Can someone else take the controls mid-flight?

Know the two things that must exist before take-off for a handover to be lawful, know what a handover plan has to contain, and know why the moment of exchange is the risky part.

A handover is not prohibited. It is conditioned — and every condition attaches to the time before the flight, not to the moment of the exchange. CAR 901.42

• You know who the pilots are and which responsibilities are being handed over, because the rule is about handing over responsibilities rather than about moving a control station. CAR 901.42
• You know whether visual observers are involved, because see-and-avoid has to continue through the exchange. CAR 901.20

No pilot shall hand over their responsibilities to another pilot during flight unless, before the take-off or launch of a remotely piloted aircraft: a pre-arrangement in respect of the handover has been made between the pilots; and a procedure has been developed to mitigate the risk of loss of control of the aircraft. CAR 901.42

Both conditions are pre-flight, and the second one names the hazard: loss of control. A handover is a moment when control is in transit, and the rule is written to make sure that moment was designed rather than improvised. CAR 901.42

The AIM describes the plan as a handover plan agreed upon by all responsible parties, established before takeoff, which must lay out three things: the procedures to follow for the handover; the plan to mitigate the loss of control during the handover; and the plan for how the see-and-avoid measures are to be continued during the exchange. AIM 3.2.30

Compare that with the rule and the difference is worth noticing, because it is a real feature of how this material works:

	CAR 901.42	AIM 3.2.30
Agreement	A pre-arrangement between the pilots CAR 901.42	Agreed upon by all responsible parties AIM 3.2.30
Timing	Before take-off or launch CAR 901.42	Before takeoff AIM 3.2.30
Loss of control	A procedure to mitigate it CAR 901.42	The plan to mitigate it during the handover AIM 3.2.30
See and avoid	—	How it continues during the exchange AIM 3.2.30

The AIM is guidance that fills the rule out: it widens the agreement to everyone responsible and makes the continuity of see and avoid explicit. The regulation is the floor; the guidance tells you what meeting it looks like in practice. CAR 901.42 AIM 3.2.30

A handover happens between two people, but the aircraft's collision protection does not pause while they exchange. Two rules make that concrete.

VLOS must be maintained by the pilot or a visual observer at all times, so the exchange must not create a moment where nobody holds the aircraft in sight. CAR 901.11

And where visual observers are used to assist in detecting and avoiding conflicting air traffic and other hazards, reliable and timely communication must be maintained between the pilot and each visual observer during the operation. CAR 901.20

So a handover plan that reallocates the pilot's job has to say what happens to the observer's — and who the observer is reporting to while it happens. CAR 901.20

A visual observer must communicate information to the pilot in a timely manner whenever they detect conflicting air traffic, hazards to aviation safety or hazards to persons on the surface. CAR 901.20

A visual observer shall not perform visual observer duties for more than one remotely piloted aircraft at a time unless the aircraft are operated in accordance with subsection 901.40(1) or an SFOC — RPAS. CAR 901.20

And a visual observer shall not perform those duties while operating a moving vehicle, vessel or aircraft. CAR 901.20

Each of those is a constraint a handover plan can accidentally violate: a plan that has the outgoing pilot become the observer, or that expects one observer to cover two aircraft, or that puts an observer in a moving vehicle, is not a plan that keeps the flight lawful. CAR 901.20

Question	Answer
Is a mid-flight handover allowed?	Yes, if the pre-flight conditions are met CAR 901.42
What must exist before take-off?	A pre-arrangement between the pilots, and a procedure to mitigate loss of control CAR 901.42
What does the AIM say the plan contains?	The handover procedures, the loss-of-control mitigation, and how see-and-avoid continues AIM 3.2.30
Who agrees to the plan?	The CAR requires the pilots; the AIM says all responsible parties CAR 901.42 AIM 3.2.30
Sight during the exchange	VLOS must continue, by the pilot or an observer CAR 901.11
Observer communication	Reliable and timely, with each observer, throughout CAR 901.20
Observer limits	One aircraft at a time; never while operating a moving vehicle, vessel or aircraft CAR 901.20

Warning The conditions attach to before take-off or launch, not to the moment of handover. A crew that decides mid-flight to exchange control, however well it goes, has not met 901.42 — the pre-arrangement and the loss-of-control procedure were required to exist before the aircraft left the ground. CAR 901.42

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
You decided to hand over mid-flight	The conditions must be met before take-off	Plan it before launch, or do not hand over CAR 901.42
Your plan covers procedures but not see-and-avoid	The AIM expects continuity of see-and-avoid through the exchange	Add it AIM 3.2.30
Only the two pilots agreed to the plan	The AIM asks for all responsible parties	Involve the observer and anyone else responsible AIM 3.2.30
Nobody is watching the aircraft during the exchange	VLOS is required at all times	Assign the sight explicitly in the plan CAR 901.11
Your observer is also driving	A visual observer may not do the duty from a moving vehicle	Reposition CAR 901.20
One observer is covering two aircraft	Not permitted outside 901.40(1) or an SFOC	Add an observer or change the operation CAR 901.20

Practise: Ops handover

• CAR 901.11 — Visual Line-of-sight
• CAR 901.20 — Visual Observers
• CAR 901.42 — Handovers
• AIM RPA 3.2.30 — Handovers
• Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21