Here at Aerial Motion Pictures, we're always trying to deliver excellence in training and constantly strive to provide the most efficient, cost-effective solutions and routes to gaining your PfCO.
Due to the changes announced by the CAA in recent days regarding the PfCO Application process (See here), we're altering our training pathway slightly in order to accommodate these changes and streamline the customer journey even further.
In this short article, we take a look at how these particular changes (there are more to come to our training options, so stay tuned!) which impact our flight examination process will affect those currently in our training pipeline and how they will impact those who are going to conduct their training with us in the future.
Total Read Time: ~3 minutes
No Operations Manual Required!
The biggest change we have been able to make, in order to align more closely with the new CAA process, is that ICARUS Students will no longer be required to produce an Operations Manual for ratification prior to booking and conducting their Flight Test.
Since we gained NQE Status with the CAA at the beginning of the UK 'Drone' industry, we have always taken pride in the fact that assessing students against the processes in their Operations Manual was key to ensuring that Operators were safe and competent.
However, times change and it's important that we remain flexible and able to change in-line with the regulations and to that end, we've invested a huge amount of time and resource into restructuring our training content to ensure that we can now conduct our Flight Tests (known to ICARUS Students as their 'OE' or 'Operational Evaluation') safely and more efficiently whilst STILL being able to assess candidates in-line with our highly regarded assessment framework.
These changes do mean that it is no longer a requirement to be assessed by our Examiners against an Operations Manual; the emergencies and procedures that candidates may expect to be examined on during their OE will be provided to them once they have completed their Theory Course.
Applying to the CAA for a PfCO
Once Candidates have completed their OE, they WILL need to submit a completed Operations Manual to us prior to being able to make their submission to the CAA. Moving the process in-line with the CAA's new online application process means that the chances of submitting an 'out-of-date' Operations Manual to the CAA are much less likely than they were in the past. We have seen on numerous occasions under our old training pathway, times when candidates have written a suitable Operations Manual but the regulatory framework(s) have changed between the OM being ratified and a submission being made to the CAA for the award of a PfCO.
Hopefully these subtle changes will have a huge impact on the customer journey and allow a more efficient route to ICARUS candidates obtaining their PfCO.
Tom Pattison, Deputy Chief Instructor at Fly ICARUS said: "We're embracing the changes to the CAA's process and hoping that these new processes will streamline the entire process for all involved".
Conclusion
Aviation is often likened to an 'oil-tanker' when it comes to changes in regulatory frameworks and processes but it's important in the modern, connected world that we embrace change and are always looking for more efficient ways to achieve the same aim, safely.
Although it takes a lot of time and resource, it's great to see the regulator making major changes to the processes and systems which affect everyone in the industry and the team here at Fly ICARUS is dedicated to supporting both the CAA and our clients, past present and future by ensuring we remain flexible and dynamic whilst still being able to provide the top-level training and advice that we've become known for around the world.
If you have any questions or want to know more just drop us a line on +44(0)1491 526 700 or send an email to us info@flyicarus.co.uk and we'll be happy to help out!
