FILE PHOTO
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June 25, 2022 - 6:03 PM
An unauthorized drone was flying within one kilometre of Kelowna International Airport earlier this month while aircraft took off below it.
Kelowna airport senior manager of airport operations Phillip Elchitz said control tower staff spotted the drone a kilometre south of the the runway at about 2,000 feet.
The pilot of the drone, however, wasn't found.
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Kelowna RCMP were called at 10:24 a.m. and officers responded "relatively quickly," he said. Police finished searching the area by 10:50 a.m., but both the drone and the pilot were gone.
"We take it very seriously," Elchitz said. "We can't stress enough the importance of understanding the rules and ensuring you get the proper authorization."
A person caught flying a drone within less than 5.6 kilometres of an airport can be criminally charged, but it is allowed in some cases.
A drone pilot can get authorization from Transport Canada to fly near an airport, but no one on that morning had the proper licensing, Elchitz said.
Kelowna RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It's not the first time drones have put planes at risk in Kelowna.
READ MORE: Pilot reports another laser strike during take off at Kelowna airport
Last year, a drone flew too close to a Cessna over downtown Kelowna, coming within 200 feet of the plane.
Four days after the drone incident, a pilot reported being struck by a laser during take off at the Kelowna airport. A Cessna pilot was struck June 14, but police couldn't find the source when officers showed up to search the area around Wood Lake.
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