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Drone Ownership & Responsibilities

WingSmith Drones products are designed for responsible recreational, educational, and commercial use by customers who understand the risks associated with FPV and remotely piloted aircraft system (“RPAS”) operation.

Drones, batteries, electronic components, charging equipment, radio equipment, video systems, and related accessories must be handled carefully and used only in accordance with applicable product instructions, safety guidance, aviation regulations, and local laws.

By purchasing, building, receiving, modifying, repairing, charging, transporting, or operating a WingSmith Drones product, you acknowledge that you are responsible for ensuring that the aircraft is safely configured, maintained, inspected, charged, stored, transported, and operated.

This notice provides general Canadian guidance only. It is not legal advice, flight authorization, certification, or a substitute for reviewing current Transport Canada drone requirements and the rules that apply to your specific aircraft, location, and intended operation.

Important: Aircraft Weight Includes Attached Equipment

For regulatory purposes, your drone’s operating weight includes items attached to or carried by the aircraft, such as batteries, action cameras, prop guards, GPS units, lights, payloads, or other accessories.

A drone that is normally under 250 g may become subject to different requirements if an attachment increases its operating weight to 250 g or more. See Transport Canada’s drone registration guidance for current requirements.

Drones Under 250 g: Microdrones

In Canada, a drone with an operating weight of less than 250 g is generally considered a microdrone.

Microdrone pilots do not generally need to register the aircraft with Transport Canada or hold a drone pilot certificate. However, microdrone pilots remain responsible for operating safely and must not fly in a reckless or negligent manner that endangers aviation safety or any person.

Review Transport Canada’s current microdrone rules and safety guidance before flying.

As a best practice, microdrone pilots should:

• Keep the drone within visual line of sight whenever possible.
• Fly below 400 feet above ground level.
• Keep a safe distance from people, animals, vehicles, buildings, and property.
• Stay clear of all aircraft and give way to crewed aircraft at all times.
• Stay well away from airports, heliports, aerodromes, seaplane bases, and emergency sites.
• Avoid flying near critical infrastructure, including utilities, communication towers, bridges, and emergency-response areas.
• Inspect the aircraft, batteries, props, radio link, video system, failsafe configuration, and flight area before each flight.
• Respect privacy, trespassing, municipal, provincial, park, and property-owner rules.

Microdrones are still aircraft under Canadian law. They may not enter restricted airspace without permission, and additional permission may be required for certain locations or operations.

Flying any drone, including a microdrone, at an advertised outdoor event such as a market, festival, sporting event, or concert requires a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC-RPAS) from Transport Canada.

Drones Weighing 250 g or More

In Canada, a drone with an operating weight of 250 g or more must generally be registered with Transport Canada before flight. This includes custom-built drones, drones assembled from kits, and off-the-shelf drones.

The registered owner must clearly mark the aircraft with its Transport Canada registration number and carry proof of registration while flying. Registration and ownership changes can be managed through Transport Canada’s Drone Management Portal.

Pilots operating a drone weighing 250 g or more must hold the appropriate Transport Canada drone pilot certificate for the type of operation being conducted. Learn more about getting a drone pilot certificate and the available pilot exams.

The required certificate depends on where and how the aircraft will be flown.

Basic Operations

A Basic Operations Pilot Certificate may be appropriate only when all applicable basic-operation conditions are met. In general, basic operations are conducted:

• In uncontrolled airspace.
• Within visual line of sight.
• At or below 400 feet above ground level.
• At least 30 metres horizontally from bystanders not involved in the operation.
• More than 5.6 km from a certified airport.
• More than 1.9 km from a certified heliport.
• Outside restricted airspace and away from emergency operations.
• Outside advertised events, unless an appropriate SFOC-RPAS or other authorization has been obtained.

Pilots must conduct a site survey before flight, assess hazards, check relevant airspace information and NOTAMs, and ensure the planned operation can be completed safely. See Transport Canada’s overview of drone operation categories and certificates.

Advanced Operations

An Advanced Operations Pilot Certificate is generally required for operations that do not meet the conditions for basic operations, including certain flights:

• In controlled airspace.
• Near people.
• Over people.
• Closer to airports, heliports, or aerodromes where permitted.
• In locations requiring air-navigation service provider authorization.
• Using certain advanced RPAS operational privileges.

Advanced operations may also require a drone with the appropriate Transport Canada safety assurance declaration for the intended operation, authorization through NAV CANADA or another relevant airspace authority, and compliance with additional operational requirements.

Review Transport Canada’s Advanced Operations requirements before planning an advanced flight.

A pilot certificate alone does not automatically authorize every advanced flight. The pilot remains responsible for confirming that the aircraft, airspace, location, authorization, and operating conditions are suitable for the intended operation.

FPV and Visual Observer Requirements

FPV flying can be an enjoyable and legitimate form of drone operation, but it requires additional care.

For drones weighing 250 g or more, pilots using FPV goggles or another first-person-view device must ensure that a qualified visual observer is available to maintain awareness of aircraft, people, obstacles, and other hazards outside the pilot’s field of view.

The visual observer must be able to communicate effectively with the pilot and assist with detecting and avoiding conflicting aircraft or other hazards. The pilot remains responsible for the safe operation of the drone at all times.

Customers must not use FPV equipment in a way that prevents safe aircraft control, hazard awareness, or compliance with applicable visual-line-of-sight and detect-and-avoid requirements.

Airspace, NOTAMs, and Flight Planning

Before each flight, pilots should confirm the airspace classification, temporary restrictions, nearby aerodromes, emergency activity, weather, and applicable NOTAMs.

NAV CANADA’s Drone Flight Planning tools and NAV Drone Web can help pilots plan VLOS operations, identify airspace restrictions, and request permission for eligible flights in controlled airspace.

NAV Drone is a planning and authorization tool; it does not replace the pilot’s responsibility to understand and comply with all applicable rules.

General Safe-Operation Responsibilities

All customers and pilots are responsible for:

• Completing appropriate pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight checks.
• Confirming batteries are undamaged, properly secured, charged using appropriate equipment, and safe to use.
• Ensuring propellers, motors, frames, antennas, GPS equipment, receivers, flight controllers, video systems, and failsafe settings are functioning correctly.
• Confirming that return-to-home, GPS rescue, low-battery, radio-loss, and other failsafe settings are appropriate for the aircraft and flight area.
• Selecting a safe launch and recovery area.
• Maintaining safe separation from people, animals, vehicles, buildings, roads, power lines, emergency operations, and other aircraft.
• Avoiding flights over uninvolved people, crowds, public events, roadways, or private property where doing so could create a hazard or violate applicable laws.
• Respecting privacy, property rights, park restrictions, municipal bylaws, and the instructions of landowners or site operators.
• Checking relevant airspace restrictions, NOTAMs, weather, visibility, wind conditions, and temporary flight restrictions before each flight.
• Discontinuing or delaying a flight when conditions are unsafe or uncertain.
• Reporting incidents where legally required.

Modifications, Repairs, and Configuration Changes

Customers are responsible for the effects of any modifications, upgrades, repairs, tuning changes, firmware updates, payload additions, propeller changes, battery substitutions, GPS installations, action-camera mounts, waterproofing treatments, or other configuration changes made after purchase.

Any modification may affect aircraft weight, flight characteristics, safety systems, regulatory classification, registration requirements, manufacturer declarations, warranty coverage, and compliance with applicable laws.

A customer must not assume that a configuration that was compliant or suitable before modification remains compliant or suitable after modification.

Battery, Charging, and Fire Safety

Lithium-polymer, lithium-ion, and related battery systems present a risk of fire, thermal runaway, burns, property damage, or injury if mishandled.

Customers are responsible for using appropriate chargers, charge settings, storage procedures, transportation methods, battery bags or fire-resistant containers where appropriate, and disposal methods. Batteries must never be charged unattended or used when swollen, punctured, leaking, damaged, overheated, or otherwise unsafe.

Assumption of Responsibility and Limitation of Liability

FPV and drone operation involve inherent risks, including crashes, equipment failure, radio or video-link loss, battery damage, fire, property damage, injury, loss of aircraft, regulatory penalties, and legal consequences.

WingSmith Drones cannot control how a product is assembled, configured, modified, maintained, charged, stored, transported, repaired, or operated after it leaves our care.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, WingSmith Drones Inc. is not responsible for injury, death, property damage, loss, regulatory penalties, fines, legal claims, costs, or other consequences arising from improper setup, modification, repair, charging, storage, transportation, operation, or use of its products.

WingSmith Drones provides educational resources, product guidance, and support to help customers build confidence and operate responsibly. These materials are provided for general informational purposes only and do not replace official aviation regulations, manufacturer instructions, professional training, insurance advice, or legal advice.

Before purchasing or operating a WingSmith product, please review our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Shipping & Returns Policy, Warranty & Repairs Policy, Battery Safety Information, and all applicable Transport Canada, provincial, municipal, landowner, and airspace requirements.