Safety First.
Always Compliant.

What Advanced RPAS certification actually covers

Transport Canada splits remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) operations into two categories. Basic operations are limited to uncontrolled airspace, must stay more than 30 metres horizontally from bystanders, and may never fly over them. Advanced operations are what commercial work in a city actually requires: controlled airspace, closer proximity to people not involved in the flight, and operations near or over built-up areas.

An Advanced certificate is not a form you fill in. It requires passing Transport Canada’s Small Advanced Exam, completing an in-person flight review with an approved reviewer, and flying a registered aircraft that carries its registration number and holds the manufacturer’s safety assurance declaration for the operation being flown. Certification has to stay current, and the flight review is repeated on Transport Canada’s schedule.

In practice that is the difference between being able to shoot your downtown tower, your active construction site or your occupied retail plaza — and not. Airspace authorization for controlled airspace is requested through the NAV CANADA RPAS Flight Authorization service before the shoot, not on the day. Operations that fall outside the standard rules require a Special Flight Operations Certificate, which we apply for on a per-project basis when a site needs it.

Insurance and documentation

We carry commercial general liability insurance covering both ground and aerial operations. A certificate of insurance is issued on request — send it to your risk or legal team before the shoot rather than the morning of, since most property managers need it on file to approve site access.

• Coverage limit: see the certifications above.
• Certificate of insurance: available on request for every engagement.
• Additional insured endorsement: ask us — requirements vary by site and we will confirm in writing.
• WSIB clearance: provided on request for construction-site engagements.
• Health and safety documentation: we complete site-specific safety paperwork and contractor prequalification packages on request.

How a shoot runs on your site

The protocols above are the checklist. This is the sequence a site superintendent can expect on the day.

1. Before the visit. We confirm the site address and airspace class, request NAV CANADA authorization if the site sits in controlled airspace, review the site plan for overhead lines and crane radii, and send insurance documentation to whoever needs it.
2. On arrival. Sign in through your normal visitor or contractor process, complete any site-specific orientation, and confirm PPE requirements. On active construction we work to your rules, not ours.
3. Coordination. We speak to the site superintendent before the aircraft leaves the ground: crane and lift movements, personnel traffic, live work areas, and any zone that must stay clear.
4. Pre-flight. Equipment inspection, wind and weather assessment, hazard identification, exclusion-zone setup, emergency landing zone designated, and emergency contacts established.
5. In flight. Visual line of sight is maintained throughout. Any deterioration in weather, any unexpected personnel movement into the operating area, or any equipment anomaly grounds the aircraft immediately.
6. After. The flight is logged, any incident is reported through our reporting system, and edited imagery is delivered within 12–24 hours.