Coastal Drone Blog
Welcome to the Coastal Drone Blog!
Many articles here start their life as part of our weekly email circular, and then get fleshed out into more comprehensive articles. If you’d like to get notified of new information, products, news, and other drone-related tips and tricks, be sure to sign up for our mailing list.
Flying a Drone in Northern Canada
BLOG With new drone regulations in force, there's one question we get more that any other - WHERE CAN I FLY MY DRONE? The good news is that the 2019 Canadian drone laws are actually a lot more permissible than they have been previously! Once you...
An Ode to the Misinformed: A Poetic Rant
BLOG You call it all a cash grab But what you haven’t seen Is the thousands of hours of prep and processing That Transport Canada has done for free Literal THOUSANDS of SFOC applications Without any fees Not to mention requests and...
Flying a Drone in BC
BLOG With new drone regulations in force, there's one question we get more that any other - WHERE CAN I FLY MY DRONE? The good news is that the 2019 Canadian drone laws are actually a lot more permissible than they have been previously! Once you...
Flying a Drone in Ontario
BLOG With new drone regulations in force, there's one question we get more that any other - WHERE CAN I FLY MY DRONE? The good news is that the 2019 Canadian drone laws are actually a lot more permissible than they have been previously! Once you...
Standard Operating Procedures: An Overview
BLOG Did you know? Standard Operating Procedure requirements are laid out in the Canadian Aviation Regulations for both Basic and Advanced Category pilots. We've summarized the requirements below so you can double check your procedures to ensure they meet...
Meet the Team: Adam
Blog At Coastal Drone Co, our team is what sets us apart from the rest. We are proud to have some of the most knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced people in the business with us. We are excited to introduce you to the people who work every day to help you become...
Site Survey Primer
Blog Site Surveys? No Problem. We get a lot of questions from people wondering how to properly conduct a site survey. From physical obstacles, to airspace restrictions, to weather and site safety considerations, the process of a site survey can seem a little...
Meet the Team: Alec
Blog At Coastal Drone Co, our team is what sets us apart from the rest. We are proud to have some of the most knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced people in the business with us. We are excited to introduce you to the people who work every day to help you become...
Meet the Team: Kate
Blog At Coastal Drone Co, our team is what sets us apart from the rest. We are proud to have some of the most knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced people in the business with us. We are excited to introduce you to the people who work every day to help you become...
Flying As A Foreign Operator
Blog IT'S EASIER THAN YOU THINK 1. Take a 20-hour TP15263 compliant ground school2. Apply for your SFOC with your ground school certificate- Use this checklist to support your SFOC application! There's really only two steps. To fly in Canada as a foreign...
Best Drones for 2019
Blog Summer is coming, and that means drone (well.. technically RPAS) season is upon us! The good weather is going to lead to a lot of fantastic opportunities to get footage with your RPAS but it’s important to make sure that when you fly, you are obeying all the...
How to Get Your Advanced Drone Pilot Certificate
Blog If you are someone who enjoys flying drones, you’ve probably been looking forward to summer all year long! As the good weather approaches, flying conditions get more reliable and the opportunity to do cool things with your RPAS is always nearby. As of June 1,...
How to Get Your Basic Pilot Certificate
Blog If you are someone who enjoys flying drones, you’ve probably been looking forward to summer all year long! As the good weather approaches, flying conditions get better, the weather gets more reliable, and the opportunity to do cool things with your RPAS is always...
Transport Canada RPAS Information Session
On Tuesday, April 23rd, Transport Canada held an information session at the Richmond campus of BCIT hosted by Justin Miller, a Technical Team Lead on the RPAS Task Force and Jason Rule with the RPAS Centre of Excellence. Following a short presentation covering the...
3 Things I’ve Learned From Drones
Blog (and the stories behind the lessons) I’m an instructor on drones and in airplanes so I have lots of opportunities to teach aviation. Every once in a while, though, aviation flips right back around and returns the favour. Here are 3 lessons I’ve learned from...
New Drone Regulation FAQs
Haven't had a chance to view the new regulations? Check out our other post with a link to download the Gazette. Now that many have had a chance to review the regulations published by Transport Canada on January 9th, inevitably many questions have been raised....
Transport Canada’s Regulatory Update from UC18
NOTICE: check out our new post about the rules that are now in effect! At the end of October, Transport Canada presented a regulatory update at Unmanned Canada- Unmanned System Canada’s fall conference in Vancouver, BC. While specifics such as release dates for the...
3 Steps to Successfully Implement Drones in your Business
It’s easy to get excited about drones. Unless you have an Aston Martin equipped with missile launchers in your garage, drones are the closest thing to a Bond gadget that you can actually buy. There are ample predictions estimating the global drone industry to be worth...
Sensors and Payloads: The Way Drones Make Money
When it comes to making money with your drone, it all comes down to the payload. Really, the drone is just a tool for putting the camera or another sensor into an area that was too expensive or prohibitive to do otherwise. This is where the drone industry gets...
Transport Canada’s UAV Exemptions
There’s a Canadian Aviation Regulation that says all UAV flights need to have an SFOC or Special Flight Operations Certificate. 602.41 No person shall operate an unmanned air vehicle in flight except in accordance with a special flight operations certificate or an air...
Where Can I Fly My Drone? A Primer on Canadian Airspace
Where Can I Fly My Drone?While airports and airspace often go hand in hand, there are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about where airspace exists and what it means. Let’s take a look at the classes of airspace and then talk about what it means for you as a...
Regulation Update from Transport Canada
On Wednesday, May 23rd 2018, Transport Canada (TC) hosted approximately 40 unmanned aerial system stakeholders across the spectrum of industry, training providers, non-profits, manufacturers, and operators to discuss proposed changes to the regulations proposed in...
How To Check The Weather For Flying
Checking the weather is a vital step in analyzing a flight area, but it’s more than just sticking your head out the window. There are a lot of resources out there to help you evaluate effectively. I’m here to familiarize you with them and increase your confidence in...
Clearing Up Drone Misconceptions
By now, most people, especially if you live somewhere scenic like the Pacific Northwest, have seen drones flying over their hiking path or lake view. They’ve heard the buzzing of the machine as its propellers zip through the air. They’ve seen one or two get too close...
Living Up to Our Name
Coast to Coast to Coast With accurate flight records, extensive training, good timing and a sprinkle of luck, Coastal Drone Co. became the first (or so thinks our Transport Canada inspector) holder of a National Special Flight Operation Certificate (SFOC) in Canada....