The skies over Canada have been freer and friendlier for recreational drone pilots than commercial pilots but that is changing with new Transport Canada regulations.
“Up until now recreational drones were free to do pretty much anything they wanted,” said Ross Irvine, owner of Guelph's Data From Drones. “The only real rule was ‘fly safely’.”
It’s a rule that has been loosely interpreted and weakly enforced while the sales and popularity of recreational drones have grown.
Transport Canada reported that incidents of recreational drones flying dangerously close to planes have more than tripled since 2014.
New rules announced on March 16 will serve as interim measures until formal regulations are enacted this summer. They restrict operators from flying above 90 metres or within 75 metres of buildings, vehicles and people. They also prohibit flying within nine kilometers of airports, forest fires or other emergency sites. Fines range from $3,000 to $15,000.
Irvine said the rules for commercial drones are even stricter.
“To fly drones commercially you need a special flight operation certificate from Transport Canada,” he said. “Once you get a number of single flights approved by Transport Canada you can apply for a Standing Special Flight Operations Certificate.”
Irvine is authorized to fly drones anywhere in Ontario for commercial purposes. He doesn’t have to apply each time he schedules a flight – a process that can take as long as two months to approve.
He said he understands why drones are so popular and admits that the fun factor influenced his decision to come out of retirement and get into the drone business in early 2015.
He was born in Guelph, the only child of Stewart and Mary Irvine. He and his wife Donna live in Guelph with their teenage grandson Noah, the son of their oldest daughter, Leslie, who died in 2005. They have another adult daughter Jocelyn.
Irvine earned a masters degree in journalism from Western University and worked briefly as a newspaper reporter for the Fergus-Elora News Express and in the Fergus office of the Guelph Mercury.
In 1975 he moved to Regina and took a job in the communications department of Agriculture Canada.
“I worked for an ad agency out there and also did my own public relations consulting firm and writing business for a while,” he said.
They moved back to Ontario in 1987 where he continued his work in public relations and communications.
“Looking back I think that is why I was so attracted to the drones,” he said. “I was retired for a few years and I was looking for something interesting and challenging to do. My background in journalism and public relations was all about getting information to people. This is really all about communication and getting good information across to people.”
The tag line on the Data From Drones website states, “Collecting useful information – not pretty pictures – for business decisions.”
He spends hours preparing and getting necessary clearances before he and his team begin a flight.
“You might be in the field for 45 minutes to an hour but it is just a small portion of it,” he said. “Easily three quarters of the time is in preparation.”
The images he collects are used for a wide variety of purposes such as performing safety inspections, planning and assessing the progress of construction and development projects and identifying hazards.
He sees demand for his services and of drones in general growing.
Data From Drones
Owner: Ross Irvine
Established: 2015
519-820-2091
