By Jeff Labine

New rules for flying drones

Jun 27, 2017 | 5:00 PM

New federal regulations are keeping drone operators on their toes.

As of June 22, Transport Canada is advising commercial and recreational drone operators to avoid flying in and around airports and aerodromes, busy areas, national parks and over the Canadian border. It’s also illegal to fly a drone closer than nine kilometres from any aerodrome unless the operator has permission from Transport Canada.

Prince Albert falls into this prohibited aerospace so drones of certain sizes are not allowed to fly within city limits.

These new rules follows others announced in March but are considered to be less severe for operators.

Jody Hammersmith, a certified drone operator based in Prince Albert, has been keeping a close eye on the changing rules. Although he agreed the laws can be restrictive, he said they serve a purpose.

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“The regulations are there for everyone’s safety and the safety of the operator and the public,” he said. “The politicians and the groups who make the rules do so for a reason. If you are finding them too restrictive, then it might be something that person shouldn’t be doing.”

He said it is his responsibility as an operator to ensure he’s up-to-date on the rules and regulations around flying a drone.

Hammersmith suggested if anyone is interested in learning how to fly a drone, they should go and take a course. He said it is far more complex than it looks to fly a drone.

One place would be drone operators can go to learn is at the Prince Albert’s Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

Leila Benmerrouche, a research technician with the school, teaches students how to handle drones to use for land surveillance. The drones she uses come with specialized cameras that can detect near infrared and other spectrums the human eye can’t see.

She explained the new regulations don’t impact that much because they received a special certification card to allow them to fly but she acknowledged obtaining that card can be difficult as it requires a lot of paperwork. She mentioned the general application process has become much clearer over the years, which has made it easier to apply.

She believes the changes are more aimed at recreational drone users than commercial.

“For commercial people, it has always been a thing to abide by what Transport Canada said,” she said. “Regardless, we always have to tell Transport Canada what we’re doing. If we’re flying in special areas, we have to give a notice to airman. We are normally flying in unclassified airspace. So we don’t really have to worry so much.”

For more information on flying drones, head to Transport Canada’s website.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter