Drone Video On Approach Draws Attention

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Transport Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are asking for public assistance to identify the operator of a small drone that shot a video of an airliner on final approach to Vancouver International Airport from above the airliner. A person who goes by the name of Quadrotor Dragonfly on his YouTube account posted the video shot from just off the approach to YVR about five months ago. A local newspaper came across the video and posted it, prompting the investigation. Canada has a generally more relaxed attitude toward drone use than the U.S. currently does and commercial operations are allowed with special use permits. The YVR incident caught the authorities by surprise. “We have been working with the RCMP to determine the operator’s identity,” Transport Canada spokesman Rod Nelson told CTV News.

A director of the organization representing Canadian radio control model hobbyists says his group is outraged by the video and views it as a threat to the legitimate operations of its members. Steve Hughes, president of the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada, said the video will be discussed at his group’s next national conference but the fear is that rogue pilots like Quadrotor Dragonfly will force stringent restrictions on the hobby. “It’s pilots like these who can give the hobby a black eye,” he said. “YouTube is going to be the death of us.”

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