Regulatory Services and OSCs

An OSC enabled drone operators to go beyond Standard Permissions (including BVLOS flights) - expanding capabilities and providing a competitive edge.

However, as of April 2025, the OSC methodology has been replaced by UK SORA. For more details, visit our dedicated UK SORA page.

heliguy™'s in-house regulatory specialists will help operators obtain permissions under UK SORA and help with the transition from OSC to UK SORA.

Our team helped 30+ clients obtain OSCs, with a track record including permissions for EVLOS operations and flights up to 1,000ft altitude.

heliguy™ also obtained permission from the UK CAA to conduct BVLOS drone-in-a-box operations with the DJI Dock ecosystem in atypical air environments - and can work with organisations to conduct remote and automated operations on their behalf. For more details, contact us.

We will use our OSC experience to help you build ambitious, compliant, and safe operations under the new UK SORA methodology.

An OSC was a complex, three-volume operations manual, submitted to the UK CAA that enabled pilots to operate outside of the parameters of UK PDRA-01 within the Specific Category.

An OSC was required for numerous operational procedures, such as:

• Flying less than 50m from uninvolved people or less than 50m horizontally from crowds of people.

• Flying less than 50m from uninvolved buildings / property.

• Flying more than 400ft in altitude.

• Flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), such as operations with DJI Docks.

• Flying a drone weighing more than 25kg, such as DJI FlyCart 30.

This methodology has now been replaced by UK SORA - which stands for Specific Operations Risk Assessment.

It is important to note that valid OSC-based Operational Authorisations will remain valid until their expiry date.

Like the OSC, UK SORA is designed for operations that want to go beyond a UK PDRA-01 Operational Authorisation, covering missions such as BVLOS, flying above 400ft, flying close to people, and swarm operations.

And just like the OSC before it, having a UK SORA-based Operational Authorisation enhances mission capabilities, provides competitive edge, and demonstrates a level of industry expertise which can potentially lead to more lucrative job contracts.

Operators were required to submit a bulk of information to the UK CAA to obtain an OSC and the heliguy™ OSC consultancy helped operators prepare this documentation. When it came to the OSC, this information needed to be presented across three volumes:

• Operations Manual: Comprehensive summary covering aspects such as the type of operation, emergency response plan, operational procedures, and company safety policy.

• UAS Systems: In-depth submission about the aircraft(s) being used.

• Safety Risk Assessment: Submit detailed information about the safety risks associated with the operation.

Under UK SORA - which has replaced the OSC - operators are still required to submit information to the UK CAA, and heliguy™ can help with this.

UK SORA focuses on core concepts such as operational volume; ground risk; air risk; SAIL Level; Containment Level; Operational Safety Objectives; and how operators plan to comply.

UK SORA introduces a risk-based, scalable, and internationally-recognised methodology and is designed to bring numerous benefits over the OSC process, including a more consistent approach that applies quantitative metrics to assess risks systematically.

The heliguy™ OSC consultancy streamlined the process of creating a bespoke OSC, tailored to your needs. This level of service will continue but under the UK SORA framework.

Our experienced in-house consultants save you time in building effective, ambitious, and compliant applications. They will help you submit new UK SORA applications, and also support those operators who are transitioning from an OSC to a UK SORA-based Operational Authorisation.

Access constant support and advice, including a mentoring and review service prior to submission to the CAA, as well as a project manager to provide updates.

The heliguy™ OSC consultancy helped clients achieve permissions such as single pilot operations to 1,000ft altitude; EVLOS operations to a maximum range of 3,000m; and heavy lift OSCs for up to 101kg. We will harness this experience and track record to develop UK SORA applications.

The heliguy™ OSC consultancy had a multi-step approach – with support throughout the process. We will emulate this for UK SORA applications.

1. Consultation: We'll discuss your aspirations and expectations during a discovery call, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. If you don't need an OSC - now UK SORA - for your operations, we won't tell you to pursue this route.

2. Proposal: If an OSC - now UK SORA - is appropriate, you will receive a free no-obligation quotation and a statement of work. Once you are happy, you can move onto step three - building your application with heliguy™ by your side.

3. Build Your OSC: We'll help you build an application that is tailored to your operations, making it as flexible as it needs to be. Your project manager will keep you updated throughout.

4. Submit to UK CAA: We will review your proposal before it is submitted to the CAA.

heliguy™ has an Operational Authorisation to perform BVLOS drone-in-a-box missions with the DJI Dock ecosystem and can work with enterprise organisations to conduct remote and automated operations on their behalf.

Missions can be conducted in atypical air environments - based on drones flying at low heights.

The process will involve our pilots operating the Dock remotely from either the Remote Operations Control Centre (ROCC) at heliguy™ HQ, or from the heliguy™ Drone Command Unit with a fully-equipped mobile control room.

It enables organisations to benefit from remote and automated data capture and accelerate their adoption of drone-in-a-box technology.

heliguy™ regulatory specialists can also work with organisations to help them obtain their own permissions for BVLOS Dock operations.

For more details, contact us.