Drone - RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems)

Drone (RPAS) Operations
and Airport Safety

Drone / RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems)

Drones – also known as RPAS, UAVs and UAS – are considered aircraft under the Aeronautics Act and Canadian Aviation Regulations. In order to operate a drone in a controlled airspace, authorization is required. For instance, you cannot fly a drone within the Southport Area Control Zone without authorization from Southport Aerospace Centre Inc.

Drones operated within the Southport Area Control Zone must be operated in accordance with the following requirements:

Drone must be visible to the operator at all times
Drone operator will not operate at an altitude exceeding 122 meters or 400 feet
Drone must remain at least 30 meters from bystanders
Drone operations will avoid emergency operations or advertised events (ie. Forest fires, outdoor concerts, parades, etc.)
Drone will land immediately when another aircraft is observed (ie. Airplane, helicopter, other drones, etc.)

Please click the links below for additional information:

Drone Site Selection Tool (Government of Canada)
Drone Flight Planning (NAV Canada)
Flying Your Drone Safely and Legally (Transport Canada)
NAV Drone Viewer (NAV Canada)

* Services offered Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM minimum call-out charge for services on evenings and weekends

Southport Area Control Zone

Southport is the location of the 3 Canadian Forces Flight Training School (CFFTS). There are special use training areas throughout the Southport Area Control Zone and priority is given to flight training operations.

There are 4 classes of airspace within the Southport region:

CLASS D: When the Tower is open
CLASS E: When the Tower is closed
CLASS G: Uncontrolled
CLASS F: Special use airspace

Authorization is required to operate within the Southport Area Control Zone. An Advanced Pilots License is required when operating inside a 3 NM (5.6 km) radius from the centre of the airport and 1 NM (1.8 km) from a heliport.

Drone (RPAS) Flight Authorization Application Form

Flight Authorization

If you are interested in flying a drone near Southport, an application must be submitted at least 48 hours ahead of time to allow for processing.

Applications are processed Monday – Friday between 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (excluding statutory holidays).

Once approval is granted by Southport Aerospace Centre Inc., operating instructions will be provided, which may include directions from the Southport Control Tower to coordinate the drone operations in real time.

All approved flights are subject to a $100.00 + GST administration fee.

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