RPAS Training Academy

About US

We are a trusted partner of Drone Ops.

Our Mission is to provide our clients with premium drone pilot training that will propel them into the future of the Drone Technology space. The RPAS Training Team are a group of young, dynamic people who are passionate about conveying the latest Drone Training expertise with their clients.

RPAS TRAINING ACADEMY

What we stand for

Since the start of RPAS Training Academy, we have held a reputation of presenting a high standard in both Drone theory and practical flying as well as providing our clients with every opportunity to succeed during their drone training journey.

Having the privilege of training esteemed industry players over the past 5 years, we take pride in knowing that once our clients have successfully completed our training, they are fully equipped to operate competently in their respective fields.

Our Values

9Customer Excellence
9Absolute Unit
9Full Throttle
9Always Authentic
9Raise the Bar
9Flare of Care

Practical Flying

Theoretical Subjects

Simulator Training

Mock Skills Test

DFE SKILLS TEST

RPAS TRAINING ACADEMY

Our team

Damian Ehrke

Head of Aviation and Compliance

9Experience Manned aviation flight instructor and former unmanned chief flight instructor which paved the way for Damian to specialise as the Head of Aviation and compliance.
9Qualified as an aviation auditor, Aviation Quality Assurance, Safety Management and Drone Pilot with BVLOS, CTR Airspace.

Jonathan Vieira

Head of Training

9Been in the Aviation industry for the past 8 years of which 3 yours has been in the RPAS industry.
9I have been involved in Training throughout my aviation career and have over 300hours of RPAS instruction time on both Fixed wing and Multi rotor drones.

Shane Sutherland

Chief Flight Instructor

950 hours agricultural experience for NDVI and plant counting. 130 hours security experience for surveillance.

Charl Ihlenfeldt

Youth Hub Manager

9Passionate about training and managing effective programs that ensure a high success rate which is aligned to organisational requirements.
9Military background and leadership enthusiast.

Silindile Msimang

Training Co-Ordinator

9Exceptionally helpful and assists clients with arranging their training.
9Silindile has been with RPAS for 4 years.

RPAS TRAINING ACADEMY

Objectives

To be the preferred Drone Training Partner of the industry and provide a high calibre of Remote Pilot Training.
RPAS Training Academy offers our clients an exclusive experience by offering free simulator training and mock evaluations before clients’ tests so they feel confident and well-prepared through each step of the process of obtaining their remote pilot license.

At the inception of BVLOS Training, RPAS Training Academy was the first Aviation Training Organisation to offer the industry a two-week BVLOS course and thereafter received permission to shorten the course to a five-day process.

We are also one of the few drone training organisations who offer an Aeroplane training category and have added VTOL BVLOS to the offerings list to advance our clients’ career paths.

RPAS TRAINING ACADEMY

Milestones

01

9RPAS Training Academy started in 2015 with the SACAA accreditation ATO CAA/0379.
9Our goal is to be the leader in ‘Drone’ training in South Africa and abroad.

02

9We where approved by the SACAA to conduct training towards the RPAS Instructors Rating.
9RPAS Training Academy only utilizes experienced Instructors with extensive manned and unmanned experience to conduct this training.

03

9We became the first ATO to be approved to conduct training in KwaZulu-Natal.

04

9Training is provided in both Multi-Rotor and Aeroplane Categories.

05

9We were the first in South Africa to receive BVLOS training accreditation on 12 April 2018.

06

9Centrally located in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, with international expansion into Africa, with our branch soon to open in Kenya.

07

9At RPAS we have had the privilege of training over 400 students covering both Multi- Rotor and Aeroplane Category.
9We have also trained many instructors and are proud that these numbers continue to grow.

08

9Our students are sought after by industry professionals.
9We also offer exclusive opportunities for our students to become Instructors or Pilots within our organization and sister companies.

09

9Our research and development team are actively involved in many local and international forums, and keep abreast with international training standards.
9Each year we focus on new core elements of training to present to our clients and we look forward to spreading our knowledge throughout the RPAS Industry.