As I come near to the business end of the A2 CofC, it is the time where what I have learned is truly tested and framed in theoretical scenarios. Before I started the revision and examination phase of the course, extra learning on the UK low flying system and collision effects was however very useful and welcome; as I was unsure about how the UK Military low flying system worked specifically as it was summarised and covered early on in the course. And although I have always found revising for exams stressful and worrying, the A2 CofC’s approach towards teaching overall has made revising and testing my knowledge very easy and enjoyable.
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UK Low Flying System and collision effects
The UK low flying system was again explained in a client request scenario, much like the Flight procedures module was in the previous article, so again I will keep the information general in this context. While it initially seemed intimidating to learn about in depth, the UK Low Flying System is actually very easy and simple to understand. The essentials to know about it are that the system allows military and emergency to be active from the surface to up to 2,000ft, with differing rules for difference aircraft types. Fixed wing aircraft are allowed to go to 250ft at 7 miles per minute in normal areas for instance, around the UK, while helicopters can operate down to the surface but maintain a 10ft bubble around themselves. Even so, there are exceptions to these rules in special areas of the UK.
From this map those rules earlier mentioned apply to all green areas shown on this LFA map (Low flying areas), while the purple areas represent avoidance areas that the military can only low-fly in with permission; Although drone pilots cannot normally fly in these areas either as they are congested and built up. The Yellow areas instead represent areas with a lot of helicopter movement, while all red areas on the map tactical training areas. In that last case, those LFAs allow fixed wing jets to instead fly down to 100ft at up to 8 miles a minute. At this point we need to remember that our operational limitations, as drone pilots, allow us to climb to a limit of 400ft so it is important to use resources, like www.notaminfo.com/ukmap and www.dronesafe.uk/restrictions, to check whether you are in any of those special LFA zones.
It is not necessarily illegal to fly in those general areas, but they are indicative of potential FRZs and heavy air traffic areas which are illegal for you to operate in without permission; check to be safe and certain, and remember to avoid low level flying during the weekdays around these highlighted areas. On that note collision effects were also a topic of conversation, even if they were a minor topic, but again emphasised the need for safety and risk as it showed collision effects can be largely unmeasurable yet predictable.
Revision
The revision module this course gives you is exactly what it says on the tin, a recap of all the essential facts and things to remember across all the sections covered. You are reminded of things such what official air law documents serve what purpose, what can affect flying conditions in weather context (how can density of air dictate the amount of lift an aircraft can generate?, what kind of weather is suitable and what king is not suitable?) and about the flight categories, the drone certified aircraft system and the operational limitations we have to be aware of in flying in the Open Category. As far as delivery goes, the course makes very brief and pacy work of reminding your of these facts which easily made it the quickest module that I have completed so far; even if it is the one I’ve reminded most on to make sure my notes were correct.
In that sense, the whole premise of this module is to prep you for mock examinations but not necessarily for practical flying. In this section of the course it is still emphasised that you need to read the self declaration form, and agree to it to say you can do certain flight manoeuvres. In this respect the practical aspect of flying is what I need to catch up on at this stage, so if you take the course also I recommend getting your flyer ID, and Operator ID if applicable, early and invest in a drone safe from the transitional regulations like the DJI Mini 2 because it is the prime long term option. The mock examination however is just as important for you to practice, and considering the amount of module quizzes you will do up to this point some of the questions and scenarios should be familiar to you.
Mock Examinations
The Mock examination is a 30 question, randomised test quizzing you about all the things you need to know. You are warned well enough in advance of the importance that you repeat this exam over and over, and if you paid attention to all of the teaching I’ll say you can recognise the scenarios and areas it wants you to think about very easily.
My advice for the examination is to therefore follow those messages and repeat the exam. While it sounds very petty, you will encounter questions and scenarios that make you think about the actions you need take, and about the things you need to remember; however you will also get questions that you have not answered before that continue to test that knowledge. As the later modules also do not focus much on quizzing the knowledge you will encounter questions about the recommendations they give in those areas, and about the key terminology that they mention. On the whole though, the questions are designed to provoke you into thinking about what is right to do in the proposed situation; in a respect then they should not be difficult if you have learned the course properly, but the whole idea of this process is to prepare you to think about the actions you need to take and to put any doubts to bed about what you need to do should the case arise.
Overall, the course is still very enjoyable at this stage if you’re keen to learn. However, it is important that you trust the learning process as it really does ingrain the necessary knowledge you need inside you.
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