Local drone retailer worried close call at Winnipeg airport could hurt hobbyists

Ryan Gobeil's business selling drones and remote-controlled aircraft has been taking off lately, but he's worried thatcould be groundedafter a near collision at Winnipeg's James ArmstrongRichardson Airport onSaturday.

• Plane has close call with drone while landing in Winnipeg

Adrone came within 25 meters of a commercial passenger plane. The plane landed safely. But Winnipeg police say when they track down the person responsible for the incident, charges will be laid.

• Drone operator who had close call with plane sought by Winnipeg police

Gobeil saysafew careless operators will make it difficult for those hobbyists who follow the rules.

"It's going to limit it for the guys like us and the hobbyists that want to enjoy it. Because now they're going to have to follow under the same rules as all [the certified operators], and it's making it harder for us to enjoy them," saidGobeilat his family'sEliminatorRC Hobby supply shop.

Transport Canada issues certificates for specific commercial flights. And those numbers seem to indicate the industry is growing. The number ofSpecial Flight Operations Certificates (SFOC) has grown from 66 in 2010 to 2,480 in 2015. This year,1,170 flights, including243flights in the prairies and northern region, weregiven the go-ahead.

However, Transport Canada also says there is no requirement that an operator be licensed and it does not track sales of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles. There is no tracking of recreational drone operators, the agency said.

Gobeiladmitsthe incident on the weekend shows the risk drones can pose to publicsafety.

"Even a Canada Goose can go and make damage to planes, so something like a drone that has metal and carbon fibre possibly in it it's going to cause a lot of damage. And somebody that's that high up is going to come down pretty hard."

Gobeil's business,Eliminator RC Hobby Supply run by his family,branched into the drone market about four years ago. He's said they've seenlarge growth in the market.

He saidanybody can come in and buy a drone. They sell for as little as $50 and they even see young kids picking up the flying devices that can be equipped with cameras capable of transmitting live video back to cell phones.

"Nowadays with all the technology and gyros and stabilizations and stuff like that, they are very stable to fly. You can fly them in the wind. Anybody can fly them," said Gobeil.

University of Manitoba Transport Institute professorDavid Duvalsays model airplanes and even entry-level drones can reach significant heights and that more needs to be done to keep airspace safe.Duval saidanything that can interfere with the operation of anaircraft could be particularly dangerous.

"If an object that size was [ingested] into the engine, it could cause significant problems," said Duval.

Duval said with drones growing in popularity, countries around the world are scrambling to regulate the industry.

"The biggest challenge is the technology, the [amount of] time it takes to track the signal. It's a challenge for law enforcement."

'No drone zones' launched

Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced the federal government has created "no drone zone" signs for airports and said Monday in a previously scheduled news conferencethat draft legislation is expected next year to strengthen the rules and regulations around drones.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority said while drone incidents here are rare,it is takingSaturday's near collision seriously.

"It's a very real risk and that's why we acted so quickly,"said WAA spokesperson Michael Badego.

Transport Canada's incident database shows that in addition to this weekend's incident, the Winnipeg airport has had three other incidents involving drones; in May of this year and in April and June of last year. No impact was reported.

Badego said the WAA workswith Transport Canada and police to educate drone owners to ensure the safety of airline passengers.

Gobeil said his businessalready tells customers getting into the hobby they need to be aware of the current regulations and their responsibilities. But he said government regulators could do more tomake the industry safer, such as limiting operators' ability to add technology such as cameras to drones.

"There is a lot of hobbyists doing it right now but if itgoes into the wrong hands, it could cause a lot of damage as well," said Gobeil.