CAA Approved Drone Pilots Explained
CAA approved drone pilots are operators who have been granted a PFCO.
This stands for Permission to Fly Commercial Operations, and it means a drone pilot can legally offer his services for hire.
The type of work a CAA approved drone pilot carries out depends on several factors including the following.
The pilot’s background and work experience. For example, an experienced building surveyor may see the opportunity to offer drone hire for roof survey work and drone hire for roof inspections. A wedding photographer may want to offer aerial photography and video footage as part of his service.
The type of equipment the operator owns. Drones costing around a thousand pounds, such as the DJI Mavic, are very capable of producing high quality aerial photographs, but are not suitable for survey work on large construction projects. A Mavic would be a great aircraft for a CAA approved drone pilot producing images for estate agent sales promotions.
The pilot’s specific permissions from the CAA. There’s no such thing as a UK drone licence, but the PFCO sets specific operations a pilot is able to fly. For example, some can work at night or fly have exemptions from the rules relating to how close to buildings a pilot can fly.
The work that’s available in the local region. If a commercial drone pilot lives in a region where tourism is popular, he may be able to make a living from hotels and leisure resorts. An operator in a large city may need to look at surveying and construction as sources of paid drone work.
