The A2 CofC (Certificate of Competency) is a remote pilot competency certificate primarily intended to assure safe operations of drones close to uninvolved persons. It is being introduced as part of the new EASA drone regulations, starting in the UK on November 2020.

An A2 CofC allows pilots to fly an C2 class aircraft within the A2 subcategory of the Open Category and small legacy aircraft within the A1 transitional subcategory. This contrasts with the GVC, which allows pilots to fly in the specific category using visual line of sight (VLOS) and is required to obtain an Operational Authorisation.

You can obtain an A2 CofC by completing a one-day Ground School course with Heliguy. You can sit your A2 CofC at one of three Heliguy training venues (The Elvetham, Shrigley Hall, and The Village Hotel). Alternatively, sit the course online via Heliguy Blackbox and complete the modules remotely in your own time and at your own convenience.

The A2 CofC course will cover topics such as basic principles of flight, congested area operations, avoiding collision, battery safety, and environmental factors. It will culminate in a theory examination. As a Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE), we now have dispensation from the CAA to allow us to invigilate the A2 CofC theory examination remotely using your webcam to maintain virtual exam conditions within Blackbox - if you choose to sit our online drone training

There are no requirements to complete a practical flight test or an Operations Manual for the A2 CofC.

No. Heliguy is allowing candidates to sit the A2 CofC course and obtain this qualification before the new EASA regulations start in the UK, but successful candidates must not fly under the terms of the A2 CofC until November 2020.

Your qualification lasts for five years, after which you’ll have to renew it.

If you haven’t got an A2 CofC, you could find yourself limited in terms of where you can fly your drone.

From November 2020, to July 1, 2022, if you have a ‘legacy’ drone weighing between 500g and 2kg (such as Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom, Phantom Series) and you don’t have an A2 CofC, you will have to operate in the A3 subcategory (far from people), which stipulates that there can be no uninvolved people present within the area of flight, and no flight within 150m horizontally of residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

Likewise, if you have a ‘legacy’ aircraft which weighs up to 500g – such as the DJI Mavic Mini/Spark/Mavic Air – and you don’t have an A2 CofC, you will be restricted to flying in the A3 subcategory from November 2020.

Yes. You must complete a period of practical flight training, either under the guidance of an RAE (ie Heliguy - additional charge applies) or under self-monitored circumstances, conducted within the operating conditions of subcategory A3 but simulating the operating situations associated with the A2 subcategory. You can complete the practical flight training before or after the A2 CofC Ground School. When conducting the self-guided practical training, you should perform as many flights as you deem necessary to gain a reasonable level of knowledge/skills to operate your drone. Heliguy recommends a flight time of eight hours. 

After you have completed your practical flight training, fill out the Candidate Practical Flight Training and Declaration Form and sign it. Scan this form or take an image of it with your phone, and then upload it to the Heliguy site.

In preparation for your practical flight training, you must first complete the following activities:

• Register your drone and complete the CAA’s Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service mandatory training and examination, and be in possession of the Flyer ID number associated with that test;
• Download the Candidate Practical Flight Training and Declaration Form;
• Familiarise yourself with your drone's user manual;
• Download NATS Drone Assist App.

The exam – sat in formal conditions – comprises a minimum of 30 multiple-choice questions, specifically covering meteorology; UAS flight performance; and technical and operational mitigations for ground risk.

The exam is a closed-book format (except when questions require reference to charts, or other sources of specific aeronautical information) and the minimum pass mark is 75%.

The examination will last for 75 minutes. Any candidate with a recognised disability or additional needs (e.g. dyslexia or dyspraxia) will be given an additional 15 minutes.

Heliguy will offer free resits for a period of 12 months after you have failed your first exam. Any candidates who need to resit the test a year after failing the first will have to pay a nominal fee and re-do the one-day A2 CofC course, as well as sit the exam.

Yes. Post-November 2020, anyone can operate a UAS for commercial gain within any category or subcategory. The purpose of the flight no longer dictates your requirement for training meaning there is no distinction between commercial and non-commercial operations.

Providing you have an A2 CofC, operators can use a C2-rated drone (up to 4kg) in the A2 subcategory to fly up to 30m horizontally from uninvolved people, or 5 metres in ‘low speed’ mode. This will be a huge benefit for drone pilots.

During the Transitional Period – between November 2020, and July, 1, 2022 – operators who have an A2 CofC can fly a ‘legacy’ drone weighing up to 2kg (ie a DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom, or Phantom 4) in the A2 subcategory and get as close as 50m horizontally from uninvolved people.

During the Transitional Period, operators who have an A2 CofC can also fly a ‘legacy’ aircraft which weighs up to 500g – such as the DJI Mavic Mini – in the A1 Transitional subcategory, where the stipulation is that you must not fly over uninvolved people.

Interestingly, there is no specification in the A2 subcategory/A1 Transitional about operating close to buildings, cars, trains or boats.

No. Whether you have experience or not - our drone training school helps take you from novice to commercial pilot, regardless of any existing drone experience.

Our curriculum is well-paced to ensure that those more recently entering the industry can get up to speed, while experienced pilots will still be getting value at every stage.

If you're looking for CAA approved drone training near you - check out our locations here.

From start to finish the entire process takes around 4 - 6 weeks.

You'll attend a 3 day ground school, during which you'll learn all the necessary knowledge and produce an Operations Manual.

From there, you'll book a practical flight assessment to ensure that you've learnt the required piloting skills.

Once that's done - it's just a case of applying to the CAA with a recommendation from your NQE - which Heliguy are authorised to make! 

We normally say it's between 7 and 14 days from when your application hits the CAA to receiving your permissions.

The first thing is not to panic - there's a lot of information to take in and you might slip up on a difficult question or a complex flight task.

Either way - Heliguy never  charge you to resit these tests - unlike some of our competitors!

You'll have a chance to go away and brush up on your skills before re-taking the test at a time that's right for you.

No - Heliguy offer free insurance for your practical flight assessment through their partners at Coverdrone.

Once you're operating commercially of course, you'll need to have insurance in place to protect your operations and your equipment.

Under the new EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) laws, three categories will define where drones can be flown.

These categories are:

Open: Operations that present a low (or no) risk to third parties.

Specific : Operations that present a greater risk than that of the Open category, or where one or more elements of the operation fall outside the boundaries of the Open Category. Holding an Operational Authorisation allows you to fly in this category.

Certified : Operations that present an equivalent risk to that of manned aviation. This category is for high-complexity missions.

The Open Category is broken down into three subcategories:

A1: Fly over people.
A2 : Fly close to people.
A3 : Fly far from people.

Each of these subcategories has more specified criteria of where/how your drone can be operated.

More Information On New UK Drone Regulations

As part of the new regulations, a new class system for drones will be introduced. Each make of drone will have its own class rating – from C0 to C4 – which will be based on certain criteria, such as weight, maximum speed and other features based around safety and geo-awareness.

Specific classes of drone can be flown in specific subcategories of the Open category.

Currently, no drones meet the current class requirements, so no C0-C4 aircraft exists.

Explore New Drone Class System

Because no drones currently meet the class requirements, a Transitional Period will run from November 2020, to July 1, 2022, to give manufacturers the chance to bring out C0-C4 drones. 

This means that you can continue to fly your current DJI drones - to become known as legacy aircraft - in accordance with the new rules.

A2 CofC vs GVC - Which Do You Need?

No you can’t. Heliguy is allowing candidates to sit the GVC course and obtain this qualification before the new EASA regulations start in the UK, but successful candidates must not fly under the terms of the GVC until November 2020.

In the past - Heliguy were happy to assist candidates who had started their training elsewhere.

However, due to the improvement in the structure of the A2 CofC and GVC courses when compared to the PfCO, there is no longer the chance to switch midway through your training.

If you're in the position where you have completed some part of your training, please give the training team a call on 862 298 5964 to discuss what options you may have.

As of the time of writing, there is no hobbyist drone license in the UK.

Whether or not you'll need some form of qualification depends on the circumstances of your flight.

Use the button below to learn more about the "categories" of flight.

Open Category Drone Flights