1. Airspace operating principles

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be about the different types of Airspaces within the land of Ireland. Each different type will be explained in detail and how to operate inside these Airspaces. What permissions is required and how to obtain them

2. Aviation safety & regulations

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be about the UAS Regulation with focus on the “Specific Category”. We will outline the difference between the SORA and the PDRAs. We will also introduce the student to the Open Category and its Sub-Categories. We will discuss the STS-01, STS-02 and the PDRAs. We will explain how important it is to maintain Pilot Records, the different types of Logbooks and associated documentations. We will cover Good Airmanship principles which will include Aeronautical decision-making. We will explain Ground and Air Safety and cover general information on unusual conditions the likes of Vertical Lift limitations and vortex ring state.

3. Navigation

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, the introduction to Aeronautical Charts 1:250,000 how to read these Charts and how to identify the different type of symbols which are used on these charts. We will discuss navigational aids and their limitations. And introduce the student to Vertical Navigation with reference to altitudes and heights altimetry.

4. Human performance limitations

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be all about the Human and its limitations. How to identify these limitations and what triggers them. We will be discussing perception and a focus on situational awareness in BVLOS operations. We will explain what Fatigue is and the many different types. We will introduce the student to stress and the problems that can arise from work related stress. Finally we will discuss attentiveness to help the student to understand how to eliminate distractions and we will cover medical fitness and how to highlight the dangers of the use of drugs and alcohol.

5. General knowledge of UASs

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be the difference between autonomy levels of automatic versus autonomous missions. The protocols for when the loss of signal and system failure happens. Explain the differences of planned programmed responses such as RTH (Return to Home), Hover & Landing Immediately. We will discuss the Flight Termination Systems & the Impact reduction systems. We will cover the different type of flight modes and the means to monitor the UAS through its Position, Height and Speed. We will also cover the means of communication with your VO (Visual Observer), and finally talk about the means to support air traffic awareness.

6. Meteorology

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be discussing where the UAS sits in the atmosphere. We will explain the difference between cold fronts, warm fronts and local weather assessments. We will cover weather forecasts and meteorological conventions appropriate fro typical UAS flight Operations. We will talk about Weather Reports and METERs & TAFs. We will explain the different types of clouds and what they mean for forthcoming weather fronts. We will discuss the weather effects on the UAS, with the likes of Wind, Mist, Fog and Rain. We will talk about the effect air density has on the drone limitations. We will highlight the many different apps and websites that the student can use to gather further information on the weather conditions prior to UAS Operations.

7. Technical and operational mitigation measures for air risks

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, is based on the many different Air users and Air risks that impose a threat to the UAS operation. We will discuss the principles of Detect and Avoid. We will explain the importance of AOs (Airspace Observers) in certain operations. We will talk about the Air Risk Model and how to implement it into their workflow. We will show the student how to select their ARC (Air Risk Category).

8. Operational procedures

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, will be Mission Planning, Site risk assessment and airspace considerations. We will talk about UAS operations over a controlled Ground Area and talk further about BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations. The importance of on-site inspections, operational planning and Pre-Flight and operational procedures. We will explain the importance of CRM (Crew Resource Management).

9. Introduction to data protection

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, we will discuss the capturing of personal data, the storage and retention of this data. We will discuss best practices to avoid capturing personal data. How to warn the general public of our drone operations.

10. Technical and operational mitigation measures for Ground risks

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, we will explain the difference between an non-involved person and an involved person. We will talk about the importance of the Ground Risk model and explain the importance of the UAS dimensions with relation to the selection of the Intrinsic GRC (Ground Risk Class). We will discuss the kinetic energy that is generated after the loss of control with the UAS. We will discuss how to mitigate the ground risk.

11. SORA & PDRA

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, we will explain in detail the SORA & the PDRA Process. We will explain and demonstrate how to apply a SORA & a PDRA to a UAS operation. We cover and explain the OSOs (Operational Safety Objectives). We talk about the Air Risk and how to mitigate the Air risk. We discuss in detail the mitigating factors or the Ground Risk and Air Risk and how they affect your overall SAIL (Specific Assurance and integrity level). We cover and explain robustness and how this effects your UAS operation under a SORA.

12. Introduction to Photogrammetry

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, is a basic understanding of Photogrammetry and how it has a role in Drone Operations. We will discuss the GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) and how this is achieved. We will cover GCPs (Ground Control Points) and how they tie in with the Photogrammetry. We will talk about alignment of Photograph’s and the Pitfalls that some UAS operators fall into. We will highlight the importance of a sound and solid workflow and how this could impact the office processing.

13. Introduction to PIX4D Software

The Information the student will receive through this lesson, We will issue all students with a PIX4D Mapper trail License which is a 15 day trail once activated we will have two different types of data sets for the student to use with this license. We will go through the three steps that is required for processing Photographs through PIX4D Mapper. We will explain the functions and features of PIX4D Mapper. We will explain and demonstrate PIX4D Cloud advance to the students and show how they can share their data with anyone. We will showcase some data sets we have stored on our PIX4D Cloud that we have created.

14. Certification.

They must pass it and get 75% of the overall marks in order to pass. If a student fails, we have a resit policy where they can either do two things. One sit the exam again. Or ask us to go through the wrong answers with them and then they can sit the exam again. There are no written words the exam is purely online and multiple-choice questions.