It will! You need to renew your drone pilot certificate every 24 months. To do this, you take part in a recency exercise and you have some options! Then you also have to carry proof of this exercise with you when you fly. Options for your recency reset are:

• Complete the TC self-paced study program (free)
• Attend an approved recency program seminar like ours (usually for a fee)
• Write either the basic or the advanced online exam (~$10)
• Complete a flight review (~$250)

If it’s been more than 24 months, you simply have to complete one of the above items before you fly and your certificate will be valid again.

Insurance is not required, but a good idea. There are two types: hull and liability. Hull protects your aircraft and probably doesn’t make good financial sense unless your drone costs north of $5k. Liability is a good idea for everybody. It covers the costs of things your drone damages (including people). A lot of house insurance policies have a no aircraft clause, which drones are, so they won’t cover you. Yearly policies aren’t too costly so it’s worth looking into!

They sure can! Products like the DJI Aeroscope allow for monitoring of aircraft and transmitter (controller) location, path, altitude, flight time, registration and serial number. They are used by enforcement folks in most major cities and around airports.

They can indeed. While you don’t own the airspace above your property, you are entitled to reasonable privacy. If a neighbour is getting too close for comfort, best to approach them amicably to see if you can work something out. If that’s not an option, you may have to involve authorities. Just whatever you do, don’t shoot at the drone. As aircraft, that’s considered a federal offence and can cause you serious problems down the road.

Depends on the drone and on your certification!

Microdrones are not explicitly prohibited from overflying people BUT you have to ensure you’re not risking the safety of the people below.
Small drones can be flown over people if the manufacturer has declared them safe to do so. Usually this involves a parachute or similar apparatus and specific operating conditions. To be able to take advantage of an over people drone certification, you need an advanced pilot certificate.

Drones are prohibited in national parks and provincial parks except for in coordination with the park itself. While it’s possible to achieve this permission, it’s a challenge and usually requires the park to benefit from the footage somehow.

Cities may have different rules regarding drone flight in municipal parks. It’s best to look at those bylaws and search for terms like “drone”, “remotely piloted aircraft” or “unmanned air vehicle”.

 

It depends on the drone! The user manual is your best bet and follow what it says. While a flight or two in “moisture rich environments” (snow, rain, fog etc) may not look like it caused your drone any trouble, the moisture that has seeped inside can cause corrosion and premature failure of critical components. It’s also a great way to void your warranty!

Enterprise level drones tend to have ingress protection or an IP rating which refers to their weatherproofness.