Here in the uk, there is a lot of talk at the moment about flying your drone for money and how this will work under the new uk essa rules. Can a hobbyist realistically run a business with justin a2cfc? What are the key differences and advantages of the courses today? I sat down with matt williams from drone training company uav hub to work it all out.

[, Music, ], hey everyone. My name is sean and welcome to geeksvana. This is the second video in our new series, focusing on how the uk will adopt the upcoming easter drone regulations. You can find a link to our new easter playlist in the description and to get more videos focused on this area, hit the subscribe button.

So many of us now understand that the new a2c of c will be a new qualification to allow hobbyist flyers to take their drones into congested areas like towns and villages. For the first time, changes in the regulations also mean that there will be no specific permission required to fly your drone commercially and make money.

But what about the gvc, the general visual line of sight certificate, which qualification would suit you the best to run a small drone business or make occasional money in order to get to the bottom of this.

I went straight to the source. Matt williams is well known within the drone community, as mr mpw on youtube, and he also runs the successful drone training business uav hub. We sat down to talk about the key differences between the two courses.

Could you explain briefly what the key differences between the a2c of c and gvcr yeah, so, i think actually almost looking at it? The other way around is is quite useful, so they’re. Actually, i would say very, very similar um.

The the main thing is that we feel as though the a2 is primarily for it’s, going to be for more hobbyist users, more recreational purposes, and then the gbc is very much aimed at professionals. So that replaces effectively what people have always called the pfco course um.

So i think that’s. The kind of delineation between the two, the a2cfc allows people to fly smaller drones, so two kilos and lighter, if it’s, a legacy, drone um, four kilos and below. If it’s with a marked drone and um yeah.

When those markings come out and there’s, information coming out about that in the next couple of days, actually from the um eastern, the cia, but um yeah. When those come out, i think it’s, going to be very much smaller drones.

People will use the a2 so that’s, why we see it more as a recreational thing and then the larger drones people want to do kind of professionally. If you like it’s, the gbc, yes, because the um, i think, some of the the questions of what’s.

The difference almost um is because this is the first time we’ve had a qualification like the a2cfc that gives the hobbyist so much more access to some of the a2 air space under the open category, which i think is very exciting um.

But the gvc is still very much um um because because technically under gbc you can get beyond visual line of sight. Some permissions can’t, you etcetera, so it is the much more heavy serious permission that’s it.

So i think um for probably 90 to 95 of people flying drones. In the uk we’re using things like phantoms mavics. You know that that kind of aircraft for the five to ten percent of people who want to fly something bigger or want to do things that are more complicated, like the extended visual line of sight beyond visual line of sight flying big drones over crowds of people, You’re, not going to be able to do that under the a2 scheme, so that’s.

Where this the gbc really starts to set itself aside um, you know you’ve got the damares. This drone operator registration scheme as the basic building block i can see you smiling because you know my thoughts on that um, so you’ve got that as the basic building block.

If you want to be able to fly your drone in more places and it’s, a small drone, then it’s. The a2 qualification that you’ll need, then, if you want to be able to move on and really like, say, develop as a professional, do it as a business and do these extra things then the next.

The next step up is the gbc, and that forms the foundation to then be able to get what are called bolt-ons and it’s. Those bolt-ons that you’ll be able to do another course on top, which is extended. Visual line of sight and that’ll, allow you to do extended visual on a site there’s, another one coming that’ll, be on beyond visual line of sight.

That’ll. Allow you to do that and it and it’s very much, then i think set in the playing field and a really good framework um for people to be able to improve their capabilities and what they can do in the future, because at the Moment it’s, really it’s, a simple system at the moment.

You know you’re, either recreational and you stick to the drone code or it’s, commercial and you get your pfco and that allows you to do a whole bunch of stuff. If you want to do beyond visual line of sight at the moment or you want to fly larger aircraft or fly over crowds, there is a system in place and it’s.

The osc system, this operating safety case and it’s. Really expensive there’s, no guidance from the caa. You know it takes a very long time. You’re. Looking probably i would say three to five thousand pounds and six to 12 months in most cases to get a basic osc.

All of a sudden being able to do a gbc, for you know, 500 pounds the bolt-ons for a couple hundred pounds on top of that, depending on who your provider is and all of a sudden. You know you that’s that, but it isn’t.

I wouldn’t, say applicable to probably 90 of the people out there. Does the gvc require things like log books and paperwork similar to the pfco yeah and that’s a great point. Actually, i suppose that um, the gvc follows that format.

So it is, you know you’ll, do the um with ourselves it’s online classroom course um. It’s, an online theory exam after that kind of learning. Piece has been done and you then have to write an operations manual the same, as has always been the case um, although you know ourselves, we try and make that as simple as possible.

It’s, not a stumbling block for people like it is with lots of other training providers and then um yeah. You have to do a flight assessment with the 82 there’s. None of that. Really it’s. You do the learning and then you do the online theory exam and that’s.

You good to go there’s, no flight assessment. There’s. No um operations manual required there’s, no flight logs required as such. Although we do recommend that you keep a log of your flights in case, you ever get questions um, but for most people in the a2 scheme you know the dji app or whatever aircraft you’re using.

That is probably going to keep enough information anyway. There’s, a few new answers to the a2 down the line if you are using it as an organization. So if you’ve got a number of pilots where it’s, not just one person flying to the a2, as most of us, i think, will be because anyone who’s doing it as an organization, probably have a Gvc, if you’re doing, if you’re flying under an a2 as an organization, then you do need an operations manual and you do need to log your flights, but it’s.

It’s. I think very much for the recreational user, the hobbyist flyer, people who want to go and enjoy flying like we need to get back to a point where, as hobbyists, we can go and enjoy flying the drones that we’ve bought in places that We want to go and fly safely.

Have you had any conversations with insurance companies in terms of cost and availability of suitable coverage for an a2cfc holder to carry out occasional commercial work yeah? So we have and there’s.

One provider who um is the provider we always used to use actually for our commercial drone insurance and they are going very much in line with the regulations, so it will be. You know you’ll, be insured to do the work that you want to do or the flight you want to do you’ll just have to have that conversation with them um.

I think if i’m honest, a lot of them seem to be waiting to see when this gets implemented and exactly how it gets implemented, because you know we thought this was coming in in on the first of july 2020 and it’s been delayed because of the global situation um and not by the cia.

Actually, i think it’s worth pointing out as much as i bash the caa. Regularly it’s um. It was an essa delay. Yes, the last one was the asset wasn’t it exactly that’s it. So it meant that the framework isn’t even implementable, yet um, i love making words up, live on camera um and uh yeah.

So i think a lot of places are waiting, so you will be able to get that insurance. It’s. Gon na be a case, though, of having to check your policy, and i think it’s. It’s, a good point that you’re raised because a lot of people, i think with the a2, will be taken out.

You know paying 13 pounds 50 a year for the insurance, which you can get now as a hobbyist pilot, but just be very, very careful because it may not cover you in the event that you are conducting commercial work exactly.

That definition disappears in terms of the aviation space from the drone side, but it might still apply in the kind of litigation sense of the word when it comes to it, because, even though they’re, removing the the need to have a pfco to Do commercial work it? There is still wording in there.

Isn’t there to say that you, you do still need to have insurance in place um. If you’re carrying out commercial work, we’ve. Had i think, the last count time of doing this, video 670 ish people have come through the a2 system and it isn’t even active, yet awesome um, you know so there’s, a lot of people out there who, i think Are embracing it that have realized that? Actually, i’m, not going to bother renewing my pfco, because i do weddings or i do real estate or i use it occasionally as a tool, and this is the way we ‘

Ve got to start looking at these qualifications. Now you don’t need to spend a thousand pounds on a drone course and qualifications to go and fly legally and safely. We know that drones are generally quite safe.

Now we’ve, proven that over the last five or six years so take advantage of the new system. I’m. Sorry, allegedly yeah, that’s. It not that the regulators would have you believe that yeah indeed but yeah.

You know that’s, why these systems have come about because all of a sudden it’s like look. If you’re flying it occasionally, if it’s, a small drone, the risk is fairly low, go out and fly sensibly, just know what you should and shouldn’t do what you can and can’t.

Do hence the a2 and that’s. Why we’re, doing it a really low value, really high value low cost option um so that it’s accessible to everybody, because we don’t want this kind of. Oh, we can’t. Do the thousand pound course, so you’re, not worthy kind of thing.

It’s, just not right! So thank you very much for joining us. Um. You ‘ Ve. Also got your your new project, the drone mentor about to to get up and running very soon as well haven’t you that’s right yeah! So um we’ve, taken the kind of stuff that we’ve learned over from the channel over the last year or so um.

The channel that i’ve, run personally nothing to do with the business strangely, but um yeah. We’ve, taken all the kind of um comments and feedback that we’ve had from that people have really enjoyed what we’ve done on there.

I think, but we want to tailor it to help you guys and help the community even more and yeah. So we’re, keeping the mr mpw side of things so that i could do my rants about the caa and i can go off and do my bitching and moaning about different things that are going on in the industry.

That aren ‘ T helping the majority of users, the recreational users um, you know and uh yeah and then the drone mentor will be things like how to edit how to get a drone show real. We’ll, do reviews and unboxings and all that sort of interviews with people um, so yeah really looking forward to that.

It’s, just um, trying to get it right before we go live but um you can go register over. The dronementor.com drop your uh details into the kind of email box there and we’ll. Let you know when things go, live and there’ll, be special offers for anyone who signs up in advance for the courses that then drop drop when they come perfect, very exciting and there’s.

Also, a link to the twitter account for the drone mentor in the description. Hopefully, this helps to provide you with more information on which of the courses could suit you. This video was focused on helping those hobbyist flyers who are considering monetizing their hobby rather than a deeper dive into the professional side of the drone business which we’ll, be covering in more detail very very soon.

There will be more videos from our yasa series very soon, including talking about where you can fly and an in-depth look at drone classes, so remember to hit the subscribe button. If you’re new here, thanks for watching, see you in the next video, are you nosy sons go away? It’s over every time.