Drone piloting is the flying side of work done with drones. The profession is rarely flying alone; it is usually a specialism combined with flight: producing maps, spraying fields, inspecting power lines, filming or surveying a disaster area.
What a drone pilot does
The pilot plans the flight, checks airspace and weather, flies the aircraft safely and turns the collected data into something useful. In a mapping flight the real product is not the flight but an accurate map. Turkish vocational college programmes list defence, agriculture, construction, energy, mapping, search and rescue, disaster management and film production as fields of work.
The licence in Turkey: P0, P1, P2
In Turkey the rules are set by the SHGM Unmanned Aircraft Systems Instruction (SHT-İHA). Under the current instruction, flight authority depends on the pilot licence level rather than on the weight of the aircraft.
P0 is the amateur licence for non-commercial flights. P1 is the commercial licence, for commercial work within visual line of sight, up to 120 metres in height and 3,000 metres in distance. P2 is the most comprehensive level, covering high risk operations such as beyond visual line of sight, autonomous flights, flights over crowds and transport, and it requires at least a class 3 medical certificate.
The minimum age is 10 for P0 and 18 for P1 and P2. Licences are obtained through training and exams at organisations authorised by SHGM. A diploma licence is issued first; the authority to fly comes from a separate operational licence.
Aircraft are classed by mass: M0 from 500 grams to 4 kg, M1 from 4 to 25 kg, M2 from 25 to 150 kg, and M3 at 150 kg and above. A simple toy drone designed to stay within a very small flight envelope is exempt from licensing and registration.
Training routes
The shortest route is the licence course. A broader route is the two year Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology and Operation associate degree offered by Turkish vocational colleges, which adds ground station work, electronics, meteorology and geographic information systems to flying. Students who want to move into design and software follow an engineering degree.
Routes abroad
In the United States a commercial drone pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate under FAA Part 107: a minimum age of 16, English proficiency and a pass in the FAA knowledge test. In the European Union the open category uses online training and an exam for the A1/A3 proof of completion, and a further exam for the A2 certificate of competency; the minimum age for non toy drones is generally 16.
Which school subjects build the foundation
Physics explains the logic of flight: force, balance, the effect of wind, batteries and energy. Mathematics, especially geometry and trigonometry, is used directly in mapping and flight planning. Programming matters more and more for autonomous flight and data processing. English is needed to read equipment and software documentation.
Which international courses help
AP Physics 1 builds solid mechanics. AP Computer Science A gives the programming base for autonomous flight and data processing. IGCSE Physics (0625) provides the same foundation at an earlier age.
Common misconceptions
The older İHA0 and İHA1 certificates are still widely mentioned. Under the new instruction these documents are converted to the P0, P1 and P2 levels according to a transition plan; current information should be read from SHGM.
A licence on its own is not a profession. Employers usually pay for the product of the flight, not for the flight, so expertise in the field of application is decisive.