Official title of drone pilot (STS)

Official drone pilot course (STS)

Here you will find all the essential information to become a certified drone pilot under the Standard Scenarios framework (STS). Obtaining this official qualification is essential for those who wish to operate drones professionally and safely, complying with all the regulations of the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA). On our site, we provide you with detailed resources, study guides and the best training courses to help you achieve your certification. Whether you’re a drone novice or looking to improve your skills, we’re here to support you every step of the way – start your journey to official drone pilot certification (STS) with us today and take your skills to new heights!

Get your official drone pilot license in less than a month

Get with us the official title of STS drone pilot to fly in standard scenarios STS-ES-01 and STS-ES-02 with all the guarantees of an entity recognized by AESA for the training and evaluation of remote pilots for operations in standard scenarios. The course has been designed by expert drone operations managers and aeronautical engineers from Invicsa Airtech, with more than 10 years of experience in drone piloting and operation.

STS-ES-01: VLOS operations over a controlled land area in a populated environment.
STS-ES-02: BVLOS operations with airspace observers over a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated environment.

In addition, the course contents cover the necessary knowledge to pass the training and free online exam conducted by AESA to obtain the Open Category A1/A3 pilot certificate.

Enroll now and complete the training at your own pace. We adapt to your time. Internships are held every month in different cities.

What does the official STS drone pilot course include?

  • Contents to pass the A1/A3 AESA exam

  • Arrangements with AESA to perform the exams.

  • Category Specific Theoretical Training STS-ES-01 and STS-ES-02

  • 100% on-line theoretical training

  • Theoretical tutorials for reinforcement and resolution of doubts.

  • 8 hours of practical drone flight training

  • Practical exam

  • Instructors with more than 2,000 hours of flight time

  • ¡NEW! Basic flight planning training

  • ¡NEW! Joining Invicsa Airtech's operations labor pool

Theoretical content of the drone pilot course

Within this course you will find the theoretical contents necessary to easily pass the AESA theoretical exam for the STS-ES-01 and STS-ES-02 standard scenarios. In addition to all the information we make available to you, we conduct online group tutorials to resolve doubts and focus on the most important aspects.

  1. Introduction to EASA and the aviation system; and
  2. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945:
    1. Applicability to Member States;
    2. Standard Scenarios (STS);
    3. UAS operator registration and operational declaration;
    4. UAS operator responsibilities;
    5. Responsabilidades de los pilotos a distancia; y
    6. Notification of events, incidents and accidents.

Knowing the applicable regulations is the basis of any industry. In the least tedious way possible, the most relevant aspects of the EU Regulation and its applicability to the national scope will be explained, defining the training levels, the standard scenarios (STS) and the figures of operator, pilot and observer, as well as the responsibilities of each one of them. The categories of operations and classes of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will also be specified.

  1. The influence of psychoactive substances and alcohol, as well as when the remote pilot is not in adequate condition due to injury, fatigue, medication, illness or other causes;
  2. Effect of weather conditions on the crew; and
  3. Human perception:
    1. Factors influencing the pilot’s visual range (“VLOS”);
    2. Evaluation of obstacle clearance and distance between unmanned aircraft and obstacles
    3. Evaluation of unmanned aircraft flight speed
    4. Evaluation of unmanned aircraft flight altitude.
    5. Situational awareness
    6. Night operations; and
    7. Communication between different people involved in the operation.

A basic aspect of UAS operations is the pilot. Consequently, it is also essential to know the factors that can affect its performance and therefore the performance of the operation. The main causes that reduce human performance such as fatigue, illness and the ingestion of medication, alcohol or other psychoactive substances will be discussed and examples of the limitations of human perception and how weather conditions can affect pilots will be discussed.

  1. Pre-flight procedures
    1. Operation evaluation;
    2. Identification of a controlled ground area suitable for unmanned aircraft operations and in accordance with standard scenarios;
    3. Environmental conditions and methods for obtaining weather forecasts;
    4. Limitations and conditions applicable to the ground risk prevention zone according to the operations manual;
    5. Flight planning;
    6. Verification of UAS conditions and use of checklists.
  2. In-flight procedures
    1. Standard procedures; and
    2. Contingency and emergency procedures;
  3. Post-flight procedures
    1. UAS inspection and maintenance;
    2. Reports and details on operation and registration.

UAS operations extend beyond the flight itself. Not only the in-flight procedures but also the pre-flight and post-flight procedures must be known. Pre-operation planning is key to its effectiveness and safety. In the preparation of the operation, the flight area must be analyzed and the possible associated risks must be foreseen, as well as the weather conditions and the equipment to be used. During the flight, not only the normal flight procedures must be taken into account, but especially the procedures in case of any anomaly or emergency, situations for which the pilot must be prepared. In addition, the actions to be taken once the flight is over will be explained, including the recording of the operation information and the inspection and maintenance of the systems.

  1. Definition of the operational volume, reinforced by height and speed limitation systems;
  2. Consultation of airspace limitations through official sources; procedures for updating and uploading airspace limitations to the geo-awareness function;
  3. Evaluation of flight geography:
    1. Procedures required for UAS operations in controlled airspace, including a protocol for communicating with air traffic control and obtaining coordination and instructions, if necessary;
    2. Coordination with airfield managers for UAS operations, if necessary;
    3. Selection and evaluation of airspace information that may have an impact on the planned operation;
  4. Airspace monitoring and remote pilot coordination with airspace observers:
    1. Proper placement of airspace observers;
    2. Solid and effective means of communication;
    3. Phraseology;
  5. Definition of basic actions to be taken in cases of emergency, including problems with the UAS or the occurrence of a mid-air collision hazard during an operation.
    1. Specification of an effective emergency response plan appropriate to the operational scenario;
    2. See-and-avoid procedures.

In order to offer a safe operation, the first thing to know is the risks. Based on the risks of the operation, the necessary measures to eliminate or at least reduce them should be analyzed. To reduce risks in the air, i.e. a collision with another aircraft, it is important to define the volume of the operation and respect it, to avoid invading the airspace of other users or being limited for any reason. For this purpose, there are several procedures that will be explained in this chapter, which are applied in the planning of the operation as well as in its development.

  1. Advanced flight principles;
  2. Environmental limitations of UAS;
  3. Flight assistance systems and possible failures
    1. GNSS;
    2. Inertial sensors;
    3. Compass.
  4. Command and control principles:
    1. General knowledge;
    2. Link frequencies and spectrum;
    3. Flight modes;
    4. Safety systems.
  5. Requirements applicable to unmanned aircraft carrying class C5 and C6 markings;
  6. Familiarization with the user manual provided by the UAS manufacturer.

Another basic aspect in UAS operation is, precisely, to know the UAS and its main components. This chapter will develop the operating principles of unmanned aircraft and their systems, such as positioning and navigation systems, link and control systems and basic safety systems. The importance of knowing and understanding the instruction manual of each aircraft to be used will also be emphasized.

  1. The effect of weather conditions on the flight of an unmanned aircraft:
    1. Wind (e.g. turbulence, effects in urban environments, etc.);
    2. Temperature;
    3. Visibility; and
    4. Air density;
  2. Obtaining weather forecasts;

Weather is a very important conditioning factor in the development of a UAS operation. They can significantly affect the performance of both the aircraft and the pilot. It is therefore necessary to know the basics of meteorology applicable to air operations, its impact and how to obtain forecasts, to be taken into account in planning.

  1. Typical operating envelope of a gyroplane, a fixed-wing aircraft and a hybrid configuration aircraft;
  2. Center of gravity (CG) and mass balance:
    1. Consider overall stability when installing gimbals and payload;
    2. Understand the different payload characteristics and how they affect the stability of the unmanned aircraft in flight; and
    3. Understand that different types of UAS have different CG;
  3. Securing the payload;
  4. Batteries;
    1. Understand the operation of the power supply to help prevent possible unsafe conditions;
    2. Familiarization with the different types of existing batteries;
    3. Understand the terminology used for batteries (e.g. voltage, capacity, charge and discharge, C-rate, etc.); and
    4. Understand battery operation (e.g., charging and discharging, installation, use, storage, hazards, etc.).

In relation to the knowledge of the UAS, the principles of flight and mass balance must be emphasized in order to obtain the necessary stability. These somewhat specific aeronautical concepts will be explained in a way that is accessible to the general public. Battery performance characteristics, a fundamental component in UAS, will also be discussed.

  1. Low speed mode function;
  2. Evaluation of the distance to non-participants in the operation;
  3. Rule 1:1.
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