Part 102 Pilot Certificate Course (Pacific Island)

If you intend to undertake any of the following activities, you're flying under Part 102 rules (CAR 102). That means you need to personally hold a Part 102 Drone Pilot Certificate, and to be flying under a Part 102 UAOC held by an organisation.

• Flying over people without their permission
• Flying a drone with a combined weight exceeding 25kg
• Operating over property without the landowner’s permission
• Agricultural operations including spraying, fertiliser application, and bait dropping
• Other conditions that CAA may impose from time to time

Flying unshielded at night is a separate matter: that needs a Night Rating, which sits alongside either a Part 101 or a Part 102 certificate.

Introduction

This course covers the pilot-side theory and the practical flight test for your Part 102 Drone Pilot Certificate, for pilots operating in the Pacific Islands. It proves you’ve done the training and passed the test. What it doesn’t do is grant you permission to fly outside the Part 101 rules, because that permission belongs to the organisation you fly for, and you’ll need to be inducted onto their certificate.

The course is broken up into two sections.

First is the Part 101 section that will teach you everything you need to know about safely operating your drone within the CAA Part 101* drone rules. This section is important because all drone pilots must have knowledge of airspace when operating within close proximity of airports. This will be covered in detail later in the course.

The second section covers Part 102. Operations outside the Part 101 rules can only be flown under an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate (UAOC), which the CAA issues to an organisation. If you’ll be flying for an organisation that already holds one, this course gives you the pilot certificate they’ll ask you for. If you’ll be running your own operation, you’ll need this certificate and a UAOC of your own, and we can help with that.

* Throughout this course, you will see reference to New Zealand and the Civil Aviation Rules (CAR), specifically Rule Parts 101 & 102. Most of the Pacific Island states have aviation rules based off these, with the exception of Fiji, which has its own rules called the Air Navigation Regulations (ANRs). The content and intent of the rules, whether CAR Parts or ANR, is very similar, so we will mostly just reference the Part 101 & 102 rules. The exception to this is where there is a variance in the rules, in which case we will state the difference. As well as studying this course, you should also obtain a copy of your local state’s rules and become familiar with these. Most states have their rules available online.

Course Outline

Modules covered in Part 101

• Civil Aviation Rules
• Understanding the concept of airspace
• Measuring Drone Altitude
• Airspace Categories
• Special Use Airspace
• Runways and Aerodrome Operations
• Finding Airport Contact Information
• 101 Exam

Modules covered in Part 102
In this module we cover why you need to know the Part 102 rules, what you’ll do to earn your Part 102 Drone Pilot Certificate, and the operations that open up once you’re flying under an organisation’s operator certificate.

• Certification
• Other UAOC Requirements
• NOTAMs and AIP Supplements
• Basic Meteorology for UAV Operators
• GPS Basics
• Plan and Document a Part 102 Flight Operation
• Currency Period and Flight Assessment
• Final exam for Part 102

Flight Assessment

If you would like to learn more about the flight assessment requirements watch our detailed Flight Assessment and ATTI Mode videos.