An increase in the number of conflicts between manned aircraft and drones has been recorded this year. There were 85 that met Transport Canada’s definition of a reportable incident in that they posed “a risk to aviation safety.” That’s up significantly from the 55 incidents reported in the first six months of 2018. Statistical inevitability appears to be at least partly to blame for the surge. “More drones are flying, so there’s more probability that incidents could be reported to the department,” said Ryan Coates, manager of Transport Canada’s remotely piloted aircraft systems task force. “They’ve just increased in numbers by the thousands.”
Ontario recorded the most drone incidents at 33 while B.C and the Yukon saw 26 in the first six months of this year. Mandatory registration of drones began in June and so far more than 30,000 owners have complied. Ontario has the most at about 10,000 and Quebec has 6,000.