Drone pilot

Entry Requirements:

You can get into this job through:

• applying directly
• specialist courses run by private training organisations

Entry requirements:

Entry requirements:

Entry requirements:

DirectApplication

You can apply for jobs directly. Most employers will expect you to have a minimum of 40 hours of recorded drone flying experience.

If you are in the armed forces or the police, you may be able to train as an aerial vehicle pilot to operate drones for military or security purposes.

OtherRoutes

You'll normally need a flyer ID, operator ID and insurance to fly drones for commercial purposes.

To get these, you would complete training with a Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE) approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. Training, including flight skills, can last between 2 and 4 days and covers:

• UK air regulations
• flight safety
• flight planning
• theory test and practical flight skills assessment

You'll also have to write an operations manual describing how you are going to use your drone commercially.

After successfully completing training, you can apply for operational authorisation for the type of drone you are flying.

You must renew this every 12 months.

Required Skills:

Digital skills : to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Skills:

• knowledge of media production and communication
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• concentration skills
• to be flexible and open to change
• leadership skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
• knowledge of English language
• excellent verbal communication skills
• knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• thinking and reasoning skills
• broadcasting and telecommunications knowledge
• active listening skills
• the ability to read English
• business management skills
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• the ability to organise your time and workload
• a good memory

What you'll do:

Drone pilots remotely operate aircraft used in work like surveying, filmmaking and aerial photography.

As a commercial drone pilot, you'll:

• plan flight paths
• test flight equipment
• create maps and charts based on flight data
• carry out aerial surveys of land use and features
• take photographs and produce aerial film footage

Location : You could work on a film set, on a construction site, in the countryside or in a control room.
Environment : Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and you may spend nights away from home.

Salary:

Starter : variable
Experienced : variable

These figures are a guide

Working hours:

39 - 41 hours variable

Working Pattern is freelance / self-employed as customers demand

Career Path:

As your experience grows, you may wish to complete a qualification like the Level 3 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma in the Remote Piloting of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Opportunities for skilled drone pilots exist in:

• filmmaking, TV and marketing
• weather forecasting
• mapping land use for farming or archaeological work
• inspecting infrastructure like bridges and tall buildings
• surveying air accident sites as part of investigations
• training people to become drone pilots

If you have engineering qualifications, you could move into drone design and development work.