The 3 major changes to CAP722

Since we started all those years ago as a National Qualified Entity, Flyby Technology has stood for maintaining the highest professional standards, the very same standards applied to everyone in manned aviation.

We have often taken criticism for holding ourselves to such a high standard, but as career aviators who have all benefitted from the best training in the world ourselves, we couldn’t think of doing it any other way. We’ve always believed in this industry as the future of aviation and we’ve built our training programmes with manned aviation standards as the backbone from which everything hangs, to give the industry the credibility it deserves.

So we are thrilled to see The Civil Aviation Authority has stated in the new edition of CAP722, that they demand standards to be at least the equivalent of manned aviation. We train to higher standards than a lot of manned aviation training organisations at the moment because every one of our instructors is a trained instructor pilot from the Central Flying School or comparable training postitions. They are trained to train those who train the best in the world! What a pedigree.

The second major change to CAP722 is that after 31 December 2020, all PfCO Pilots who do not hold a GVC will need to do a new Flyer ID test with the CAA. Flyby offer a PfCO to GVC conversion course to all PfCO holders, and at a discounted price to Flyby Alumni >

What’s next for the Drone Industry?

Right now, Flyby Technology is involved in shaping the future of the drone industry. We are part of the team chosen to be the first to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) in an urban context, in support of Test and Trace for the NHS. This is breaking new ground as it has never been attempted before. Flyby Technology was chosen to be the safe pair of hands to make it happen. We have written all the documentation to make it possible for that lifesaving effort to get off the ground. We trained the pilots and have been an integral part of the design team for the aircraft.

We’ve also created the training courses for the next generation of instructors who will carry the quality baton into a bright future for UK UAV flying.

At the same time, we have taken the opportunity to help our cousins in manned aviation to make that journey from scepticism to advocacy, by showing them that the skills they have are ideally suited to BVLOS flying.

We are the first UAV training organisation in the world to offer our BVLOS course to commercial aviation flight training schools so they can include BVLOS flying in their airline pilot courses. This gives airline pilots a way of securing an income during downturns in the airline industry and helps to put the UK pilot cadre on the map as the best in the world.

We should not think of this initiative as manned aviators stealing remote pilots’ jobs. That is not true. There will be work enough for everyone if UK pilots are considered to be the best trained in the world. And they will be! Remote pilots will be entering the world as equals because manned aviators will respect what we do; they will be on the inside looking out and not the other way around.

Future training for the Certified Category

The third significant change is that Licensing will be needed for pilots operating in the Certified Category and those aircraft must be G-registered. 

Our training courses are objectives driven and totally COVID-19 compliant, so we can continue your training throughout the lockdown. As a flight training school we looked ahead and invested at the start of the pandemic to ensure we could do so to our standards. Quality is everything to us, and that’s exactly what we deliver to you as our student or client. It’s our promise.

Our job as the trainers is to train and maintain operationally robust standards that set our pilots apart. We also give them advice and a direction of travel for their entire career. Nobody falls off our conveyor belt. We support our students throughout their journey because we are all in this together. We supply them with opportunities to improve their learning and standards. We shine a torch at the corners of their knowledge and help them fill in any gaps. We take them with us on OUR journey.

Where is Flyby Technology going? Great question. One thing is for sure; we are aiming for the top when we get there, taking our customers with us.

Nobody gets left behind.

If you’d like to join the Flyby Family at this pivotal moment in history, book a place on one of our courses now and make sure your operations are compliant with the new regulations for 2021. We are currently the only training provider that can adhere to the new rules, being ahead of the game and set up to deliver training to the exacting standards expected from manned aviation standards. Book now >