Building an amateur-built airplane in Canada

So you’ve decided to build an amateur-built airplane in Canada. Construction is going to be challenging enough but what about all the steps that need to be followed to satisfy the Canadian government? The following is a basic list of everything that needs to be done to build an amateur-built airplane in Canada.

  1. File Letter of Intent with MD-RA.
  2. If building from a kit and it is not on the list of eligible aircraft, you must prove that you will meet the 51% rule.
  3. Begin construction.
  4. Request a pre-cover inspection. This means that any assembly must have access for the inspector to see every rivet. This will most likely mean that you will have to leave some assemblies almost complete to allow for the inspector to look inside them. You may need more than one pre-cover inspection if you decide to have an assembly inspected before continuing with construction or if you require to have an assembly closed up before continuing.
  5. After completing all construction, you need to request a final inspection. It would be ideal to request this approximately two months prior to the inspection date so you can get the Certificate of Registration.
  6. After getting the Certificate of Registration and the airplane is ready to fly, you can finalize the inspection date with the inspector.
  7. If the inspector finds any deficiencies, you will be required to fix them before you get approval to fly.
  8. Complete the necessary paperwork verifying the deficiencies have been corrected and submit them back to the inspector.
  9. The inspector will issue the initial Certificate of Airworthiness and a restricted flight authority. At this point, MD-RA’s involvement with your airplane is complete. MD-RA will send your file to Transport Canada.
  10. Perform the required 25 hour test period.
  11. After the 25 hour test period is complete, you need to submit to Transport Canada the following information:
    • Climb test report
    • Proof that you had 25 continuous hours of trouble free flight
    • A letter requesting a new Special Certificate of Airworthiness with the operational restrictions lifted
    • The original Special Certificate of Airworthiness
  12. Once you receive your new Special Certificate of Airworthiness, the process is complete and you can now enjoy flying your new airplane.

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