£1,249.00 exc. VAT
Duration 4 Days Flight Time: 2 Hours* Categories: Rotorcraft or Aeroplane
Take your piloting to the next level with EEI’s UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) accredited Remote Pilot Certificate – Level 1 (RPC-L1).
Are you passionate about flying? Do you dream of operating Uncrewed Aircraft (UA) commercially and helping drive forward this rapidly expanding and innovative industry? The RPC-L1 is your essential first step. This qualification, developed in line with the UK’s Future of Flight policy, provides you with the foundational knowledge and skills to operate safely and legally in progressively complex environments.
The RPC-L1 is more than just a qualification; it’s a gateway to a professional career in the rapidly expanding world of uncrewed aviation and will replace the current General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) in due course. Here’s what sets it apart:
The course curriculum is designed to be efficient and relevant, maximising the benefits of our proven face-to-face learning approach, focusing on the core competencies needed for Visual Line of Sight operations.
*In line with UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Acceptable Means of Compliance AMC1 Article 8(2) (Remote Pilot Competence), a minimum two (2) hours of practical flight training is included within the course fee prior to assessment.
If, in the reasonable opinion of the instructor and/or the candidate, the required competency standard has not yet been achieved, additional flight training may be required. This is not included in the course fee and may be booked on a per‑hour basis or as a half‑day/full-day flight training package, subject to availability and prevailing rates.
Additional training is provided solely to support competency development and does not guarantee assessment readiness or success. The Company accepts no liability for assessment outcomes or any costs arising from additional training requirements.
RPC-L1: Entry-level Specific Category certificate (VLOS). Valid for 5-years.
This course will be run at EEI HQ in Lincolnshire. The address is Building B, West Central, Runcorn Rd, Lincoln, LN6 3QP. View directions. If you are taking the residential option, we will accommodate you in a nearby hotel.
EEI are one of the longest running UK CAA accredited Recognised Assessment Entities (RAE) and take great pride in our reputation for excellence having delivered the highest quality of drone training for over a decade.
Our RPC-L1 course can be delivered for either Rotorcraft or Aeroplane categories and covers a comprehensive range of topics, ensuring you have a solid understanding of all aspects of remote piloting. Course deliverables include:
The EEI RPC-L1 course includes:
Theoretical Knowledge Instruction: Classroom based delivery covering all the essential topics, culminating in a multi-choice assessment.
Practical Flight Training: Hands-on experience to develop your piloting skills, providing you a minimum of 2-hours of flying over the duration of the course, culminating in a practical flight assessment.
Exemptions: Holders of a valid GVC will also benefit from an exemption from the RPC-L1 theoretical knowledge examination, provided that EEI (as the RAE) is satisfied this is appropriate.
To embark on your RPC-L1 journey, you’ll need to have:
1. Completed the Open category online training material: (https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/individual/prepare-for-the-drone-theory-test).
2. You must pass the CAA’s official online theory test to get a flyer ID.
We want every learner to feel supported on our drone courses. If you have any learning difficulties or require additional support, please let us know before your course begins. This helps us make any reasonable adjustments you may need, such as extra time, alternative materials, or tailored learning support.
All information is treated confidentially and used only to ensure you have the best possible training experience.
The Remote Pilot Certificate Level 1, (RPC-L1), is the CAA’s new baseline certification for drone pilots operating in the Specific Category. It is designed around the UK SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) framework, ensuring pilots are trained in modern risk management. The older GVC (General Visual Line of Sight Certificate) is being phased out, with no new GVC certifications issued after December 31, 2027.
No, we provide a dedicated GVC to RPC-L1 Bridging Course. As you already hold a valid GVC, you can refresh the theoretical training and focus upon the practical flight training (minimum 2 hours) and the flight skills assessment to get your new qualification. (GVC to RPC-L1 Bridging Course – Eagle Eye Innovations)
The RPC-L1 training course typically takes 4 days to complete, including both theoretical instruction and hands-on flight training.
The course includes:
All designed to ensure safe, compliant drone operations in real-world environments.
The course includes a minimum of 2 hours of practical flight training before your flight assessment. Additional training may be required if competency standards are not yet met.
The standard RPC-L1 certifies you for Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) operations under a CAA Operational Authorisation. When paired with a standard scenario authorization like UKPDRA-01, it allows you to fly drones up to 25kg, up to 120m (400ft) above ground level, including operations within congested or populated areas.
Yes. The RPC-L1 is part of the new CAA Remote Pilot Competency framework and is expected to replace the General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) as the standard qualification for drone pilots. The CAA will no longer issue the GVC from December 2027. Any GVC’s issued prior to this date will remain valid but will need to be converted to RPC-L1 via a bridging course prior to its expiry. Should your GVC expire you will need to complete the full RPC-L1 course.
The core RPC-L1 course qualifies you in a specific unmanned aircraft category—either Rotorcraft (multi-rotors) or Aeroplane (fixed-wing). However, if you complete the full course in one category, Eagle Eye Innovations offers an internal bridging pathway that allows you to add the second category by completing just the specific practical flight training and assessment, with no need to retrain or test on theory.
No prior experience is required. This is an entry-level drone pilot course designed to teach you everything from the ground up.
There is no official minimum age required by the CAA to complete the training, though candidates must hold a valid UK CAA Flyer ID. To maintain the certificate’s validity, you must adhere to a flight currency requirement; logging at least 2 hours of live flight time every 90 days.
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You need to have an RPC-L1 Aeroplane qualification to begin this course, as this will build upon the fundamentals of fixed wing flying to convert you to type on our impressive DeltaQuad Evo RPAS. What’s more, you will also learn how to use the exceptional Auterion Mission Planner, which is the brains of the operation when using DeltaQuad. This is a VLOS course only, although we have the ability to further expand on this into the BVLOS environment, provided the correct regulatory approvals are established. Experience this cutting-edge VTOL RPAS now and let us show you how it can further benefit your operations.
Our new 1-day Observers course is designed to expand your RPAS crewing capabilities and de-risk more complex operations through the provision of professionally qualified RPAS safety observers. Utilising proven aviation standards and procedures, our professional and
experienced instructors will guide you through the fundamentals of Crew Resource Management, crew communications, RPAS control and coordination and give you the practical experience you need to maximise the benefits of your RPAS for VLOS operations and beyond.
If you hold a valid GVC and want to convert to an RPC-L1 qualification in the same category of UAS, under the CAA you are exempt from conducting the theory elements of the course and may progress directly to the practical elements. Therefore, you simply need to book
onto either our conversion course or the practical days of a full RPC-L1 course (provided there is capacity to fit you in). This will provide you with the minimum of 2-hours flight instruction before you attempt the flight assessment. Proof of GVC validity will be required prior to conducting the training.
This course is designed to qualify you in either Rotorcraft or Aeroplane, noting that you only need to conduct the practical aspects of the course, provided you have successfully passed the full Level 1 course in the other discipline.
(Please note this does not include conversion onto our DeltaQuad platform; that is a bespoke course in its own right).
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