As you may or may not have heard, as of June 1st, 2019, the laws governing the use of “drones” in Canada has been revamped. This is a busy and exciting time for those of us in the industry, because these new regulations will allow us to do more complicated operations to better serve all of our clients.
Here are some of the important aspects of our new regulations: The official name for what most people call a “drone” in Canada is RPAS or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System. This will likely stay as an industry insider term and it is an accurate description of the technology however, the word “drone” is unlikely to change in general use any time soon. There are now two levels of drone pilot certification available in Canada. With a “Basic” certificate, a drone pilot is allowed to operate any drone between 250g and 25kg as long as they keep certain distances from airports and more than 100 feet away from people. A basic certificate does not allow flights in controlled airspace however, which covers a significant amount of the populated areas in Canada. “Advanced” certificate holders are given more privileges to operate in more complicated areas. They are allowed to request clearance for controlled airspace and, with a drone that meets certain safety standards, are allowed to fly near or even over people! Certain operations will still require special permissions such as flights near an advertised event like a concert or festival.
All of our pilots here at Drone Services Canada have their advanced certificates and are ready and excited for the summer season!
Photo by Bruce Papky