What you will know
Know when a special flight operations certificate — RPAS is required, what the certificate itself contains, and which ordinary-looking flights carry an SFOC requirement inside their own section.
The SFOC is the instrument that authorises what the Regulations otherwise prohibit. It is not a bigger certificate, and it does not replace one: several sections say "except in accordance with a special flight operations certificate — RPAS issued under section 903.03", and each of them is a separate prohibition with the same key. CAR 903.01
Before this lesson
- You know the operating weight of your aircraft, because 150 kg and 250 g are both thresholds in 903.01. CAR 903.01
- You know whether the flight is at an advertised event. CAR 901.41
- You know that a declaration is a different instrument: it is a claim about a model of system, and it does not authorise an operation the Regulations prohibit. CAR 903.01
How it works
1. The three operations section 903.01 names
No person shall conduct any of the following using a remotely piloted aircraft system unless they comply with the provisions of an SFOC — RPAS issued under section 903.03: CAR 903.01
| Operation | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Operating an aircraft of more than 150 kg (331 pounds) | weight CAR 903.01 |
| Operating an aircraft of less than 250 g (0.55 pounds) at an advertised event | weight and venue CAR 903.01 |
| Any other operation of a small or medium aircraft that the Minister determines needs one to ensure aviation safety or the safety of any person | ministerial determination CAR 903.01 |
Two features are worth reading off the list. The weight thresholds run in both directions — one case is heavier than 150 kg and another is lighter than 250 g, so "smaller means less regulated" is not a rule here. And the third case is a determination by the Minister rather than a fixed number. CAR 903.01
2. Operations that carry their own SFOC requirement
Several sections prohibit their operation and name the SFOC as the only exception. Read each as a prohibition first:
- Carriage of persons — no pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft that carries persons on board except in accordance with an SFOC — RPAS. CAR 901.22
- Advertised events — no pilot shall operate at any advertised event except in accordance with an SFOC — RPAS. CAR 901.41
- Payloads — no pilot shall transport a payload that includes weapons, ammunition or other equipment designed for use in war; that could create a hazard to aviation safety or cause injury to persons; or that is attached by a line (unless the operating manuals allow it), except in accordance with an SFOC — RPAS. CAR 901.43
- An unregistered aircraft — section 900.13 permits operating one that is not registered only where the operation is conducted in accordance with an SFOC — RPAS. CAR 900.13
3. The advertised-event exception, and who it covers
The advertised-event prohibition does not apply to an operation conducted for the purpose of saving human life, a police operation, a fire-fighting operation, or any other operation conducted in the service of a public authority. CAR 901.41
That exception has the same shape as the emergency-security-perimeter exception in section 900.08(2), and it is worth learning as one idea: a public authority's own emergency work is treated differently, and nothing else is. CAR 901.41
Note also that 903.01(b) reaches an aircraft under 250 g at an advertised event — the one case where being very light does not take you out of the requirement. CAR 903.01 AIM 1.0
4. What the certificate contains, and why the conditions matter
An SFOC — RPAS shall contain the name and address of the certificate holder; the number of the certificate; the date of issue; the validity period; the type of operations authorised; and any condition pertaining to the operations that the Minister considers necessary for aviation safety or the safety of any person. CAR 903.04
The last item is the one that does the work. The certificate authorises the type of operations it names, for the period it states, subject to any condition on it — which is why an SFOC is not transferable in effect: your flight is lawful if it falls inside that description, and not otherwise. CAR 903.04
5. What issuance requires
The Minister shall issue or amend an SFOC — RPAS on receipt of an application submitted under section 903.02 or 903.02.1 if the applicant demonstrates the ability to perform the proposed operations without adversely affecting aviation safety or the safety of any person. CAR 903.03
How much you have to demonstrate depends on the complexity tier of the application, and an application covering several operations takes the highest one — with two or more medium-complexity operations deemed high-complexity. CAR 903.02
6. What an SFOC can authorize: the AIM's list, and the events rule
Section 903.03 is the power, and the AIM says what it is for: not every operational consideration can be addressed through regulation, which is especially true where technology is evolving quickly, so Subpart 3 allows the Minister to issue an SFOC — RPAS to permit operations that are not covered by the Part IX regulations. AIM 3.6.1
The AIM then lists them, and the list is worth reading as a whole because it is where most "does this need a certificate?" questions are actually answered:
| Operation the SFOC can authorize | Provision |
|---|---|
| An RPA performing at a special aviation event | 603.01 AIM 3.6.1 |
| Foreign commercial air services | 900.09(2)(b) AIM 3.6.1 |
| Registration of an RPA from a foreign pilot or operator | 900.13 AIM 3.6.1 |
| BVLOS operations | 901.11 AIM 3.6.1 |
| Operating outside Canadian airspace | 901.13 AIM 3.6.1 |
| Above 400 ft AGL in uncontrolled airspace | 901.25 AIM 3.6.1 |
| VLOS of more than five RPAs from a single control station | 901.40(2) AIM 3.6.1 |
| BVLOS of more than one RPA from a single control station | 901.40(3) AIM 3.6.1 |
| A small RPA at a special aviation event or advertised event | 901.41 AIM 3.6.1 |
| Operation with restricted payloads | 901.43 AIM 3.6.1 |
| An RPA with an operating weight greater than 25 kg | 903.01(a) AIM 3.6.1 |
| An RPA of less than 250 g at an advertised event | 903.01(b) AIM 3.6.1 |
| Any other operation of a small RPA the Minister determines needs one | 903.01(c) AIM 3.6.1 |
The last row is the one to notice: 903.01(c) is a catch-all, so the list is not exhaustive and the answer to "is there a certificate for this?" is not decided by whether a headword appears above. AIM 3.6.1
The events rule has two halves, and they are different instruments. An SFOC for a special aviation event is needed when a pilot is operating an RPA as a performer — an airshow — under CARs 603.01 and Standard 623.01. If the flight is not a performance that is part of that event — video or photographs of the event, or surveillance or security work — the application is processed as it would be for an advertised event. AIM 3.2.29
An SFOC for an advertised event is needed when a pilot operates an RPA less than 100 ft away from the boundaries of the event (CARs 901.41 and 903.01(b)). And there is a dated rule worth carrying: since 1 April 2025, the new paragraph 903.01(b) requires an SFOC — RPAS for the operation of an RPA with an operating weight of less than 250 g — a micro-RPA — at an advertised event. AIM 3.2.29
What it means
Which instrument the operation needs:
| The operation | The instrument |
|---|---|
| A 901.69 operation under Division V, or any Division VI operation | A declaration on the model CAR 903.01 |
| More than 150 kg | An SFOC CAR 903.01 |
| Under 250 g at an advertised event | An SFOC CAR 903.01 |
| Carrying persons on board | An SFOC CAR 901.22 |
| Any advertised event (except public-authority emergency work) | An SFOC CAR 901.41 |
| A prohibited payload, unless the manuals allow a towed line | An SFOC CAR 901.43 |
| An unregistered aircraft, outside the declaration regime | An SFOC CAR 900.13 |
Warning An SFOC authorises the type of operations named on it, during its validity period, subject to its conditions. Flying outside any of those three is flying outside the certificate, whatever the certificate's existence suggests. CAR 903.04
Where people go wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You assumed a lighter aircraft needs no SFOC | 903.01(b) reaches aircraft under 250 g at an advertised event | Check the venue as well as the weight CAR 903.01 |
| You have an SFOC and flew a different kind of operation | The certificate names the type of operations authorised | Fly only what it names CAR 903.04 |
| Your SFOC's validity period has passed | The period is on the certificate | Apply to amend or reissue it CAR 903.04 |
| You are flying for a police or fire service at an event | 901.41(2) excludes public-authority service operations | Confirm the operation really is one of those CAR 901.41 |
| You flew with a payload on a line | A line-attached payload needs an SFOC unless the operating manuals allow it | Check the manuals before flying CAR 901.43 |
Test yourself
Sources
— Special Events (special aviation events and advertised events)
— General (the SFOC — RPAS operations list)
CAR 900.13 — Registration
CAR 901.22 — Carriage of Persons
CAR 901.41 — Advertised Events
CAR 901.43 — Payloads
CAR 903.01 — Prohibition
CAR 903.02 — Application for Special Flight Operations Certificate — RPAS
CAR 903.03 — Issuance or Amendment of Special Flight Operations Certificate — RPAS
CAR 903.04 — Contents of Special Flight Operations Certificate — RPAS
Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21