Thank you very much.
Good morning.
Stéphane Bouvier and I are representing Support aérien EXO Tactik this morning.
Our company was launched in February 2014 to provide air support service with drones for public safety purposes. We are operators, we pilot the aircraft to help police officers, firefighters and civil emergency responders to obtain live aerial images of the intervention sites. We therefore help them make better decisions faster, optimize their operations to save more lives, and protect those who often risk their lives to protect us.
The first months of operation were a bit more challenging, as the current process to obtain a flight certificate does not apply to emergency operations. There are many initial delays before a flight certificate can be obtained. Unfortunately, fires don't wait for Transport Canada. After doing a lot of work, we managed to get a permanent special flight operations certificate. This has been an essential support to our operations.
Last year, in 2015, we also submitted a brief to the Canadian Aviation Regulatory Advisory Council, as part of the notice of proposed amendments for unmanned aerial vehicles.
My colleague wanted to go over the history of drones. So I'll do it in his place.
It will soon be the 100th anniversary of the creation of drones. In fact, they were already active during World War I. At that time, drone operations were mainly military, which has been the case until recently. Since the 2010s, the technology has become much more accessible to consumers and the general public.
The devices come with GPS. The devices are also miniaturized, like the transponders that Mr. Glenn showed you. Everything has become smaller, much more accessible, less expensive and much easier to fly. The batteries have also become much more accessible.
In 2013, DJI launched a drone called the Phantom. We'll bring one into the room in a second. It's like the model T for cars. It is the first accessible model: it is easy to operate for consumers and the general public. It has revolutionized the world of drones. That's when the popularity of drones exploded.
Today, there are more and more drones. That's when things become more problematic, as was the case in the early days of the automobile. One day, there were too many cars and it was necessary to regulate the traffic, to install traffic lights and to introduce the seat belt.
That's the stage we are at with the drones. These devices are here to stay. Sales will not drop by next Christmas; they will continue to grow.
Thank you.