Police are asking drone pilots to be more careful after a close call in London.
London police say the pilot of an air ambulance reported to air traffic control at the London Airport that a drone came a little to close for comfort around 1,200 ft above the area of Dundas St. and Thames St.
Officials at the airport reported the incident to police and Nav Canada.
The incident also prompted police to release a list of suggestions to drone pilots. Do:
• Fly your drone during daylight and in good weather (not in clouds or fog). • Keep your drone in sight, where you can see it with your own eyes – not only through an on-board camera, monitor or smartphone. • Make sure your drone is safe for flight before take-off. Ask yourself, for example, are the batteries fully charged? Is it too cold to fly? • Know if you need to apply for a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). • Respect the privacy of others – avoid flying over private property or taking photos or videos without permission.
Don’t:
• Fly closer than nine km from any aerodrome (i.e. airport, heliport, helipad or seaplane base, etc.) • Fly higher than 90M above the ground • Fly closer than 150m from people, animals, buildings, structures, or vehicles • Fly in populated areas or near large groups of people, including sporting events, concerts, festivals, and firework shows • Fly near moving vehicles, highways, bridges, busy streets, or anywhere you could endanger or distract drivers • Fly within restricted and controlled airspace, including near or over military bases, prisons, and forest fires • Fly anywhere you may interfere with first responders
