Basic license operations in and around Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

[drone-comrade]

Hi All, First of Happy New Year to fellow forum members I've been scratching my head on Mavic Air 2 for nearly 3-4 weeks with no firm decision to date. Toronto city wide restrictions (pl refer below) and red zones on Drone site selection tool have left me wondering if there's a slightest scope to fly in & around GTA with Basic license. Reference- Response to Administrative Inquiry regarding drone safety in the City of Toronto- https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ia/bgrd/backgroundfile-157070.pdf Drone site selection tool | National Research Council Canada- Drone site selection tool | National Research Council Canada As a Torontorian, if I buy MA 2 and get basic license, do I expect any possibility of flying it in GTA. I see a couple of areas like Port credit are not restricted. So, were/are there anyone in similar situation like mine and ventured out nearby places for basic drone operations? Any places within GTA for safe flights? Can I fly in my backyard provided the drone's trajectory remains within the boundary of backyard? I appreciate your help in advance as I wouldn't want to miss Boxing day deals on DJI website. Thank you

 

[Ron Fisher]

Hi All, First of Happy New Year to fellow forum members I've been scratching my head on Mavic Air 2 for nearly 3-4 weeks with no firm decision to date. Toronto city wide restrictions (pl refer below) and red zones on Drone site selection tool have left me wondering if there's a slightest scope to fly in & around GTA with Basic license. Reference- Response to Administrative Inquiry regarding drone safety in the City of Toronto- https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ia/bgrd/backgroundfile-157070.pdf Drone site selection tool | National Research Council Canada- Drone site selection tool | National Research Council Canada As a Torontorian, if I buy MA 2 and get basic license, do I expect any possibility of flying it in GTA. I see a couple of areas like Port credit are not restricted. So, were/are there anyone in similar situation like mine and ventured out nearby places for basic drone operations? Any places within GTA for safe flights? Can I fly in my backyard provided the drone's trajectory remains within the boundary of backyard? I appreciate your help in advance as I would want to miss Boxing day deals on DJI website. Thank you

Hi! I also live in Toronto and have been flying a Mavic Air (first generation) for 2 years. Welcome to the forum! I too was perplexed about whether there were any places to legally fly in the GTA. I now belong to two model airplane clubs that allow drones. They are the Oakville Milton Model Flying Club at Britannia and Trafalgar Roads (Oakville Milton RC) and the Mississauga Model Flying Club on Meadowvale Boulevard(MMFC Home). The fee to join these clubs is approximately $100 each per year. To become a member it is mandatory to have insurance from MAAC (Model Airplane Association of Canada) which gives you $7.9 million dollars of liability insurance and also costs approximately $100 per year.

These are great places to practice your drone flying skills and both are rarely busy. I recently found that DJI has imposed geo-fencing at MMFC which limits your altitude to 150m because of the proximity to Pearson Airport. There is not much to be gained by flying higher than that anyway but it is something you should be aware of.

I am going to be taking a course starting in January to obtain my advanced Transport Canada drone licence. Hopefully then I will be able to find more interesting places to fly where airspace is restricted, with approval, which will necessitate obtaining an SFOC (Special Flight Operating Certificate) from Transport Canada.

Good luck and happy flying! Maybe we will meet sometime in the future at one of these clubs if you decide to join.