upgrade for still cam,transport canada,grounded for 30 days

[kelly steed]

looking for upgrade for my coolpix 5700,looking at 10 megpixels,need some sugestions. Clients are looking for higher resolution had a 500,000 barrel a day oil company file a complaint with transport canada regarding air space. Looking for some one in canada that has some experience dealing with transport canada.I fly a bergen.

[Tonystott]

Please tell us more!

[dreslism]

Kelly,

Check with Dean at groundeffectimaging. He is based in CA and I have stuff on his website about transport canada, but I have no idea what that means since I'm not from CA.

[MarkWebber]

Yeah Kelly...are you saying you're grounded for 30 days? Are you looking for another pilot? Gary Travis said he's delt with flying issues in Canada. Flys Bergen too. Maybe he can offer assistance?

[GJestico]

you dont want to know. once they are on to you you are pooched. Get ready to ask for permission to fly your heli 20 days in advance. They will treat you the same as if you were flying a 2000lb predator drone. 30 days is just the beginning. tell em your flying for fun NOT profit, that might help you.
Dis you have a run-in with a full-size ? the regs regarding uav's in canada are not readily known, odd that someone would complain to TC about you.

Do it for fun, on the record. Its alot of work to do it by the book as a business. Seriously more work than if you were going to do it with a full size commercial aircraft.

[MarkWebber]

What a drag. And there's talk of ruining us the same way. :arggg:

[Canada Goose]

I am using a Canon S80 with great results (8mp) and it has a 28mm wide angle!

Someone complained and you are all the way up in Ft. McMurray....good grief!

[Mark222]

Hello all: :)
This is my first Heli Freak Posting.
Man, the forums are looking better every day.

Kelly:
I may be able to help.
If you are charging a fee, you require an SFOC from Transport Canada, to do aerial photograpy from a remotely piloted aircraft. If you are not charging a fee it could be deemed that you are deriving some benefit and may require certification anyway.

I currently have a "Special Flight Operations Certificate" issued by Transport Canada, for the operation of my Vario Helicopters, these are classed as Unmanned Air Vehicles and used for aerial photography.

Transport Canada's mandate is to insure the safety of the public. Acquiring the SFOC was a lot of work but well worth it in the long run. The screening process will help weed out operators who do not yet have enough experience to operate safely on a day to day basis. From my experience so far, I can see that Transport Canada wants to help us keep the industry safe.

I felt fortunate to work with one of the senior aviation inspectors at Transport Canada, he was very sincere in helping me achieve my aerial photography goals.
This industry is relatively new in Canada, there are not yet industry specific regulations firmly set in place. Each applicant is considered on a case by case basis. In my situation we were able to come up with operating guidlines that satisfied everyones needs. Our information is entered into a data base to help build operating guidlines for future use.

If you are serious about pursuing remote aerial photography, get in touch with Transport Canada, they can help you get certified.

Hope this helps.

Mark Gronvall

PS: The oil company may have concerns about security or safety or fire hazards or maybe something else. When you are certified it helps open doors.
Cameras, get a good Digital SLR, Nikon or Canon work well. The 10 Mb cameras are well priced.

[kelly steed]

thanks mark the sfoc is on the way,transport canada have been very good to me so far.i may have a local full size heli company also in the action,i,m taking clients away from them.if i have any proplems i will get in touch with you or garry travis.
i did have a good working relationship with flight service in the five mile restrited zone.i called them when i was going up with location,time and how high.i have a good working relationship with the city,i do work for them.i only got into proplems when i started doing more work out side the zone.i was working for finning canada but flying over an oil companies air space.i,m not happy i lost alot off work,the snow will be here in 30 days.

[GJestico]

Thanks for setting that straight, Mark,
Having met Mark, his machines and operation exhibit great professionalism. He knows what it takes to deal with Transport Canada.

Its too bad affordable insurance is not available for the part-time Aerial Photography operators. As I understand it liability insurance coverage is a pre-requisite to being issued a SFOC ?. I have heard of insurance costing $5000 plus. Hard for a weekender to justify that.

Greg

[Mark222]

Kelly:
Good to hear you're moving forward with Transport Canada. If you need help, let me know.
It's a good practice to secure permissions before overflying any properties adjacent to the clients location. Cover all your bases before doing the flight. You want flight operations to go as smoothly as possible. With snow arriving in 30 days any delays can severely reduce your "photo windows of opportunity".

Greg:
Thanks for the kind words. I wish we would have had more time to talk shop when you were here. It was a busy Fun Fly weekend.

Yes, having liability insurance is one of the requirements for obtaining an SFOC. Also if you are doing work for a city they will usually have liability insurance requirements you must meet. Where I am, the minimum level of coverage is 2 million.

Mark G.