So you know that new drone you got to take an epic drone shot of your holiday retreat in Ontario? Yeah, you need a full-blown pilot’s license to fly that thing legally in most Canadian airspace as of June 1.
You can read the full set of new regulations here, but here’s the light version:
- Any drone over 250 grams must be registered
- You must have permit to fly legally (which is effectively a pilot’s license)
- You can’t fly near people, crowds, or within miles of airports
- You must be in contact with local air traffic control
- You can face a $1000 fine per person for violations
($5000 for a corporation)
Similar regulation is already in effect stateside, and frankly, it’s a good thing. It restricts access and forces pilots to really know their stuff so we don’t have 10,000 robot missiles in the hands of novice pilots. They’ve been known to crash into people, property, and models capable of 20,000 feet can even disrupt small aircraft.
It’s not looking good for drone hobbyism — the drone market probably just lost quite a big portion of would-be amateur pilots, and the customer experience of buying a drone will feel a lot more like a career choice than just buying a new gadget.
But on the bright side, Commercial Drone Pilot is now an official job title, and anyone holding it can charge top dollar for their services. And us unsuspecting pedestrians won’t have to worry about drones dropping from the sky…at least not as much.
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I’m Worthix’s Head of Content, editor and producer of the Voices of CX Blog and Podcast and backup watercooler comedian (see Peter Sooter). I’m a Film Major who enjoys good writing (books, too), martial arts and competitive games, virtual or not.
