Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433)

Establishing a Service Difficulty Reporting System

• 901.197 (1) If a declaration referred to in section 901.194 is made in respect of a model of remotely piloted aircraft system for which an acceptance letter has been issued under section 901.196, the person who has made the declaration shall establish and maintain a service difficulty reporting system for the purpose of receiving, recording, analyzing and investigating reports and information concerning any reportable service difficulty related to that model.

• (2) The service difficulty reporting system shall include

  • (a) a means for receiving reports and information concerning any reportable service difficulty; and

  • (b) instructions regarding what information must be submitted to the person who has made the declaration.

Investigation of Service Difficulty Reports

901.198 If a person receives a service difficulty report in respect of a model of remotely piloted aircraft system for which they have made a declaration referred to in section 901.194 and for which an acceptance letter has been issued under section 901.196, that person shall investigate the service difficulty and, if it results from a deficiency in the model that causes the system to no longer meet the technical requirements specified under subparagraph 901.194(2)(a)(iv), develop a mandatory action to rectify the deficiency.

Annual Report

• 901.199 (1) A person who has made a declaration referred to in section 901.194 in respect of a model of remotely piloted aircraft system for which an acceptance letter has been issued under section 901.196 shall submit to the Minister an annual report in respect of that model.

• (2) The annual report shall include

  • (a) the name of the person submitting the report;

  • (b) the name of the model of remotely piloted aircraft system;

  • (c) the actual, if available, or estimated total number of hours of operation in Canada of systems of that model during the year to which the annual report relates; and

  • (d) the number of reportable service difficulty reports received during the year to which the annual report relates, a summary of the reports in respect of which mandatory actions were developed and a description of those mandatory actions.

• (3) The annual report shall be submitted to the Minister each year by not later than the anniversary of the day on which the declaration referred to in section 901.194 was made.

Documentation

901.200 A person who has made a declaration referred to in section 901.194 in respect of a model of remotely piloted aircraft system shall make available to each user of that model of system

• (a) a maintenance program that includes

  • (i) instructions related to the servicing and maintenance of the system, and

  • (ii) an inspection program to maintain system readiness;

• (b) any mandatory actions the person develops in respect of the system; and

• (c) an operating manual that includes

  • (i) a description of the system,

  • (ii) the ranges of weights and centres of gravity within which the system may be safely operated under normal and emergency conditions and, if a weight and centre of gravity combination is considered safe only within certain loading limits, those limits and the corresponding weight and centre of gravity combinations,

  • (iii) with respect to each flight phase and mode of operation, the conditions required to maintain a stable command and control link and the minimum and maximum altitudes and velocities within which the remotely piloted aircraft can be operated safely under normal and emergency conditions,

  • (iv) a description of the effects of foreseeable weather conditions and other environmental conditions on the performance of the system,

  • (v) the characteristics of the system that could result in severe injury to crew members during operation,

  • (vi) the design features of the system, and their associated operations, that are intended to protect against injury to persons not involved in the operations,

  • (vii) the warning information provided to the pilot in the event of a degradation in system performance that may result in an unsafe operation condition,

  • (viii) procedures for operating the system in normal and emergency conditions,

  • (ix) assembly, adjustment and modification instructions for the system, and

  • (x) instructions for integrating the elements of the system.

Record-keeping

• 901.201 (1) A person who has made a declaration referred to in section 901.194 in respect of a model of remotely piloted aircraft system shall keep, and make available to the Minister on request, a record of

  • (a) any mandatory actions developed in respect of the system;

  • (b) the results of, and the reports related to, the verifications that the person has undertaken to ensure that the model of system meets the technical requirements specified under subparagraph 901.194(2)(a)(iv); and

  • (c) the results of any service difficulty investigations that the person has undertaken, if that person must establish and maintain a service difficulty reporting system under section 901.197.

• (2) The person shall keep the records referred to in subsection (1) for the later of

  • (a) two years after the day on which manufacturing of the model of remotely piloted aircraft system permanently ceases; and

  • (b) two years after the day on which the person provides a notification to the Minister under section 901.195.

[901.202 to 901.212 reserved]

Division XII — RPAS Operator Certificate

Eligibility to Hold an RPAS Operator Certificate

901.213 A person is eligible to hold an RPAS operator certificate if

• (a) with respect to a person who proposes to provide a commercial air service, the person is Canadian; or

• (b) in any other case, the person is

  • (i) a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada,

  • (ii) a government in Canada or an agent or mandatary of such a government, or

  • (iii) a corporation or entity that is incorporated or formed under the laws of Canada or a province.

Issuance

901.214 The Minister shall, on receipt of an application containing the following information, issue an RPAS operator certificate:

• (a) the applicant’s legal name, trade name, if any, address and contact information;

• (b) the name of the accountable executive;

• (c) a declaration stating that the applicant has

  • (i) an RPAS operations manual that meets the requirements of section 901.217,

  • (ii) the processes set out in section 901.218, and

  • (iii) a training program that meets the requirements of section 901.219; and

• (d) an indication of the type of operations the applicant intends to conduct and whether they intend to provide a commercial air service.

Contents of RPAS Operator Certificate

901.215 An RPAS operator certificate shall contain the following information:

• (a) the legal name, trade name, if any, address and contact information of the RPAS operator;

• (b) the number of the certificate; and

• (c) the date of issue of the certificate.

General Conditions of RPAS Operator Certificate

901.216 The general conditions of an RPAS operator certificate are the following:

• (a) the RPAS operator shall maintain an adequate organizational structure;

• (b) the RPAS operator shall conduct training in accordance with section 901.219;

• (c) the RPAS operator shall have remotely piloted aircraft systems that are properly equipped for the type of operation to be conducted;

• (d) the RPAS operator shall conduct maintenance of remotely piloted aircraft systems in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions; and

• (e) the RPAS operator shall notify the Minister of any change in its legal name, trade name, address and contact information of the RPAS operator within seven days of the change.

RPAS Operations Manual

• 901.217 (1) Every RPAS operator shall establish and maintain an RPAS operations manual that consists of the following information:

  • (a) a description of the roles and responsibilities of crew members before, during and after a flight;

  • (b) a description of the roles and responsibilities of all operational and maintenance personnel and the hierarchy and chain of command within management;

  • (c) the processes established under section 901.218;

  • (d) the procedures established under section 901.23; and

  • (e) a description of personnel training and qualifications, including a detailed syllabus of the RPAS operator’s training program established under section 901.219.

• (2) If there is a change in any aspect of an RPAS operator’s operations or the RPAS operations manual no longer meets the requirements of subsection (1), the RPAS operator shall amend its operations manual.

• (3) An RPAS operator shall provide a copy of its RPAS operations manual and a copy of every amendment to that manual to every person who is involved in the RPAS operator’s operations.

• (4) An RPAS operator shall provide a copy of its RPAS operations manual to the Minister on request.

Processes

• 901.218 (1) An RPAS operator shall establish and maintain processes for

  • (a) setting goals for the improvement of aviation safety, measuring the attainment of those goals and addressing instances when those goals are not met;

  • (b) identifying and documenting hazards to aviation safety and evaluating, managing and documenting the associated risks;

  • (c) evaluating the effectiveness of measures taken to mitigate or remove the hazards and associated risks;

  • (d) internally reporting and analyzing hazards, incidents and accidents and taking corrective actions to prevent their recurrence; and

  • (e) ensuring that maintenance is conducted in accordance with the RPAS operator’s maintenance control manual.

• (2) The processes required under subsection (1) shall be under the control of the accountable executive appointed by the RPAS operator under paragraph 106.02(1)(a).

Training Program

• 901.219 (1) Every RPAS operator shall establish and maintain a training program that is designed to ensure that each person who receives training acquires the competence to perform their assigned duties.

• (2) An RPAS operator’s training program shall include

  • (a) indoctrination training;

  • (b) initial and annual training, including training in respect of

    • (i) the models of remotely piloted aircraft operated by the RPAS operator,

    • (ii) remotely piloted aircraft servicing and ground handling, and

    • (iii) the procedures set out in the RPAS operations manual; and

  • (c) a process for assessing the competency of each person who receives training and for evaluating the effectiveness of the training program.

• (3) An RPAS operator shall ensure that any training provided to meet the requirements of this section is based on the content of the RPAS operator’s training program.

• (4) No RPAS operator shall permit a person to act, and no person shall act, as an instructor unless

  • (a) the person has demonstrated to the RPAS operator knowledge of the content of the RPAS operations manual; and

  • (b) in the case of a flight training instructor, the person holds the pilot certificate required by this Part in respect of the operations to be conducted.

• (5) No RPAS operator shall permit a person to act, and no person shall act, as an instructor unless the person has received, before the day on which the person begins to act as an instructor, training that includes the following elements:

  • (a) the teaching and learning processes;

  • (b) instructional techniques; and

  • (c) the student-instructor relationship.

Person Responsible for RPAS Maintenance

• 901.220 (1) An RPAS operator shall appoint a person responsible for RPAS maintenance.

• (2) The person responsible for RPAS maintenance shall plan and oversee the maintenance of the RPAS operator’s remotely piloted aircraft systems, including coordinating maintenance arrangements with third-party maintenance providers.

Maintenance Control Manual (MCM)

• 901.221 (1) An RPAS operator shall establish and maintain a maintenance control manual that includes

  • (a) the name of every person authorized by the RPAS operator to perform maintenance actions;

  • (b) any records referred to in paragraph 901.223(1)(e); and

  • (c) procedures for servicing, maintenance and pre-flight and post-flight inspections of the RPAS operator’s remotely piloted aircraft systems that are consistent with any instructions from the manufacturer.

• (2) The RPAS operator shall ensure that the maintenance control manual is made available to the Minister on request.

Designation of Pilot-in-Command

901.222 An RPAS operator shall designate a pilot-in-command for each operation conducted under Division VI.

Records

• 901.223 (1) Every RPAS operator shall keep the following records:

  • (a) a record containing the names of the pilots, pilots-in-command and other crew members who are involved in each flight and, in respect of a remotely piloted aircraft system, the time of each flight or series of flights;

  • (b) a record containing the names of the employees, the agents or mandataries and the representatives of the operator;

  • (c) a record containing the names of every person who has received training provided by the operator and the nature of that training;

  • (d) a record containing the registration numbers of all remotely piloted aircraft it operates; and

  • (e) a record containing the particulars of any mandatory action and any other maintenance action, modification or repair performed on a remotely piloted aircraft system, including

    • (i) the names of the persons who performed them,

    • (ii) the dates on which they were undertaken,

    • (iii) in the case of a modification, the manufacturer, model and a description of the part or equipment installed to modify the system, and

    • (iv) if applicable, any instructions provided to complete the work.

• (2) Every RPAS operator shall ensure that the records are made available to the Minister on request and are retained for a period of

  • (a) in the case of the records referred to in paragraphs (1)(a), (b) and (c), 12 months after the day on which they are created; and

  • (b) in the case of the records referred to in paragraphs (1)(d) and (e), 24 months after the day on which they are created.