BVLOS drone operations in Canada

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Canada. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Legally possibleConditional
• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Authorisation typedeclarationYes
• Pilot requirementConditional
• Aircraft requirementConditional
• Risk assessment requiredConditional
• Standard scenario availableConditional
• Predefined pathway availableNot resolved
• Ground risk controlConditional
• Repeat or generic authorisationNot resolved
• Populated area pathwayConditional
• Digital applicationConditional
• Operational limitationsConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

• other

  Aircraft count above 1 aircraft

• other

  Ground visibility below 3 miles

• location

  Distance from people below 500 ft

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 100 ft

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 152.4 m

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 16.4 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Acceptance Letter Requirement for Medium RPAS VLOS Operations Near People

  An acceptance letter is required for Medium RPAS VLOS operations conducted at a distance of less than 500 feet (152.4m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Acceptance Letter Requirement for Small RPAS BVLOS Operations Near Populated Areas

  An acceptance letter is required for Small RPAS BVLOS operations in uncontrolled airspace conducted over a sparsely populated area or at a distance of less than 1 km from a populated area.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Anti-Collision Light Angular Visibility

  Anti-collision lights must be visible in all directions within 75 degrees above and below the horizontal plane of the aircraft, with the exception of solid angles of obstructed visibility totalling not more than 0.5 steradians.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability of Division II (Basic Operations)

  Division II applies to the operation of small remotely piloted aircraft conducting VLOS operations in uncontrolled airspace at a horizontal distance of not less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS in Controlled Airspace

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation in controlled airspace.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS in Uncontrolled Airspace (100 to 500 feet from People)

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation in uncontrolled airspace and at a distance of less than 500 feet (152.4 m) but not less than 100 feet (30 m), measured horizontally, from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS in Uncontrolled Airspace (Far from People)

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation in uncontrolled airspace and at a distance of 500 feet (152.4 m) or more, measured horizontally, from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS Near People (Less than 100 feet)

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation at a distance of less than 100 feet (30 m), measured horizontally, from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• CARs Standard 922 - RPAS Safety Assurance — Department of Justice CanadaOpen
• Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), Part IX - Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Department of Justice CanadaOpen

Known limitations

• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Canada

• Do I need to register my drone in Canada?Registration in Canada depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Canada?Drone flights in Canada are held to a published general height limit of 30.48 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Canada?Drone flights near aerodromes in Canada are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in Canada?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in Canada: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Canada?Whether an operation in Canada needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Canada?Remote pilot competency in Canada is triggered by the operation and by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg. Which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the conditions below.

All drone laws in Canada