What has to be within reach when I fly?

Know which documents must be at hand rather than merely in existence, know which of them must be followed rather than only carried, and know who must have a copy.

Two different failures hide behind "I have the paperwork". A document can be unavailable when it is needed, and it can be available but not followed. The Regulations address both, in separate sections. CAR 901.30 CAR 901.31

• You know your system's operating manuals, because availability and compliance are both measured against them. CAR 901.30
• You know whether the operation is BVLOS under Division VI, because that adds a second manual to the availability requirement. CAR 901.30
• You know whether an RPAS operator is involved, because an operator has a manual of its own to establish. CAR 901.217

No pilot shall conduct the take-off or launch of a remotely piloted aircraft unless the operating manuals applicable to the system are immediately available to crew members. CAR 901.30

And for a BVLOS operation under Division VI, no pilot shall conduct the take-off or launch unless the RPAS operator's RPAS operations manual is also immediately available to crew members. CAR 901.30

Three things about that pair are worth separating:

• the condition attaches to take-off or launch, so it is checked before the flight rather than at some point during it; CAR 901.30
• the standard is "immediately available", not "available on request" or "back at the vehicle"; CAR 901.30
• for a Division VI operation there are two documents, the system's operating manuals and the operator's operations manual. CAR 901.30

The manuals can be available either in digital format or in print — the key is that they are immediately available for the pilot and crew members. AIM 3.2.18

The AIM frames the reason as operating within the manufacturer's limitations: the point of having the manuals at hand is to be able to work to them, and it notes that failure to have them immediately available could result in individual penalties of up to $1,000 and corporate penalties of up to $5,000. AIM 3.2.18

Note what "current" implies beside that: a digital copy is convenient, and a stale digital copy satisfies the letter of availability while defeating its purpose. AIM 3.2.18

No pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system unless it is operated in accordance with the applicable operating manuals. CAR 901.31

That is a separate section from the availability rule, and it is the one that does the work. Carrying the manual answers 901.30; operating to it answers 901.31. A flight can pass the first and fail the second. CAR 901.30 CAR 901.31

No pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system unless the certificate of registration issued in respect of the aircraft is easily accessible to the pilot for the duration of the operation. CAR 900.20

This is a different standard from the manuals: not "immediately available to crew members" but "easily accessible to the pilot", and not only at launch but for the duration. Two different tests, deliberately. CAR 900.20

If your documents are electronic, the recording rules in section 103.04 apply to them as records — kept so they are protected against loss and tampering, and capable of being printed and provided on request. CAR 103.04

The AIM states the same accessibility duty from the pilot's side: the certificate and the recency documentation are what the pilot must be able to reach, and its pilot-requirements page is where the certificate and recency conditions sit side by side. AIM 3.3.2

Every RPAS operator shall establish and maintain an RPAS operations manual containing: a description of the roles and responsibilities of crew members before, during and after a flight; a description of the roles and responsibilities of all operational and maintenance personnel, and the hierarchy and chain of command within management; the processes established under section 901.218; the procedures established under section 901.23; and a description of personnel training and qualifications, including a detailed syllabus of the operator's training programme. CAR 901.217

The manual is not written once. If any aspect of the operator's operations changes, or the manual no longer meets the requirements, the operator shall amend it. CAR 901.217

And it is not a filing-cabinet document: the operator shall provide a copy of the manual and of every amendment to it to every person involved in the operation. CAR 901.217

Every crew member of a remotely piloted aircraft system shall, during flight time, comply with the instructions of the pilot. CAR 901.21

That is the same shape of obligation as 901.31 one level up: the crew work to the pilot's instructions in the air as the pilot works to the manuals on the ground. CAR 901.21 CAR 901.31

The AIM gives the reason the rule exists, and it is not deference: in any type of safety-critical operation one person has to have the final word on how and when tasks are performed, and in aviation that person is the pilot. For remotely piloted operations, all crew members are required to follow the instructions of the pilot, and failure to do so can result in unsafe situations and may be punishable by individual penalties of up to $1,000 and corporate penalties of up to $5,000. AIM 3.2.9

Carrying persons on board is not a document obligation but it behaves like one in the question bank: no pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft that carries persons on board except in accordance with a special flight operations certificate — RPAS. CAR 901.22 AIM 3.6.1

It is covered in full in the SFOC lesson. It is named here because questions about what must be present for a flight to be lawful group it with the manuals and the certificate of registration, and a reader who finds it here should know where the substance is. CAR 901.22

Two details from the AIM are worth carrying here rather than only there. The prohibition is on operating with persons on board, and since 4 November 2025 an SFOC — RPAS issued under section 901.22 is what the operation requires. The operation of an aircraft with a person on board may result in individual penalties of up to $1,000 and corporate penalties of up to $5,000. AIM 3.2.10

Document	The test
Operating manuals	Immediately available to crew members before take-off or launch CAR 901.30
RPAS operations manual (operator's), Division VI BVLOS	Immediately available to crew members before take-off or launch CAR 901.30
Format	Digital or print, provided it is immediately available and current AIM 3.2.18
Compliance	The system must be operated in accordance with the applicable manuals CAR 901.31
Certificate of registration	Easily accessible to the pilot for the duration of the operation CAR 900.20
Electronic copies	Subject to the recording rules of section 103.04 CAR 103.04
The operator's manual	Established and maintained, amended when things change, copied to everyone involved CAR 901.217
Crew in flight	Comply with the pilot's instructions during flight time CAR 901.21
Failure to follow instructions	Penalties up to $1,000 individual and $5,000 corporate AIM 3.2.9
Persons on board	An SFOC — RPAS issued under 901.22 is required CAR 901.22
Persons on board, since 4 November 2025	The same SFOC route, with penalties per violation AIM 3.2.10

Warning "The manuals are in the car" and "the manuals are on a tablet in my bag" both fail the same test. The requirement is that they be immediately available to crew members — and separately, that the aircraft be operated in accordance with them. Availability is the easier half. CAR 901.30 CAR 901.31

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Your manuals are on a laptop at the launch site but not with the crew	The test is immediate availability to crew members	Keep them with the crew CAR 901.30
You fly Division VI BVLOS with only the system's manuals	The operator's operations manual is also required	Have both available CAR 901.30
Your digital manuals are two revisions old	Availability does not cure staleness	Keep them current AIM 3.2.18
You have the manuals and flew outside their limits	901.31 requires operation in accordance with them	Availability is not compliance CAR 901.31
You were asked for the certificate of registration in flight	It must be easily accessible to the pilot for the whole operation	Keep it accessible CAR 900.20
A new crew member never received the operations manual	The operator must provide it and every amendment	Distribute it CAR 901.217
A crew member did not follow your instruction in flight	901.21 requires compliance during flight time	Brief the duty before flight CAR 901.21

Practise: Availability of manuals and crew compliance

• CAR 900.20 — Access to Certificate of Registration
• CAR 901.21 — Compliance with Instructions
• CAR 901.22 — Carriage of Persons
• CAR 901.30 — Availability of Manuals
• CAR 901.31 — Operating Manuals
• CAR 901.217 — RPAS Operations Manual
• CAR 103.04 — Record Keeping
• AIM RPA 3.2.9 — Compliance With Instructions
• AIM RPA 3.2.10 — Carriage of Persons
• AIM RPA 3.2.18 — Availability of RPAS Operating Manuals
• AIM RPA 3.3.2 — Pilot Requirements
• Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21