What drone training do I need to fly the DJI Avata 2 in the UK?

There are a number of things to be aware of depending on what training you currently hold and how you wish to fly.

Where Can I Fly?

A1 - 'Over People' (C1 until 31 December 2027)

You will need to be registered under the Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service. This means you will need to gain a CAA Operator ID and also sit the online test for the A1/A3 Flyer ID on the CAA’s website.

The A1 category offers the most freedom regarding where you can fly on the ground:
 
•    Location: You can fly in residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational areas.
•    Proximity to People: You are permitted to fly with zero horizontal separation from uninvolved people, which includes flying directly over them.
•    Intentional Overflight: Recent clarifications indicate that the distinction between "intentional" and "unintentional" overflight has been simplified; pilots may intentionally overfly people, though they should avoid hovering or loitering directly over them as a safety precaution.
•    Crowd Restriction: You must never fly over crowds. A crowd is defined as a group of people so dense that individuals are unable to move away quickly if something goes wrong, such as at a music festival, march, or shopping area.

It is vital to note that adding unapproved payloads (such as third-party strobes or landing gear) to a class-marked drone like a C1 Avata 2 voids its class marking and is immediately disqualified from the A1 sub-category, forcing it into the more restrictive A3 sub-category (Far from People) or the A2 'Near People' if you complete an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) until 31/12/27.

You will first need to have completed the Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service.

A3 Subcategory of the Open Category until 31/12/27

First, you will need to be registered under the Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service. This means you will need to sit the online test on the CAA’s website.

You can then fly with no uninvolved people present within the area of flight; No flight within 150m horizontally of residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

What Happens If I Have an Operational Authorisation?

Holders of an Operational Authorisation can operate the aircraft under the terms of their granted PDRA-01

First Person View Flying (FPV)

The CAA drone regulations stipulate that a remote pilot must always keep the drone within their unaided visual line of sight. FPV may be used however a spotter must be used to assist the remote pilot. The law (UAS Implementing Regulation- UAS.OPEN.060) states:

‘The remote pilot may be assisted by a UA observer helping them to keep the unmanned aircraft away from other aircraft and obstacles.
‘The UA observer must be situated alongside the remote pilot and observers must not use aided vision (e.g. binoculars).
‘UA observers may also be used when the remote pilot conducts drone operations in first-person view (FPV), which is a method used to control the UA with the aid of a visual system connected to the camera of the UA. In all cases, the remote pilot is still responsible for the safety of the flight.’

Images captured by a camera and displayed on a flat screen give the pilot little by way of depth perception and no peripheral vision. This can make it difficult for the pilot to accurately judge speed and distance and to maintain sufficient awareness of the area surrounding the drone to effectively see and avoid obstacles and other aircraft. As a result, the use of FPV equipment is not an acceptable mitigation for Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight unless the relevant operator has received a specific authorisation to do so from the CAA.