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ARTICLE · 17 MARCH 2017

Aviation Alert: First Transport Canada Approved BVLOS Flight For A UAS

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On February 24, 2017, Canadian aviation history was made with the first Transport Canada approved Beyond Visual Line of Sight ("BVLOS") flight by a Small Unmanned Aerial System ("sUAS").

CanadaTransport
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Katherine Ayre
Katherine Ayre
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On February 24, 2017, Canadian aviation history was made with the first Transport Canada approved Beyond Visual Line of Sight ("BVLOS") flight by a Small Unmanned Aerial System ("sUAS").

The laws with respect to Unmanned Air Vehicles ("UAVs"), sometimes colloquially called "Drones", are evolving rapidly in response to business use and technology advances. Terminology is shifting away from "UAV" and "Drone" toward Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to acknowledge that the technology more aligns with aircraft and their associated sophisticated use and risks, as opposed to "vehicles".

A milestone in the evolution of Canadian aviation regulations for UAS operations occurred on February 24, 2017 at the Foremost UAS Range in Alberta. The flight involved an Aeryon SkyRanger sUAS flying BVLOS. This successful flight by Ventus Geospatial Inc. was the first of its kind to be approved by Transport Canada.

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