This past summer, the federal government commenced two pilot projects involving emergency responders and select private companies operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS). The purpose of these projects is to gather safety information and help the government understand how to regulate such operations. Transport Canada has indicated that they have now completed a few operational tests and will continue their trials into 2019. The industry is anxiously awaiting the results as they will provide key indications as to how the BVLOS operations will be regulated.
The industry is also waiting for the modernization of the regulation of UAV operations within visual line-of-sight (VLOS). While draft regulations were released last year, Transport Canada signalled some departure from their content but are still aiming to release the regulations before the end of 2018.
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