A certificate you cannot evidence quickly is weaker than most operators think.
RPC-L1 proves a level of remote pilot competence. But in a real business, the certificate is only one item in a wider evidence pack.
Clients may ask for it. Insurers may ask for it. Procurement teams may ask for it. The CAA may ask for records connected to it.
If your evidence is scattered across email inboxes, pilots’ phones and old folders, you are creating unnecessary risk.
What is an RPC-L1 evidence pack?
An RPC-L1 evidence pack is a structured set of documents and records showing that your pilots are competent, current and operating under the right authorisation.
It should include:
- RPC-L1 certificate
- Flyer ID
- Aircraft category
- Certificate expiry date
- Flight currency evidence
- Aircraft-specific training
- Role-specific training
- Operational Authorisation reference
- Operations Manual reference
- Flight logs
- Maintenance records
- Site survey records
- Risk assessments
- Incident and occurrence records where relevant
Why evidence matters
The CAA’s PDRA01 overview states that the UAS Operator must maintain records of each flight made under the Operational Authorisation and make such records available to the CAA on request. It also states that the CAA may ask to see the operations manual and supporting records, such as aircraft technical logs and flight logs, at any time.
That should change behaviour.
Evidence is not something you build after a problem. It is something you maintain before anyone asks.
What the Operations Manual should connect to
The CAA’s PDRA01 Operations Manual guidance includes qualification, role training, currency and competency. It also includes site procedures, pre-flight procedures, emergency procedures, maintenance, logs and records, site survey forms and pre-flight briefing forms.
That tells operators what a serious evidence pack should look like.
It is not just the certificate. It is the connected operating picture.
Build your evidence pack around five layers
1. Pilot identity and certification
Store Flyer ID, RPC-L1 certificate, certificate date, expiry date and aircraft category.
2. Currency and experience
Keep recent flight activity and operational experience in a central system.
3. Aircraft and role training
Record aircraft-specific training, payload training, site role and any specialist procedures.
4. Authorisation and procedures
Link the pilot to the relevant Operational Authorisation and Operations Manual procedures.
5. Operational records
Keep site surveys, flight logs, maintenance logs, risk assessments and briefings retrievable.
How this helps commercially
A strong evidence pack helps you:
- Respond faster to tenders
- Reassure procurement teams
- Support insurance discussions
- Reduce audit stress
- Identify training gaps early
- Avoid relying on pilot memory
- Standardise operations across teams
- Demonstrate maturity to clients
That is why evidence is not admin. It is a commercial asset.
The tender response advantage
When a buyer asks “are your pilots qualified?”, most suppliers answer with a certificate.
A stronger operator answers with:
“Our pilots hold RPC-L1 Part A or accepted equivalent competence where required. We maintain Flyer IDs, certificate expiry records, recent flight logs, aircraft training, Operational Authorisation references, site surveys and maintenance records in a central evidence pack.”
That is a much harder answer to compete against.
Common evidence pack mistakes
Avoid:
- Keeping records only with individual pilots
- Failing to track expiry dates
- Recording flights inconsistently
- Treating aircraft-specific training as informal
- Not linking competence to authorisation
- Waiting for an audit before tidying records
- Forgetting GVC holders in the transition plan
FAQs
It should include the RPC-L1 certificate, Flyer ID, expiry date, aircraft category, recent flight records, role training, aircraft-specific training, OA reference and relevant operational records.
Yes. The CAA states it may ask to see supporting records such as aircraft technical logs and flight logs.
Yes. Existing GVCs may still be relevant until expiry where the OA accepts them, so they should be tracked alongside RPC-L1 records.
A named operational, safety or compliance owner should maintain it.
Coptrz can support the training route and help organisations think through how RPC-L1 sits inside a wider compliance and capability structure.
If you are training pilots through RPC-L1, build the evidence pack at the same time. Coptrz can help you train pilots properly and structure the competence evidence that clients, insurers and regulators expect to see.
Author bio:
Simon Harris is Managing Director of Coptrz, supporting UK drone operators with training, compliance and scalable operational capability.
Download Our FREE RPC-L1 Guide
Understand everything you need to know about moving towards commercial drone operations with our RPC-L1 guide.
- Understand what RPC-L1 is and who it is for
- Learn how the CAA transition impacts operators and training routes
- Get a clear breakdown of requirements, costs and next steps
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