So today i passed the Civil Aviation Authority Part 101 Pilot Certification. Consisted of 2 days of theory on New Zealand aviation laws, how to read Visual Navigation Charts etc, and then a practical test where you have to do a bunch of things in Atti mode (we used Phantom 4 Pro’s for this). There were 8 people on the course, but only 2 of us passed.


The main issue was that a lot of guys thought it’d be easy, and just hadn’t had enough flight time. They kept panicking and doing things like forgetting the controls were reversed when the drone was coming towards them. So when the wind started blowing them off course, they’d make it worse by going in the wrong direction.

Because i’m doing drone operations for work, we have to have some kind of certification to show the public that we have the skills to fly these devices. It was a really interesting course, and i have to admit that i am quite buzzed to have passed it.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the members of this forum; without your advice, instructional videos (Wellsi for example), and emphasis on safety and flying within the rules, i don’t think i’d be the skilled pilot that i am today. I still have a lot of learn, but you’ve really helped with my confidence and ability. Thanks also to DJI for having such comprehensive instructional videos and learning resources.

Congratulations!