Learning to fly
Drone program created to match Transport Canada laws
Remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS), also known as drones, have become a large phenomenon over the last couple of years, becoming a billiondollar industry for recreational and commercial purposes. New Transport Canada laws and regulations have been put in place, prompting a new Aerial Observation Services (AOS) flight school at the Lethbridge Airport.
A collaboration between Studio Eh Productions, a multimedia production company that specializes in RPAS and AOS applications, and the Excel Flight Training Inc. worked together to create a 40-hour course to train and certify people in being a licensed pilot in remotely piloted aerial systems.
“Drone laws are changing in Canada, and they are changing at a rapid rate and what we are preparing for is the future,” says Mike Hoffman, Aerial Observation Services trainer. “This training will be in place so that pilots will be ready to take safe flight and join the ranks of other pilots that are already using the air spaces in the future.”
Anyone who owns a drone, for recreational or commercial purposes, will have to take the course which is TP15263 compliant in accordance to the stipulations that Transport Canada has been placing on the criteria for producing pilots, in order to fly legally.
“If you want to fly your drone, even for recreational purposes, at the very minimum, you have to pass a Transport Canada knowledge test,” says Hoffman. “The importance to having the licence is that it legitimizes the pilot whether its recreational or commercial, as well as the safety concerns. We are going to make sure that you aren’t flying in a Class B zone space around a 737 plane that has 80 people on board, making sure that those passengers are just as safe as anybody that is on the ground. The crews that are flying these particular machines, we want to make sure that safety is first and foremost in everybody’s mind.”
Many laws regarding distance from people, buildings, animals, and air spaces have been put in place to protect lives, prevent possible disasters, and to protect peoples privacy in and around their home. Fines for breaking the newly developed laws range between $3,000 and $25,000.
All drones will now have to abide by new regulations including labelling the device with the owner’s name and contact information, have liability insurance, and have to pass a basic knowledge test by Transport Canada. The larger the drone, and function it is being used for, dictates the regulations placed upon it, including more distance restrictions, design standards and approval from air traffic control.
People who take the course can expect a similar professional program, similar to going to school for a private or commercial air pilot licence, with inclass learning sessions, flight simulation and flight training in their designated flight space. The program is broken down into two different categories — one for beginning flyers to learn the basic understanding of the rules and how to fly, where the second program is to bring beginner flyers to a more advanced level.
“Our courses are going to consist of a 40-hour redact in-class training program that is very similar to the current private pilot licence that you would receive if you came to Excel,” says Hoffman. “The first training course which is intended for recreational purposes, who want to just fly for fun and recreation only, that will be a threeday course that will give the student the knowledge and skills that they will require to pass the Transport Canada written requirements.
“The second part is a two-day bridging course that will be designed to take recreational pilots from the basic level to the advanced level which will allow them to pilot commercial air craft for the purposes of working at a pilots level.”
Remotely piloted aerial systems are expected to be introduced more into everyday life over the next decade as industries such as real estate, traffic reporting, police, search and rescue, live events, agriculture, and land-cover mapping businesses adopt the new and growing technology. By the year 2026, drone usage in both corporate and consumer sectors will have reached an annual impact between $31-$47 billion dollars.
The remotely piloted aerial system training course will host only 12 individuals at a time to receive their licence, and the course is expected to run about eight times a year at the Excel Flight Training facility at the Lethbridge Airport. The RPAS Commercial course will cost just over $300 to take, and the RPAS 101 advanced class will cost just over $600.
Aerial Observation Services is listed as a Transport Canada TP15263 RPAS Training Facility Provider.
To get more information on the course and how to sign up, visit
studioeh.ca. For information regarding the new rules for drone users, visit canada.ca/drone-safety.
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