Safe flights, planned before take-off
Every DroneLink job follows the same planning, whether it is a listing aerial or a map of a quarry. Here is what happens, who does it, and what you can ask to see.
Safety is decided in the office, then confirmed on site
Most drone accidents come from a gap in planning: an unknown obstacle, a missed airspace boundary, a battery pushed too far, a crowd nobody expected. We close those gaps before the flight. The pilot on site then confirms the plan against what is actually there, and has the authority to stop.
On Vancouver Island, DroneLink's flights are flown by Elite Drone Solutions, a Transport Canada Advanced-certified, insured operator based in Victoria and led by David Olivier, a commercial helicopter pilot with more than 20 years of flying and Transport Canada Flight Reviewer certification. Outside the island, we assign each job to a vetted local operator from the network we are building, and we confirm that operator is certified and insured for your job before you commit. The standard below applies to every one of them.
Canada's rules are set out in Canada's drone rules and US rules in the US rules. We fly within them, and within any conditions set by the site owner, the airspace authority and the land authority.
How a job is planned and flown
Desk review at the order
Address and boundaries checked against airspace, airports, heliports, restricted areas, parks and population. If the job needs controlled-airspace authorization, a permit or an SFOC, you hear about it before you book, with the lead time.
Site survey
A documented survey of the take-off and landing area, obstacles, people, traffic, alternate landing spots and emergency plan. For Canadian Advanced operations it is required; we do it for every job.
Airspace authorization
In Canada, NAV CANADA authorization through NAV Drone when the site is in controlled airspace. In the US, LAANC or FAA DroneZone. Approvals are saved to the project record.
Weather call
Wind and gusts at altitude, precipitation, visibility, cloud and temperature, checked the day before and the morning of. If the job has a deadline, we call it early and move to the backup date.
Aircraft and crew check
Aircraft suited and declared for the operation, batteries and propellers inspected, firmware current, return-to-home set above the tallest obstacle. Pilot current and certified for the category. Visual observer when the operation needs one.
Briefing on site
The crew walks the site, confirms the plan, briefs the client contact and anyone involved, and sets the exclusion area. What you can do to help is in preparing a site for a flight.
Fly, monitor, stop if needed
The pilot flies the plan and stops if anything changes: people entering the area, an aircraft nearby, wind rising, a neighbour's concern.
Log and close
The flight, any issues and the data are logged in the project record.
Who does what on a flight
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Pilot in command | Final authority over the flight. Plans, checks and flies, and decides whether to fly or stop. |
| Visual observer | Watches the drone and the airspace, warns the pilot of aircraft, people and obstacles. Required for EVLOS and useful near structures. |
| Ground or safety lead | On larger jobs, keeps the exclusion area clear and talks to the public, so the pilot can fly. |
| Client contact | Opens access, knows the site, can pause a crane or move a car. |
| Operations lead | Sets procedures, reviews incidents and keeps pilots current. |
Insurance, privacy and incident reporting
- Insurance. Every operator assigned to a DroneLink job must carry liability insurance that covers drone operations. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you or the site owner when your site or contract requires one.
- Privacy. We capture the subject property, not the neighbours. We plan paths and angles to avoid yards, windows and people, blur what should not be kept and delete what the job does not need. Commercial work follows federal or provincial privacy law in Canada (PIPEDA, or the BC, Alberta and Québec private-sector acts) and state law in the US.
- Incident reporting. Every occurrence, from a fly-away to a hard landing, is logged in the project record and reviewed. Occurrences the rules make reportable are reported to Transport Canada or the FAA within the required time.
- Right to stop. Any crew member can stop a flight. Nobody is asked to fly a job they are not comfortable with.
- Records. Certificates, recency, aircraft maintenance, site surveys and occurrence reports are kept by each operator today. Keeping them in the DroneLink operator platform is coming; see for operators.
The risks we plan for
People walking into the area
Passers-by, residents or workers under the flight path.
Loss of signal near steel and glass
Tall buildings and structures can interfere with GNSS and control links.
Wildlife and birds
Raptors and gulls can attack drones, and nesting season matters.
Pressure to fly in bad weather
A deadline tomorrow, gusts today.
Questions
Is it safe to have a drone fly over my house?
A certified pilot flying within the rules keeps set distances from people not involved and plans around hazards. We brief everyone on site and set an exclusion area where needed.
Are your drone pilots licensed?
Yes. On Vancouver Island, flights are flown by Elite Drone Solutions, a Transport Canada Advanced-certified operator. Every network operator is confirmed certified for your job before you commit.
Do drone operators need insurance?
Clients, municipalities and site owners often require it. Every operator assigned to a DroneLink job must carry liability insurance covering drone operations, and you can ask for the certificate.
What happens if a drone crashes on my property?
The crew secures the area, the incident is logged and reviewed, reportable occurrences go to the regulator, and any damage is handled through the operator's insurance.
Will the drone record my neighbours?
We plan the flight to capture the subject property and avoid neighbouring yards and windows. What should not be kept is blurred or deleted.
Who decides if the flight goes ahead?
The pilot in command. If wind, people, aircraft or anything else makes the flight unsafe, the pilot stops and we reschedule.
Tell us about your Toronto site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with what it will take, who will fly it and when.