Canada (heavily) fines drone pilot ‘unaware’ of bans near airports

A drone pilot in Canada is feeling wallet pain following a collision with reality that resulted in a fine of over $3,000 ($2,270) for piloting his craft within the restricted airspace of Ottawa International Airport – a prohibition he told arriving police he wasn’t aware of.

Transport Canada, which is responsible for enforcing air regulation infractions, responded to the drone pilot’s claim of ignorance with a total $3,210 in fines ($2,287), citing seven different rule violations. Chief among those was flying within proximity of the banned area surrounding Ottawa International Airport (YOW), where officials were alerted to the intrusive presence by the facility’s small craft detection and tracking system. That asset was in large part provided by aerial and terrestrial UAV company InDro Robotics, which broke the news about the incident.

Read: Dublin Airport flails in…