In today's edition of the Regina Leader-Post newspaper, reporter/videographer Mark Melnychuk and stills photographer Don Healy did a feature print story and a video on Java Post Production and Aerial Photography, interviewing our company owner/UAV pilot "Java Jack" Tunnicliffe.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LEADER-POST VIDEO and read the story in the Leader-Post online edition.

Below is a transcript of the print story, written by Mark Melnychuk:

Did you know the opening scene of Corner Gas: The Movie, where the camera flies over Dog River, was filmed with a drone?

In fact, many of the aerial shots you’ve seen in media produced in Saskatchewan were likely filmed by Java Post Production and its fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which it has been using commercially for two years.

Java Post has currently has four drones, including an octocopter lovingly referred to as The Kraken that can carry 57 pounds. Perfect for heavy camera gear.

The company has used its drones for getting fancy aerial shots for movies such as WolfCop and Tourism Saskatchewan ads, but it’s also been asked to collect footage for other purposes. The company works with K+S Potash to take aerial footage of its mine in Bethune, so the company can see how the new mine is developing.

Of course, the reason it can do all of this is because its founder and drone pilot, Jack Tunnicliffe, has jumped through every hoop Transport Canada has set up when it comes to drone regulation in Canada.

The rules state that anyone in Canada flying a drone for work or research purposes that weighs more than 25 kilograms must apply for a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). Anyone flying a drone under that weight doesn’t need an SFOC, provided their operation meets Transport Canada’s definition of low risk.

Tunnicliffe has also secured blanket permission from Transport Canada that allows him to shoot anywhere in Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Alberta on any day he wants. He’s done flights within Regina as well, but those must specifically be reviewed and approved by the mayor’s office.

Transport Canada would not provide numbers on how many people in Saskatchewan have been issued an SFOC, but Tunnicliffe estimated there are three or four commercial drone operations in the province.

While Tunnicliffe has tried to be a responsible UAV pilot, even taking the same training RCMP members who fly drones go through, the technology is now a consumer product that sometimes gets used for ill.

“When we first started bringing these units out everybody gathered around like ‘Wow is that ever cool’, now we’re starting to get the odd sideways glance … it’s too bad and it’s only because of the yahoos out here that are using them in a poor manner,” said Tunnicliffe.

Tunnicliffe is worried about how a recreational drone pilot flying irresponsibly could impact operators using the technology for business, specifically with how it could affect future regulations.

Transport Canada’s current rules for drones are still in a preliminary stage. Currently, the government evaluates each pilot and their drone on an individual basis to see if they will operate safely, but that process could change in the future.

“In the longer term we would move away from the SFOCs for the most part because we would have some sort of regulatory structure,” said Martin Eley, director general for civil aviation with Transport Canada.

Drone photography is still a small proportion of Java’s overall business, but Tunnicliffe wants to ensure it can continue providing the service as Canada’s regulations continue to evolve.

“It definitely worries me as a business operator, because what are the regulations going to be a year from now, two or three years from now. Or are they going to just shut us down … because there’s a thought that we might be using this to spy on somebody,” said Tunnicliffe.

mmelnychuk@leaderpost.com