Here we have an example of a drone pilot who didn’t want to comply with regulations.
In what the RCMP called the first criminal conviction of a drone operator in Canada, a Northwest Territories man was fined $3,000 and banned from flying drones for three years for operating a drone in the airspace around Yellowknife Airport ( CYZF). Territorial Court Judge Bernadette Schmaltz reluctantly imposed the sentence on Toufic Chamas, citing the fact that his hands were tied, given that the prosecutor and defense had recommended the same sentence. Given the seriousness of the offence, and citing the example of a drone causing a major air disaster, Schmaltz felt that a harsher sentence was in order. Chamas, aged 22, had already been warned three times when he was illegally using his DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone in downtown Yellowknife, and on one occasion, near power lines. Each time he was confronted by police, he pleaded ignorance, although police had previously given him an explanatory brochure about drone operations. Chamas also faces charges for other offenses, including driving on a suspended license, various firearms offenses, burglary and failure to comply with court orders. Judge Schmaltz stated, “Mr. Chamas’ disregard for court rulings could not be more egregious.”
