Man fined for flying drone through Calgary Stampede fireworks show

A 24-year-old man has been fined for flying a drone through Tuesday’s Calgary Stampede fireworks show.

Calgary police say this caused a disruption to the show and posed a safety risk to the crowd on the Stampede grounds.

During the Stampede festivities — from July 5 to 15 — all aircrafts, including Remote Pilot Aircraft Systems (RPAS) are not allowed to fly within one-nautical mile radius from the centre of the Calgary Stampede grounds to a height of 450 feet above ground level, police explain.

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) RPAS enforcement team, who under the Minister of Transport investigate and inspect RPAS and related flight documents under Canadian Aviation Regulations, started investigating after several reported incident involving unauthorized drones flying in the restricted airspace surrounding and within the Stampede grounds.

Jordan Mitchell is now facing a fine for disrupting the fireworks show and causing concerns around crowd safety.

Under Canadian aviation regulations, unauthorized drone use can result in jail time if it’s deemed criminal in nature or up to a $3,000 fine for putting aircraft and citizens at risk.

Drones can seriously impact aviation and public safety, especially during large-scale events, police say.

If you see a suspected unauthorized drone during the duration of the Calgary Stampede, please contact the CPS non-emergency line at 403-266-1234.