Drone Preflight Checklist for Canadian Operators

A drone preflight checklist is not just an industry best practice — for Canadian RPAS pilots it is a regulatory obligation built into multiple sections of Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). Before any aircraft leaves the ground, the rules require you to survey the site, confirm the aircraft is serviceable, verify you have sufficient energy for the flight, and review your operating procedures with every crew member. Running through a structured checklist is the consistent, auditable way to satisfy all of those requirements on every flight.

What CARs actually requires before flight

Several sections of Part IX work together to define the preflight obligation. Here is what each one requires, in plain language.

Operating procedures must exist and be reviewed (CARs 901.23)

Under CARs 901.23, no pilot may operate an RPAS unless normal operating procedures — including pre-flight, take-off, launch, approach, landing, and recovery procedures — have been established. Emergency procedures for equipment failures, loss of command-and-control link, fly-aways, and collision avoidance must also be in place. Critically, those procedures must be reviewed before the flight by every crew member and must be immediately available to them. If the manufacturer provides instructions on those topics, the procedures you establish must reflect those instructions.

Pre-flight familiarity with flight information (CARs 901.24)

CARs 901.24 requires the pilot to be familiar, before commencing a flight, with information relevant to the intended flight — specifically including the results of the site survey conducted under section 901.27, any declaration made in respect of the aircraft model, and the qualifications of all crew members. This is not a suggestion: familiarity with those items is a precondition for flight.

Site survey (CARs 901.27)

This is the most detailed pre-flight requirement in Part IX. CARs 901.27 prohibits commencing any operation unless the pilot has first conducted a site survey confirming the operational volume is suitable. The survey must take into account:

• the type of airspace and any requirements applicable to the flight geography, including any specified in a NOTAM;
• the altitudes and routes to be used for approach, take-off, launch, landing, or recovery;
• the proximity of other aircraft operations;
• the proximity of airports, heliports, and other aerodromes;
• the location and height of obstacles, including wires, masts, buildings, cell phone towers, and wind turbines;
• the predominant weather and environmental conditions and the weather forecast for the duration of the flight; and
• for VLOS and extended VLOS operations: the horizontal distance from any uninvolved person.

Transport Canada's NAV Drone tool (nav.drone.tc.canada.ca) is the official starting point for confirming airspace class and any flight restrictions in your intended area. Always cross-check against current NOTAMs through the official Nav Canada sources before arriving on site.

Pre-flight actions by the pilot (CARs 901.28)

Before commencing a flight, CARs 901.28 requires the pilot to:

• ensure there is a sufficient amount of fuel or energy for safe completion of the flight;
• ensure each crew member has been instructed on the duties they are to perform and on the location and use of any emergency equipment; and
• determine the maximum distance from the pilot the aircraft can travel without endangering aviation safety or the safety of any person.

Serviceability before take-off (CARs 901.29)

CARs 901.29 prohibits take-off or launch unless the pilot has ensured that:

• the aircraft is serviceable;
• the system has been maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and all mandatory actions have been completed; and
• all equipment required by the regulations or the manufacturer's instructions — including any system element necessary to support the operation — is installed and serviceable.

Take-off and landing site suitability (CARs 901.33)

Immediately before take-off, landing, or recovery, CARs 901.33 requires the pilot to ensure there is no likelihood of collision with another aircraft, person, or obstacle, and that the site set aside for the intended operation is suitable.

Weather conditions (CARs 901.34 and 901.35)

CARs 901.34 prohibits commencing a VLOS operation unless weather conditions permit the operation to be conducted in accordance with the applicable operating manuals and allow the pilot or visual observer to maintain the aircraft in visual line-of-sight throughout the flight. CARs 901.35 prohibits operating in observed or forecast icing conditions unless the aircraft is equipped with de-icing or anti-icing equipment, and prohibits flight with frost, ice, or snow adhering to any critical surface.

Fitness to fly (CARs 901.19)

CARs 901.19 prohibits any crew member from acting in that role if suffering from or likely to suffer from fatigue, or if otherwise unfit to properly perform their duties. No crew member may act within 12 hours of consuming alcohol, while under the influence of alcohol, or while using any drug that impairs their faculties to the extent that aviation safety or the safety of any person is endangered.

A practical phase-by-phase checklist

The items below reflect the regulatory requirements above, organized in three phases that map to how a real operation unfolds. This is intended as a starting framework — your actual checklist should be tailored to your specific aircraft, payload, and operating environment, and should reflect the manufacturer's instructions as required by CARs 901.23 and 901.29.

Airspace and weather: use official sources

The site survey requirement in CARs 901.27 requires you to confirm airspace conditions using current information. For Canadian RPAS operations, that means consulting:

• NAV Drone (nav.drone.tc.canada.ca) — Transport Canada's official tool for checking drone flight rules by location, including controlled airspace and flight restrictions.
• Nav Canada NOTAMs — for temporary restrictions, airspace closures, and other flight information that may not yet appear in NAV Drone.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada aviation weather — for wind, visibility, precipitation, and icing forecasts relevant to your operating area.

A weather check done the evening before is useful for planning; a weather check within an hour of your planned departure is the standard against which the CARs 901.27 obligation is reasonably assessed.

After the flight

A thorough preflight sets up the record-keeping that follows. Once you land, you are required under CARs 901.48 to record the names of pilots and crew and the time of each flight, and to document any maintenance, modification, or mandatory actions performed on the system. Keeping your preflight and post-flight records in the same structured workflow reduces the chance of gaps that become problems during an audit or insurance claim.

If you are not yet certain which certificate category applies to your planned operations, the differences between the Basic and Advanced RPAS certificates affect where and how you can legally fly — and therefore which preflight checks are relevant to your situation.

Frequently asked questions