Aircraft That Will Be Permitted To Fly Over Cities Will Be Too Expensive, He Says

A film maker in Canada says that country's new drone regulations set to go into effect June 1 will cost him his business.

Alan Auld owns Imagine Films based in Thunder Bay. He says that the new drone regulations recently announced by the Canadian Government will make it very expensive to do aerial work in that city, grounding operations like his.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that Auld said that when the new regulations go into effect, he would be forced to upgrade his aircraft to a compliant UAV. That could cost between $30,000 and $40,000 (Canadian), and it's more than he can afford.

Auld said the drone he currently uses in his business cost around $2,000. He said the aircraft that have been approved by the government will be required to have battery redundancy and fly on three propellers in the event of an emergency.

Auld said that he's particularly frustrated because he knows there are other operators who will not follow the rules. He also does not believe that there is sufficient enforcement included in the regulations.

Auld said that DJI is planning to release a drone that will comply with the news advanced Canadian regulations which will be somewhat less expensive, but will still be in the $15,000 to $20,000 range.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report