JustinD
Line Up and Wait
So with all this sUAS stuff coming out, I figured I'd go ahead and get mine and do the course now, while its fairly simple before it becomes more complicated some day in the future! Plus its free and who knows, maybe it'll some day come in handy, worst case I spent some of my time on it and have an extra thing to talk about and toss on my resume. Just wanted to provide a little writeup on the course. Please forgive the long write up, but I'm bored at home and can't fly cause of classic Florida Weather. At the bottom I will go through what you need to do as an instructor to verify someones information as I have now done that as well. For the record I am not the FAA, I'm just a CFI and a pilot who has happened to do both of these so far and these were my experiences and what I observed. Please do not take it as official guidance
For us pilots its fairly simple so long as we have a current FR (or equivalent per 61.56) we are eligible to get the Remote Pilot Certificate with small Unmanned Aircraft System rating (sUAS) just by taking an online course and completing the test at the end of it (there are other ways but this appears to be the most simple). Then having a CFI, APD, FSDO, or DE verify your identification information and that it matches your course completion certificate. The course can be found at https://www.faasafety.gov its currently under Hot Topics, but can also be found by searching the course. You also get wings credit upon completion of the course. Prior to starting the course it says it takes about 2 hours to complete, I'd say they are just about right with that, I did it a little quicker and did it at a decent, but not quick pace. I spent the time to watch the videos and read it all. It is not boring, and can effectively be done in one sitting.
As for the course itself. Is a nice flash module that opens up and moves you through slide by slide basically showing appropriate picture graphics or video. It is basically divided into three main sections, then each section has several subparts. The main chapters are the Introduction, Aircraft and Remote Pilot In Command Requirements, and Rules for safe operation of small UAS. Each of those chapters is further divided into logical easy to follow and understand sub parts. At the end of each sub component there is a short 2-3 question review. As a current pilot many of us will find the information familiar and common to what we have already learned, however they do include the important new information on of the sUAS requirements and guidelines. Upon completion of the online course it will give you an optional knowledge check to review some of the things not covered in the course, or you can skip that and go straight to the main online test. If you do the optional knowledge check it will then obviously still lead you to the required test afterwards. The test has no time limit, and my test was 35 questions in length. If you paid attention and completed the course, you should have no issue successfully getting the 100% required to pass the test. Upon completion of the test it will give you a certificate of course completion to print and save. You will need this to show the person verifying your information and also to upload to the iacra so be sure to print it AND save it as a PDF. Overall the course itself is well designed and efficient. The FAA did a good job in my opinion recognizing what us as current pilots know already, and what we need to focus on for the new certificate.
So now you've completed the course, what next? Easy, log in to your IACRA and fill out a new application, the choice selection will be pilot, then the next drop down box will give you the option to click remote pilot. You go through fill out the application, insert the date of your last FR where it asks you and attach your course completion certificate where it tells you to. once you are all done review it and submit it. For whats next you'll need an instructor and just follow the prompts it leads you through. Simple process and once you are with an instructor should take no more than 20 minutes. Once its all submitted and the instructor (IACRA refers to a CFI as an RI - Recommending Instructor) Your temporary certificate should arrive in your email within an hour. and voila you are a Remote Pilot with a small UAS rating. your hard card arrives in the mail later like any new standard certificate and now you have an extra card to carry around.
It is possible to do this differently and actually take the full knowledge test required for non-pilots in a testing center instead, or to go through the paper 8710 and application process but of course those cost more money and/or take much more time.
As for what to do as an instructor (CFI) to verify someones information. On your IACRA account once you've logged in you will need to add a new role, on the left Click Add role, select recommending instructor and then continue. Log out and log back in and now it will give you the option to accept the TOS as an RI or as an applicant. When you are with a student and it follows them through their prompts eventually it will lead you to log in, when you do just accept the TOS as an RI. It will then be very clear what needs to be done and again just follow the prompts. But basically on your main IACRA page it will have a box to receive and process applications, punch in the students FTN number and it should bring up all that you need. All you are doing as a CFI in this instance is verifying that you verified their recency of a current FR per 61.56, proof of residency (DL, Passport,etc) to their pilot certificate and their course completion certificate. The process is straightforward and easy to follow along. It doesn't say you have to, but I like records of things so I had the person I did it for give me a copy of the signed acknowledgment of bill rights, and a copy of their course completion certificate and IACRA application.
That was just my experience with it. The course is a good course, worth your time for the extra certificate and bit of knowledge as we enter this new age with more and more UAS operations. It's also fairly simple from an instructor perspective to help students, especially current pilot applicants with a current Flight review. Hopefully this has helped you all, if not it helped me kill some time at home on this rainy afternoon!
For us pilots its fairly simple so long as we have a current FR (or equivalent per 61.56) we are eligible to get the Remote Pilot Certificate with small Unmanned Aircraft System rating (sUAS) just by taking an online course and completing the test at the end of it (there are other ways but this appears to be the most simple). Then having a CFI, APD, FSDO, or DE verify your identification information and that it matches your course completion certificate. The course can be found at https://www.faasafety.gov its currently under Hot Topics, but can also be found by searching the course. You also get wings credit upon completion of the course. Prior to starting the course it says it takes about 2 hours to complete, I'd say they are just about right with that, I did it a little quicker and did it at a decent, but not quick pace. I spent the time to watch the videos and read it all. It is not boring, and can effectively be done in one sitting.
As for the course itself. Is a nice flash module that opens up and moves you through slide by slide basically showing appropriate picture graphics or video. It is basically divided into three main sections, then each section has several subparts. The main chapters are the Introduction, Aircraft and Remote Pilot In Command Requirements, and Rules for safe operation of small UAS. Each of those chapters is further divided into logical easy to follow and understand sub parts. At the end of each sub component there is a short 2-3 question review. As a current pilot many of us will find the information familiar and common to what we have already learned, however they do include the important new information on of the sUAS requirements and guidelines. Upon completion of the online course it will give you an optional knowledge check to review some of the things not covered in the course, or you can skip that and go straight to the main online test. If you do the optional knowledge check it will then obviously still lead you to the required test afterwards. The test has no time limit, and my test was 35 questions in length. If you paid attention and completed the course, you should have no issue successfully getting the 100% required to pass the test. Upon completion of the test it will give you a certificate of course completion to print and save. You will need this to show the person verifying your information and also to upload to the iacra so be sure to print it AND save it as a PDF. Overall the course itself is well designed and efficient. The FAA did a good job in my opinion recognizing what us as current pilots know already, and what we need to focus on for the new certificate.
So now you've completed the course, what next? Easy, log in to your IACRA and fill out a new application, the choice selection will be pilot, then the next drop down box will give you the option to click remote pilot. You go through fill out the application, insert the date of your last FR where it asks you and attach your course completion certificate where it tells you to. once you are all done review it and submit it. For whats next you'll need an instructor and just follow the prompts it leads you through. Simple process and once you are with an instructor should take no more than 20 minutes. Once its all submitted and the instructor (IACRA refers to a CFI as an RI - Recommending Instructor) Your temporary certificate should arrive in your email within an hour. and voila you are a Remote Pilot with a small UAS rating. your hard card arrives in the mail later like any new standard certificate and now you have an extra card to carry around.
It is possible to do this differently and actually take the full knowledge test required for non-pilots in a testing center instead, or to go through the paper 8710 and application process but of course those cost more money and/or take much more time.
As for what to do as an instructor (CFI) to verify someones information. On your IACRA account once you've logged in you will need to add a new role, on the left Click Add role, select recommending instructor and then continue. Log out and log back in and now it will give you the option to accept the TOS as an RI or as an applicant. When you are with a student and it follows them through their prompts eventually it will lead you to log in, when you do just accept the TOS as an RI. It will then be very clear what needs to be done and again just follow the prompts. But basically on your main IACRA page it will have a box to receive and process applications, punch in the students FTN number and it should bring up all that you need. All you are doing as a CFI in this instance is verifying that you verified their recency of a current FR per 61.56, proof of residency (DL, Passport,etc) to their pilot certificate and their course completion certificate. The process is straightforward and easy to follow along. It doesn't say you have to, but I like records of things so I had the person I did it for give me a copy of the signed acknowledgment of bill rights, and a copy of their course completion certificate and IACRA application.
That was just my experience with it. The course is a good course, worth your time for the extra certificate and bit of knowledge as we enter this new age with more and more UAS operations. It's also fairly simple from an instructor perspective to help students, especially current pilot applicants with a current Flight review. Hopefully this has helped you all, if not it helped me kill some time at home on this rainy afternoon!
