Drone Surveying and Mapping Training NZ

Drone surveying is two skill sets, not one. There is the surveying — capturing data a client can actually use — and there is the flying, which may or may not need a CAA qualification depending on how and where you fly.

You may not need a certificate at all

Part 101 does not require a pilot certificate, and being paid makes no difference. Survey work flown within visual line of sight, below 400 ft, outside 4 km of an aerodrome boundary, and not over people or property without consent needs no CAA certification whatsoever.

A lot of drone survey work in New Zealand sits exactly there. If yours does, the thing standing between you and paid work is the survey skill, not a certificate.

When the flying does need a qualification

The Part 101 Pilot Certificate unlocks flying within 4 km of an aerodrome boundary — which in practice rules a lot of sites in or out. At an uncontrolled aerodrome you also need the operator’s agreement and an observer in attendance, with a 400 ft ceiling unless the Director has approved otherwise; at a controlled one you need ATC authorisation. It is also what most clients, councils and insurers expect before engaging you.

Part 102 comes in when the survey itself falls outside Part 101, most often flying beyond visual line of sight over a large block. That work is flown under an organisation’s UAOC.

Neither of those teaches you to survey

The CAA qualifications are about operating legally and safely: airspace, rules, procedures and a practical flight assessment. They do not cover photogrammetry, ground control, overlap settings, or how to produce a survey-grade output.

That is what the UAV Survey Course is for. It is a skills course rather than a CAA requirement, and it stands on its own — if your flying stays inside Part 101, it may be the only training you need.

We are a CAA Part 141 certified training organisation, certificate #TR104722, and all theory is completed online at your own pace.

What you need to survey commercially

Surveying with a drone needs two different things: the survey skills that make the data usable, and — depending on how you fly — a CAA qualification. A lot of survey work needs no certificate at all.

CAA qualifications, if your flying needs them

  1. Part 101 Pilot Certificate Course

    Not required to survey under Part 101. It unlocks flying within 4 km of an aerodrome, and it is what most clients and councils expect to see.

    $695excl. GST
    Course details

  2. Part 102 Pilot Certificate Course

    Needed when the survey itself falls outside Part 101 — most commonly flying beyond visual line of sight. Flown under an organisation's UAOC.

    $1,295excl. GST
    Course details

The survey skills themselves

  • UAV Survey Course

    The survey and mapping workflow itself: flight planning for photogrammetry, ground control, data capture and processing. A skills course, not a CAA requirement.

    $434excl. GST
    Course details

Prices exclude GST; 15% is added at checkout for New Zealand buyers. The Part 101 and Part 102 courses include an in-person practical flight assessment with one of our examiners; the UAV Survey Course does not.

Common questions

Do I need a CAA certificate to survey with a drone?

Often not. Part 101 is a set of rules anyone may fly under, and it makes no difference whether you are being paid. Survey work flown within visual line of sight, below 400 ft, away from people and property without consent, and outside 4 km of an aerodrome boundary needs no certificate at all.

A Part 101 Pilot Certificate matters when your sites are within 4 km of an aerodrome boundary — which in practice is a lot of New Zealand. At an uncontrolled aerodrome you also need the operator's agreement and an observer in attendance, and a 400 ft ceiling applies unless the Director has approved otherwise. It is also what most clients, councils and insurers expect before they engage you.

Part 102 comes in when the survey itself falls outside Part 101 — most often flying beyond visual line of sight over a large block. That work is flown under an organisation's UAOC.

Does a Part 101 or 102 certificate teach me to survey?

No, and this is the part people get caught by. The CAA qualifications are about operating legally and safely — airspace, rules, procedures and a practical flight assessment. They do not cover photogrammetry, ground control points, overlap settings, or how to produce a survey-grade output.

That is what the UAV Survey Course is for. It is a skills course, not a CAA requirement, and it stands on its own — if your flying stays within Part 101 it may be the only training you need.

Which order should I do them in?

Start with the survey skills if your flying already sits inside Part 101 — you can do the work legally today, and the UAV Survey Course is what makes the output worth paying for.

Add the Part 101 certificate when you need to fly within 4 km of an aerodrome boundary, or when a client asks for it. Allow time for the practical flight assessment to be scheduled.

Do I need survey-grade equipment to start?

Not to learn. The course covers the workflow and the decisions — flight planning, overlap, ground control, and what accuracy your method can actually support — which apply whether you are flying a consumer drone or an RTK platform.

What equipment you need depends on the accuracy your clients require, and the course covers how to work that out rather than prescribing a shopping list.

Not sure where you sit?

Tell us how and where you plan to fly, and we will tell you which certificate the work actually needs.

Take the course quizTalk to us