To the Keyboard Warriors and Confident Strangers: A Friendly(ish) Drone Rant

Jan 18

This is a rant.

It’s not aimed at the general public.
It’s not aimed at curious people asking honest questions.
It’s aimed squarely at two groups:

Armchair keyboard warriors on social media
People who walk up to a drone pilot in real life and confidently announce, “That’s illegal.”

You know who you are.

Confidence Is Not the Same as Knowing the Rules

I fly drones legally. I follow the rules. I fly safely. I understand Canadian drone regulations, airspace, and operational requirements.

I do not:
• fly over people
• buzz crowds
• hover over picnic tables
• chase attention

And yet, without fail, there will always be someone who appears — either online or in person — armed with absolute confidence and absolutely no understanding of how drone law actually works.

That confidence is impressive.
Misplaced, but impressive.

You Can’t Declare a Drone Flight “Illegal” Without Knowing a Few Things

Here’s the part that really gets me.

You cannot walk up to a drone pilot and say, “That’s illegal,” unless you know at least three things:

How much the drone weighs
What license or certification the pilot holds
What the airspace restrictions are in that exact location

If you haven’t asked those questions — or don’t even know they matter — then you don’t actually know whether the flight is legal.

Full stop.

Drone legality in Canada is not determined by:
• how annoyed someone feels
• whether drones make them uncomfortable
• something they once read in a Facebook comment

It’s determined by weight class, certification, airspace, and how the flight is conducted.

I know those things.
Do you?

The Keyboard Warriors vs. The In-Person Experts

Online comments are annoying, but at least they’re predictable.

You post a calm sunrise shot and someone inevitably comments:
“Illegal.”
“Enjoy your $25,000 fine.”
“Drones aren’t allowed there.”

None of these people know:
• the drone’s weight
• the pilot’s certification
• whether the airspace is controlled
• whether NAV CANADA authorization was required or obtained

They’re just guessing, loudly.

But the real mood-killers are the people who come up to you in person and do the same thing.

They approach with confidence, start explaining the law, and within the first sentence or two it becomes painfully obvious they have no idea what they’re talking about.

And yes — this has happened while I was wearing a shirt that literally says Vancouver Island Drones.

At that point, it’s not concern.
It’s theatre.

No, the City Is Not Going to Fine Me (Especially for Using My Own Footage)

One of my favourite myths is this idea that municipalities are handing out massive drone fines based on photos they saw online.

I’ve had people tell me — with a straight face — that a city is going to fine me for flying in certain locations.

Here’s the funny part:

That same municipality has used my aerial footage. Multiple times. Officially. In community publications and materials.

So the idea that a city is quietly building a case against me, while simultaneously choosing my footage to represent the area, is… impressive logic.

Municipalities do not enforce aviation law.
They are not reviewing Instagram posts.
They are not issuing secret drone tickets.

Drone regulations in Canada are federally governed, and enforcement is incident- and safety-based — not vibe-based.

NAV CANADA is not scrolling social media looking for sunsets to prosecute.

I Fly Early, Quietly, and Away From People — On Purpose

Here’s the part that makes the accusations especially irritating.

I deliberately fly early in the morning.
Partly because I’m awake anyway.
Mostly because it’s quiet, peaceful, and safe.

I choose times when:
• nobody’s around
• there are no crowds
• foot traffic is minimal

I do this:
• to be safe
• to avoid irritating people
• to respect the space
• and, frankly, to avoid unnecessary confrontations

And for the record: once a modern drone is more than 20–30 feet up, you can barely hear it — if at all. Almost all of my shots are taken well above that.

I’m not buzzing people.
I’m not ruining anyone’s morning.
I’m trying very hard not to be the problem.

And yet, someone still feels the need to show up and announce that what I’m doing is illegal.

Nothing kills a beautiful sunrise faster than a stranger confidently explaining rules they don’t understand.

Questions Are Fine. Accusations Are Not.

If someone comes up and says:
“Hey, are drones allowed here?”
or
“Do you need special permission for that?”

That’s totally fine. Curiosity is fair.

What’s not fine is accusing someone of illegal activity without understanding the system at all.

If you don’t know:
• drone weight classes
• pilot certification
• airspace authorization

then maybe — just maybe — don’t lecture strangers about aviation law.

Just to be clear — none of this is an argument for doing dumb shit with drones.

I believe people should know the rules before they fly. If you’re operating anything beyond a toy, you should at least have the knowledge required to pass the Basic exam, even if you’re not legally required to hold a certificate. Fly safely. Fly away from people. Use common sense. Don’t irritate everyone around you. And don’t make things worse for the rest of us who are trying to do this responsibly.

Most pilots I know already operate this way. That’s the point.

Final Thought

This isn’t about hating people.
It’s not about ignoring concerns.
It’s not about doing whatever I want.

It’s about this:

If you don’t understand how drone regulations work in Canada, stop pretending that you do — especially with confidence.

Because the pilots who actually follow the rules are tired of having calm, beautiful moments interrupted by people who don’t know the basics but feel very sure anyway.

And if you’re another drone pilot reading this and nodding along:

Yeah. You’re not alone.