Andy Coulson has been a photographer since he was six, and a light-aircraft pilot since he was 17. He obtained his PfCO during 2020 with Phantom Flight School. Being able to combine flying with photography, along with a love of travel, landscapes, and general tech gizmodery makes Andy very happy !
There are a number of locations Andy flies drones from east of Edinburgh. Beach and shoreline flying give wide open spaces and easy flying conditions – we are often the only people on the beach.
Our lessons are always one-to-one with one of our expert, fully PFCO-qualified and insured drone pilots to give you the best possible drone experience. In an hour, we can help you to be a safe drone pilot. After two hours, you will come away knowing:
- The less well known but important features of the DJI Go App
- What to focus on when you are flying
- Our unique 4:4:3 methodology for flying safely and enjoyably
- The ten most common reasons people crash, and how to avoid them
- How to answer the crucial questions “Can I fly here” and “Should I fly here”
- And of course, you will have done plenty of hands-on flying
Book a two-hour lesson and bring a friend or family member free of charge
Flight School – Edinburgh
£120 for 1hr, £200 for 2hrs
one-to-one with one of our expert pilots
Fly Like a Pro, Film Like a Pro
We want all of our clients to be able to Fly Like a Pro, and Film Like a Pro. Having a lesson with us is the best start you can make on your drone adventure. We all know that to learn a foreign language, you are going to need some lessons. The same is true of drones. DJI are right when they say that anyone can fly one of their drones straight out of the box. But we meet very few self-taught drone pilots who fly as well, as safely, or as effectively as we can show you how to. Whether you are a complete beginner, or a seasoned drone pilot, you will enjoy your flying far more having had a lesson; confident that you have the skills and knowledge you need to fly safely and effectively every time. That is the crucial first step to getting the most spectacular video and still photos with your drone. And that is the lasting joy of flying a drone.
Lessons are generally split roughly 50:50 between theory and practical, hands-on flying. This can be adapted to suit your particular interests: whether you are more interested in hands-on flying, or in understanding the DJI Go app, or knowing more about the route to becoming a Commercial Drone Pilot, for example.
During your lesson, you can fly your own drone (we support all DJI and Yuneec drones), or you can fly one of our DJI drones.
Note that drones are not waterproof. So we cannot fly in the rain. If it looks as though it might rain on the date and time of your lesson, we will contact you a few days beforehand to reschedule your lesson. If we cannot find an alternative date and time to suit you, we will give you a full refund.
Buy a drone worth more than £750 from us, and get a one-hour flying lesson, worth £120, free of charge.
Not sure about buying a drone? Come and fly one of our DJI drones. If you buy a drone within 30 days of having a lesson with us, we’ll deduct the £120 cost of a one-hour lesson from the price of the drone.
Jacqueline Neill –
My son and I had a 2 hour lesson with Gordon and we both found it very informative. We had both flown drones for a while but totally self taught. It was great to get lots of hints and tips on some of the more advanced flying techniques and features of our drones. Thoroughly recommend.
Alistair Hall –
I wanted to let you know that I had a lesson with Gordon Melrose. Gordon was very professional, engaging and made the experience a very good one. 10/10!
Jim Wallace –
Had a very enjoyable and informative afternoon on my lesson with Gordon. Having never flown a drone before he took me through all the steps clearly and logically and by the end of the lesson I was flying solo. Many thanks
Khalid (verified owner) –
Helpful training Nice and friendly pilot thank you.
William Taylor (verified owner) –
Brilliant! Great fun! I had a great lesson with Gordon Melrose near Edinburgh, he was a great teacher who was very informative and knew how to make you feel at ease and get the most from your lesson. Five star!
David Carrick –
Hi Gordon
Just a quick note to thank you for your patience and clarity of explanation on Friday 10 May. I had never flown a drone and was very keen to learn how to do so safely and legally. You gave really clear tuition before the flight that set the scene very effectively. The handout was very useful and the check list will be laminated for future use. I have flown the drone since and felt confident but not complacent.
Your lesson was well balanced and pitched at just the right level for beginners. Your offer of answering questions that might arise is appreciated.
Many thanks for all your advice and good luck for the future.
David
Steve T (store manager) –
Just a short message to say I had my first lesson with Gordon on Friday and it was really good. I was a total beginner but with Gordon’s tuition I soon got the hang of it. He also provided me with sites to support my learning so a successful 2 hours. Thanks Steve
geoff.hirst (verified owner) –
I recently had the pleasure of 3 hours worth of training from Gordon Melrose. I felt having having bought a Phantom 4 Pro from PFS it was worth having some training. It did not disappoint. What I learned in those 3 hours I probably would have taken months to learn on my own. Also, the PFS Flying system begins to become apparent and I am looking forward to undertaking my PfCO in the near future. I have found both Alan and Gordon eager to answer any questions I have had and I strongly recommend this training and more importantly this company to anyone considering getting involved in Drone flight.
Andrew R (store manager) –
Hi Alan,
I had a very good lesson with Gordon on Sunday – thanks to both for that.
Regards,
Andrew
Fred H (store manager) –
Hi Gordon
Just wanted to say a big thank you for your first class tuition with regards to flying the Mavic Air on Friday 27th April. Thank you also for your patience in teaching me how to control the drone. I now have the confidence to go out and practice the skills you showed me and I will soon progress to taking photographs and videos.
Thanks again
Fred