New UK Drone Laws Delayed

UPDATE (Friday, June 5, 2020): New European drone laws which were set to start in the UK have been delayed for a second time, the Civil Aviation Authority has announced this afternoon.

The regulations are now scheduled to commence on Thursday, December 31, 2020.

The laws were originally due to begin in July this year, but were postponed in April due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak and pushed back to a November 2020 start date. Today’s announcement has delayed them for a second time.

As a result, drone pilots in the UK will not need to comply with the new requirements before December 31, 2020.

In line with the second delay of the laws, the transitional period for legacy aircraft has been extended and will now run until January 1, 2023, instead of expiring on July 1, 2022.

How Does The Delay Impact Me?

So, what does this mean if you were set to embark on drone training with Heliguy? Our Head of Training, Ben Shirley, explains in this video.

Please note, this video was produced after the laws were delayed for the first time.

Heliguy, which now holds dual NQE and RAE status, is delivering course content for the A2 CofC and GVC through the Heliguy Blackbox online platform. Candidates can sit both courses from now.

What If I Want To Do An A2 CofC?

You can undertake an A2 CofC once the course material is available on Heliguy Blackbox. Once you are successful, you cannot use the A2 CofC to operate under the A2 Subcategory of the Open category until December 31, 2020 - or later if the new rules are postponed again.

What If I Want To Do A GVC?

For the time being, candidates who undertake the GVC course will receive something of a hybrid course, in that you will be taught both the regulations applicable at the time of your ground school and also the future provisions for the attainment of an Operational Authorisation with standard permissions.

However, if you complete your training before the new regulation starts, you will effectively receive a PfCO rather than an Operational Authorisation.

What Happens If I Have A Valid PfCO?

For those who currently hold a valid PfCO or are yet to complete their PfCO training, the CAA has so far made numerous provisions, including a reduction on the flight currency requirement of two hours of flight time in a three-month period to one hour. Permission holders that are renewing their PfCO can do so having only achieved the required one hour.

Additionally, candidates that were part of the way through their PfCO training have already been granted an extension in the validity of those qualifications until September 2020 providing they complete a period of training on the EU regulation package.

As part of the build-up to the new rules, Heliguy has already started to transition PfCO candidates to the A2 CofC or GVC.

For more information, please feel free to contact our training team by phone or email. Or visit our drone training page.