Comes After An Apparent 'Close Call' With An Airliner Landing In Ottawa

Late last Tuesday afternoon, the crew of an Air Canada Jazz Q-400 airliner on approach to landing at Ottawa International Airport said they saw a drone flying near the aircraft at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. The crew says the drone "narrowly missed" colliding with left wing of the larger aircraft.

While the incident has not been confirmed, and such reported sightings have been often found to be something other than a UAV, Mark Aruja, the chair of Unmanned Systems Canada went on CBC Ottawa Morning radio program, and called for better public awareness and clearer regulations for flying unmanned aircraft in that country.

The USC represents commercial drone users in Canada, and Aruja said incidents like the one reported by the airliner crew could be damaging to individuals and companies that follow the rules for drone flights. 

Aruja said it would be unusual for a commercial drone pilot to fly as high as 1,500 feet, and the regulatory limit for hobbyists is 300 feet. 

Aruja said that the drone would most likely would have been flown by a hobbyist, though "why a recreational operator would be up there is beyond me," he said.

(Image from file. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.unmannedsystems.ca