A drone pilot in Canada is feeling wallet pain following a collision with reality that resulted in a fine of over $3,000 ($2,270) for piloting his craft within the restricted airspace of Ottawa International Airport – a prohibition he told arriving police he wasn’t aware of.
Transport Canada, which is responsible for enforcing air regulation infractions, responded to the drone pilot’s claim of ignorance with a total $3,210 in fines ($2,287), citing seven different rule violations. Chief among those was flying within proximity of the banned area surrounding Ottawa International Airport (YOW), where officials were alerted to the intrusive presence by the facility’s small craft detection and tracking system. That asset was in large part provided by aerial and terrestrial UAV company InDro Robotics, which broke the news about the incident.
Read: Dublin Airport flails in response to recurring drone flights disrupting air traffic
As truly deplorable as flying his craft within 3,830 yards of an active runway at one of Canada’s main airports was on its own, however, the pilot distinguished himself in other cringe-inspiring ways as well.
For one, according to InDro’s account, YOW’s Drone Detection Pilot Project tech monitored the vehicle ascending to an altitude of 873 feet – well above the 500-foot limit rules allow (in places where operation is legal in the first place, that is).
Meanwhile, when police arrived in a hotel parking lot to bust the operator during his second illicit flight in less than an hour, they located him buzzing his craft amid airport traffic while kicked back in the comfiest confines he could find.
“The Ottawa Police Service cruiser approached the pilot as he was sitting in his car piloting the drone and ordered him to land it immediately,” recalled YOW’s vice president of security, emergency management, and customer transportation, Michael Beaudette, of the December 2022 incident. “When we received an alert of the second flight, we were able to track the drone flight in real time and pinpoint the exact location of the pilot… The individual was quite surprised that a police cruiser pulled up – and expressed ignorance about flying in the vicinity of the airport.”
At least he wasn’t sipping the last can of an otherwise exhausted six-pack at the same time.
While representing a remarkable egregious act of irresponsibility – and ignorance – at the sticks, the incident wound up being instructive as a reminder to officials with Transport Canada, YOW, and InDro of how critical equipping airports with reliable and highly accurate drone detection systems is.
That’s particularly true when ignorance of regulations by people flying new UAVs has surpassed the existing, far rarer risk of even licensed pilots can occasionally straying into restricted airspaces.
“There can be no question that drones flying near active runways poses a significant – and completely avoidable – threat,” says InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece. “The regulations are there for a reason: To protect the safety of crewed aircraft, as well as people and property on the ground. InDro is proud to be the core technology partner of the YOW Drone Detection Pilot Project – and this incident is a perfect reason why.”
Read: Canada issues report on 2021 police drone’s collision with a plane descending to land
And given the increased risk of drone violations of airport spaces out of ignorance, inadvertence, or intent, Beaudette says the financial hurt Transport Canada inflicted on the YOW-invading pilot should prove beneficial in preventing future incidents.
“Firstly, to remind drone operators that Transport Canada has regulations regarding drones operating near airports and aerodromes to ensure the safety of the public both in the air and on the ground,” he says. “Secondly, that individuals who are not aware of, or do not respect these regulations can be detected and held accountable, as in this case, subjected to fines that could be in the thousands of dollars.”
Image: InDro Robotics
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