What must I do before I take off?

Complete the checks the regulation requires before a flight, in an order that leaves you able to show you did them.

Pre-flight in the CARs is not a checklist someone invented. Specific sections impose specific obligations, and most of them are written as "no pilot shall operate … unless", which means the obligation is a condition of flying at all.

• You know which of these duties fall on the pilot personally. Most are written "no pilot shall", so they cannot be delegated to a crew member. CAR 901.24
• You have a site you can reach or observe closely enough to survey.
• You know whether your aircraft was declared under section 901.194, because two of these checks refer to that declaration. CAR 901.194

Before the operation, the pilot must determine that the operational volume is suitable by conducting a site survey taking into account: the type of airspace and any requirements for the flight geography including any NOTAM; the altitudes and routes for approach, take-off, launch, landing or recovery; the proximity of other aircraft operations; and the proximity of airports, heliports and other aerodromes. CAR 901.27

This is a determination, not a glance. If you cannot say what the airspace class is and what the approach and departure routes will be, the survey is not done.

The AIM sets out how to understand the area of operation before the mission, and what the survey has to produce. The tools are ordinary ones — satellite imagery, topographic or aviation maps, or visiting the site in person — with the caution that any third-party application should be using up-to-date and official NAV CANADA information, and the advice to localise the area with site coordinates, or a landmark or nearby structure where coordinates are not available. AIM 3.2.15

Once the site is identified, the AIM says these points must be defined: AIM 3.2.15

Point
(a)	Operation boundaries AIM 3.2.15
(b)	Airspace classes and the applicable regulatory requirements AIM 3.2.15
(c)	Routes and altitudes to be followed for the entire operation AIM 3.2.15
(d)	Proximity of traditional aircraft and aerodromes AIM 3.2.15
(e)	Location and height of nearby obstacles AIM 3.2.15
(f)	Security measures for warning the public of the operating site AIM 3.2.15
(g)	Predominant weather conditions for the area AIM 3.2.15
(h)	Minimum separation distances from persons AIM 3.2.15
(i)	An alternate landing site AIM 3.2.15

Read (c) and (i) as the two that catch people out: routes and altitudes are defined for the whole operation rather than for the interesting part of it, and an alternate landing site is part of the survey rather than something improvised when the battery starts flashing. AIM 3.2.15

No pilot may operate a system unless procedures are established for normal operation — including pre-flight, take-off, launch, approach, landing and recovery — and emergency procedures covering, among other things, a control station failure and an equipment failure. CAR 901.23

Note the framing: the procedures must exist before the operation, and they are about system failures rather than about the aircraft falling out of the sky.

Before commencing the flight the pilot must be familiar with the information relevant to the intended flight, including the results of the site survey under 901.27 and any declaration under 901.194 made for the model of system being used. CAR 901.24

Steps 1 and 3 are a pair: the survey produces a result, and the pilot must know that result. A survey nobody read is not compliance.

NOTAMs belong to this information. A NOTAM is a notice containing information about the establishment or condition of, or any changes in, an aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard whose timely knowledge is essential to flight operations personnel. It is issued promptly for information of a temporary nature or short duration, or for operationally significant permanent changes and long-duration temporary changes made at short notice, and it can advertise changes to what is printed on charts or in aeronautical publications. AIM 3.2.39

For remotely piloted aircraft the rule is narrower than most people expect: an operation complying with the Regulations or an SFOC — RPAS should be safe, so an RPAS NOTAM should not normally be required. The need to publish one is determined by Transport Canada in conjunction with NAV CANADA air traffic services — it is not left to the pilot's discretion and not negotiated between the aerodrome operator, the pilot and other parties. Where Transport Canada directs the pilot to originate the RPAS NOTAM, the request must include either the SFOC — RPAS number or the directing inspector's name. AIM 3.2.39

Before commencing the flight the pilot must ensure there is a sufficient amount of fuel or energy for safe completion of the flight, and that each crew member has been instructed before acting as a crew member. CAR 901.28

Before take-off or launch the pilot must also ensure the aircraft is serviceable and that the system has been maintained, with all mandatory actions completed, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or those of the person who made the 901.194 declaration. CAR 901.29

!!! warning "Serviceability is a prohibition, not a recommendation"

901.29 is written "no pilot shall conduct the take-off or launch … unless".
A known defect means the aircraft is not serviceable, and neither shortening
the flight nor logging the defect changes that.

The AIM fills in what "serviceable" is checked by, and the working rule is that every system is inspected before flight to ensure it is safe to operate and after landing to check it is safe for the next flight. Following the walk-around or visual inspection, a fully charged battery can be installed for the next flight; a larger system can have a normal engine ground run to check flight controls and avionics; and just after take-off a short test flight or ground run should confirm that all controls and switches are working. AIM 3.2.17

The airframe items the AIM names for all types are worth knowing as a list: antennas secure and in good condition; the battery emplacement and its attachment, with no cracks; all lights operating normally; the pitot tube, where fitted, secure and clear of obstructions; and the GPS receiving satellites and providing a navigation solution, where applicable. AIM 3.2.17

Two inspections, two frequencies. A pre-flight inspection should be conducted before every take-off the aircraft makes, verifying its physical, mechanical and electronic integrity — and the manufacturer's manual, not this list, decides what must be inspected or function-checked. The initial inspection confirming the system is fit and safe is the most extensive one, and it is done before each new day of operations, covering the airframe; landing gear; power plant; propellers or rotors; battery or fuel; the control station, receivers and transmitter; and the control station device and its cables. AIM 3.2.12

The crew is part of the inspection, not just the audience for it. Before take-off the crew needs to be briefed on the roles and responsibilities of each crew member; the flight plans and anticipated procedures, including a command hand-off; the emergency and contingency plans; and the location of the safety equipment. AIM 3.2.12

Finally, three things the pilot must be satisfied about before commencing flight: that the aircraft has sufficient fuel or energy to complete the flight safely; that crew members have received sufficient instruction to perform their duties; and that any required emergency equipment is on site, with its location and method of operation known and readily accessible. AIM 3.2.16

And one determination with no number attached: the maximum distance the aircraft can safely be flown from the control station for the planned flight. It varies with the environment (visibility, cloud cover, wind), the location (a background of buildings makes an aircraft hard to see) and the radio line of sight — the strength of the signal and the presence of interference. AIM 3.2.16

No pilot may conduct a take-off or launch unless the operating manuals applicable to the system are immediately available to crew members. For a Division VI BVLOS operation the RPAS operations manual must also be immediately available. CAR 901.30

"Immediately available" is not "previously read". A manual left in an office 400 m away does not satisfy it. CAR 901.30

Up to five RPAs may be operated from one control station, provided the system is designed for that operation (901.40). The AIM is direct about the risk: there is a significant risk that the pilot becomes distracted and loses track of one or more of the aircraft, and the mitigations are all pre-flight — careful pre-planning and site surveys, and sufficient visual observers employed so that each aircraft is kept within VLOS and monitored. AIM 3.2.28

That is why the question belongs to pre-flight information: by the time the aircraft are airborne, the decision that keeps them apart has already been made on the ground.

And a tethered aircraft is not an aircraft, in the regulatory sense. Section 101.01 defines an RPA as a navigable aircraft operated by a pilot who is not on board. When an RPA is not navigated horizontally and is tethered to the ground, it no longer meets that definition, so Part IX no longer applies — and operators of tethered objects must instead meet the obstruction requirements of CAR Standard 621, Chapter 11. The interpretation recognises that an object which cannot be navigated along a path poses a different set of hazards. AIM 3.2.38

The converse case is the one the exam asks about. Everything turns on navigation, so a tethered aircraft that is being manoeuvred or has its navigation controlled while on the tether is navigable again and is an RPA — and the Part IX provisions governing small RPAs apply to it. Control-line flying models sit outside the whole question, because they are not designed to be navigated. AIM 3.2.38

A tether has two legitimate jobs and one illegitimate one. It can supply power from the ground to extend flight time, and it can physically restrict the aircraft from reaching certain locations as a flyaway mitigation. What it may not be is a means to circumvent or exempt an operation from the safety requirements of Part IX: a tethered RPA still complies with the Part IX requirements applicable to the type of operation being performed. AIM 3.2.38

Keep people further away than the tether is long. The AIM's best practice is the tether's length plus at least 5 m (16 ft): for a tether of 120 m (394 ft), a safety margin of more than 125 m (410 ft) from people, measured laterally from the point the tether is attached to the ground. Room is also needed for post-crash flying debris — a spinning rotor component can be flung a long way — and that space is allocated at the planning stage and confirmed during the site survey, which is why the point belongs in this lesson. AIM 3.2.38

One consequence for an advanced operator. Fitting a tether is a modification to the system, so it invalidates an RPAS safety assurance declaration made under 901.194 unless the modification followed the manufacturer's instructions (901.70(b)) and the system still meets the applicable Standard 922 technical requirements (901.70(a)). AIM 3.2.38

You launch only when all of the following hold:

• The site survey is done and the operational volume judged suitable CAR 901.27
• Normal and emergency procedures are established CAR 901.23
• You are familiar with the survey result and any 901.194 declaration CAR 901.24
• Fuel or energy is sufficient for safe completion CAR 901.28
• Crew members have been instructed CAR 901.28
• The aircraft is serviceable and maintenance is current CAR 901.29
• Operating manuals are immediately available; the RPAS operations manual too, if BVLOS under Division VI CAR 901.30
• The survey defined boundaries, classes, routes and altitudes, obstacles, weather, separation distances and an alternate landing site AIM 3.2.15
• The pre-flight inspection is done for this take-off, and the day's initial inspection before the first one AIM 3.2.12
• The aircraft was inspected after the last landing as well as before this flight AIM 3.2.17
• The crew has been briefed on roles, plans, emergency procedures and safety equipment AIM 3.2.12
• Required emergency equipment is on site, and its location and use are known AIM 3.2.16
• You have determined the maximum safe distance for this flight AIM 3.2.16
• Any NOTAM position is understood: an RPAS NOTAM is normally not required, and is determined by Transport Canada with NAV CANADA AIM 3.2.39
• If a tether is used, people are kept beyond the tether's length plus the margin, and the site allows for debris AIM 3.2.38

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
You surveyed the site last week and are flying today	The survey supports this operation's volume	Re-survey, or confirm nothing relevant changed CAR 901.27
You cannot say what airspace class you are in	The survey expressly requires the type of airspace and any NOTAM	Establish that before launching CAR 901.27
A crew member arrived and started helping immediately	Each crew member must be instructed before acting as one	Brief them first CAR 901.28
The manual is in the vehicle, 400 m away	"Immediately available" means available, not previously read	Keep it with the crew CAR 901.30
You have emergency procedures in your head	901.23 requires them to be established, not remembered	Write them down CAR 901.23
You inspected the aircraft once this morning and flew all day	A pre-flight inspection applies before EVERY take-off	Inspect before each one AIM 3.2.12
You put the aircraft away without looking at it after landing	The AIM expects an inspection after landing too	Check it is safe for the next flight AIM 3.2.17
You filed a NOTAM because a site felt busy	The need is determined by TC with NAV CANADA, not by the pilot	Establish whether one is required AIM 3.2.39
You launched without deciding a maximum distance	The AIM requires that determination for the planned flight	Set it from the environment, the site and the radio line of sight AIM 3.2.16
Nobody knows where the fire extinguisher is	Location and method of operation must be known and readily accessible	Brief it with the rest of the crew briefing AIM 3.2.16
A tether is planned to keep the operation outside Part IX	A tether may not be used for exclusion alone, and a navigated tether is still an RPA	Apply the Part IX requirements the operation attracts AIM 3.2.38
People stand just beyond the tether's reach	The best practice adds a margin beyond the tether's length	Keep them beyond the tether's length plus the margin, measured laterally from the anchor AIM 3.2.38
A declaration was made, and then a tether was fitted	The tether is a modification to the system	Re-establish conformity, or treat the declaration as invalid AIM 3.2.38

Practise: Pre-flight information and requirements

Practise: Ops tethered rpa

Practise: Distance tethered separation

• CAR 901.23 — Procedures
• CAR 901.24 — Pre-flight Information
• CAR 901.27 — Site Survey
• CAR 901.28 — Other Pre-flight Requirements
• CAR 901.29 — Serviceability of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System
• CAR 901.30 — Availability of Manuals
• AIM RPA 3.2.12 — Pre-flight Information
• AIM RPA 3.2.15 — Site Survey
• AIM RPA 3.2.16 — Other Pre-flight Requirements
• AIM RPA 3.2.17 — Serviceability of the RPAS
• AIM RPA 3.2.39 — NOTAM
• Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21