Simon Robinson, DRA CEO explains: “The course takes place over 1.5 days and consists of theory, simulator and practical modules. Classroom components include navigation and planning, air law and procedures and principles of flight, among others.”
In order to obtain the certificate, students will need to pass a flight test, examined by a SAMAA certified instructor.
For Robinson and his team, the main objective is to be the driving force behind the growth of the sport in South Africa and to open up the opportunities of drone flying on a social and professional level to both formal and informal communities around the country.
DRA also recognises the relevance of drone flying within the STEM Development programme that is used at many schools.
In addition to the certificate flying course, DRA is launching a Drone Building course in the coming months that will teach students not only to fly correctly and safely but also offers the technical know-how behind the assembly of a drone.
DRA’s commercial drone partner, UAV Industries, operates a CAA certified Flight School and runs suitable follow-on training courses such as the Remote Pilot Licence (RPL) and Instructor Pilot Licence (IPL), which are aimed at hobbyist flyers who wish to turn drone flying into a legal and licensed career.
According to Greg Donaldson, SAMAA certified Instructor, it’s getting acquainted with small details that can take a beginner to a competent recreational pilot, “The average newbie to drone flying won’t have an understanding of, for example, the KP Index. This is the global geomagnetic storm index. It’s important to consider because of the impact that a geometric storm has on satellite strength which will impact the preferred flight mode for a drone. If the KP Index is high (>5 on a scale of 0-9), then it is likely that satellite strength is negatively impacted which will cause errors to occur in a drone’s GPS Programming. A high KP Index doesn’t mean that a pilot should not fly at all, but rather that they should switch from GPS Mode to Attitude (‘Atti’) Mode for greater accuracy and controlled flight.”
He adds, “Understanding the KP Index is crucial to understanding the macro elements of drone flying and highlights the importance of knowing one’s craft and possessing the required skills to fly a drone correctly and safely.”
For drone racing pilots keen to compete against their local drone racing community, the DRA racing league is open to anyone who has completed a course with DRA or is already a competent drone flyer.
Leagues are currently running in Johannesburg (Sandton) and Cape Town (Constantia), with racing events in each city taking place twice a month. Interested racers need to book a spot at the event, which can be done through the DRA events calendar on the website at www.droneracingafrica.com.
This relatively new industry means that few people are aware of air laws and could easily find themselves in contravention of these laws as set out by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).
