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Ornge Air Ambulance is concerned with the number of drones flying near their aircraft.
Joshua McNamara is a spokesperson for Ornge and says flying a drone too close to their helicopters or airplanes can have devastating consequences.
“Because of the size of the drone, them being so small, they are very difficult to spot from the air, or even in some cases, on the ground,” explains McNamara.
“It poses a real threat to the operation and the mission we’re trying to achieve. In some cases it could be catastrophic, if it collides with an aircraft.”
McNamara points out that Ornge has launched a campaign aimed at drone operators not to operate their drones near airports, helipads or emergency scenes.
“Flight crews have noticed an increase in the amount of drone activity in and around various landing sites…airports…helipads and even in some cases emergency scenes.”
McNamara says under Transport Canada regulations, drones can’t be flown within 5.6 kilometers from airports and 1.9 kilometers from helipads.