Transport Canada’s Drone Exam Portal is Down — and I’m Losing My Mind

It’s been over a week. I’ve called Transport Canada. They admitted it. The drone exam portal is down and nobody knows when it’s coming back.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a brand new DJI Air 3S — shiny, hungry, sitting on my desk like a dog that wants out. Registered, insured, begging to stretch its wings. And me? I can only legally fly it in a handful of spots because I can’t write the damn Advanced exam.

This is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment for a drone addict.

I’m up early, coffee in hand, sun coming up over the Westshore, and instead of flying my Air 3S I’m staring at a Transport Canada login page that might as well say: “Sorry bud, not today.”

New DJI Air 3S

How long does it take to reboot a website? We’re not talking about a Mars mission here — it’s a multiple-choice test with a credit card checkout. And yet here we are, grounded, because the one portal that actually lets Canadians level up is taking a nap.

So if you see me out flying the Mini 3 again, don’t judge. It’s not because I don’t want to take the next step. It’s because Ottawa has me on drone probation until further notice.

Some people get their morning fix with coffee. Me? I just need my Air 3S in the sky. And right now, Transport Canada is holding the stash.