WHAT CANADIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRONES

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WHAT CANADIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRONES

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Copyright © 2020
Coastal Drone Co.
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be

used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without
written permission.

For information contact :

204-19951 80A Ave
Langley, BC V2Y 0E2

http://www.coastaldrone.co
 WHAT CANADIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRONES

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Table Of

Contents
INTRO - 07

CH.1 - UNDERSTANDING DRONE BASICS - 07

CH.2 - FLYING IN THE BASIC CATEGORY - 18

CH.3 - FLYING IN THE ADVANCED CATEGORY - 27

CH.4 - FLYING SUB 250 G DRONES- 38

CH.5 - COASTAL DRONE COURSES - 45

CH.6 - THE FUTURE OFDRONES IN CANADA - 55
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 WHAT CANADIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRONES

INTRO.
Over the last few years drones have exploded into the public
sphere. They quickly became one of the most popular tools
and toys for everyone and anyone. Realtors, social media
influencers, average people, and pilots are finding ways to get
creative with drones. Myself included.
As a pilot and flight instructor of both manned and unmanned
aircraft, I love finding ways to educate people on the latest
technology (especially if it has wings). With such an influx in
drone piloting, I knew it was important to educate people on the
do’s and dont’s.
This ebook will give you the fast facts about piloting a drone in
Canada—whatever you may be using it for. We’re covering it
all from drone basics to the new regulations for all pilots (that
includes you, Instagram influencers). Get those props locked on
and charge your batteries.
We’re about to throttle up!
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1
ONE

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introduction to

DRONES 09

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— DEFINING DRONES:
A drone is another name for an remotely piloted aircraft - a
navigable aircraft whose pilot is not on board.

— KINDS OF DRONES:
Multirotors are the name for quads, quadcopters, hexacopters,
octocopters and anything of similar design. These, and their
fixed wing counterparts typically go by the name drone,
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or sometimes even
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Usually these are powered
by electric motors although some, particularly the fixedwing
aeroplane design, can have small internal combustion engines.
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— WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

What’s the difference between all of these names? Not much.
Prior to regulations introduced in June 2019, machines
were defined by their intention or purpose - recreational or
commercial. That is no longer the case! All multirotors, remote
control helicopters, model aircraft and other drones heavier than
250 grams fall into the same category of regulation.
(We’ll cover more on this in a later chapter.)
As for the term drone, this is an unofficial name used by anyone
from media to enthusiasts (and some companies...). It isn’t used
in any official regulations. For the remainder of the book we will
be using the terms drone and RPAS interchangeably.
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— THE RULES CHANGED.

Because of the fast-paced technological growth in the world
of drones—used for fun, for commercial use, and for research
activities—there was a need for specific regulations to better
suit the types of flying Canadians are doing. As of June 1st 2019,
Canada has drone-specific regulation; Part 9 of the Canadian
Aviation Regulations.
The biggest changes can be broken down into three categories:
the pilot, the product (drone), and the procedures. We’ll talk
about this more in the sections that follow but, the pilot needs
certification, the products have safety assurance declarations
and certain procedures are mandatory.
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— THE PILOT | BASIC VS. ADVANCED.

As of June 2019, it is no longer legal to fly a +250g RPAS
without either a basic or an advanced certificate. The type of
certificate that you will need depends on the type of flying you
are planning on doing. If you aren’t flying too near to people
or in controlled airspace, the basic certification is probably all
you’ll need. A basic certification comes with some restrictions
on where one can fly, but for many pilots it will be all that’s
needed to fly. A basic certification enables flights so long as the
drone is:
yy More than 30m (100 feet) away from any bystanders
yy Not in controlled airspace
There are some other things you’ll need to do to ensure
the flight is legal, but if the flights you plan meet these
requirements, then the basic certification is the one for you.
If those requirements seem too restrictive, then the advanced
certification is the one for you. While the advanced certification
takes a bit more effort to get, it enables flights in a lot of places
that aren’t allowed with a basic certification.
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ENFORCEMENT

— FINES.
Fines can be up to $3,000 for individuals and $25,000 for
corporations. Keep that in mind if you’re out flying a company
aircraft—even if it’s just for fun. There is no requirement to
carry insurance for flying, but note that you may be held liable
for any damages your aircraft causes. Always fly safe!
The Exception: If you’re part of an organization such as the
Model Aeronautic Association of Canada (MAAC) or similar and
abiding by their rules, the Part 9 rules don’t apply.
Since regulations are federally mandated, they apply to all of
the airspace across Canada. So even if you’re only flying in your
backyard, you must abide by the regulations!

TIP: Ignorance is not a valid excuse! Usually officers will give you a
warning for your first violation but after that, they can be pretty strict.
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TWO

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FLYING IN THE

BASIC
ENVIRONMENT
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— GETTING CERTIFIED.
There are three steps to
operate legally in the Basic
Environment
— FAQ.
yy Register your drone
yy Pass the online written - What drones can I fly in the
exam basic environment?
yy Follow the rules Anything. There are no Safety
It’s pretty straightforward to Assurance declarations
get certified and to operate required for drones flown in
under the basic category. the basic environment
Once you have passed your - Once I am certified, am I
exam and your drone is good for life?
registered, there are some
You’ll need to do something
ongoing important things to
every 24 months to keep
do in order to stay legal. The
your certificate valid. Options
regulations require certain
include writing the written
procedural requirements of
exam again, doing a flight
basic category pilots. These
test or taking an approved
include:
course.
yy Performing a site survey
before every flight - Where do I write the online
written exam?
yy Having normal and
emergency procedure Transport Canada’s Drone
checklists Management Portal is your
resource for registering your
yy Keeping record of flight drone, writing exams and
time and maintenance accessing your certification
yy Logging incidents and
reporting them properly
when necessary
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— SO WHERE CAN I FLY?

Look for open spaces away from airports, heliports and people!
These resources can help you find a place near you:

AirMarket’s FlySafe
www
airmarket.io/flysafe

NRC Drone Site Selection Tool

www
nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/solutions/collaborative/civuas/uav_site_selection_tool.html

Canadian Airspace Viewer

www
telus.net/cschwab/viewer/canadian_airspace.html

ForeFlight
www
foreflight.com

Be cautious of some apps. Not all use verified data and

sometimes don’t show the correct airspace boundaries. The real
data comes from NAV Canada and the licenses aren’t cheap!
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— WHAT IF I WANT TO SELL SOME PHOTOS OR

TURN MY HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS?
In Canada, there is no recreational/commercial distinction
within the regulatory requirements. This used to be the
case, but now things are organized into basic and advanced
depending on the risk involved.
Whether you fly a sub 249g drone, are a basic or a advanced
certified pilot, you’re allowed to make money with your drone!
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THREE

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FLYING IN THE

ADVANCED
ENVIRONMENT
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— DEFINING AN ADVANCED ENVIRONMENT

Advanced environments are those that meet any of the
following:
yy In controlled airspace
yy Closer than 3 NM to airports
yy Closer than 1 NM to heliports
yy Within less than 100’ (30m) to people (bystanders)
To fly in advanced environments, you need to hold an advanced
certificate, and your drone needs to have an appropriate
safety assurance category for the flight risk conditions. The
categories are:
yy Controlled airspace
yy Near people (within 5m/16’)
yy Over people
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1. CHOOSE AND REGISTER YOUR DRONE

There are many options when it comes to selecting the right
drone! DJI is a well known and trusted manufacturer with a
wide selection of consumer and professional-level drones.
For more specific applications such as wide-area surveying
or inspections, there may be industry best drones that are
worthwhile researching.
As an advanced pilot, you’ll want to ensure your drone is
certified to do all the things you’ll be certified to do! Since you
can fly in controlled airspace and closer than 100’ to people,
you’ll want to make sure your drone can do the same. Transport
Canada has a great online tool for helping you pick the right
drone for your planned operations.
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2. GETTING CERTIFIED
PASS THE WRITTEN EXAM

The first step in getting yourself certified in the advanced

category is passing Transport Canada’s online written exam
via their Drone Management Portal. This exam is tough. In 50
questions it covers all topics in TP15263 - Transport Canada’s
document of knowledge requirements for RPAS pilots. Expect
questions on areas like air law, meteorology, human factors
and theory of flight. You need to get 80% to pass and it costs
$10 for each attempt. Expect that you’ll need to write it more
than once to get a passing grade. You only have an hour to
answer the questions and you’ll have to wait 24 hours between
each attempt.

FYI:
After you pass your advanced written exam, you’ll be issued
a basic certification straight away. Don’t panic! This isn’t a
mistake. It will allow you to fly, practice and revise your SOPs
until you’re able to schedule and complete your flight review.
Once your reviewer submits your successful results, you’ll be
able to login and print off a certificate with advanced ticked off
as well.

A NOTE REGARDING TRAINING

While there is no requirement to take a ground school program, it comes
highly recommended (and not just because we offer training courses!).
Transport Canada provides a list of selfdeclared compliant training
organizations.
Not all of these are created equally!
While you can choose between in-person and online options, look for
a program that is at least the Transport Canada mandated 20-hours in
length and that offers take-home resources or the ability to re-watch
material. It’s a lot of content to take in, so you want to make sure you
have a way to reference back and review at a later time too.
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3. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP)

and DOcuments
Included in the new regulations are some specifications on the
standard operating procedures, documents, logs and records
that RPAS pilots must maintain. These requirements apply to
both advanced and basic category pilots and will be checked
during the flight review process.
Anytime you fly, make sure you carry:
yy Your certificate and proof of recency
yy The aircraft manual, maintenance record and flight record
yy A Site Survey
yy Normal and emergency procedures
yy A method for logging incidents

TIP: Be sure to cross check your SOP with the CARs requirements as
there are specific items that need to be in your checklists that are likely
above and beyond what the manufacturer requires.
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4. FLIGHT REVIEW
The flight review is a holistic assessmentof your flight
skills and knowledge. Expect to spend an hour or two with a
Transport Canada certified flight reviewer going over your
documents, some knowledge testing questions, and showing
them how you conduct a flight including checklist use and
some basic flight skills.
Most schools will offer a preparation guide or course so you can
ensure you’re starting off on the right foot!
Things To Know:
yy While the Transport Canada document TP15395 is geared
toward reviewers, it helps to review that in advance of your
review so you know what they’ll be looking at
yy You aren’t expected to know everything during your flight
review! But you should know how to find everything!
yy Reviewers can tell pretty quickly who has taken a ground
school course and who hasn’t. A practical understanding of the
roles of Transport Canada, NAV Canada, the Transportation
Safety Board and their resources is expected.

TIP: Flight Reviews must be done in-person with a reviewer. Thankfully

there are about 400 reviewers across Canada! Let us know if you need
help finding one close to you but Transport Canada also maintains a list
on their website.
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4
FOUR

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FLYING sub

250 g
drones
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APPLICABLE REGULATIONS
There is one regulation that applies to drones under 250g that says:
yy No person shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system
in such a reckless or negligent manner as to endanger or be
likely to endanger aviation safety or the safety of any person.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Essentially, this rule means don’t be an idiot when you’re
flying your drone. There’s a difference between doing what is
technically legal and doing what is smart. Aim for the latter
Ensure you’re keeping other airspace users and bystanders safe
every time you fly.

FLYING IN PARKS
National, provincial and territorial parks have restrictions on
all drone use, regardless of their weight. Do not fly in parks
without permission. Some cities also have rules restricting
drone use in parks or other sensitive areas. Check bylaws before
you fly.

ALWAYS REMEMBER
When you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s hard to follow
the rules so that flying doesn’t get overly restricted. Become an
ambassador and encourage safe drone usage and education
among your friends and family.
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FIVE

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training offered by

COASTAL
DRONE
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Coastal Drone Co
prides itself on
offering quality,
affordable, and
accessible online
training solutions
for all types of
drone pilots.
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ADVANCED ONLINE Advanced Pilot

Advanced Online is the best Advanced Pilot includes
option for those looking all the training you need
to pursue their advanced to go from zero to certified
certification, and who will advanced pilot. It includes the
schedule their flight review same courses as Advanced
separately (which we also Online, and also the flight
offer). review and online preparation
guide.
It’s also best for those who
only want a basic certificate Advanced Pilot includes:
now, but might “upgrade” yy RPAS Ground School |
in the future. You’ll learn Advanced
all you need to know to yy Exam Prep | Advanced
write and pass the advanced yy SOP Development Guide
test, getting you your basic yy Flight Review Prep Guide
certification until you do your
flight review.
Advanced Online includes:
yy RPAS Ground School |
Advanced
yy Exam Prep | Advanced
yy SOP Development Guide

What’s The Difference?

Advanced Online (as the name implies) can be done entirely
online. Advanced pilot includes the in-person flight review as
well as all of our online options.

NOTE: All Coastal Drone courses are valid for 1 year! You’ll have full
access to review as much as you’d like within 12 months of purchase.
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BASIC ONLInE
Basic Online is a set of online at your own pace courses to
prep you to not just pass the Transport Canada exam, but
to be a better, safer pilot. It also works really well to train
crew members who, while they may not be flying, need to
understand the dos and don’ts of operating drones. You can
easily get through the training, prep, and TC exams in one day
so you can start flying legally!
Basic Online includes:
yy RPAS Ground School | Basic
yy Exam Prep | Basic
yy SOP Development Guide

TIP: Follow Coastal Drone to stay up to date with best practices and
take part in free e-learning webinars!
facebook.com/coastaldroneco
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the future of drones

in canada 57

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PREPARING
FOR CHANGE
Upcoming Changes
While we’re not anticipating any drastic changes to the visual
line of sight rules for drones between 250g and 25kg, there are
some exciting things on the horizon.
Keep an eye out for:
yy If enough dangerous activity takes place with sub 250g
drones, TC may drop the weight limit for Part 9 regulations
to include most available on the market.
yy New regulations and processes for things that fall outside
of the Part 9 regulations are coming! Think RPAS traffic
management to integrate airspace with manned aircraft and
Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations!

TIP: Don’t worry, we’re staying on top of the regulations for you.
To keep up to date on the most recent news and regulations, follow
Coastal Drone on Facebook.
facebook.com/coastaldroneco
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MORE
RESOURCES
Together we can make Canada’s drone industry productive,
effective, and most importantly, safe. Stay up to date with
changes by visiting our blog or giving us a call! We’d be happy
to hear from you.

CONCLUSION.
What’s the important take away?
There’s more to this industry than learning to fly. Now you
have an idea of what you’re getting into and can make sure
you’re going through the right protocol. Of course, Coastal
Drone has your back on all things RPAS. We’re keeping on top
of regulation news so follow us on social media and on our blog
to never miss a thing!

Blog Social Media

www
coastaldrone.co/blog facebook.com/coastaldroneco
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204-19951 80A Ave 604-928-4535 [email protected]
Langley, BC V2Y 0E2