Aerial Drone Services

Here is how the work lines up. Aerial drone services in Canada operate under Transport Canada's RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) framework codified in Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Rules. Our pilots hold the Advanced Operations certificate for controlled airspace, urban work and operations within five nautical miles of certified airports, plus the Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for film and television operations that fall outside the standard rule set — night flying, beyond-visual-line-of-sight, multi-drone shows and flights above one hundred and twenty metres AGL.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. The pilot roster draws on Pacific Backlot Services British Columbia, Helistar Toronto, Skyworks Vancouver, Sky Sport Aerial Calgary and the wider IATSE 891, 873 and 514 aerial unit pool that has flown on Star Trek Discovery, The Last of Us (Alberta), The Handmaid's Tale, Murdoch Mysteries and Yellowstone-adjacent Calgary shoots.

Here is how the picture comes together. Gear runs DJI Inspire 3 with X9-8K Air gimbal and Zenmuse X7 Super 35 carry, Inspire 2 with X7 on the legacy senior tier, Mavic 3 Cine for compact ProRes 422 HQ work, and the DJI Matrice 350 RTK for heavy-lift and long-range industrial-grade payloads. FPV pilots fly aim-built five-inch and seven-inch quads with GoPro Hero 12 Black and DJI Avata 2 bodies for chase, proximity and through-the-gap shots.

Here is what we have to work with. Airspace planning runs through NAV CANADA — the country's privatised air navigation service provider — using the NAV Drone app for pre-flight notifications, controlled-airspace requests and class C and D tower planning. The Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal control zones each carry their own way corridors and our flight planners draw paths that stay outside the runway way surfaces or set up live with the tower for time-windowed flights.

Here is the layout. Parks Canada national parks present the biggest planning constraint — drone flying is prohibited by default in Banff, Jasper, Pacific Rim, Gros Morne, Wood Buffalo and each other national park, with special-use permits needed and rarely granted outside science and conservation work, so shoots wanting a Canadian Rockies aerial often fly the provincial Crown land bordering the park rather than inside the park boundary.

Here is how the work shapes up. AFN First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and Métis National Council consents apply when shooting over indigenous area, and the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Iqaluit cold-weather protocols add battery-warming, hand-launch and reduced-flight-time planning for sub-minus-twenty conditions. Transport Canada drone insurance through Marsh Canada or AVION Insurance carries the third-party liability records needed for each commercial flight.