CLOUDVISUAL CAA DRONE LICENCE

To legally operate drones for commercial purposes in UK airspace, pilots must hold an Operational Authorisation (formerly PFCO) or a General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC). Additionally, commercial operators must obtain the A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) to comply with updated drone weight class regulations.

These authorisations, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), define what drone flights each operator can legally conduct, in accordance with their approved Operations Manual.

When hiring a drone operator, it is essential to verify their CAA registration and licensing. This isn’t just paperwork, it confirms that the pilot has passed rigorous written and practical exams (RPQ-s or BNUCs) and operates under a CAA-approved manual detailing their legal flight limits.

What Our Operational Authorisation Allows

Our current authorisation is PDRA01-25498, issued by the CAA on 22 April 2026 and valid until 6 May 2027. It covers unmanned aircraft below 25kg, at any location in the UK, 24 hours a day. Our operator ID is GBR-OP-XTKXTSDDHX6B and our Operations Manual is at version 7.2.

The distance that governs a shoot is the 50m we hold from uninvolved people, reduced to 30m for take-off and landing. That is what lets us work on sites in towns, on industrial estates and alongside housing rather than standing well back from them.

What that means on a job:

• We hold 50m separation from uninvolved people, reduced to 30m for take-off and landing. Our A2 Certificate of Competency brings that down to 5m with a suitable aircraft in low-speed mode, which is what makes filming in a busy street or a working site possible.
• We fly up to 120m (400ft) above the surface. Where a structure is taller than 105m we can go 15m above it, provided the person in charge of that structure has asked us to, and we stay within 50m of it horizontally.
• Sites in towns, on industrial estates and alongside housing are open to us, rather than needing a large standoff.
• We fly at night as well as in daylight, under the night procedures in our Operations Manual.
• Every flight stays within visual line of sight and within 500m of the pilot.

Airspace restrictions still apply on top of all of this. Flight Restriction Zones around airports, along with restricted, prohibited and danger areas, need permission before we can enter them, and we handle that as part of planning a shoot.

GVC, Operational Authorisation and A2 CofC Are Not The Same Thing

These three get used interchangeably and they do different jobs. The GVC is the qualification a remote pilot holds, earned by passing theory and practical assessments. The Operational Authorisation is the permission the CAA grants to the operator, the company, and it sets out what that company may actually do and ties it to an Operations Manual the CAA has approved. The A2 Certificate of Competency is a separate pilot qualification covering flight closer to uninvolved people.

An operator needs all three to carry out the work described above. A pilot holding a GVC with no Operational Authorisation behind them is flying in the Open category and cannot work to the 50m separation this authorisation allows, however good that pilot is.

What To Ask For Before You Book

Ask for the Operational Authorisation itself rather than a logo on a website. It names the operator, carries an authorisation number and an expiry date, and lists the conditions that operator has to work within. Check the expiry date is in the future, and check the company named on it is the company you are hiring rather than a subcontractor you have not met.

Ask for the insurance certificate at the same time and check it complies with EC 785/2004, which is a legal requirement for commercial drone work and not optional. Ours are linked at the top of this page, and we will send the originals across on request.

Using an unlicensed operator can compromise safety and put your production at risk. CloudVisual guarantees fully legal, insured, and CAA-certified drone operations, delivering safe and professional aerial services to the highest industry standards.