Drone survey and mapping in Courtenay and Comox
North Island forestry tenure, development mapping and asset inspection through the Comox Valley. Quoted as a multi-day programme where it makes sense, so the travel is shared rather than repeated.
What we fly in Courtenay & Comox
Drone LiDAR Survey
Bare-earth terrain under canopy, classified point clouds, contours.
View →Mapping & Photogrammetry
Orthomosaics and surface models at 3cm absolute accuracy.
View →Topographic Survey
Contours and spot elevations for design and permitting.
View →Volumetric & Stockpile
Measured quantities for inventory and earthworks.
View →Aerial Inspections
Roofs, structures and envelopes without scaffolding.
View →Construction Monitoring
Identical repeat flights, month after month.
View →Flying here, specifically
The Comox Valley combines a growing development corridor around Courtenay and Comox with substantial forest tenure inland and to the north, which means the work here splits fairly evenly between construction-type survey and forestry terrain.
Airspace is the first thing we check. Comox is a Canadian Forces base as well as a regional airport, and its control zone requires Advanced Operations certification and authorisation. Military airspace is coordinated differently from a civilian control zone and lead times can be longer, so a site near the base is worth telling us about early rather than late.
For forestry work inland, the considerations are the same as elsewhere on the Island but the scale is larger: bigger blocks, more remote access, and terrain that restricts line of sight enough to affect the number of launch positions and therefore the day rate. We assess that from the terrain when quoting.
Mobilisation
Roughly three hours from base. This is genuinely mobilisation territory, so it is almost always quoted as a multi-day programme or several sites in one trip. Single-site work here is uneconomic for both of us and we will say so.
Courtenay & Comox, answered
Can you fly near CFB Comox?
The YBL control zone requires Advanced Operations certification and an authorisation, and military airspace is coordinated differently from a civilian control zone with potentially longer lead times. It is regularly done. Tell us early rather than late if your site is near the base, because the authorisation is the long pole rather than the flight.
Is it worth bringing you up from Victoria?
For a single small site, honestly, often not — the mobilisation would dominate the cost and we will tell you so rather than quoting it anyway. For a multi-day programme, several sites in one trip, or work that needs LiDAR and survey control done properly, it makes clear sense. Ask and we will give you a straight answer.
Do you fly north Island forest tenure?
Yes. Larger blocks and more remote access than the south Island, quoted with mobilisation stated separately and access assessed from the terrain rather than assumed. See forestry services.
How is travel charged?
At cost, stated separately on the quote so you can see exactly what it is. Combining sites or running a multi-day programme shares that cost and reduces it substantially per site.
Adjacent communities
Nanaimo
Central Island industrial, port and aggregate work.
Duncan & Cowichan
Forestry and gravel operations to the south.
Victoria & Saanich
Our base, three hours south.
What your procurement team will ask for
We fly under a Transport Canada Advanced Operations certificate with licensed pilots, which is the level required to operate in controlled airspace and near people. Airspace authorisations are obtained before mobilisation, and the airframe carries a certified parachute for work near occupied areas.
We carry $5M in aviation liability insurance and a certificate is available on request for your project file. WorkSafeBC clearance is available, site safety orientation is completed on arrival, and we work to the host contractor's requirements.
Survey deliverables are provided for information and planning purposes and are not a legal survey. Boundary, legal plan and statutory right-of-way work requires a British Columbia Land Surveyor.
- Transport Canada Advanced Operations certificate
- Licensed pilots, current flight reviews
- $5M aviation liability insurance
- WorkSafeBC clearance letter available
- Certified parachute for operations near people
- Airspace authorisation handled by us
- Written method note on every job
Tell us about the site
Location, rough area, what the data is for and your timeline. That is usually enough to quote without a site visit, and our team typically replies within one business day.
Travel beyond the Capital Regional District is quoted at cost and stated up front, so mobilisation is never a surprise on the invoice.