Drone survey and mapping in Victoria, BC
We are based in Victoria, which means same-week mobilisation across the Capital Regional District and no travel charge inside it. Survey, mapping, inspection and monitoring for contractors, engineers, developers and asset owners.
What we fly in Victoria
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
Victoria is our home base, and most of the Capital Regional District is a short drive rather than a mobilisation. That matters more than it sounds: a job that would carry half a day of travel from Nanaimo carries none from here, and a weather cancellation can be re-flown the following morning rather than the following week.
The complication in this area is airspace. Victoria International Airport sits at the north end of the Saanich Peninsula and its control zone covers a substantial share of the commercially active ground in Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich. Victoria Inner Harbour also operates as a designated water aerodrome, which affects flight downtown and along the harbour. Both require Advanced Operations certification and a NAV CANADA authorisation, and we hold the former and obtain the latter as part of the job.
Work here tends to be infill development, institutional and municipal capital projects, roof and envelope inspection on the commercial building stock, and pre-construction survey on the remaining developable parcels. Coastal wind off the strait is the practical limit on flying days rather than temperature.
Mobilisation
No travel charge within the Capital Regional District. Same-week attendance is normal and next-day is frequently possible. Urgent post-event inspection is treated as priority work.
Victoria, answered
Can you fly near Victoria International Airport?
Yes. A large part of the Saanich Peninsula sits inside the YYJ control zone, and flight there requires Advanced Operations certification plus an authorisation from NAV CANADA. We hold the certification and obtain the authorisation as part of the job rather than passing it to you. An operator with only Basic certification cannot legally fly most of that ground.
What about flying downtown or over the harbour?
Victoria Inner Harbour operates as a designated water aerodrome with active float plane and helicopter traffic, so flight in that area requires coordination and authorisation. It is regularly done and it is not something to attempt without it. Tell us the location and we will confirm what is achievable before quoting.
Is there a travel charge in Victoria?
No. We are based here, so there is no mobilisation charge anywhere in the Capital Regional District. Travel beyond it is quoted at cost and stated up front.
How quickly can you attend?
Same-week is normal and next-day is frequently possible for work inside the CRD. Weather is the usual constraint rather than availability, and cancellations are rescheduled at no charge.
Adjacent communities
Langford & Westshore
The busiest construction ground on the Island, twenty minutes west.
Duncan & Cowichan
Forestry, agricultural land and gravel operations up the highway.
Nanaimo
Industrial, port and aggregate work on the central Island.
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.