Drone Industry Terms For Beginners

For someone thinking of starting out as a drone operator, sometimes it’s easy to get lost in all the different terms that are used. To add to the confusion for people, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. So, for all you aspiring drone pilots out there - here’s a basic list of all the different terms you should know before starting your drone training.

CASA: The Civil Aviation Safety Authority. This is the Australian Government body that regulates Australian aviation safety. The rules, restrictions and safety guidelines that you must abide by when flying your drone are set out by CASA. Our training curriculum and materials have been reviewed and approved by CASA.

You can learn more about CASA here.

Drone: Well, this is an obvious one. But sometimes a Drone can be referred to as an RPA/RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System), this is the term currently recognised by CASA. Another expression that can refer to a Drone is UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), but this term is less commonly used and not recognised by CASA. There are other international terms to refer to a drone, but these are the main ones used in Australia.

FPV Drone: You may have heard this one come up a bit, and with time it'll become even more common. FPV (First Person View) Drone is a type of RPAS that uses its onboard camera to transmit live video to the operator, typically to goggles that the operator would be wearing. There's a few CASA rules around flying FPV Drones that you can read about here.

ARN: An Aviation Reference Number, you obtain this by applying to CASA. You cannot complete an RePL course without an ARN. This number is just a unique ID for CASA to identify you when communicating to them.

Need to get a CASA ARN? Follow the instructions on the page here.

RePL: This is the abbreviation for Remote Pilot Licence. This is a licence issued by CASA upon successful completion of our RePL courses. The Sub 7kg RePL is standard, but can also be upgraded to  Sub 25kg. The Sub 7kg or Sub 25kg weight rating simply means that is the maximum weight of the drone that you are allowed to fly using your RePL.

The Sub 7kg RePL allows you to:

• fly drones over 2kg  and up to 7kg for commercial purposes
• fly any drone up to 7kg outside of CASA’s Standard Operating Conditions (with appropriate CASA approvals)

You can learn more about obtaining an RePL here.

An RePL holder can only fly drones above 2kg and up to 7kg (or up to 25kg with an Endorsement) if they are flying under a ReOC.

ReOC: This is a Remote Operator’s Certificate. To legally fly and operate as a licensed remote pilot offering commercial drone services you must fly under a company (or your own ABN) ReOC. Multiple individual RePLs can fly under one ReOC. As a ReOC holder you can also apply to CASA for additional permissions and approvals to conduct more complex drone operations outside of the standard operating conditions such as flying at night, in close proximity to the public, and flying in restricted airspace.

If you'd like to know more, check out our ReOC page for more information.

AROC: An AROC is an Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate. The AROC certifies you to communicate from the ground on an aviation radio frequency whilst operating in proximity of aerodromes, controlled airspace or around manned aircraft.

You can find out more about AROC here.

We hope the above helped clarify some points for you. All our course packages are flexible based on your requirements - you can see them all here, or get in touch with us to discuss your requirements or if you have any further questions.