Official Launch of Drone Sport at the Benson Centre
On October 30th, I attended the Official Launch of Drone Sport at the Benson Centre. The presenter was Paul St-Onge, founder of Drone Sport, President of Aero Concepts Systems Inc, and Charter Director of the Stormont Optimist Club.
Paul presented Drone Sport as an opportunity to do fundraisings in communities. He explained that the sport is inclusive. “It is gender neutral, age neutral, and ability neutral.” He went on to acknowledge his mother who was present in the audience, adding that at the age of 90 she was able to learn to fly a drone in less than one minute. “After fifteen minutes, I had to pry the drone remote out of her hands. She was having so much fun.”
Larry Harper, Governor of the Optimist Club announced that the Stormont Optimist Club, newly launched on October 1, 2025, already had more than 40 members, and several projects on the go. He reported that the same drone package seen here was going to be presented to 26 other clubs on Saturday. “There are already three clubs committed to purchasing the kits to raise money to give back to the children,” he confirmed.
Paul announced that Drone Sport is proud to have partnered with DJI, the largest drone company in the world, to be a distributor for all DJI products, a critical step to growing the sport nationally and internationally. He was also excited to reveal the official Drone Sport Team jerseys, which are not sport shirts worn by humans, but more of a 3-D cage the drone sits in or “wears” bearing its team name. There are 26 team names inspired by the NATO Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, etc.).
I discovered that if you are flying a drone that is less than 250 grams, you do not need to register the drone or get a drone pilot certificate. However, for a larger drone, to obtain a Pilot Certificate for Basic Operation, you must pass a Government of Canada on-line exam and pay a fee of $10. The exam consists of 35 multiple choice questions. The drones being used in the immersive demonstrations weighed under 250 grams and were priced in the $230 range.
Paul described that all drones operated in the same way, so whether you flew a beginner drone or a bigger and more advanced model, the principles were the same and the skills were transferable. I was given the opportunity to pilot a drone and, with some trial and error, was successful in scoring a goal in the soccer net.
There is an opportunity for everyone to learn much more about drones in our community. The Drone Sport League will be offering tutorials, practice sessions, and community support. As well, a tournament is set for December 27-28 at the Benson Centre. Visit https://dronesport.ca/ for more details.
