UAVAir was prompted to issue the advice, after the Department for Transport, the Ministry of Defence and Sciencewise recently commissioned Kantar Public UK (formerly TNS BMRM), which provides research and consultancy to policy makers, to conduct a public dialogue on the current use of drones in the UK.
The move is in response to growing number of reported drone-related incidents and accidents, such as the British Airways passenger jet that was hit by what was thought to be a UAV as it flew into Heathrow to land, in 2016.
Séamus Kearns, chief instructor at UAVAir, which runs a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)-approved training centre for drone operators, said: “It is imperative that any business with a core ethos of reliability and responsibility understands the importance of hiring a fully certified drone operator to complete its drone-based missions.”
When undergoing training at UAVAir, pilots are tested for their cultural, theoretical and technical knowledge, to give them an in-depth understanding of how to operate a drone safely while respecting the laws of aviation.
Failure to follow aviation rules can result in large fines and in some cases, legal action.
In the UK, drones are governed by the CAA, and under its rules it is illegal for any pilot to operate a drone for commercial purposes without gaining certification from a CAA-approved drone training school.
“A safe, successful mission must be planned and executed thoroughly, understanding the individual complexities of each task. It is impossible to gain this experience and learn these skills without undergoing the training process prior to certification,” Kearns added.
As well as learning flight technique, pilots must prepare an operations manual in order to become a fully certified pilot. The manual includes information about each mission as well as the procedures to be followed to ensure a safe flight.
More about UAVAir’s Unmanned Aircraft Qualification can be found on the company’s website.
