Are you a Drone pilot? Perhaps you’d like to get into the hobby of flying drones, or even fly them professionally as an aerial photographer or filmmaker? If so, it can seem somewhat daunting at first. In fact, with the plethora of features that many modern drones have and drone flying rules still evolving, it can be downright intimidating to try and learn about everything. And that’s why today I’m introducing you to a pair of Coastal Drone Flying courses that will help you to become more than just drone competent.
In fact, you can become a fully proficient drone pilot with the Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Basic or an advanced flyer with the Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Advanced. Read on to learn all about these great new drone pilot certification courses that you can now sign up for through Best Buy Canada.
Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Basic
If you’re a beginning drone enthusiast (or anything less than an advanced or near-advanced pilot), the course for you is the Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Basic. This course provides a basic level of drone knowledge that will help you to become a safer drone pilot. It will also make you a better informed drone user, which will help you to pass Transport Canada’s written RPAS drone piloting exam and receive a Basic Pilot Certification.
Canada has a number of Drone safety rules concerning where, when, what size (by weight) drones you can fly with or without certification, and more. As drone technology is continually and quickly evolving, the rules and best practices for their safe use are also developing and do change over time.
For example, at the time of this writing, drone pilots in Canada must take certain steps to legally fly drones weighing 250 grams or more. For drones under this weight limit, no special training or certification is necessary, though anyone can benefit from such training. Coastal Drone Flying courses will help you to better understand and properly interpret Transport Canada’s rules so you won’t run afoul of the law.
Note: Shown below is one example of a drone that anyone can fly without the need for special certification: the Airselfie AirPix Quadcopter Drone with Camera. You can learn all about this very small drone in my announcement article HERE.
In Canada, pilots of drones weighing 250 grams or higher must be at least 14 years of age to become certified at the basic piloting level. Other Transport Canada rules include staying a minimum of 5 kms away from airports (for those with basic certification) and at least 30 metres away from other people while flying.
You are also are prohibited from flying your drone directly over other people’s heads, and any drone weighing more than 249 grams must be marked and formally registered. Penalties for non-compliance with the law include hefty fines and potentially even criminal charges in the case of an accident causing property damage or injury to another person.
With Coastal Drone courses, you can learn to follow all of these rules via a flexible and convenient online format in the comfort of your own home. You can work at your own pace with the downloadable materials (be sure to provide your correct e-mail address when signing up), meaning you won’t receive any physical materials through the mail. This gives you faster access to the course materials (usually within 24 hours), but the fees are non-refundable and the materials are non-returnable, so choose your course level wisely before placing an order.
Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Advanced
If you are more advanced in you ability to pilot drones (and at least 16 years of age) and would like to become certified as an advanced drone pilot, you can take the Coastal Drone Online Pilot Certification Courses – Advanced.
This course provides the knowledge necessary to pass Transport Canada’s written RPAS exam for Advanced Pilot Certification. It also allows you to fly in zones that are restricted to those with basic certification (such as within 5 km of an airport or within 30 metres of bystanders) and will equip you with the knowledge to become a safer and better informed advanced pilot.
As with the basic level course, you’ll study at home at your own pace. There are no physical materials provided with this course either—everything is downloadable from the Internet using the information provided by e-mail. This course, however, is much longer than the basic module (approximately 20 hours of study) and has additional materials to help you to pass the advanced certification exam. This exam includes an in-person test, which Coastal Drone will help you to prepare for as well.
Whichever course you take, you’ll get expert level instruction from pilot Kate Klassen as part of a specially designed learning module comprising instructional videos, mock exam questions, and more that will enable you to take and pass the Transport Canada exams. You’ll have access to these materials for 12 months from your date of registration, allowing you to go over them as much as you need to feel confident to take the exam.
These courses will give you the requisite knowledge to legally, confidently, and capably fly drones for fun, photography, or other purposes. If you’ve ever had the desire to capture beautiful aerial video and photographs, flying a drone is the only way to accomplish this goal, and these courses are your ticket to fly within Canada.
Your drone piloting proficiency will be achieved through a 4 step process: First, choose which course level is right for you and put in the work to pass the exam. Second, take and pass the exam for your level through the Transport Canada website. Third, acquire a drone of your own and take to the air with your newly discovered skills. And fourth, if you wish, is to achieve a professional level of piloting proficiency with Coastal Drone’s pro level series of courses. These courses are taught by expert drone pilots with years of experience and are ideal for those wishing to become professional drone pilots themselves.
Professional drone pilots have a number of exciting real-world opportunities before them. They work in the film industry getting aerial footage for the big screen, some are self-employed as wedding/event photographers, others save lives operating drones as search and rescue personal, as well as many other jobs. Of course, you can also just pilot for fun or for your own personal reasons. Either way, you’ll know what you’re doing after completing any of the Coastal Drone Flying courses.
Drones available at Best Buy
Best Buy has drones covering the full range of types and purposes. They’ve got Lightweight Drones, Recreational Drones, 4K Professional Drones, and even Toy Drones for kids and anyone else that just wants to have a little flying fun. Whatever type of drone you hope to master, Best Buy has great options available. If you wish to learn more about the drones available at Best Buy, here’s a recently updated blog resource that you may find useful: Drones Explained by Grade: Toy, Hobby, & Professional.
Coastal Drone Flying courses are a great way to take your first steps into the wonderful world of drone piloting, or, depending on your current level of proficiency, to take your piloting skills to the next level. And you won’t just gain the knowledge you need to safely fly a drone either—you’ll also be fully prepared to take and pass Canada’s official certification exams. Once you’ve mastered piloting and become certified, you’ll be ready to pick out a Drone at Best Buy and put your new skills into action.
