To operate a drone for commercial purposes in the UK, acquiring either an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) or a General Visual Line-of-Sight Certificate (GVC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is essential. Although some drones may be used without certification, but pilots lacking A2CofC or GVC certification cannot fly within 150 meters of recreational, commercial, or industrial zones. Consequently, most commercial operations would be impractical without such certification.

Prospective pilots must complete a course at a training center approved by the CAA, known as a Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE), to obtain these qualifications.

Undergoing training equips you with both confidence and proficiency in drone handling. Training reduces the risk of accidents during flight and provides assurance to clients about your capability to perform services effectively.

Our training sessions are mostly held near our head office in Emsworth, Hampshire (UK). For larger groups (4 delegates or more), we can offer training on your site, however this will be subject to external checks carried out by one of our instructors to ensure it is safe to operate.

No – iRed provides free drone insurance for all practical flight assessments during your course. We also provide students with a 10% discount off their first year of drone insurance.

Our instructors work closely with individual students regularly to ensure that relevant support is in place before their final exam. Each of our courses include daily assessments, which require a 75% pass mark, however, they are there for the students benefit and can be used as revision throughout the course. The instructor will use these as a guide to see how each student is progressing throughout the course.

If you fail a test or assessment, there's no need for concern – it's a common occurrence. Our courses contain a wealth of valuable information, and it can be challenging to recall everything during your test or assessment. That's why we provide one complimentary re-sit for all our drone training courses. This opportunity allows you to review your course materials once more and retake the test again.

We prioritize making sure all students understand the dedication, time, and effort needed for their training before enrolling in our courses. If you're uncertain about whether a course fits your needs, we encourage you to contact us for more details or to discuss other courses that might be a better fit. We strongly advise speaking with our team before you book, especially if you have any doubts, as changing your decision later could result in additional fees.

Under the new regulations, there are now three categories in which drones can be flown.

Open - Includes operations that present a low (or no) risk to third parties.
Specific - Operations that present a greater risk than the Open Category, or where one or more elements of the operation falls outside the boundaries of the Open Category (Operational Authorisation Required)
Certified - Operations that present an equivalent risk to that of manned aviation (high-complexity missions and research & development)

The Open Category is broken down into three subcategories:
A1 - Flying over people
A2 - Flying close to people
A3 - Flying far from people
These new subcategories include specific criteria of how and where you can fly your drone.

Definitely, we offer customized, on-site training solutions for groups of four or more individuals. These flexible and cost-efficient courses are conveniently brought directly to your location.

For more details, please reach out to us via email: training@ired.ac.uk or phone: 01243370296

We are a CAA authorised drone pilot training provider, if you are not able to find your desired course, please contact us via email: training@ired.ac.uk or phone: 01243370296 and we will try our best to get that course arranged for you.

Yes, we do provide discounts for bulk or corporate orders. For personalised assistance and pricing, please contact our sales team via email: training@ired.ac.uk or phone: 01243370296

Whether you are attending in-person or virtually, our instructors are always on hand to give additional support and one-to-one mentoring where required. If you would like to have a chat away from the group, then this can be done during break times or alternatively when the session finishes each day.

Our team is happy to assist you with any kind of information or help you need, please reach out to us via email: training@ired.ac.uk or phone: 01243370296 for any queries.