Proposed new regulations for the use of unmanned flying vehicles have been unveiled in Canada and in the U.S., raising concerns among hobbyists, business users and casual observers alike.
Hobbyists and individual users face fines in the thousands of dollars if they violate certain ‘rules of the road’, and potentially hundreds in training fees to learn those rules. Entrepreneurs and business users are concerned about limitations of the type, nature and size or drones they can or cannot use, possibly undercutting their plans to introduce, say, aerial delivery services.
And some industry observers are worried that the new regs (particularly those proposed in the U.S.) still allow someone to use a drone that weighs like 50 pounds (or some 22 kg), and flies at like 100 mph (nearly 160 clicks), even without meeting certification requirements or airworthiness standards for the drone itself.
Luckily, the regs do ban operators from letting “any object to be dropped” from a drone in flight. Phew!
New drone regs do ban operators from letting “any object to be dropped” in flight.
“It’s a problem across Canada,” said RCMP Sgt. Cam Kowalski in a CTV news report. He’s seen people flying so-called toy quad-copter drones capable of reaching altitudes that interfere with commercial and general aviation traffic, flying beyond the range of the operator’s line-of-sight, or in fact be programmed to follow specific flight paths (and perform other functions) automatically.
Because the UAV (aka remotely piloted aircraft system, unmanned aircraft system, remote control aircraft, or simply the popular, ‘drone’) sector is flying high with increased popularity, greater functionality and rising product sales, concerns from the public and aviation authorities is also hitting new heights.
In Canada, no one can fly an unmanned air vehicle except in accordance with Special Flight Operation Certificate (SFOC), and the rules laid out by Transport Canada.
Even occasional drone users could face fines of up to $5,000 if they are caught flying an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle without a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada (and companies could be fined $25,000).
So a number of training facilities, pilot schools and UAV academies are offering to train people about the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) and any regulatory changes to drone operating rules, as well as the safe operation of various unmanned air systems, and the best practices that any drone owner/controller/pilot should follow.
A British Columbia based next generation UAV pilot training academy launched in February, with classes being offered on a monthly basis there, and a travel itinerary that calls for courses to be delivered right across the country.
Offered jointly by Aerobotika Aerial Intelligence and Pacific Rim Aviation Academy the ground school course is described as covering the new Transport Canada Knowledge Requirements for Pilots of Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems (UAV) 25 kg or less.
The two and a half day training program is priced around $800 dollars CDN.
The high demand for UAV training has also spurred Alberta’s Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems to add extra dates to its UAS ground school course (being delivered in March). The program includes a full first day of classroom learning, followed by a second half day. Costs can run upwards of $500, including taxes and textbooks.
Some drone training program are very specific in their goals – the School of Imaging run by camera retailer Henry’s has held courses specifically for drone-based video and photo image-makers (interestingly, the school itself needed a flight certificate to run the course, and only the teacher could operate a drone under certificate limitations at the time).
Drones are remote controlled aerial vehicles, often accessorized with advanced digital media technology.
But in any classroom setting, the ratio of student to teacher is important to know (Aerobotika claims a 4:1 student pilots to instructor ratio) as is the school curriculum, which should cover basic pilot training and orientation, technical specifics of unmanned aircraft, industry regulations and best practices.
Training should obviously address how to avoid dangerous situations, like not interfering with specific activities from manned aircraft, or the general daily activities of the general public.
At the end of approved courses and relevant examinations, UAV pilot candidates receive a Letter of Completion, which can then be submitted to Transport Canada as proof that pilots have met the knowledge requirements for the special flight operations certificate (SFOC).
In a report called Drones in Canada: Will the proliferation of domestic drone use in Canada raise new concerns for privacy?, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada raised its concerns about drone operations, bemoaning the fat the only a few organizations were taking steps to help ensure that drones are operated in a responsible and ethical manner.
The rise in training school offerings is a positive sign; a corresponding rise in operator knowledge, skill and certification should help, as well.
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submitted by Lee Rickwood
