I had actually figured this out when I was on planning an operation in Abbotsford January 13th, 2015. In my planning efforts when reaching out to some local authorities we we actually briefly mistaken for Amazon when we had described what we were doing. What I figured out from this was that Amazon was flying in the Abbotsford control zone, and probably near our operation.

I am not at all surprised of this. The FAA is been dragging their heals in the USA and it has resulted in several companies coming to Canada to use UAV technology. I have recently started working with a company that actually moved their entire operation to Canada because the regulatory environment is much friendlier to testing and development.

Companies from the USA that are looking to legally test systems seem to be welcome nearly anywhere but their home country. As the FAA struggles to catch up and deal with the regulatory development needed, they are stifling the growth of hundreds of companies in the USA that could be creating some of the next generation technologies that our industry needs to become safer. They are preventing the development of the very technology that would help them.

The other effect of the FAA’s lethargic and cumbersome response is that there are no hundreds of other operators and developers in the USA that are knowingly flying against the rules. Many have decided that it is worth risking the penalties to advance their business.

I certainly welcome this as it will drive some very advanced american talent and technology over the border, further advancing Canada’s position as one of the world leaders in unmanned systems. It also gives companies like Aerobotika a lot of business as we are here to help those organizations navigate the Canadian regulatory landscape to fly safely and legally in Canada’s UAV friendly airspace.