Breathtaking drone footage of skaters at a frozen Surrey marsh has racked up thousands of views on YouTube, but the owner of a nearby airport is anything but impressed.
Christian LeBlanc’s drone video, shot at Serpentine Fen last weekend, has been seen more than 26,000 times since it was uploaded on Monday.
Its scenic views are certainly spectacular, but King George Airpark owner Arnold Klappe worries that capturing them might have put pilots’ lives at risk.
“People are so interested in getting the shot nowadays that they don’t care what the rules are. They don’t care about other people’s safety,” Klappe told CTV News.
The small airport is located just a few hundred metres away from Serpentine Fen, and Klappe said his property can actually be spotted in the background of LeBlanc’s video.
He has reported the incident to Transport Canada, which confirmed it’s looking into what happened.
Under Transport Canada safety guidelines, unmanned aircraft such as drones can’t be flown within nine kilometres of any airport, aerodrome or heliport.
LeBlanc told CTV News he’s a responsible drone operator and tries to take every precaution, but wasn’t aware that the airport existed.
For Klappe, that’s of little consolation. This is the second drone incident near his airpark since the fall, a trend he finds very troubling.
“When a drone and a plane hit, neither one are gonna win,” he said.
Klappe added that he’s hopeful Transport Canada will force drone operators to undergo registration, which he believes will make them more accountable for their behaviour.
According to Transport Canada, anyone who endangers the safety of manned aircraft can face prison time and fines of up to $25,000 under the current rules.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Sheila Scott
