Drone pilot training syllabus

An initial aeronautical knowledge test and recurrent training cover the following areas of knowledge:

• Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating privileges, limitations, and flight operation;
• Airspace classification, operating requirements, and flight restrictions affecting small unmanned aircraft operation;
• Aviation weather sources and effects of weather on small unmanned aircraft performance;
• Small unmanned aircraft loading;
• Emergency procedures;
• Crew resource management;
• Radio communication procedures;
• Determining the performance of the small unmanned aircraft;
• Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol;
• Aeronautical decision-making and judgment;
• Airport operations;
• Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures; and
• Operation at night.

Knowledge Requirements for Drone Pilots

Regulatory Requirements

• Classification
• Basic Regulations
• Do’s and Don’ts

Basic principles of flight

• Fundamentals of flight
• Aerodynamics
• Take-off, flight, and landing
• Manoeuvres, turns, and circuit pattern

ATC procedures & Radio Telephony

• Understanding ATC operations
• Airspace Structure and Airspace Restrictions with knowledge of No Drone Zones
• Communicating with ATC including Position and Altitude Reporting
• Flight Planning Procedures
• Collision avoidance
• Radio Telephony (RT) techniques
• Standard radio terminology and RT Phraseology
• Practice Session in Radio Communication

Fixed-wing operations and aerodynamics

• Types of fixed-wing drones, make, parts and terminology
• Operation and manoeuvres of fixed-wing drones
• Applications and operations
• Advantages/disadvantages over multi-rotor drones

Multi-rotor introduction

• Basic drone terminology
• Types of drones, material used, and size of drones
• Motors and propellers
• Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), flight controllers
• Operation and Applications of drones
• Advantages/disadvantages over multi-rotor drones

Weather and meteorology

• The standard atmosphere
• Measuring air pressure
• Heat and temperature
• Wind
• Moisture, cloud formation
• Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)

Drone equipment maintenance

• Maintenance of drone, flight control box, ground station
• Maintenance of ground equipment, batteries, and payloads
• Scheduled servicing
• Repair of equipment
• Fault finding and rectification

Emergency identification and handling

• In-flight emergencies
• Loss of link
• Fly-aways (Straying)
• Loss of power
• Control surface failures

Payload, installation and utilization

• Types of payloads
• Parts of payloads
• Installation
• Features of payloads
• Utilization

Flight simulator training

• Pre-flight checks and start-up
• Preparation cum coordination for flight
• Take-off and flight stage
• Approach and landing
• After flight checks

Practical lessons in Lab

• Assembling of drone
• De-assembling
• Integration of subsections/modules
• Integration of engine/propulsion system
• Fault finding and rectification
• Repair maintenance and documentation