Night Rating Course

Holding a current Night Rating is a requirement for all drone pilots if you wish to fly at night and you intend to fly outside of a
shielded operation.

If you intend to fly your drone at night under Part 102 rules (eg: flying over people and / or property without prior permission, flying above 400 feet, operating a drone over 25 KG etc etc), you are required to hold the following:


- Hold a current RPAS Pilot Certificate to Part 102 standard
- A current Night Rating
- In addition to your RPAS Pilot Certificate (Part 102) you need to fly under an organisation’s Unmanned Aircraft Operators
Certificate (UAOC)


If you are flying under shielded operations at all times, the specific activity of shielded night flying will not require you to hold an RPAS Pilot Certificate (but there may be other factors that will require you to do so) Drone Trust recommends however, if you
intend to engage in night flying of any description, appropriate training should take place to ensure you are competent in flying in
low light conditions. Safety and commonsense should always be paramount.

We are very happy for you to call us to answer any questions on your specific requirements and to explain the jargon.

This night flying course consists of two parts - an online theory component and a practical flight assessment. The online theory covers important topics for conducting safe drone operations at night. It includes the CAA's definition of night flying, how to determine the times that night officially begins and ends, human factors that can affect night flying, drone lighting requirements, and emergency procedures. The content is delivered through reading passages and graphics. Throughout the theory course there are quizzes to test your knowledge and understanding of the key concepts. After completing the online theory, you will need to undertake a practical night flight assessment with a CAA approved training organization. During this flight assessment, you will demonstrate your ability to safely operate a drone at night in accordance with CAA rules and, if required, your Part 102 exposition. Upon successful completion of both the theory and practical components, you will be issued with a Night Rating. The practical night flight assessment takes between 2 to 3 hours. This qualifies you to act as pilot-in-command and conduct night drone operations in accordance CAA rules and, if applicable, with your Part 102 UAOC. 

Please note that this course needs to be completed within 12 months. This includes all theory modules, final open book exam and practical flight test with one of our examiners. This is to ensure knowledge gained from the course is more easily recalled for the final practical flight test and oral questioning by the examiner. A candidate who exceeds this timeframe will need to recommence with the purchase of a new course.

Course Outline 

• Definitions 
• Rules, Certification and Recurrency
• Human Factors
• Lighting Systems
• Operational Considerations and Flight Planning
• Emergencies
• Practical Flight Assessment
• Competency refresher requirements.