Specifically for over 16s due to Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) restrictions, the Drone School program was piloted in 2020 and gained great feedback from participants.

In the program, students (and staff!) learn the theory via a special online Connect course and gain practical flight training from a fully licensed remote pilot license (RePL) holder. The course covers:

• CASA rules for operating drones safely when flying for recreation (Know Your Drone program)
• Practical knowledge on particular drones - in this case the DJI Air 2S, DJI Mini and Phantom 4 Pro aircraft
• Use of flight apps such as DJI Fly including flight skills and camera operations
• Essential safety and weather apps such as OK2Fly and UAV Forecast. Students learn about airspace and how to check if it is safe and legal to fly in a particular area.
• CASA drone accreditation (the theory test for commercial flyers) and drone registration
• Practical flight training in a safe environment (weather permitting)

The Drone School Connect course brings together all the publicly available information from OK2Fly, CASA and DJI into one easy-to-navigate online learning platform that can be studied at anytime, anywhere. Although Drone School is not an official school subject, it is designed to augment student self-study at home with advice, guidance and practical experience from a fully-qualified pilot.

The end result being safe and responsible drone flyers that are capable of producing stunning imagery in their own time with their own drones.

For more information please call the school on (08) 6206 5000.