Thought I’d do a follow-up cause when I accessed my Drone Pilot Canada app, this NOTAM showed up. I would assume it applies to ALL DRONES including the Mini 3 Pro. Let me know your thoughts.
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Can I fly my Mini 3 Pro in Old Port Montreal at night?
- Thread starter f13dfx
- Start date
Darn, was hoping to get some night time video & photos of the ferris wheel, clock tower, then fly over the Biosphere and take a nightshot of the Old Porte.
I hear ya, you can always apply for special permissions for Advanced flight.
I took my advanced operations certification for flight in Canada a bit ago and it wasn't easy compared to the part 107 I took in the states.
I pilot in both places, so that's the only reason I know about your question. It is possible, just gotta get the approval which requires a checklist, flight plan etc.
Are you a Canadian? If not, how have you found the difficulty of getting an SFOC to fly here? I've heard there are lots of delays, but don't know any non-Canadian pilots personally so have no idea whether what I've heard is actually true.
Ralph thompson
Well-Known Member
Foreign operators do not need an SFOC for a drone (RPAS) under 250 g. But no drone can fly where there are RPAS restricts such as a NOTAM, defines zones (Class F) airspace etc
I just assumed you were flying heavier, as you mentioned having your advanced certification (which isn't needed for sub-250 g drones). Apologies for the misunderstanding.
My wife is, she is also a drone operator. I'm not a Canadian though; I didn't say I had difficulty getting the SFOC. Any drone operator (including foreigners) can get an SFOC with a basic or advanced drone license from Transport Canada. I got my Advanced license a while ago. The basic test that Transport Canada for was somewhat ridiculous though. (seeing how 90% or more fail their first try and only a 65% score is required for passing.) That was interesting to me. All in the past now, though!
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I was hearing that applications for SFOCs were very backlogged and delayed, hence my question.
I've never tried myself. I only have a basic certification and anywhere I want to fly that needs an SFOC requires advanced — and I don't want to fly anywhere that badly. I use my Mini 3 Pro most of the time which makes the legal requirements much simpler.
I hear ya there! Having a Mini 3 Pro in many ways does make it easier. It takes on average for me at least to receive a reply within 48 hours for an SFOC. The longest I have had to wait for one is 30 days. You're right on another point; anything that does require advanced certification, in order for me to take the time to apply for an SFOC, the effort to fill out the crazy checklist and submit all that is required along with it. I'd have to profit from my shots to make it worth my time OR the place must have significant meaning to me. That's just me though.
In the US, I can get authorization (LAANC approval within minutes of applying for it) It's really efficient I've found, and just easier. That's been my experience at least. Some places/states or cities do require written permissions etc, but generally speaking, it's fairly simple to fly in 80% or more of the United States.
Canada really has gone overboard in my Opinion with everything they make you send in and the wait times afterward can be daunting. I will say though I started getting replies quicker the more I requested and with an Advanced License. I film a few months out of the year in Canada.
Having a microdrone does make it far easier for travel and regs often though! Which is why I have one for cases like this.
I'd really love to do an orbit shot of the Peace Tower in autumn, when the trees are at peak colour, the sky is a painful blue, and the flag is glowing in the sunlight. Not gonna happen, though.
Approvals in minutes make me think the process is automated. I think Canada still uses manual reviewers to look at things (or at least give the final approval). Could easily be wrong about that.
I've now done a handful of Controlled Airspace flights with my Air 2S, mainly around Hamilton. I have found that the grids further away from the airport will "auto approve" your request submitted through the Nav Drone app, which is put out by Nav Canada, the airspace authority. When I select grids closer (including my house, irritatingly), they need manual approval. I have not yet done a manual approval flight, so I'm not sure on the turnaround time.
With Class F airspace, you need permission from the Class F operator if it is restricted - CYR (as opposed to advisory - CYA). So that is an additional factor. Old Port of Montreal is within Class C airspace, so for under 250g no authorization from Nav Canada is required. But if there is an active CYR Class F (doesn't seem to be right now) then you need permission from the operator.
The Peace Tower is CYR -- the user or controller is the Parliamentary Protective Service. No harm in contacting them to ask for permission, they may give it. The worst they could say is no. If the answer is no, you could always get your shots from outside of the Class F zone, which doesn't look that big on the Canadian Airspace Viewer map -- you could conceivably get some shots from across the river. The Mini 3 Pro does have some zoom capability.
I'd feel guilty bothering them for something that's purely personal. I know how overworked many of the staff are these days, and don't want to add to their workload.
Also, I thought that to get permission to fly in restricted airspace you needed advanced certification even for sub-250 g drones. Did I misunderstand that?
There is no such thing as advanced for sub-250g drones. Microdrones are their own category of operations, which is why they can fly within controlled airspace, near people etc.
There are areas where all drones need permission (like Parliament Hill). I thought those areas required advanced certification to get the permission, even if the actual drone was sub-250 g.
In any case, even if I was wrong about the certification I need, I'm still not going to get that shot. I'm certain security had drone scanners and they'd need to verify that the drone they picked up was my drone, and that I had permission, and that I was doing only what I had permission for. It's not like asking to step a few feet onto the grass for a few seconds to get a better picture. I'd be bothering people who have a serious job to do for a purely personal pleasure.
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