entirely optional! We hope you will benefit from the resources we make available for you but there is no obligation to take them.
Your certifications, once attained, are yours and remain valid and recognised by the CAA for 5 years from the date of issue. The expiration date is shown clearly on each certificate.