How long do Canadian drone operators have to keep flight records?

Under CARs 901.48, flight records (pilot and crew names, and the time of each flight or series of flights) must be retained for 12 months after they are created. Maintenance, modification, and repair records must be retained for 24 months.

What must a Canadian drone flight log contain?

CARs 901.48 requires two kinds of records: (1) the names of the pilots and other crew members involved in each flight and the time of each flight or series of flights, and (2) particulars of any mandatory action, maintenance, modification, or repair performed on the system, including who performed it, the dates, and details of any parts installed.

Can I keep my drone logbook on paper or in a spreadsheet?

The regulations do not mandate a specific format — paper, spreadsheet, or an app are all acceptable, as long as the required information is recorded and can be made available to the Minister on request. In practice, structured digital records are easier to retain, search, and produce for audits, clients, and insurers.

What happens to drone records when I sell the drone?

Under CARs 901.48(3), when ownership of a remotely piloted aircraft system is transferred, the owner must deliver the maintenance, modification, and repair records to the new owner at the time of transfer.

Canadian Drone Flight Log Requirements: What Operators Must Record

If you operate a drone in Canada — recreationally with a registered RPAS or commercially — the record-keeping rules live in one place: section 901.48 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), Part IX. The rule is short, but operators routinely get the details wrong: what has to be recorded, the two different retention clocks, and the obligation that follows the aircraft when you sell it.

The two records every RPAS owner must keep

CARs 901.48(1) requires every owner of a remotely piloted aircraft system to keep two kinds of records:

1. Flight records

The names of the pilots and other crew members involved in each flight, and the time of each flight or series of flights.

2. Maintenance records

The particulars of any mandatory action, maintenance, modification, or repair performed on the system, including:

the names of the persons who performed the work,
the dates it was undertaken,
for modifications: the manufacturer, model, and a description of the part or equipment installed, and
any instructions provided to complete the work, if applicable.

Two different retention clocks

This is the detail most operators miss. Under 901.48(2), the records must be made available to the Minister on request and retained for:

Flight records — 12 months after the day they are created.
Maintenance records — 24 months after the day they are created.

Those are regulatory minimums. Most commercial operators keep records far longer — clients, insurers, and incident investigations routinely ask for history beyond the CARs retention window.

Selling a drone? The records go with it

Under 901.48(3), when you transfer ownership of an RPAS, you must deliver the maintenance, modification, and repair records to the new owner at the time of transfer. If your maintenance history is scattered across receipts and memory, a sale is where that catches up with you — and for buyers, a complete maintenance record is fair grounds to expect (and pay for) more.

Related obligations worth knowing

Recency (CARs 901.56): to operate, certificate holders must have met a recency requirement within the preceding 24 months (such as certificate issuance or completing specified recurrent training).
Certificate accessibility (CARs 901.57): your pilot certificate and proof of recency must be easily accessible during operations.

Neither of these is a "flight log" rule, but audits and site checks treat them as part of the same question: can you produce your paperwork?

What good records look like in practice

The regulation sets a floor, not a standard of practice. Professional operators typically also track, per flight: location and job/client, aircraft and battery used, duration, weather at the site, and any incidents or anomalies — because that's what insurers, clients, and their own maintenance planning actually consume. Paper and spreadsheets satisfy the regulation; the failure mode is retention and retrieval. Twelve months of flights is easy to lose track of manually — and "make available on request" assumes you can find it.

Keep your records organized automatically

Nimbent keeps flight records, maintenance history, batteries, and jobs in one place — built for Canadian operators, with exports when someone asks for your paperwork.

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Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to keep drone flight records in Canada?

12 months for flight records; 24 months for maintenance, modification, and repair records (CARs 901.48(2)). Keeping them longer is common practice.

Does the log have to be in a specific format?

No — the regulation specifies what must be recorded, not the medium. Paper, spreadsheet, or app all qualify if the required details are there and producible on request.

Who is responsible — the pilot or the owner?

901.48 places the record-keeping obligation on the owner of the RPAS. If you fly aircraft you don't own, make sure someone is actually keeping the records.

What if I sell my drone?

You must hand the maintenance/modification/repair records to the new owner at the time of transfer (CARs 901.48(3)).

Sources: Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), Part IX, s. 901.48, 901.56, 901.57 — Justice Laws consolidated text (consolidation current to 2026-02-18); Transport Canada — Drone safety.

This article is general information for planning purposes, not legal advice, and Nimbent is not Transport Canada. Regulations change — always verify current requirements against the official Justice Laws text and Transport Canada guidance before you fly.