One of the most common things we hear from people, is that they want to use their drones for commercial purposes (ie – use it to make money in some kind of way). Most are of the view that they need to do expensive courses and licenses to do this – which isn’t necessarily true!
Aviation Reference Number (ARN) and Commercial Endorsement
This is the ‘cheapest’ way to go about things, however it does also have its limitations. By jumping on the CASA website, you can create your own Aviation Reference Number, and as part of that process – you can register your drone and get a commercial endorsement as well. This basically means you are telling CASA that you intend to use your drone to make money – and applies to drones under 2kg.
The ‘downside’ of this, is that you may be challenged for getting things like Liability Insurance, or many organizations may require you to be operating under an RePL /. ReOC. You are also restricted to the recreational drone operator rules as well when operating under a commercial endorsement from CASA.
Remote Pilots Licence (RePL)
This is honestly where a lot of people end up confused – thinking they can get RePL and off they go! But – it isn’t the case at all. Anyone with an RePL still needs to operate under a Chief Remote Pilot (CRP) – ie, someone who has an ReOC.
If you have your RePL, you can operate drones under 2kg without getting the further Commercial Accreditation above.
Remote Operators Certificate (ReOC)
This is the fun one! This is where you need to do up operations manuals, maintain documentation etc – for anyone who flys under your ReOC (so those with the RePL above). You operate as the Chief Remote Pilot and are responsible for anyone flying under your ReOC.
Getting your RePL and ReOC – who do we recommend?
There are so many providers around Australia now for getting your RePL and ReOC – we recommend reading reviews and contacting organisations to find who you are comfortable with. We have worked with both Global Drone Solutions and FPV Australia – and have found both to be great!