The figures were revealed by the Island’s Director of Civil Aviation, Gus Paterson, in his annual review.
In the report, Mr Paterson says that there has been a steady rise in the popularity of drones, which are also known as small unmanned aircraft (SUAs).
Only a handful of commercial licences were issued in 2014, with even fewer the year before. Until recently, commercial drone pilots had to train in the UK in order to qualify for their Permission for Aerial Work certificate, awarded by the Director of Civil Aviation. But Jersey Airport’s air traffic control team this year launched a new course to enable pilots to train in the Island.
Training is open to anyone in the Channel Islands aged over 18 and involves a distance-learning module, half a day of flight assessment and two days of ‘ground school’ learning theory.
