General VLOS Certificate

This qualification can be used to gain an Operational Authorisation from the CAA that will allow you to work in higher-risk areas than the A2 CofC will allow, and to operate unmanned aircraft up to 25Kg.

What does it allow you to do?

The GVC is the qualification that the CAA will require for you to apply for an Operational Authorisation

An Operational Authorisation from the CAA is the replacement for the 'permissions' that the old PfCO provided.

It is an authorisation from the CAA to fly in situations where there are higher risks to the public than are allowed under the A2 CofC, ie closer to uninvolved people with larger craft, or in areas where the ability to prove you have a higher level of training can be taken into account such as restricted airspace.

When you apply for an Operational Authorisation, you can either choose a Pre-Defined Risk Assessment, where the CAA has set the level of risk, or put forward your own proposal for mitigating higher level of risks in order to reduce separation distances, or fly higher than 400ft above ground level.

Most people choose to go for a PDRA-01, which requires a commitment to stick to the following limits:

Max craft weight of 25Kg
Flights only within VLOS
No flights higher than 400ft above take-off level
30m separation from uninvolved people at take off and landing
50m 'bubble' separation from uninvolved persons at other times
No closer than 150m to large groups of people

What's involved in the GVC?

The course consists of theory training, help producing an Operations manual, theory exam and practical assessment

This is the process:

Fill in the online form to express your interest
We will send you a declaration for you to complete which tells us that you have a Flyer ID, Operator ID (if required), are physically fit to fly a drone and your level of ability controlling your drone.
You return the declaration, and proof of ID to us. We will get back to you to discuss practical flight training if we feel it appropriate to your needs. We will then require payment for your course and any extra training needs.
We send you a PDF copy of the student workbook and the training slides. We will also provide you with details for contacting an instructor who will be available to answer questions for you during business hours. At this point your instructor will discuss with you how you wish to take your course, fully self lead, with video support from your instructor, or in a classroom situation.
Once all training modules are complete we will discuss your operations manual with you. You may wish to produce your own from the many templates that are available online and we can help advise you on its production, Our responsibility is to ensure that your Ops manual is suitable to be presented to the CAA in support of your application for an Operational Authorisation.
Once you are ready to take the theory exam, contact your instructor and they will arrange a time for your examination. This is conducted via a zoom call and you will need to have a PC with a webcam (not a tablet) in order to sit this
At the appointed time, your examiner will contact you via zoom, make some checks to ensure the exam is fair and will send you the examination as an online form, The webcam and microphone must be on for the duration of the test. The test comprises of 35 multi-choice answers and 5 long answers and the pass mark is 75%, you will have 90 minutes to complete this.
Shortly after your exam is over, your examiner will be in touch with you to give you the result.
Your Practical Flight Assessment will take place at a location near to our offices, although alternative locations may be introduced at a later date. The PFA is designed to test your planning, safety procedures and physical control of your craft and is marked in a similar way to a driving practical with 'minor' and 'major' fails allowed, but an immediate fail if a 'safety' procedure is breached.
On successfully passing your theory and practical exams, we will send you an A4 certificate and an ID card style copy for your wallet. We send your details to the CAA so that anyone who checks your qualification can have it confirmed by them.
To then apply for a PDRA-01, you need to visit the CAA website and complete an online form on which you supply your GVC certificate, Ops manual, insurance declaration and payment (currently £247)

How much does it cost?

Take advantage of our introductory offer

For the months of September and October we will be offering GVC training, theory exam and practical flight assessment for £350 inc VAT.

Please contact us directly on sales@atec-3d.com if you are part of a group and wish to discuss group training pricing.

How do I book my course?

Online courses can be started at any time, classroom courses run once a month.

Please contact us if you want to speak to a human to help you choose which course is best for you, or if either would actually be of benefit!

Email us on sales@atec-3d.com, or use the contact form below and we will get back to you as quick as we can.

Contact us

Unit 5, Kingsmead Industrial Estate,

Park Farm, Folkestone CT19 5EU