By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC – Professional drone pilot Kawliga Watts had just been laid off from a Port Alberni mill when he saw an opportunity pop up to fly drones for Tseshaht First Nation-owned Maktlee Drone Services. “I was already a recreational drone operator, so I was really happy to be part of this new venture and learn all this new technology,” said Watts at the first annual Indigenous Forestry Conference in Port Alberni in September. Watts enrolled with Coastal Drone out of Victoria for ground school before taking his Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Certificate with Transport Canada. In Canada, anyone operating a drone with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 25 kg is required to pass the online drone pilot exam….
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