SUAS ROV is Australia's leading Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) Drone Training & Consultancy Provider 

Icons made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com

Choosing a Remote Pilot License Training Provider

When selecting a training provider the first question you should ask is "Are you a Registered Training Organisation?".

Registered Training Organisations (RTO's) are Certified by the Australian Government to provide accredited training courses, if you are not dealing with an RTO, chances are that the training you will receive falls well short of the high standards within which RTO's Operate.

With recent changes to aviation regulations under the revised Manual of Standards (MOS 2019, revised 2023) and the introduction of Cert IV Training and Assessment requirements for certified trainers it is now more important than ever for learners to consider who they choose as their Remote Pilot License (Drone Course) Training Provider.

While the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates who is certified to provide Remote Pilot License (Drone Pilot Licence) Training (RePL), the quality of training on offer differs significantly and learners should carefully consider the following points before they commit their hard earner cash to any particular provider.

Ensuring that you training provider is both a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Certified Training Provider, ensures you are dealing with a provider who operates to the highest standards.

 

1. Are they a Registered Training Organisation and Certified by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority?

While it may seem obvious, you only want to pay for the latest and greatest course content, unfortunately, the CASA website does not differentiate between a RePL license training provider who met the standard five years ago, and a provider who is certified to the current latest regulations.  Registered Training Organisations must attain a much higher standard for the delivery of training courses than that specified by CASA.  So to ensure you are being trained to the highest industry standards ensure that your training provider is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in addition to being Certified by CASA as a Training Provider.

To check if a training provider is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) you can check the training.gov.au website  

The only way to know is to ask your provider "Are you a Registered Training Organisation?"  are you Certified to the current regulations (MOS 2019, Amended 2023)?,  It is essential that you protect yourself from the risk of having to potentially resit modules or worse still, resit exams by taking on a course that is of an inferior standard.  Suas Rov is currently one of only three orgainsations that are both Registered Training Organisations (RTO 46117) and a CASA Certified Training Provider (ReOC 1278).

 2. Are their trainers qualified to the latest training standards?

Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) Training Courses are only as good as the instructor delivering the learning content, recently Australia introduced Certificate IV Training and Assessment (TAE) for all training providers as the required standard.  However, many traditional aviation training providers have not invested in upgrading their staff to this standard and instead rely only on the exprience of their instructors and while many instructors make the move from teaching manned aviation to unmanned aviation, the challenge with this approach is that often they have little or no experience of the unmanned aviation industry and less still of working and earning a living using remote aircraft.  As a Registered Training Organisation all our Instructors hold the required qualifications (Cert IV TAE) and have significant experience of working with unmanned aircraft, ensures you are learning from an industry recognised expert in their chosen field.  

  3.  Have they invested in developing industry leading training solutions?

Typically, Remote Pilot License training was a sideline activity for traditional aviation training providers and while some have invested in developing quality training, many have not, it is simply such a small part of their business that they cannot justify the investment in Remote Pilot Training ahead of their manned aircraft training which is a huge cash cow.  

Many organisations still rely on hours of powerpoint slides delivered by an aviation instructor who has little or no industry experience in operating Remotely Piloted Aircraft (Drones) commercially, as such their training is often bland and lacking in genuine industry insights.

As a Registered Training Organisation, and Certified Operator, our business is Remote Aviation Training, as such we have for many years, invested in developing our Learning Management Systems, supported by Apple and Android Applications to ensure learners can consume training content wherever and whenever they choose, under the expert guidance of our qualified and experienced instructors.

  4.  Has the training provider invested in the latest learning technologies?

You are investing a significant amount in your training provider, it is only fair that they ensure that the training they provide leverges the latest technologies.  After all you don't want a training provider who has failed to keep their courses up to date with the latest technologies and who has failed to invest to ensure their training is interactive, interesting and engaging for learners.

Yes, developing Learning Management Systems supported by the latest Google and Apple Apps is a very significant investment but after all you are paying a lot of money for your course so you should get the very best training available, otherwise you risk being powerpointed and lectured to death, a video of an instructor delivering a course is not an online course - don't be fooled by second rate cheap fix offerings.

Suas Rov delivers all our courses using the very latest Learning Management Systems, we also deliver our content via Google and Apple Apps that allow learner the freedom to learn whereever and whenever they choose supported by our expert instructors, blogs, videos, quizzes and industry experts.

  5.  Does your training provider have contacts with potential employers?

Gaining your remote pilot's license is just the start of a journey, building a log of missions that demonstrates your value to potential employers is also essential if you are to secure a role or gain the promotion that recognises your skills and expertise.

A training provider that works with industry to ensure that their student remote pilots have the connections into industry is also critical if qualified remote pilots are to gain the highest rates available.  

Suas Rov is currently actively engaged with a number of University and Industry Partners developing future capabilities and research programs that are defining where the Remote Pilot Industry will be in the months and years to come.  In addition our Chief Remote Pilot sits on the Australian Industry Standards Working Group for Aviation so we have deep insights of what industry requires from Remote Pilot Licence Holders.

 

  6.  Can your training provider work around your busy schedule?

With commitments to work, family, friends and other activties placing a heavy demand on your time, it is important to choose a provider who can offer a flexible solution to your training needs.  The majority of training providers deliver courses Monday - Friday 0900 to 1700, however, if this does not suit your schedule and existing committments does your provider offer an alternative training method that suits you?

Suas Rov offer flexible training options including classroom, online and blended training options. We also offer private courses for corporate customers and we deliver courses throughout Australia.  Check our our list of courses here:  Suasrov Training Courses

  7.  Can your training provider support your learning style?

We all learn in our own individual ways, some prefer classroom style training, others prefer to learn at their own pace, some learners are visual, while others prefer to be hands on.  Providers need to be flexible to provide a learning experiences that works best for you, delivering 'out of the box' training with little adjustment for individual learners learning styles often leads to a poor experience for learners and instructors.

Suas Rov trainers have years of experience and work with employers and educators to ensure that our courses align to multiple learning styles, our highly interactive learning modules break complex topics into easily understood, bite sized lessons that are supported by videos, blogs, expert instructors and industry insights.

Click here to see a sample lesson

 

8.  Does the training location work for you?

The location for your theory and practical training need to be convenient for you.  Remote Pilot Training can be intense and tiring, as such it is probably best to choose a training provider who can offer a location that minimises the travel time for you.

Suas Rov has over 30 training locations throughout Australia and offers training at most population centres.  We also offer online courses supported by 2.5 days of Instructor led, classroom training, so for our learners in more remote regions we can offer flexible solutions.

Click here to see a list of our training locations

  9.  Does the training provider offer on-going training?

Learning is a life long journey, aviation learning is no exception, you have decided to become a drone pilot and while a 7KG Multirotor Remote Pilot License is all you require at this point in time, does your training provider offer additional training to support your learning outcomes into the future?  Are they a Registered Training Oranisation who can offer Certificates and Diplomas in addition to the CASA Remote Pilot's Licence course? Can they support your ambitions to gain a commercial drone license and help you to obtain your Remote Operator's Certificate (CASA ReOC)?, do they offer training for an Aeronautical Radio Operator's Certificate (AROC)? Do they offer other commercial drone courses and will they assist you to apply for a drone license, are you getting honest information? Do you need a license to fly drones for your specific types of operations?

Suas Rov and our partners offer training on multiple aircraft types including multi-rotor, fixed wing and Vertical Take off and Landing (VTOL), Heavy lift category aircraft.  We also have close connections with a number of Universities and work with them to provide further learning options should learners wish to develop their knowledge further.

 

10. Does the training on offer provide genuine value for money?

You do get what you pay for, beware of 'quick fix' providers offering training that sounds too good to be true as it probably is.  Reputable training providers invest in quality content, instructors, training locations and on-going support.  The day of the 'pop up shop' training provider are thankfully, almost over, however, some still remain.

Choose a provider who has invested in quality training that meets and exceeds your expectations, if in doubt check online reviews (see our 5* reviews here), speak to previous students and always check the Training.gov.au and CASA website to ensure they are a Registered Training Organisation and a CASA Certified Training Provider and always ask are they Certified to the very latest regulations? (MOS 2019, amended 2023).

Suas Rov often launches discounted offers at various times through out the year, check our our website for details.

Click here to see our current course schedule.