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With the industry growing rapidly, residents in Lethbridge can now train to obtain a drone pilot’s licence

Oct 29, 2018 | 3:37 PM

LETHBRIDGE – They started off as things to play with in the living room or out in the yard, but slowly but surely over the years the drone industry has been growing and growing.

It’s gotten to the point now that Transport Canada has brought in some rules and regulations governing Remotely Piloted Aerial System, or RPAS.

Aerial Observation Services and Excel Flight Training Inc. in Lethbridge announced a new RPAS pilot training partnership on Monday, Oct. 29, that will allow aspiring pilots to train locally and become certified to fly.

Mike Hoffman, co-owner of AOS and Studio Eh Productions, says the drone industry is changing rapidly.

“We used to call them Unmanned Aerial Systems now they’re known as Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems. The rules are changing rapidly as well, as they should be. We have had quite a few near-miss incidents since this technology has taken off, which really started in the early 2000s when you started to see the little toys show up. That progressed to larger, more sophisticated GPS driven drone technology and that’s brought us to where we are today.”

RPAS are already used in a number of different ways today for things like analytics, aerial photography, search and rescue, and a number of other important applications.

“Transport Canada is the driving force, obviously they control airspace in the country, in developing rules and regulations to dictate how we operate,” Hoffman continued. “It’s becoming more in alignment with general aviation, so in very short order you’re going to have an actual pilots’ licence that allows you to fly the RPAS.”

A handful of courses are being offered through the partnership:

RPAS 101: $600 plus GST per student

RPAS Commercial: $300 plus GST per student

Search & Rescue / Emergency Services: x2 days – $500 plus GST per student

Hoffman says the perspective course attendee would be someone who has an enthusiastic interest in one of two things using the RPAS.

“Just for fun or recreation, that person would do a three-day course with us, and basically, they would learn the rules, air law, the mechanics of how their RPAS operates. It would allow them to write the Transport Canada exam they have to pass to get the privilege to fly. The other user would be the person who wants to pursue this as a commercial interest that wants to be remunerated for their services and do it as a job. There’s going to be plenty of jobs in the new world here as this technology literally takes off,” Hoffman explained.

Just knowing the rules, however, is half the battle.

“We’re here in part to make sure that we’re educating people as to the rules and the laws that govern the RPAS. We’re giving people the tools that they will require moving forward in this vast industry.

“According to Forbes magazine, this is the fastest growing industry in all of the world right now. It’s an estimated $34 million business here in North America, that in 2026 is going to be a $31 billion to $43 billion business,” Hoffman stated.

He speaks of the industry with great confidence because the main players out there like Fed-Ex, DHL, and some pizza delivery groups are now trying to very rapidly figure out how they can use this technology to their advantage and leverage their businesses forward into the future.

“We’re not very far off from seeing RPAS doing all kinds of jobs, anywhere from doing pipeline inspections, windmill inspections here locally in Southern Alberta, all the way to delivering defibrillators to people who are in distress, or searching for people in remote areas that have become lost,” Hoffman added.

You’ve no doubt heard about issues involving drones in the past, regarding safety and security. There have been cases of people using them to spy on others and delivering narcotics to places they shouldn’t go.

These regulations will go along way to dealing with what Hoffman calls the dark side of the drone industry.

“With any good thing you have, you have the bad side as well. It really does legitimize the business, and that’s exactly where the industry is going. If you’re going to share the airspace with airplanes and people, then you certainly need to do that in a safe and professional manner.”

Going forward, there will be three categories of drones:

– Very small drone operations (250 g to 1 kg)

“250 grams to 1 kilogram will be like a recreational drone you can go fly in a farmer’s field outside of the controlled airspace here in Lethbridge. You will still need to write a Transport Canada knowledge exam to get the privilege to fly that drone, whether it fits in the palm of your hand or the trunk of your car.”

– Limited operations rural (1 kg to 25 kg)

“Now that user will be able to use that drone for certain commercial purposes, like agricultural use for doing surveying of farms and agricultural analytics. But that’s going to be their limitation, they can’t fly around people or over vehicles in an urban environment.”

– Complex operations urban (1kg to 25 kg)

“That’s the user who intends to fly it for commercial purposes in an urban environment. More particularly in the classified airspace, so class C and B airspace that we would be dealing with here at the Lethbridge Airport. Air traffic and particularly commercial air traffic is coming and going, and you would have the privilege to fly within the same airspace,” Hoffman said.

If you fly your done for fun and it weighs more than 250 g and up to 35 kg, there are a number of rules you must follow.

Fly your drone:

– Within 90 m above the ground or lower
– At least 30 m away from vehicles, vessels, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 250 g up to 1 kg)
– At least 76 m away from vehicles, vessels, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 1 kg up to 35 kg)
– At least 5.6 km from aerodromes (any airport, seaplane base, or areas where aircraft take-off and land)
– At least 1.9 km away from heliports or aerodromes used exclusively by helicopters
– Outside of controlled or restricted airspace
– At least 9 km away from a natural hazard or disaster area
– Away from areas where it could interfere with police or first responders
– During the day and not in clouds
– Within your sight at all times
– Within 500 m of yourself or closer
– Only if clearly marked with your name, address, and telephone number

Transport Canada says following these rules will help keep people, aircraft, and property safe. Anyone caught violating the rules could face fines of up to $3,000.

More information on RPAS training can be found here.

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