SFOC (Canadian residents - Commercial license)

mastertd · May 10, 2015

Johnny Sky said:
My SFOC applications thus far have been for simple 1 flight commercial jobs, i.e., flying 40metres AGL for 10 minutes or less over a real estate property for sale in a safe location. My Complex application I am now completing is a formal request to TC to allow similar/various safe flights any time I require covering a wider geographic area over the course of 1 year (blanket). A helluva lot more content required to meet all of their criteria. Btw my first TC certificate awarded, they commented about my SFOC submission, "Your SFOC application was very thorough". You gotta remember this is the fed government you're dealing with, they don't give a crap about you making money, they care about public/aviation safety, which is the way it should be when you see so many [email protected] yahoos flying around like the a$$holes they are!

Thanks for the insight, I would make the assumption that you have you ground school completed, in order to do any commercial work. What is great news from you is that I am headed in the right direction, I want the blanket SFOC which makes more sense in the long run, the safer you fly the ease of which you can get permissions to move onto your next job. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and expertise. I hope that I can follow along with you in your endeavours, and ask you your opinion of what 's the best way to proceed. Again Thanks Johnny!

mastertd · May 10, 2015

Johnny Sky said:
My SFOC applications thus far have been for simple 1 flight commercial jobs, i.e., flying 40metres AGL for 10 minutes or less over a real estate property for sale in a safe location. My Complex application I am now completing is a formal request to TC to allow similar/various safe flights any time I require covering a wider geographic area over the course of 1 year (blanket). A helluva lot more content required to meet all of their criteria. Btw my first TC certificate awarded, they commented about my SFOC submission, "Your SFOC application was very thorough". You gotta remember this is the fed government you're dealing with, they don't give a crap about you making money, they care about public/aviation safety, which is the way it should be when you see so many [email protected] yahoos flying around like the a$$holes they are!

Just an after thought, how do you find your Inspire 1 for the jobs you have done, are the jobs you've done lucrative? This maybe out of line but ballpark how much did you charge for the real estate job you mentioned? I understand if you do not want to answer this question here in the forum. What software are you using for post editing, I currently use Premiere Pro.

Canuck32 · May 29, 2015

Have a look at the proposed changes by Transport Canada yesterday.

http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/NPA-APM/doc.aspx?id=10293

Johnny Sky · May 29, 2015

Thanks, I read through the 33 pages yesterday. The Very Small/Small UAV opinions on the last page seem interesting regarding commercial use, yet throughout the document they refer to adhering to SFOC...

Canuck32 · May 29, 2015

This is what I was referring to at the end of the summary:

Operations with Very Small UAVs / Lower threshold
Transport Canada is considering whether to establish a “lower threshold” or very small UAV category that would be regulated to a lesser extent due to its nature and operating environment, and the lowered risk of damage that the aircraft would cause to a person and property on the ground and other airspace users in case of incident.

It is expected that the vast majority of recreational users would be captured under this category, as well as aerial photography operations for real estate and other small business purposes. As TC expects that all pilots have the requisite knowledge to operate safely, a basic knowledge test would be required, as well as basic identification requirements to assist in accident and enforcement investigations.

gruvpix · Jun 23, 2015

Any updates on SFOC applications and who has been getting them? I submitted my first SFOC application, made it very detailed and exactly to spec of a few examples I've seen online. I gave 30 days lead time instead of the required 20...
Now I get an email back from TC saying the turnaround time is now between 44 and 66 working days, and not only that but I need to fill out a very detailed 22-page document (will be double that by the time I fill it out) including essentially all the same information I put in my SFOC application!
Bah this system is so bush league, all they are trying to do is deter applicants because clearly they have waaaaay too many. I'm all for safety but all this is is red tape that serves no useful purpose except to band-aid the issue of commercial operators flying without certificates (which in my opinion is not a real issue)
Just bought a Phantom 3 for stealth operations. If I get kicked out of a location so be it.

Canuck32 · Jun 24, 2015

Is the application they sent you the same as the one in this thread at post 14.
http://www.inspirepilots.com/threads/canadian-pilots-working-on-compliant-operator-sfoc.1919/

gruvpix · Jun 24, 2015

RPM Aerial · Jun 25, 2015

Yes, PNR came up with this list to fill out a couple of monthes ago so that all applications now had the same information in the same format. At least when you fil it out once, you only have to change a few things for the enxt application. There is also a recent Nav Canada coordination document with lots of contact info that PNR wants to see in their SFOC applications in case of fly aways.