INNOVATION September-October 2015

Left: The author and a flight assistant retrieve a UAV after a surveying mission.

Regulations The most noteworthy limitations for operations in Canada are the Canadian Aviation Regulations . Operating a UAV for commercial purposes requires complying with a UAV Exemption or attaining a Special Flight Operations Certificate. Members of APEGBC who use UAVs have a professional obligation to adhere to the regulations. The following requirements, which summarize the rules at a conceptual level, pertain to all basic UAV operations (recreational or non-recreational) and support the primary objective of causing no harm or loss to entities outside of the operation: 1. Maintain visual line of sight to the UAV at all times. The aircraft and the surrounding airspace must be observed constantly with unaided vision. Relying on onboard cameras is insufficient. 2. Keep flight operations below 90 m above local ground. 3. Avoid restricted airspace. Flights are prohibited in restricted airspace, such as around airports or forest fires. 4. Keep safety paramount. Flights must not endanger people, animals, buildings, vehicles, or any other entity not involved in the flight operation. Canadian legislation allows for the expansion of UAV capabilities as those capabilities are developed and proven. Complete regulations can be found online (www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/ standards-4179). Equipment Unmanned aircraft systems are typically consist of three elements: 1. An aircraft, including frame and battery; 2. A method for remotely controlling the aircraft, and; 3. A payload—usually a camera. Aircraft come in various configurations, with the most common being rotary-wing— for example, quadcopters—and fixed-wing craft. Generally, survey operations larger than 25 ha (>0.5 x 0.5 km), with a clear take-off

Above: This UAV-generated orthomosaic of the Tahltan River rockslide provided information about how the slide obstructed salmon migration. The image was constructed from 25 individual photographs. Below: A three-dimensional model of a bridge site on a floodplain.

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