As I understand it the Canadian regulators have gone this way because everyone else has across the planet. There is no basis to it, no risk assessment to back it up, and is a ridiculous attempt to appease the masses that have no idea what a drone is or what it is used for. Really I could go on and on about ridiculous cases of ALLEGED drone incidents which have no facts, just speculation.
Here are some of the rules, just a couple to make you shake your head in confusion.
1. Any aircraft over 250g's must have a flight log, a repair and maintenance log, and the owner/operator manual on hand on site for not only the pilot, but must also be accessible to the MANDATORY spotter as well, at all times.
2. If the flying site being used is over private property you must have permission of said property owner before any flights are to commence so you and the owner are aware of all the risks involved.
Now you might think these are reasonable but I can explain why they aren't. chances are you are going to a field in the middle of no where and you have already figured, if you are a reasonable responsible person, that the risks to persons or property is down to zero, yourself being the exception. Hopefully you have the sense of self preservation and don't run the drone into yourself. Furthermore, manned aircraft fly over personal and public property all the time with out permission of said property owners, at the risk of anyone or anything below, from greater heights, in a much heavier airframe, which will if not completely cause a substantial greater amount of damage, injury or death to not only the occupants of the aircraft, but anyone or anything on the ground. Which is the lesser of two evils?
Here is one that will blow your mind, and this is totally Canadian
3. All remotely operated aircraft are to have de-icing equipment installed to alleviate risk to persons or property while in the air or on the ground... WHAT?!
4. Any operator under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by a qualified adult who also has the appropriate licensing with the applicable governing body. Again more eye rolling
5. All these rules are exempt if the pilot of the drone or RAS is flying in a M.A.A.C. sanctioned field, therefore all rules to the field appy and over ride the governing body rules... well for the most part
These are just a handful of them. Now let's say you get your licence, and register you plane/drone, and go out flying with your spotter, regardless of using FPV or flying line of sight, in a field which you have permission to fly in, and you stay within your 400' ceiling. Now, and I have personally seen this, a helicopter flies in at just over tree top level, well below their 500' deck they are designated to fly in and it hits your plane/drone, guess what? You are at fault, and if they find your drone with your registration number on it, Johnny Law comes knocking on your door to arrest you, go to trial, and in some cases people have been fined up to $20,000 for less. The pilot of the helicopter was in violation of their own flying space above 500' and you followed all the rules, but you are the one considered to be the cause of all the risk. Get this, the only way an aircraft has the allowance to fly that low is within the low fly zone of an airport or landing pad, or has issued an notice of low flying in a designated area. Other then that they must fly over 500'. If you are walking down the sidewalk in you neighborhood, would you expect a car to come careening into you at 60kph or would you feel safe to walk your dog on said sidewalk? The rules are and should be treated as the same. Your drone/plane below 400' is on the sidewalk, manned aircraft over 500' is the road, with a 100' separation zone, that makes sense right?
I have been out flying before, well below 400' and have seen a light aircraft flying in the vicinity, I would say well over 1000', probably double that, and have noticed them change coarse to be well out my range most likely because they have seen my RC aircraft flying responsibly at low altitude. Both parties being reasonably responsible pilots. I have also been at a park down in the river valley with the family doing some fishing and have witnessed a private manned helicopter flying along the river, below treetops on the banks of the river, maybe at the altitude of about 50-60', wearing around the islands in the middle of the river even flying under a road bridge. Is that pilot of the helicopter a reasonably responsible pilot? What if I wasn't fishing but flying my child's toy and an incident happened?
What does this mean? Registration is more then a cash grab, its an offenders list for the regulators to have an easy place to point the finger to say i told you so, and here is your fine, probably well exceeding $1000 or possible jail time. If you license and register you are really supporting outrageous laws like this, they are child's toys, really! Did you know if you have a motor bike or scooter that is under 50cc's you don't need a license or registration? How much personal injury or property damage can one of those do compared to a plane/drone that weighs in at say 500g's. Do you think the new laws are fair? Yes they are unjustified, unwarrented, and have no knowledge of risk behind them.
Now all said and done, if someone is flying an RAS in a restricted zone like an airport exclusion, then yes they are uneducated to the fact or ignorant to the inherent and obvious possibilty of risk to persons and/or property, then yes throw the book at them. They deserve it and are tarnishing the good nature of our hobby we enjoy, and have been enjoying by people like us for the better part of a century, without one death caused by a drone/plane in that time period. More people have died by lightening strikes and even asteroid debris then from an RAS.
You make the call, do some research, but please make an informed decision. Don't be swayed by the law makers to completely comply because not only are you supporting their obvious blatant disregard for the facts and reality, but you could have a knock on your door for something that isn't your fault and get hammered with something a lot more serious then the $1000 fine.
Sorry for the long winded response but I just want to make sure that anyone who is considering registration and licensing understand all sides and the value or lack there of the designated new laws, again it is completely up to you as for yours. Will I be registering or getting a licence? Absolutely not. Being insured by the M.A.A.C, yes.
Thanks for reading