Risk & Business Magazine Gifford Associates Spring 2017 | Page 7

UAV REGULATION
The Evolving
World Of UAV
Regulation
Unmanned Systems
U
nmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) are a relatively
new development in
the world of aircraft. As
such, it should come as
no surprise that there have been a few
bumps in the road in their development
(and more bumps to come down the
line). Originally developed for work
in the defence industry, UAVs are
becoming increasingly popular not
only with commercial institutions but
also for recreational purposes. Now,
UAVs provide the opportunity to not
only increase commerce through their
commercial applications but also provide
a way for citizens to make the most of
the countryside, giving access to areas
which may otherwise be unreachable.
Unmanned Systems Canada (USC) is a
not-for-profit organization founded in
2003. The association was formed in
order to represent the interests of the
unmanned vehicle systems community
as a whole. This includes not only the
development of a list of best practices
but also providing a voice for the
community in terms of regulation,
legislation, advocacy, and professional
development. Commercial UAV pilots
need to have a Special Flight Operations
Certificate (SFOC) through Transport
Canada in order to conduct operations.
In comparison to the United States,
Canada had the advantage of writing
into law exactly what a UAV was ahead
of time, thus saving the headache
of waiting for that definition to be
created. Unfortunately, the initial
steps to getting an SFOC were not
thoroughly outlined. Working with
regulators, USC developed a list of best
practices for visual line-of-sight flight
operations. Those best practices will
be proposed as a law in June 2017. If
the law passes, then UAV pilots and
companies will begin to operate more
like true aircraft and aviation companies
(along with all of the regulations that
come with that designation) than
the way they currently operate.
“... UAVS ARE
BECOMING
INCREASINGLY
POPULAR NOT
ONLY WITH
COMMERCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
BUT ALSO FOR
RECREATIONAL
PURPOSES.”
More and more companies are beginning
to move beyond visual line-of-sight
flight operations and into nonvisual
flight plans. USC has worked diligently
in order to create a set of nonvisual
best practices as well, though there
has yet to be a companion piece from
regulators. The SFOC application must
state whether pilots, equipment, and
operational procedures are consistent
with best practices and whether the
intended operations are visual or
nonvisual. This means that nonvisual
pilots must already have a proven track
record with visual flights before they
will be eligible for nonvisual approvals.
After the origins of UAV use in the
military, commercial applications began
to crop up around 2006. That shift is
what started the long path to regulation.
For commercial and recreational pilots,
there is also the concern of insurance.
Fortunately, more and more insurance
brokers are beginning to work with
underwriters in order to develop a
thorough understanding of the types
of risk which are involved. While true
actuarial data is still a long way out, it is
evolving based on current inf ormation.
USC began working with insurance
companies around six to seven years
ago to assist with the process.
To learn more about USC, visit them
online at unmannedsystems.ca or contact
them by email at communications@
unmannedsystems.ca.+
UNMANNEDSYSTEMS.CA
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