Right now, Transport Canada grants exemptions for drones weighing less than 250 grams. Clearly, we are talking about energy that can strike an aircraft. A drone weighing less than 250 grams can cause damage, but drones weighing more than 250 grams are the most dangerous.
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association suggested that an operator competency card be required, much like the pleasure craft operator card. I have a boat and I had to get my card and register my boat before I was allowed to use it. We are proposing a similar system: to buy a drone, people will need to have taken a course and obtained their competency card. The course, which would be a few hours long, could even be offered online. That could work.
We need to educate people about the use of drones. You can’t just go out in your backyard with your drone when you are, say, in the approach path of Rockcliffe Airport. Even a drone of only 500 grams can be dangerous. When you hit an object of 500 grams at 150 kilometres an hour, there will be damage.
We are stressing the importance of educating people so that they know that even a small drone weighing less than 250 grams can be dangerous. People should be familiar with the rules and regulations. Right now, there is no evidence that people are aware of that. We should just take this a step further by requiring drone users to have the necessary skills, as in the case of pleasure craft.