[Narly1]

People using the popular drone aircraft for business or pleasure should avoid doing so within eight kilometres of airports, and not operate them higher than 90 metres, Transport Canada says.

Saying she wants to see a “safety culture’’ around the use of the popular drones, or unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) Transport Minister Lisa Raitt introduced some new safety guidelines Tuesday in Toronto.

The new guidelines include avoiding heavily populated areas and not flying them over military bases and prisons.

Transport Canada is also advising against the use of drones near areas such as beaches, sporting events, outdoor festivals or fireworks shows, near moving vehicles, highways, bridges, busy streets or anywhere they might interfere with or distract drivers.

Operators should keep them in their field of vision at all times, and fly them during the daylight and in good weather, Transport Canada says.

“We want to keep our skies safe for all aircraft of all sizes,’’ Raitt told reporters in Toronto, who added she doesn’t want to “shut down” the use of drones.

Rules already in place require a special Flight Operations Certificate if the drone weighs more than 35 kg, or if the device is used for work.

If a drone is used without a required certificate, or if the certificate’s rules aren’t followed, Transport Canada can issue fines anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000.

A major concern is the use of drones near passenger planes. Raitt told reporters there’s been an increase in reports about the UAVs being flown close to passenger jets.

The Star has published stories quoting veteran pilots who’ve voiced concerns about possibly hitting the drones in the air.

The government will be in consultations over the next 18 months with the industry to come up with additional new regulations that complement those that already exist.

No longer small recreational hobby planes flown in parks and open lots, the drones are now sophisticated pieces of machinery, travel significant distances and can attain great heights. A lot of young people are mounting cameras on them to shoot videos and take pictures, which has raised some privacy concerns.

Drone users, Raitt told reporters, must also respect the privacy of others and never take photos or video without permission when there are privacy concerns.

Individuals who breach privacy could face sanctions including fines or possibly even criminal charges.

[gothicbunny]

Nothing new there. FAA and TC give advice to "drone" flyers but have not specified any laws or regulations. Fly safely, which is never bad advice. As for breaches of privacy, there are already laws in place regardless of method.

I was just hoping that ebola would have kept the medias attention long enough for this to be forgotten. Maybe we need to import somebody that is infected.

[Narly1]

Sorry I did n't realize that this was old news for the most part. I'm not a drone guy. I guess it is interesting though that the Star picked up on the issue. Shows you how prevalent this type of aircraft is these days......I guess Transport Canada are trying to reach out to the kind of people who buy these things and go flying without doing any research or giving any thought as to how to do so safely and legally.

Earl "Narly1" Anderson

[gothicbunny]

Sorry, I wasn't coming down on you for posting, I was coming down on the media outlets for fear-mongering and trying to make this an issue.

[Hatch]

I just reviewed this Transport Canada web page "Flying an Unmanned Aircraft" which says it was updated yesterday:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviatio...i-uav-2265.htm

I don't know how much this has been discussed before, but I really don't like the way they have phrased things, for example:

Unmanned aircraft (no pilot on board) go by many names—unmanned air vehicle (UAV), remotely piloted aircraft system, model aircraft, remote control aircraft, and drone.

Call it what you want, but always think safety first.

Are they trying to say that a UAV and a model aircraft are the same as far as they're concerned? And some of the "guidelines" don't make much sense, e.g.:

Don't fly:

• Any closer than 5 miles (8 km) from any airport, heliport or aerodrome.
• ...

Is there anywhere in the populated areas of Canada that isn't within 8 km of an "airport, heliport or aerodrome?" Does that refer only to registered aerodromes or does farmer Bill's grass strip count as well?

[davidmc36]

Originally Posted by Hatch

....
Are they trying to say that a UAV and a model aircraft are the same as far as they're concerned?....

I don't think so. It interpret it as saying that UAV, Model Aircraft, etc. are different types of Unmanned Aircraft. (There are different regulations governing the use of each type.)

Just like Helicopter, Airplane, Dirigible, etc. are all types of Aircraft, but each is unique and have unique sets of regulations.

[Wizzard]

http://m.news1130.com/2014/10/21/tra...tion-campaign/

[gothicbunny]

An awareness campaign is exactly what is needed. It should also be targeted towards the public as well. People fear what they don't know or understand.

[Narly1]

Originally Posted by gothicbunny

Sorry, I wasn't coming down on you for posting, I was coming down on the media outlets for fear-mongering and trying to make this an issue.

No worries, none taken....I didn't read your post that way at all.

Originally Posted by gothicbunny

An awareness campaign is exactly what is needed. It should also be targeted towards the public as well. People fear what they don't know or understand.

If you look at the general public's replies to the bulliten in the link, there's a lot of hatred evident......there's an uphill battle to be fought by responsible hobbyists

Earl "narly1" Anderson