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Drones under 250 grams - New Canadian regulations as of June 1, 2019

bhack

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The following is a definitive answer to a question I see asked so many times WITH a link to the Canadian Government website. These are the complete requirements for:

Micro drones - under 250 grams

See: Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada
or Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada

If you have a micro drone, you must fly it away from aircraft and airports. Never put people, aircraft or property in danger. Only fly your drone where you can see it and avoid flying in clouds or fog. Always fly responsibly”.

PS: Please DJI, give me a Spark under 250 g. Even if it can only fly 5 minutes. That's a 1000 times better than not being able to fly at all. Which is the net result with all the regulations for drones over 250 g. For me a minimum is a camera and gimbal equivalent of the Spark.
 
The following is a definitive answer to a question I see asked so many times WITH a link to the Canadian Government website. These are the complete requirements for:

Micro drones - under 250 grams

See: Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada
or Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada

If you have a micro drone, you must fly it away from aircraft and airports. Never put people, aircraft or property in danger. Only fly your drone where you can see it and avoid flying in clouds or fog. Always fly responsibly”.

PS: Please DJI, give me a Spark under 250 g. Even if it can only fly 5 minutes. That's a 1000 times better than not being able to fly at all. Which is the net result with all the regulations for drones over 250 g. For me a minimum is a camera and gimbal equivalent of the Spark.
They did give you one. It's called the Tello. No gimbal though.
 
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I have a Tello. I'm amazed what it can do and how good the pictures are. However, when I compare the Tello and Spark pictures, the Tello don't compare to the Spark. The extra weight and stability the gimbal gives, does result in better images. The gimbal also allows you to get the perspective that you want. This can be important especially in crowded built up areas. In short it means safer flying and less people getting upset. I'm not a drone racer. I fly to get pictures. I have my Transport Canada drone certificate. But I'm not allowed to fly an over 250 g in the very places I want to take pictures most.
 
The following is a definitive answer to a question I see asked so many times WITH a link to the Canadian Government website. These are the complete requirements for:

Micro drones - under 250 grams

See: Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada
or Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada

If you have a micro drone, you must fly it away from aircraft and airports. Never put people, aircraft or property in danger. Only fly your drone where you can see it and avoid flying in clouds or fog. Always fly responsibly”.

PS: Please DJI, give me a Spark under 250 g. Even if it can only fly 5 minutes. That's a 1000 times better than not being able to fly at all. Which is the net result with all the regulations for drones over 250 g. For me a minimum is a camera and gimbal equivalent of the Spark.
Looks like you get your wish! DJI Spark 2 Drone Will Be Under 250 Grams In Spring 2019
 
The following is a definitive answer to a question I see asked so many times WITH a link to the Canadian Government website. These are the complete requirements for:

Micro drones - under 250 grams

See: Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada
or Find your category of drone operation - Transport Canada

If you have a micro drone, you must fly it away from aircraft and airports. Never put people, aircraft or property in danger. Only fly your drone where you can see it and avoid flying in clouds or fog. Always fly responsibly”.

PS: Please DJI, give me a Spark under 250 g. Even if it can only fly 5 minutes. That's a 1000 times better than not being able to fly at all. Which is the net result with all the regulations for drones over 250 g. For me a minimum is a camera and gimbal equivalent of the Spark.
Did you take the $10 online test Transport Canada offers, which will allow you to fly heavier drones.

Take a drone pilot online exam: Small Basic Exam - Transport Canada

U guys have it easy. In Australia it is 100g. Tello beats just that. Just have to stay 30m away from people, vehicles and buildings.
I heard down in Australia, that CASA's test is free online test that will allow you to fly up to 2Kg.

Getting licensed and certified to fly a drone
 
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@xcrost that article seems to have dodgy source man. I reckon they should work on the air frame to get it under 250g. No matter, for me in Australia only under 100g drones can fly freely recreationally within a NFZ (generally 5.5km from a controlled airport and active helipad) which is pretty much covering the entire downtown and suburbs where I live.

@Ansia It is actually quite good rules on the CASA site you linked. 100g-2kg drones for commercial flight do not need to be operated by a license person, you only have to notify casa about your flight before and operate within their standard operation conditions i.e. less than 400ft, keep VLOS, 5.5km away from airport, don't fly over crowds blah blah blah... If you must breach these conditions or your drone is more than 2kg you will have to take the test for a license.

For recreational flight you can operate up to 150kg (really WTF lol), just no need to let casa know about your flights and you must adhere to the standard conditions. What is great about tello is that under 100g you can ignore restricted airspace (like within 5.5km from an airport). Tello still has to adhere to other standard conditions though.
 
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@xcrost that article seems to have dodgy source man. I reckon they should work on the air frame to get it under 250g. No matter, for me in Australia only under 100g drones can fly freely recreationally within a NFZ (generally 5.5km from a controlled airport and active helipad) which is pretty much covering the entire downtown and suburbs where I live.

@Ansia It is actually quite good rules on the CASA site you linked. 100g-2kg drones for commercial flight do not need to be operated by a license person, you only have to notify casa about your flight before and operate within their standard operation conditions i.e. less than 400ft, keep VLOS, 5.5km away from airport, don't fly over crowds blah blah blah... If you must breach these conditions or your drone is more than 2kg you will have to take the test for a license.

For recreational flight you can operate up to 150kg (really WTF lol), just no need to let casa know about your flights and you must adhere to the standard conditions. What is great about tello is that under 100g you can ignore restricted airspace (like within 5.5km from an airport). Tello still has to adhere to other standard conditions though.
Someone on the Phantom forums told me there was a license that would allow you to fly recreation and take a gig here and there and it was free. If you needed to fly in the 5.5km zone, all you needed was prior authorization. I will have to look that post up and refresh my memory.

I have the equivalent to the CASA commercial license and I enjoy flying almost everywhere I need. To get authorization down here, you just need to use an app like Airmap and you get your authorization code instantly.
 
@xcrost that article seems to have dodgy source man. I reckon they should work on the air frame to get it under 250g. No matter, for me in Australia only under 100g drones can fly freely recreationally within a NFZ (generally 5.5km from a controlled airport and active helipad) which is pretty much covering the entire downtown and suburbs where I live.

@Ansia It is actually quite good rules on the CASA site you linked. 100g-2kg drones for commercial flight do not need to be operated by a license person, you only have to notify casa about your flight before and operate within their standard operation conditions i.e. less than 400ft, keep VLOS, 5.5km away from airport, don't fly over crowds blah blah blah... If you must breach these conditions or your drone is more than 2kg you will have to take the test for a license.

For recreational flight you can operate up to 150kg (really WTF lol), just no need to let casa know about your flights and you must adhere to the standard conditions. What is great about tello is that under 100g you can ignore restricted airspace (like within 5.5km from an airport). Tello still has to adhere to other standard conditions though.
Awww c'mon if it's on the internet it must be true! :ROFLMAO:
 
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Someone on the Phantom forums told me there was a license that would allow you to fly recreation and take a gig here and there and it was free. If you needed to fly in the 5.5km zone, all you needed was prior authorization. I will have to look that post up and refresh my memory.

I have the equivalent to the CASA commercial license and I enjoy flying almost everywhere I need. To get authorization down here, you just need to use an app like Airmap and you get your authorization code instantly.

That is nice to have an app to use. Not sure about the license you mentioned. As far as I know you if you fly commercial under 2kg you don't even need a licence as long as you adhere to the standard conditions and let casa know before you fly.

@xcrost tello 2 is gonna have jet thrusters
 
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WE DO! ... and as long as we are under 250 gram, we can also do commercial work without any further requirements.
sorry actually I think I posted the wrong info. I mean in Australia you can dodge restricted airspace if you are under 100g. You can fly commercial without a license if the drone is under 2kg as long as you tell them before the operation. I thought you guys can dodge ignore airports if under 250g. My bad. I think in the USA generally you need to ask the airport if you are flying within 5 miles regardless the weight?
 
Did you take the $10 online test Transport Canada offers, which will allow you to fly heavier drones.

Take a drone pilot online exam: Small Basic Exam - Transport Canada


I heard down in Australia, that CASA's test is free online test that will allow you to fly up to 2Kg.

Getting licensed and certified to fly a drone
I have a license, but all drones over 250 grams are so severely restricted it is impossible to fly them in virtually all built up areas - the very places I want to take pictures. See Canadian Aviation Regulations
 
I have a license, but all drones over 250 grams are so severely restricted it is impossible to fly them in virtually all built up areas - the very places I want to take pictures. See Canadian Aviation Regulations
Hahaha I see the issue of canadian rules. You guys don't distinguish the difference between an active heliport and inactive one. It can be extremely annoying as most of the urban aerodromes are helipads. In Australia, CASA allows flight near helipad as long as there isn't any helicopter traffic (which there isn't like 99.99% of the time), if there is traffic you must steer your drone away from the helicopter's path and land asap. Airport is absolutly a no go if you are over 100g and don't have a license.
 
Can anybody substantiate this rumor? It's been circulating for a few months now, but no reliable sources. The above link doesn't give any source either.
The article is rubbish, just spreading a rumor that everyone can make up.
I also believe they are going to release some drone <250gr in due time. Maybe a new drone, or a Spark light, or a Tello FAT? We shall see

DJI aren't stupid, and know whats going on in terms of regulations around the world. Many countries have agreed on a 250gr threshold for some of their regulations, so it just makes sense to offer some drone in that category that is more capable than Tello.
 
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Reality is, even if your drone weights in at 240g and you fly within the threshold of an airport, the Aviation Agency from your country will prosecute them due to negligence and force you to register it in the end. Those Cy-Fly may be less than the required weight, but it is still not a toy drone. Remember, the law isn't as black and white as you may think.
 
Not saying its wise to pilot any drone near airports. But there is a huge difference between 249gr and 251gr for me beyond flying at airports.

In Germany I can legally do FPV without a spotter in any distance as long as I stay below 30m altitude. Of course 249gr is not a tiny toy and can cause harm & damage. I may be held liable for any damage I cause but this is covered by my insurance.
If I do the same with a 251gr drone I am in violation of local regulations and my insurance my refuse to pay so I am in trouble.
Above 250gr its no FPV at all, or FPV only with a spotter within LOS. Boring...

This weight threshold seems to be the consensus between many countries for exceptions to stricter rules. All this may change any time, but currently 249gr drones have a great appeal
 
In my opinion, this will change for the worse. A lot of people are going to buy into the 249g drones and do stupid things, ending in aviation agencies restricting all drones. Even the 88g Tello.
 
In my opinion, this will change for the worse. A lot of people are going to buy into the 249g drones and do stupid things, ending in aviation agencies restricting all drones. Even the 88g Tello.
Fully agree! Unfortunately many people do stupid things
 

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