With drones becoming even more accessible and various payloads being miniaturized to fit into the drones, drones are finding more use cases in the enterprise world every day. However, drone usage is highly regulated. You can’t just buy one today and start flying.
And since figuring everything out will take time, why not learn from one of the best flight training institutions in Canada; Sugu Drones? If you want to venture into drones, whether as a hobby or professionally, and are unsure how to go about it, Sugu Drones has two courses, Basic and Advanced Operations, designed to equip you with the skills and certification you need.
Basic Pilot Certificate
Cost – $99
To fly drones weighing more than 250 grams in Canada, you will need a basic Pilot’s/RPAS Certificate. While you could avoid this by flying sub-250 gram drones like the DJI Mini, Mini 2, and Mini 3 Pro, you will be limiting yourself in many ways since most advanced drones are likely to weigh more than 250 grams.
Sugu Drones has partnered with major stakeholders in the UAV industry, including firefighters, airline pilots, and photographers, to compile this course. Getting the Pilot’s Certificate allows you to fly in the following conditions.
- At least 5KM away from airports and helipads.
- 30 Meters away from people.
- Never fly overhead people.
Doing this course also gives you confidence and peace of mind in your flying skills and prepares you for the Transport Canada RPAS Basic Exam. You also get a Radio License, which comes in handy when flying within or close to aerodromes since you need to be in contact with the control tower to avoid interfering with manned aircraft.
However, the Basic RPAS Certificate limits a wide range of professional drone use cases. It’s only applicable to people who want to fly drones recreationally. For more flexibility in how you use drones, check out the advanced course.
Advanced Pilot Certificate
Cost – $499
If you want to fly overhead people, closer to airports, and overcome other limitations of the Basic Certification, Sugu Drones has an Advanced Pilot Certification course. This course is taught both online and in-person and is designed to teach you all you need to know about integrating drones into your workflow.
A Student Taking Part in the Course
If you can’t attend the in-person training, you will still learn a lot from the live online training. The main areas covered by this course include;
- Airframes – An introduction to how UAVs work.
- Air Law – The various laws that govern drone operations in Canada.
- Human Factors – This module instills good airmanship by ensuring that before flying a UAV, you are safe, are not under medication, are not under the influence of drugs, and are physically and mentally fit.
- Meteorology – Here, you understand the various aspects of weather that affect the operation of a UAV, the best weather conditions for UAV operation, etc.
- Navigation – This is an introduction to longitudes and latitudes, map reading, and how drone navigation works.
- Flight Operations and Theory of Flight.
- Radio Telephony – You learn how Radio works and get a Radio License upon completion.
Students after Successfully Completing the Advanced Certification Course
After completing the course and taking the exam, you will also need to participate in a Flight Review, which is included in the Advanced Certification Course. A flight review tests your knowledge in operating UAVs, including take-off, practical flying skills, emergency procedures, lost link and flyaway procedures, and landing procedures.
Conclusion
And there you have it. Eliminate all the guesswork and come learn from the best, as well as network with other drone pilots and industry experts. Who knows? Such networks could help grow your business or help you learn more ways you could use drones to solve problems.
Sign up for the Basic Pilot Certificate or the Advanced Pilot Certificate Course today!
