Advanced RPAS Ground School
$599.00 – $899.00
Everything you need to get started in the UAV business in Canada taught in person by industry experts.
- One of the first to be Transport Canada compliant
- All training you need to be compliant
- Valid for the 2018 UAV Pilot Permit
- Aerobotika’s Training Guarantee
- Free ground school for life
Select Date and Location Below
Selecting a date will show you the availability for that location. For more information on each location, please check our locations page. By advancing to the next page you agree to our Terms and Conditons.
Description
What you get
- All of the knowledge you need to run a RPAS operation
- The certificate of completion needed for your SFOC and insurance
- Your radio operators certificate (ROC-A)
- Access to the Aerobotika training guarantee
- Free ground school for life
This in-person course is available in our classrooms every month:
- Vancouver
- Edmonton
- Calgary
- Toronto
Every quarter:
- Victoria
- Regina
- Winnipeg
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- Halifax
Select your city and date from the selection on the top right.
What sets us apart?
Aerobotika’s training was the first in Canada to be designed around the Transport Canada requirements, but we don’t stop there. Our training gets very in depth about commercial UAV technology and business practices. The ground school is only the first part of a comprehensive commercial UAV pilot career program and we’re one of the few schools on Transport Canada’s list of compliant training organizations!
Who is it for?
You! Whether you’re an RC pilot who wants to know more, a commercial operator looking to add to your resume or brand new to the industry, our pilot ground school course will equip you with all the necessary knowledge to get started on the right foot.
Why do I need it?
With the regulation changes in 2016, pilots will require training from an organization such as ours to meet the Compliant Operator criteria. Currently, training shows Transport Canada, insurance companies and potential clients you’re serious about safety and have the knowledge to follow through.
Dates and Times
Most of our RPAS Ground Schools run on weekends. If weekdays work better for you, let us know from the contact form below. We do have weekday courses popping up from time to time.
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday 09:00 to 17:00
Sunday 09:00 to 17:00
Weekday Schedule:
Monday 09:00 to 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 to 17:00
Dates
The dates for our courses are listed in the top right of this page. Choose the date and location that is best for you and see the price and availability.
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Will I be certified?
Sort of. There is currently no certificate or license in Canada. However, there is an application process. Aerobotika will certify that you have passed the course and understand the content. This is one of the 3 things needed to get your Special Flight Operations certificate that is required to run your commercial UAV mission.
Do I have to take this training?
Absolutely. You will not be able to fly commercially under the exemption rules or the SFOC without a compliant UAV ground school
Prerequisites
None! Pilot ground school is a great place to get started.
What you’ll learn
Our 2-day course equips you with fundamental knowledge in these five areas.
Air Law
Navigation
Meteorology
General Knowledge
UAS Operations
One of the primary ways of ensuring aviation safety is for all operators to have a good grasp of regulations and procedures. The manned aviation industry regulations are currently being amended to apply to unmanned aerial vehicles as well.
- Definitions
- Introduction to CARs
- Aerodromes and Airports
- Airspace Structure
- Aircraft Operating Restrictions
- Operating and Flight Rules
- Operational and Emergency
- Flight Preparations, Flight Plans, Flight Itineraries
- Pre-Flight Requirements
- Operations in the Vicinity of an Aerodrome
- VFR Air Regulations
- Special Flight Operations
- Aircraft Requirements
- Aircraft Equipment Requirements
- Aircraft Maintenance Requirements Aircraft Technical Records
- Miscellaneous
- New CAR Subpart*
- Transportation Safety Board
- Air Traffic Services
- Other Legislation
Transport Canada is expected to release the new Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), including the Subpart listed above, that apply to UAV operators in the summer of 2017. We will be offering updates to our students as the regulations change to ensure our training remains valid and relevant. Check out our training guarantee for more info
Though your aircraft won’t be leaving your sight, knowing how to interpret aviation charts is a fundamental skill. This part of the course is interactive and ties in well, helping to connect the dots in understanding airspace.
- Definitions
- Maps and Charts
- Time and Longitude
- Pilot Navigation
- Triangle of Velocity
- Pre-Flight Preparation
- Radio Theory, GNSS and Other Radio and Radar Aids
Access and read weather like a pilot! Learn some essential tools available to you and the weather theory that goes along with it.
- Composition of the Atmosphere
- Atmospheric Pressure
- Altimetry and Meteorological Conditions
- Temperature
- Atmospheric Moisture
- Stability and Instability- Fog and Inversions
- Cloud Types
- Fog and Surface Based Layers
- Turbulence
- Wind
- Air masses
- Fronts
- Aircraft Icing
- Thunderstorms
- Meteorological Services Available to Pilots
- Aviation Weather Reports
- Aviation Forecasts
General Knowledge encompasses several subtopics in one, making up a large portion of the course. We’ll cover everything from the wing design to LiPo batteries to how standard operating procedures make operations safer.
Theory of Flight
- Principles of Flight
- Forces Acting on an Aeroplane
- Aerofoils
- Propellers
- Design of the Wing
- Rotor Design
- Load Factor
- Stability
- Aeroplane Flight Controls
- Helicopter Flight Controls
- Aircraft Components
- Helicopter Aerodynamics
- Multi Rotor Copter Dynamics
- Airships
- Recovery Systems
Engines, Airframes and Systems
- Airframes
- Engines
- Electrical System
- Fuel Systems and Fuels
- Data Links
- Batteries
- Autopilots
- Payloads
- Electrical Motors
- Launch and Recovery Systems
- Maintenance and Record Keeping
Flight Operations
- General
- Aircraft Performance
- Performance Charts and Data
- Weight and Balance
- Aircraft Critical Surface Contamination
- External Loads
- Occupational health and Safety
- UAV VLOS Operations
Flight Instruments
- Pitot Static System
- Airspeed Indicator
- Altimeter
- Compass
- Heading Indicator
- Attitude Indicator
- Instrument Flying
- Control Station and Simulation
Human Factors
- Aviation Physiology
- The Pilot and the Operating Environment
- Aviation Psychology
- Equipment-Materials Relationship, Operating Procedures
- Interpersonal Relations
Though not required by Transport Canada, we cover what a UAS operation looks like from start to finish. We’ll guide you through the Staff Instruction, what to include (and not include!) in an SFOC application and much, much more. This section helps us to put the puzzle pieces together by applying the knowledge you’ve gained throughout the course.
james shannacappo –
Excellent Course great teacher I learned a lot more then I expected , and feel more prepared to take on the field …..Thanks
Lucas Solmes –
Great Course, even better instructor. Glad I took it through Aerobotika.
Heather Johnson –
Loved the course, found it very informative.
Steven B (verified owner) –
Kate is a great instructor. The class helped me learn more details about TC regulations. Most importantly I learned how to fly safely in Canadian air space.
Peter Hale (verified owner) –
Fantastic course, even better instructor (Kate)! Worth every penny!! It is a lot of information to absorb, but so needed to fly safe and in compliance.
Jeff Gaudette –
Recently attended the UAS Ground School. I have had an interest in flying since I was a young boy. The class size was small which provided a great instructor to student ratio. There was lots of time for questions and sharing of experiences from the group and instructor during the sessions. The material was well organized and put together. Staying engaged during class was not a problem and the instructor was keen to share many personal experiences relating to the subject. I came away with knowledge that will certainly assist in building my business. I am glad to have attended this class, will be looking at some of their other offerings as well. Wish I had attended sooner. Money well spent in my opinion.
Chris Gorczynski –
This is given unsolicited and I am not an AEROBOTIKA employee or affiliate.
I recently attended AEROBOTIKA’S 3-Day UAV Ground School held in Toronto (Dec 15-17/2017) taught by Thomas Hoppe as a component of ensuring our company meets Transport Canada’s compliancy legislation for Jan.1/2018; primarily to broaden my existing knowledge and framework, improve my professional practice, and consolidate my working knowledge in the Professional/Commercial UAV Aerial Solutions industry. My Instructor Thomas was instantly welcoming, professional, patient, extraordinarily knowledgeable, experienced, possessed of a very entertaining and amusing wit, and his pedagogical practice was absolutely natural and seamless. He held everyone’s attention the entire time without effort at all.
Owner/CEO Paul Bennett’s Courseware alone is “worth the price of admission”, which is humble measured against the quality of what you leave with in your hands. The course content simply put is nothing short of remarkable. The materials are modern, updated constantly (to the day), painstakingly assembled and pleasing to the eye (makes them fun to read again!!!), and they have a longevity given their breadth and depth that you won’t find anywhere else…Thomas himself brought years of additional experience in Geomatics, GIS, Surveying, Piloting and Photogrammetry to add icing to this cake. The lessons were approached in a linear, logistical, and easily manageable frame of multimedia, interactive and supportive testing, group work, leadership and engaging discussion. By juxtaposition, speaking afterward with 4 colleagues who have attended formal UAV Training elsewhere, from an unbiased perspective of their experiences they shared openly with me of “other” practitioner’s institutes, I heard a variety of different commentary including “we didn’t learn that, oh..that’s interesting to know…I didn’t know that…you have to do that…?…that’s really informative…”….common amongst all 4 was “I WISH WE ATTENDED AEROBOTIKA”.
If you want to stand out from the crowd, don’t let it be through gaps in your knowledge. 😉 Get yourself into an AEROBOTIKA Ground School and don’t be concerned with your entry point either, greater than 70% of the class I attended had ZERO UAV experience but we all left with equal experiences and exposure to the same learning. I had MANY holes in my prior learning and experiences that were plugged this past weekend. I can speak honestly for all, EVERYONE left just as happy and enthusiastic as I did and better for having attended regardless of their motivation and/or rationale for being there.
If you are committed to safety, betterment of yourself, professional growth, modernized training, working with THE BEST in the industry, learning from and with them, then don’t even hesitate, AEROBOTIKA is what I would recommend. Their name, reputation and their staff speak for themselves. You will leave with a skill set few have, and following the full pathway through the Ground School, Company Operations Manual and SFOC Courseware was the most intelligent aerial decision I’ve made.
They are a true 5 Star Academy and 10/10 stellar people.
Paul Bennett took 45 minutes of his own time with me on the phone 6 months ago when I contacted him without any expectation or solicitation; there was no hesitation at all to help out of genuine kindness and professionalism.
That speaks as highly to his qualities as any need to know. I’ve had interaction by phone or email with the bulk of their Staff, they are all unique and amazing. It was no large surprise that my instructor Thomas was just as spectacular.
Transport Canada will see that AEROBOTIKA logo on your SFOC application and it WILL impact positively.
This is a 10/10 Facilitator, Training Institute and Company.
Thanks for everything AEROBOTIKA. The pleasure was mine, keep up the amazing work.
Chris.
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