In the United States, retailers are expected to sell as many as one million drones over the holiday season.
That number won’t be reached in Canada, given our lower population, but people in the industry say they’re still seeing big increases in the number of drones coming through the checkout lanes.
“They’re growing in popularity month after month,” said Ryan Strachan, general manager of the Best Buy store in Kitchener.
“It’s something fun. It’s something new. It’s a way to get people outside (and) use technology.”
At Strachan’s store, unmanned aerial vehicles on offer range from $100 for starter models to $5,000 for more high-quality, professional drones.
Transport Canada has a number of regulations that recreational drone users must follow.
The regulations prohibit drones from flying above 90 metres, from leaving the operator’s line of sight and from flying within nine kilometres of an airport.
Drones are prohibited from flying within nine kilometres of any airport in Canada. This map shows the buffer zone around Region of Waterloo International Airport.
Drones used for commercial purposes – such as professional photography – are subject to stricter rules.
Individual municipalities may also have rules forbidding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in parks or other public gathering places.
“The apparent freedom … is not as much as you might think,” said Bob Connors, general manager of the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.
Strachan says safety is top of mind for his employees, and customers are direct to Best Buy and Transport Canada’s website for safety advice.
The store also offers a drone simulator app, which Strachan recommends any new drone user give a try before flying their vehicle for real.
“They can be a little bit tricky at first, so downloading any kind of a simulator app would give you a real advantage in flying it safely and properly,” he said.
Connors says operators must also be aware of weather conditions.
“If a drone can go 20 miles an hour in one direction and you’ve got a 20 mile per hour wind, it’s going to go 40 miles in that direction and it won’t come back,” he said.
Authorities in the United States have started registering every drone in the country.
Connors describes that policy as “interesting, but administratively quite difficult.” Nothing similar is in effect in Canada.
The Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre offers training courses for novice drone operators.
