Training / CAA approved RAE(PC)
Become a pilot. Or a programme.
CAA-approved courses from £199. A2 CofC, RPC-L1, GVC, Operations Manager Level 5, and bespoke on-site training for police, fire and utilities — delivered by 10 in-house instructors out of our Newcastle training centre.
Three pathways. Pick the one that sounds like you.
Start a drone business.
For individuals and small businesses adopting drones as a commercial service. We help you get legal, get insured, and get your first paying job — fast.
Scale a fleet.
For enterprise teams, central government and local authorities running multiple pilots and aircraft. Standardise learning, bridge competency gaps, and build a repeatable training programme.
Public safety.
Bespoke training for police, fire, search-and-rescue and HM Coastguard. Dedicated ES-DOT programme covering DFR, tactical deployment, thermal interpretation, and operational safety cases.
Four ways to take the same course.
Online · self-paced
Theory delivered through our learning portal. Work at your own pace, sit the theory exam remotely. Live support from our 10-strong instructor team while you prep.
Used for A2 CofC · theory portion of GVC and RPC-L1In-person · Newcastle
Classroom at our Unit 5 facility in North Shields. Flight field nearby. Refreshments available and examiners on site. Free parking, step-free access.
Used for GVC practical · RPC-L1 · L5 Award · Maintenance CourseOn-site · we travel
Closed-cohort courses delivered at your facility. We bring kit, examiner, and instructors. Common for police, fire, utilities. Hardware-specific options available.
See closed-course section belowHardware-specific
Train on the exact kit you'll be flying. M4TD/M30T workflow, Matrice 300 handover, L1/L2 LiDAR and processing, drone maintenance. Hands-on, mission-ready.
M300/M30T · L1 live, L2 soonLicence calculator
Not sure which course you need? Three questions.
Drone training requirements depend on what you're flying, where, and why. This wizard recommends the right course based on UK CAA rules as of 2026.
What's the heaviest drone you plan to fly?
If you're not sure, pick the heaviest one you might ever use.
Every course we run.
A2 Certificate of Competency
The entry-level qualification for flying drones in the A2 sub-category. Lets you fly C2-class drones close to uninvolved people.
General Visual Line of Sight Certificate
The standard CAA qualification for commercial drone work. Required for most operational permissions including the PDRA-01 standard scenario.
Combined A2 CofC + GVC
Both qualifications, taken in one block. Most efficient route if you need full operational coverage. £150 cheaper than taking them separately.
A2 CofC Renewal
Renew your A2 CofC before the five-year expiry. Refresher theory plus a re-sit of the multiple-choice exam.
GVC Renewal
Five-year renewal of your General VLoS Certificate. Refresher theory, updated regulation review, and a practical flight assessment.
GVC Fixed-Wing
GVC variant for fixed-wing operators. Same regulatory content, fixed-wing-specific operational considerations, practical conducted with appropriate kit.
Emergency Services Drone Operations Training
Dedicated training for police, fire, search-and-rescue and coastguard. Covers DFR, tactical deployment, thermal interpretation, and casualty location.
Continuing Professional Development
Topic-specific CPD modules for working commercial pilots. Choose from regulation updates, tactical flying, payload workflow, or incident review.
Drone Survey Training
LiDAR and photogrammetry workflows from data capture to deliverable. Delivered by our in-house team of chartered surveyors and data-processing specialists.
Drone Maintenance · In-person
Pre-flight checks, motor inspection, prop replacement, firmware updates, battery cycling. Hands-on with our DJI-trained engineers at Unit 5.
Drone Maintenance · Online
Self-paced video curriculum of the in-person maintenance course. Theory and demonstration only — no hands-on element.
Matrice 300 RTK Handover
First-flight handover for new M300/M350 owners. Aircraft setup, RTK module pairing, mission planning in DJI Pilot 2, basic payload swap.
Free L1 Workflow Course
No-strings online introduction to the Zenmuse L1: how it captures, what it outputs, and how DJI Terra processes it. Useful primer before the full L1 course.
Level 5 Award for UAS Operations Managers
Ofqual-regulated. For those running a drone programme: ops manuals, risk management, training oversight, incident response. Best-in-class operational accreditation.
Level 4 Award for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Ofqual-regulated extension to your GVC. Adds operational management, advanced flight planning, and a CV-grade UK qualification recognised across regulated industries.
Drone-as-First-Responder Workflow
For police forces and fire-and-rescue services setting up DFR programmes. Dock-launched ops, operational safety case foundations, command-room integration, deployment doctrine.
DJI Agras drone spraying
Workflow training for DJI Agras spraying drones — mission planning, route generation, payload calibration and CAA compliance for UK precision agriculture operations.
Ops manual renewal consultation
Annual or post-incident overhaul of your operations manual, reviewed against current CAA guidance and your real-world operational profile. Includes one round of CAA correspondence.
Or, we come to you.
Train your whole team. At your facility. On your kit.
For organisations training multiple pilots, or anyone with operational reasons to stay on-site, our closed-cohort delivery brings instructors, kit, and examiners to you.
on-site
Next courses out of Newcastle.
Beyond the courses.
Operations Manual Renewal
Annual or post-incident overhaul of your Ops Manual, reviewed against current CAA guidance and your real-world operational profile. Includes one round of CAA correspondence.
Request consultation→02 · SORAUK SORA · SAIL I & II
Specific Operations Risk Assessment development (SORA) for SAIL I and SAIL II operations. End-to-end, from concept of operations to operational authorisation submission.
Learn more→03 · Survey add-onsBespoke Surveying Add-ons
Specialist add-on sessions with our in-house surveyors: GCP placement, accuracy testing, deliverable formats for client handover, sector-specific deliverable profiles.
Learn more→04 · Assistive programmeDrone Assistive Programme
Hybrid model with lifetime support. On-site assistance during your real-world operations to bridge competency gaps for complex captures and high-stakes deployments.
Learn more→06 · AccreditedAccredited drone training
CAA RAE(PC) accredited — the assurance the qualification you earn is issued under CAA authority and stands up to insurer, client and regulator scrutiny.
Learn more→Online portal · training.heliguy.com
Self-paced learning on every CAA course.
Every CAA course we run comes with portal access for theory, mock exams, regulation refreshers and ongoing resource libraries. Free L1 workflow course included — no purchase required.
The facility, the team, the track record.
11 years. 8,247 pilots.
Heliguy has been a CAA-approved Recognised Assessment Entity for permission-to-fly courses since 2014. The training team is ten instructors strong, with operational experience across emergency services, surveying, broadcast, and reality capture.
instructors
since 2014
per week
pass rate
Quick answers.
01Which course should I take?
For most commercial work, the GVC is the standard CAA qualification. Combined A2+GVC is the most efficient if you need both. For recreational flying of larger drones (250g+), the A2 CofC alone is usually enough.
For programme leads (managing multiple pilots), the L5 Award is the operationally distinctive qualification — Ofqual-regulated, recognised across regulated industries.
Or use the licence calculator above if you want a guided recommendation.
02Where do you deliver courses?
Open-cohort courses run from our Unit 5 training centre in North Shields (Newcastle). Online theory is via our portal at training.heliguy.com.
Closed-cohort courses can be delivered at your facility anywhere in the UK. We bring instructors, examiners and (optionally) kit. See the closed-courses section above.
03How quickly can I get certified?
A2 CofC: as fast as you can complete the online theory. Most candidates do it in 1–2 days. The remote exam can be sat any time.
GVC: 3 days end-to-end. Two days of theory, one practical and exam day. Operational permission follows within 2–4 weeks of CAA submission.
Combined A2+GVC: still 3 days total.
04Do you supply drones for the practical?
Yes. We have a fleet of training airframes at Unit 5 and bring kit when delivering closed courses. You can also bring your own — useful if you want to validate the practical on the kit you'll actually deploy.
05What's your pass rate?
94% first-time pass rate across all CAA-approved courses, measured over the last 12 months. If you don't pass first time we'll re-sit you at no charge, provided you completed the original course in full.
06Do you work with public sector procurement?
Yes. We're on multiple framework agreements covering police, fire, central and local government. Purchase orders welcomed, BACS payment standard, NHS terms accommodated. Talk to James Dean in our public-sector team.
07What's your refund / reschedule policy?
Free reschedule with 14 days notice. 50% refund with 7–14 days notice. After 7 days, no refund but a reschedule may still be possible at our discretion. If we cancel, you get a full refund or free transfer.
08Is the L5 Award worth it?
If you're running a drone programme — whether as an in-house ops manager or as an independent consultant — yes. The L5 Award is Ofqual-regulated, sits on the same framework as a higher national diploma, and is the qualification we most often see specified in tender documents from public-sector buyers. It's also the most operationally useful course we run: it forces you to write your own ops manual to a defensible standard.
Talk to training. We'll route you.
Rebecca Pearce and the training team answer most enquiries the same working day. Procurement-ready quotes for closed cohorts, framework purchases welcome, NHS terms accommodated.