Insurance and laws in Canada

[OneSkidShort]

Hey guys,

Anyone here know if there's any company that offers insurance for aerial photography using a heli in Canada? Also I'm trying to find out about the laws governing us. A quick talk with Transport Canada reveiled that they are not sure themselves. The nice gentleman suggested I do not kill anyone or take pictures inside bedrooms. Ahhh so helpful.

[MLaBoyteaux]

You should contact Gary Travis. He does a lot of work in Canada.

[furyphoto]

I am at about the point where I will need to look into this too, I would appreciate if you let me in on anyting you find out.

How did you approach Transport Canada? Just a phone call?

[Wbird]

Hi I recently went through all of this in May this year. I am in Saskatchewan / Alberta. Insurance was a bit of a chore. 12 or more companies before I found a couple that would even offer a policy. You must be prepared to spend money. $1500 - $4000 or more per year depending on the company and I had to get avaition insurance. Also in my letter or business plan i told the insurance companies that I would follow Transport Canada's guidelines. You will have to see what companies are able to do in your area. Don't stop when you get a few Rejections.

For Transport Canada I work with the Winnipeg Office. Their Phone # is (204) 983-7413.
They can probably give you the Number for your local office. They sent a guy out to check my equipment and watch me fly. You must be capable of doing very controlled flight and you equipment must be well maintained. They know nothing of the hobby but they can tell if you are a competent pilot. Overall they are a great bunch to work with. They just want to make sure that you observe all safety precautions and may point out a few that you were not aware of. (Don't ask how I know)

If there is anything else I may be able to help with contact my email as I only check out the forms once a week or two.

Andrew
Start with a phone call. You will need a very detailed letter describing your machine, your intentions, your safety measures, and any other concerns you can think of. You will get back a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) that will be approx 4 pages long of criteria you have to follow.

Good Luck


whirlybird@sasktel.net