Clarifying RPL and ROC requirements

[Kgotso_Koete]

Hi Everyone

I am interested in starting a drone arial photography business. I did some research on the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) website and found that I need to get a Remote Pilot's Licence (RPL) and work in an organisation that has a Remote Operator's Certificate (ROC).

I was hoping to get your advice on 3 questions:
1. The SACAA website says the following... "Prior to making any application with SACAA, you will be required to obtain aviation training at an approved training organisation (ATO)". Is this really mandatory? I ask because these training organisations quote course fees like R50k that are appropriate but just unaffordable for me. I am wondering if I could make this cheaper by eliminating the middleman ATO.

2. If I wanted to control the revenue I make, then I would have to acquire Remote Operator's Certificate (ROC), which can easily take 6 months and cost over R100k. My other option is to find an organisation that has a Remote Operator's Certificate (ROC) and share my revenue with them. Is all of this true?

3. Which Approved training organisation (ATO) would you recommend near Johannesburg or Pretoria?

I taught myself how to code, built software for fun and freelancing, and now work as a full-time software developer. I was hoping to teach myself about drones and make some extra money on weekends. To be honest I am shocked by these numbers, it seems that becoming a drone operator is not financially viable for me. Am I missing or misunderstanding something?

How do people get into the drone business with these kinds of costs? Do you have any other advice for me?

Regards

[Shepherd]

Hi Kgotso,

Welcome to the forum!

There isn't a simple, straightforward answer to your questions, but here are a few things to consider:

• If you want to fly drones for photography or videography, the easiest path is to get your RPC (Remote Pilot's Certificate) and then find a UASOC (UAS Operator Certificate) holder (formerly known as ROC) that has an umbrella setup. In this setup, you’d sign on with them and operate commercially under their licenses. It's kind of like freelancing, but keep in mind that they will usually take a percentage of your revenue, which can be a bit painful.

• If you're set on running your own UASOC, you’ll need multiple people to fill key roles within the organization. The process can take years to complete, and it’s very expensive—hundreds of thousands of rands, not to mention the cost of drones that you’ll have to store until you’re able to operate them after all the approvals are in place. You’ll also need to pay for insurance on those drones while they sit idle. Plus, you'll need consultants to help smooth out the process, which will also add to your costs. Even then, you won’t speed up the process much, as the approval timeline is largely dependent on your knowledge and experience.

In short, if you want to start your own aerial operations business, know that it’s a huge undertaking, expensive, and requires a long-term commitment. It’s not impossible, but it is the reality. It’s also not meant to crush your dreams—just trying to give you a heads-up about what you're up against.

To run your own UASOC, you'll need to have a large enough organization to sustain itself, and it will likely lose money for a few years before you even start breaking even or repaying any loans.

Based on what you’ve mentioned, it sounds like you might need some industry experience before diving into this venture. I’d suggest considering the umbrella UASOC companies to start gaining experience. Or possibly even get a flying job at a current operator (once you have your RPC) and gain some experience this way.

Lastly, there are a ton of grants available to help young people get their RPCs, especially in Gauteng. Do some research into those, as they could significantly help with the initial costs of getting your RPC. Once you have that, you can either go the umbrella route or potentially do contract work with larger operators to gain experience and see if the industry is right for you. Then, you can decide how much you want to get involved and how much you want to invest.

Best of luck!
Tim

[Marno]

blah..blah..blahh.. it all goes 360 to the top tier controlling the show... no matter how much money you sink into it.

And no matter how much their propoganda engine hoots it's horns pretending things will change and jobs will be created
They will never split their cake in two let alone 8 ways.

SA drone industry is a pink elephant.

Overseas is where it's at !

[Kgotso_Koete]

Hi Kgotso,

Welcome to the forum!

There isn't a simple, straightforward answer to your questions, but here are a few things to consider:

• If you want to fly drones for photography or videography, the easiest path is to get your RPC (Remote Pilot's Certificate) and then find a UASOC (UAS Operator Certificate) holder (formerly known as ROC) that has an umbrella setup. In this setup, you’d sign on with them and operate commercially under their licenses. It's kind of like freelancing, but keep in mind that they will usually take a percentage of your revenue, which can be a bit painful.

• If you're set on running your own UASOC, you’ll need multiple people to fill key roles within the organization. The process can take years to complete, and it’s very expensive—hundreds of thousands of rands, not to mention the cost of drones that you’ll have to store until you’re able to operate them after all the approvals are in place. You’ll also need to pay for insurance on those drones while they sit idle. Plus, you'll need consultants to help smooth out the process, which will also add to your costs. Even then, you won’t speed up the process much, as the approval timeline is largely dependent on your knowledge and experience.

In short, if you want to start your own aerial operations business, know that it’s a huge undertaking, expensive, and requires a long-term commitment. It’s not impossible, but it is the reality. It’s also not meant to crush your dreams—just trying to give you a heads-up about what you're up against.

To run your own UASOC, you'll need to have a large enough organization to sustain itself, and it will likely lose money for a few years before you even start breaking even or repaying any loans.

Based on what you’ve mentioned, it sounds like you might need some industry experience before diving into this venture. I’d suggest considering the umbrella UASOC companies to start gaining experience. Or possibly even get a flying job at a current operator (once you have your RPC) and gain some experience this way.

Lastly, there are a ton of grants available to help young people get their RPCs, especially in Gauteng. Do some research into those, as they could significantly help with the initial costs of getting your RPC. Once you have that, you can either go the umbrella route or potentially do contract work with larger operators to gain experience and see if the industry is right for you. Then, you can decide how much you want to get involved and how much you want to invest.

Best of luck!
Tim

Hi Tim

Thank you for your advice, this was super helpful and I appreciate it. I did some research on grants after reading your response and found the NSF/FlyFofa Aviation Bursary Programme bursary among others which I will look into. Beggars can't be choosers but I try to avoid anything involving government grant funding, so I will likely just save for the PRC training and license application and start experimenting with drones in a year or so.

I contacted someone at SACAA about whether I could work under someone else's umbrella UASOC and the SACAA representative said that this practice is not permitted. Its strange to hear this from SACAA because what you said is exactly what most people say about UASOCs. I will do more research about umbrella UASOCs

Cheers

[Kgotso_Koete]

blah..blah..blahh.. it all goes 360 to the top tier controlling the show... no matter how much money you sink into it.

And no matter how much their propoganda engine hoots it's horns pretending things will change and jobs will be created
They will never split their cake in two let alone 8 ways.

SA drone industry is a pink elephant.

Overseas is where it's at !

Hi Marno

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this. These regulations are shocking and discouraging. I have seen several comments on the forum about looking for opportunities outside of SA, thanks for this tip, I appreciate it!

Cheers