UAV licensing a long-term prospect
ELIZABETH ANDERSON
LEIGHTON Pearce, Loveday, is so confident about the future of unmanned aerial vehicles in Australia that he is working through the long and time-consuming process to gain an operator’s licence.
There are two license levels beyond the hobbyist level; the first being a Controller Certificate or a Remote Pilot Certificate, which allow someone to work for an established company as a UAV controller.
However, to establish a business, the owner needs an Operator Certificate, which is an 18-step process.
Leighton is about nine months into the process to gain his OC, and estimates it may take about a year, depending on the path taken.
He described the process as “onerous” but said there were people out there who could help.
Leighton said once he has his full certificate his company will sell drone packages, act as a contractor, sell UAVs and also help with interpreting the data recorded.
