Bnuc-s

[Blacksails]

Hi,

Looking for a bit of info from guys who have done the BNUC-S qualification.

I'm looking at booking myself in for the ground school and examination for the BNUC-S. The website dictates that I require the relevant insurance to fly when it comes to the flight test. Is this specific UAS insurance, or will my hobby flying insurance cover me just for the flight exam? (Obviously I will need something far more substantial once qualified.)

Also, are there any guides anywhere as to what should be included in my operations manual? I understand that this has to be provided along with the application for my exam. I can't find a lot of info on how to set out the operation manual and what to include/not include.

Any help or advice with this is MUCH appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Glidetech]

Blacksails

Did you get any response off line from your question?

I'm booked in for the 20/21st BNUC part 1. I've the handbook now and will be reading it cover to cover this weekend. I've BMFA Cover for now and have been qouted around £900 for insurance to cover me for the CAA permission to fly tick box. Wonder if anyone else can advice a better insurance deal?

G

 

[andrewrob]

We didn't have cover when we did ours in October. I couldn't find anywhere at the time that would cover us without the CAA permission which was a bit of a catch 22!
Let me know if you want the details of a couple of companies for after you've passed though.

 

[Glidetech]

I will, thanks Andrew.

I'm told that there are not many Bnuc pilots out there compared to the amount of UAS's flying about and videos of them in the UK on You Tube.

 

[Blacksails]

Glidetech,

As Andrew said, don't worry. The don't need cover for your exam, and you'll struggle to get any sensible quotes before you've passed.

I think there is a fair few of us out there now with the Bnuc-s. I don't know how many people were there when you did the ground school, but we had around 12 people on ours. Andre had told us that a month or so previous to ours, the classes had only one or two people attending. So it is growing. Exciting times!

Good luck on your exam!

Alex

 

[macc]

Hi any help writing the operations manual would be helpful i remember seeing somewhere someone sharing their ops manual for the benefit of others out there trying to write theirs, cant seem to find it now, any help welcome, this seems to be a big stumbling block for most of us. Have already seen the CAA template... very confusing!

 

[Blacksails]

Hi any help writing the operations manual would be helpful i remember seeing somewhere someone sharing their ops manual for the benefit of others out there trying to write theirs, cant seem to find it now, any help welcome, this seems to be a big stumbling block for most of us. Have already seen the CAA template... very confusing!

The template looks confusing, but as long as you cover all of the elements mentioned within it then you should be fine. I found the layout of the template a bit naff so just reworked it in a sensible manner and made sure I had covered everything they wanted to see. Remember, the operations manual just tells the CAA where you are going to operate, and how you are going to do it safely (public, ATC's, ATZ's, emergency procedures, control of the operational area, battery/flight logs, ect, ect, ect). It also tells them the specs of your UAS....which cannot change without a flight retest, so make sure your happy with your set-up before going through the exam.
I remember Andre telling us that you should remain at the firmware version you test with, and not upgrade unless you want to retest. I have a hard time seeing how they would enforce that though.

 

[macc]

Thanks Blacksail, would you need to include the manual for the flight controller, in my case WKM? Are you not able to even change props for heavier cameras after the test?

 

[Blacksails]

Thanks Blacksail, would you need to include the manual for the flight controller, in my case WKM? Are you not able to even change props for heavier cameras after the test?

You don't need to include the manual, just specs on the wkm. What wind speed and temperatures it's rated to handle, stuff like that.

 

[CrashMaster]

Blacksails
I'm booked in for the 20/21st BNUC part 1. I've the handbook now and will be reading it cover to cover this weekend. I've BMFA Cover for now and have been qouted around £900 for insurance to cover me for the CAA permission to fly tick box. Wonder if anyone else can advice a better insurance deal?

Glidetech,
How did it go.....?

As for insurance, I have found the same problem but already have BMFA insurance so am assuming that as the test will not be for any commercial use this will cover. Although I have no intentions of crashing so will not need it :dread:, fingers crossed. I have tried to get insurance but before qualifying they will not cover.

 

[plingboot]

i remember Andre telling us that you should remain at the firmware version you test with, and not upgrade unless you want to retest. I have a hard time seeing how they would enforce that though.

We had a l o n g conversation about this and I think the general consensus was that, if you carefully worded your OM with regard to firmware updates - which in some cases might be required by the mfr, and adequately described a test procedure for checking air worthiness after said update, then you'd pretty much cover your self.

I assume the more expensive turnkey set-ups probably have far fewer on-going update requirements, but more top end hobby stuff like MK, WKM, HF etc are still growing and the OM protocol needs to adapt too, to reflect that requirement.

Just my two penneth

 

[Blacksails]

We had a l o n g conversation about this and I think the general consensus was that, if you carefully worded your OM with regard to firmware updates - which in some cases might be required by the mfr, and adequately described a test procedure for checking air worthiness after said update, then you'd pretty much cover your self.

I assume the more expensive turnkey set-ups probably have far fewer on-going update requirements, but more top end hobby stuff like MK, WKM, HF etc are still growing and the OM protocol needs to adapt too, to reflect that requirement.

Just my two penneth

Interesting, thanks plingboot. I did try and carefully word the OM for such things and it went through without a hitch, so I guess I'm good for future updates. I'm still on very old WKM firmware anyway, flys beautifully and I don't trust any of the newer firmwares.

 

[CrashMaster]

I can't imagine that the CAA would allow any jumbo to fly with old firmware/software when new software is available. Especially where there is enhanced safety or improved functionality. I would have thought that anyone who failed to update may be in more danger of clashing swords with the CAA than those who do. Although putting the machine through it's paces in a safe field would be a very sensible precaution, which the CAA would, I have no doubt, approve of.

 

[plingboot]

A case in point is the distance limiter in the latest version of the WKM firmware. Having an additional safe guard to keep you well inside 'the bubble' must be a worthwhile addition to any OM's list of safety features.

 

[CrashMaster]

Good point well made plingboot.... The CAA would be mad if they prevented licensed pilots from updating because of the cost of re-examination.

Mind you are talking about Civil Servants and common sense was never one of the recruiting officers pre-requisites.

If a large organisation or company were to decide to update they can, presumably, weather extra costs, but sole traders have to pay everything out of their own beer money and not just fill in a requisition slip.

 

[el gwiz]

Hi Blacksails, ref: insurance . Your recreational flying ( BMFA )insurance is not considered sufficient for the purposes of the flight exam, John Heath insurance is a well known provider of UAS insurance for professionals and you will need to get this once your flight exam date has been booked, that way you will be closer to operating professionally when it will be a mandatory requirement.

Don't worry about the Ops Manual, I did and it wasn't necessary. BUNC send you a template after you pass the ground school exam and you fill in the blanks. That's not to say it's produced overnight; it has taken me several weeks so far and I'm not finished yet.

Most importantly, you won't start on your Ops Manual straight away. Do the Ground School Course ( ( 2 Days ) first , get your result ( usually only days after ) , celebrate then start your manual. Koral at BNUC is very helpful and you can ask her anything; she has put my mind at rest on several occasions. In fact everyone at BNUC is helpful and are there to help you succeed. John Moreland was the instructor on my course and he has an excellent and well informed delivery. It's two days but full-on with no let up; having said that it was one of the most enjoyable courses that I've been on.

So, good luck, make that booking and go for it.

el gwiz

 

[Blacksails]

Hi El Gwiz. I passed my exam in 2012 and have been operating since. I just renewed for this year coming. I'm insured with John Heath too.

 

[CrashMaster]

Hi Blacksails, ref: insurance . Your recreational flying ( BMFA )insurance is not considered sufficient for the purposes of the flight exam.....
So, good luck, make that booking and go for it.

Why is the BMFA insurance not OK until you have your pilots licence you are a hobbyist? That is unless you work for someone or a corporation that is.

Don't worry about the Ops Manual, I did and it wasn't necessary. BUNC send you a template after you pass the ground school exam and you fill in the blanks. That's not to say it's produced overnight; it has taken me several weeks so far and I'm not finished yet.

I passed ground school in March and have had no template, help or assistance from EuroUAS and was even discouraged, while on the course, from even applying as a 'One man band' would not be approved. I got the impression that all they wanted were large setups consisting of a team of people as in a corporate setup and don't like 'tin pot' individuals like me.

Koral at BNUC is very helpful and you can ask her anything; she has put my mind at rest on several occasions.

I may have to give Koral a ring and ask if their position has changed.

I am in contact with a couple of people who run solo but were approved before EuroUAS persuaded everyone the only way is their way and line their pockets with my cash. They are all worried that they now have to go through EuroUAS to get their licences renewed.

EuroUAS's position is no doubt very cosy for their directors and the CAA but it appears to excludes individuals from starting up their own corporations unless they are loaded or mummy and daddy are loaded and start of with a ready made company employing a field full of staff. Whilst on my course there were a couple of lads there who claimed to have laid out over £70,000 in kit before even doing ground school..... Nice if you have it but not if you don't - a bit like life.

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

Try ResourceUAS. Their RPQ-S qualification fills in a lot of the blanks left out by EuroUSC. They help with your operations manual (which you don't even need for the flight test!) and the price is all inclusive (£1300). The course is a bit longer (3 days) and they are long days with only a few breaks. The teachers are ex military drone pilots and really know their stuff. They love answering questions and we spend half the time asking everything under the sun. They all went through the BNUC-S course also so know what that entails. The flight test is a proper one lasting for a few hours or more. And yes, one man bands are just fine!

Apparently 70% of people who go through the ground school with EuroUSC don't continue to the flight assessment. I was one of those and it was the ops manual which held me up. I did one but had no guidance as too if it was correct or not.

Just letting you know that there is more than one option now.

 

[RC Flying]

I did the BNUC-S last year and we got given a template for the Ops Manual. I filled it out and sent it in, and they sent a back a few times with suggestions corrections and alterations until I had it right, then did the flight test soon after - about a month after the ground school. A colleague of mine did the same thing a few weeks ago, going through exactly the same process as I did.

I never got the impression they didn't like smaller outfits. You need at least two people anyway, and there were a few there who would only be operating with two people.