What you will know
Know the two things a pilot must ensure before each take-off, launch, approach, landing and recovery, know what makes a site suitable beyond the ground being flat, and know the extra duties that apply at an aerodrome.
The obligation in section 901.33 is short, and its shortness hides two things: it applies before each of five different activities, not once at the start of the day, and its second limb is about the site, which is a judgement rather than a checklist. CAR 901.33
Before this lesson
- You know which activity you are about to perform — take-off, launch, approach, landing or recovery — because the duty attaches to each of them. CAR 901.33
- You know whether you are operating at or in the vicinity of an aerodrome, because that brings a second and a third rule into play. CAR 602.96 CAR 602.100
- You know the operating weight class of your aircraft, because "suitable for the intended operation" is assessed against the operation you are actually conducting. CAR 901.33
How it works
1. The two-part duty, before each activity
A pilot of a remotely piloted aircraft shall, before take-off, launch, approach, landing or recovery: ensure that there is no likelihood of collision with another aircraft, person or obstacle; and ensure that the site set aside for take-off, launch, landing or recovery, as the case may be, is suitable for the intended operation. CAR 901.33
Two features are worth noticing before going further. The duty is attached to five activities, so a pilot who checks the site once in the morning and lands four times has satisfied it once. And the collision list has three members — an aircraft, a person, or an obstacle — which means the check is not only about traffic. CAR 901.33
2. What "suitable" involves, beyond the ground being flat
The AIM sets out what site suitability looks like in practice. The pilot should ensure they have the land owner's permission to use the site, and that the site is free of obstacles that could interfere with the operation of the aircraft. AIM 3.2.20
The AIM's examples of obstacles are worth reading slowly, because the second category is easy to overlook:
| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| Physical | trees, buildings, open water AIM 3.2.20 |
| Non-physical | electronic or magnetic interference AIM 3.2.20 |
Open water appears in a list of obstacles rather than of hazards, which is a reminder that the question is what interferes with the operation, not only what could be hit. AIM 3.2.20
3. Securing the site is part of suitability
The AIM also expects the selected site to be secured, so that bystanders do not venture too close to or enter the take-off or landing area. It gives two means — erecting physical barriers, or having crew members perform a crowd control function — and it attaches two conditions to both:
- the pilot must understand and follow municipal, provincial and federal laws and regulations when securing a site; and AIM 3.2.20
- in some situations, restricting public access to a site may not be allowed. AIM 3.2.20
That last sentence is the one people miss. Securing a site is not something a pilot can always do by asserting it, which means a site you cannot lawfully secure is a site that may not be suitable. AIM 3.2.20
4. The aerodrome parallel — and the subpart that does not apply to you
There is a section that reads like a close relative of 901.33. It says that before taking off from, landing at or otherwise operating an aircraft at an aerodrome, the pilot-in-command shall be satisfied that there is no likelihood of collision with another aircraft or a vehicle, and that the aerodrome is suitable for the intended operation. CAR 602.96
It is worth knowing, and it is not a duty imposed on you by that section: 602.96 sits in Part VI, Subpart 2 — Operating and Flight Rules — and that subpart does not apply in respect of remotely piloted aircraft. CAR 602.01
So read it beside 901.33 for the family resemblance, not as an obligation, and note the two differences that matter:
| 901.33 (RPAS) | 602.96(2) (at an aerodrome) | |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with | another aircraft, person or obstacle CAR 901.33 | another aircraft or a vehicle CAR 602.96 |
| Suitability of | the site set aside CAR 901.33 | the aerodrome CAR 602.96 |
The same section also requires the pilot-in-command of an aircraft operating at or in the vicinity of an aerodrome to observe aerodrome traffic, conform to or avoid the traffic pattern, and make all turns to the left in the circuit unless right turns are specified — and the same conclusion applies to all of it, because it is the same subpart. CAR 602.96 CAR 602.01
5. The MF reporting duty, and why it is a trap rather than a duty
This is the section most likely to catch a candidate, so it is worth stating in full before explaining why it does not apply.
The pilot-in-command of a VFR or IFR aircraft departing from an uncontrolled aerodrome that lies within an MF area shall: before moving onto the take-off surface, report their departure procedure intentions; before take-off, ascertain by radiocommunication and by visual observation that there is no likelihood of collision with another aircraft or a vehicle during take-off; and after take-off, report departing from the aerodrome traffic circuit. CAR 602.100
The middle requirement is the memorable one: two means, not either. A radio call is not a substitute for looking, and looking is not a substitute for the call. And operating within an MF area brings the radiocommunication equipment and listening-watch requirements of section 602.97 with it. CAR 602.100 CAR 602.97
None of that is imposed on a remotely piloted aircraft. Both sections sit in Part VI, Subpart 2 — Operating and Flight Rules — and that subpart does not apply in respect of remotely piloted aircraft. CAR 602.01
That is exactly why the question appears: the duty is quoted, and the answer is that it does not reach you. What reaches you is Part IX — the site and collision checks in 901.33, the distance and aerodrome provisions of Division V, and the notification duties that come with losing control. CAR 602.01 CAR 901.33
The safe habit is to check which subpart a section lives in before treating it as yours. Subpart 1 of Part VI — the airspace provisions — does apply to a remotely piloted aircraft; Subpart 2 does not. CAR 602.01 CAR 601.15
Quick answers
| Duty | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Before take-off, launch, approach, landing or recovery | No likelihood of collision with an aircraft, person or obstacle CAR 901.33 |
| The site | Suitable for the intended operation CAR 901.33 |
| Site selection (AIM) | Land owner's permission; free of physical and non-physical obstacles AIM 3.2.20 |
| Securing the site (AIM) | Barriers or crew crowd control, in accordance with municipal, provincial and federal law AIM 3.2.20 |
| At an aerodrome (602.96(2)) | The parallel to 901.33 — but Part VI Subpart 2 does not apply to RPAs CAR 602.01 |
| In the traffic circuit (602.96(3)) | Also Part VI Subpart 2 — not imposed on remotely piloted aircraft CAR 602.01 |
| MF departure reporting (602.100) | Part VI Subpart 2 — not imposed on remotely piloted aircraft CAR 602.01 |
| MF radiocommunication (602.97) | Part VI Subpart 2 — not imposed on remotely piloted aircraft CAR 602.01 |
| What does apply | 901.33, the Division V aerodrome provisions, and the notification duties CAR 901.33 |
Warning "Suitable for the intended operation" is judged against the operation you are conducting, not against a field's general pleasantness. The same site can be suitable for a small VLOS flight and unsuitable for a heavier one, a longer one, or one with a crowd below it — and the check falls before each take-off, approach, landing and recovery, not once a day. CAR 901.33
Where people go wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You checked the site at the start and landed there later | The duty attaches to each of the five activities | Re-check before each CAR 901.33 |
| Your site has no trees or buildings but strong magnetic interference | Non-physical obstacles count | Choose another site AIM 3.2.20 |
| A member of the public walks into your landing area | The AIM expects the site to be secured | Use barriers or crew, lawfully AIM 3.2.20 |
| You cannot lawfully restrict access to the site | In some situations restricting access is not allowed | Treat the site as unsuitable AIM 3.2.20 |
| A question quotes MF reporting duties at you | 602.100 is Part VI Subpart 2, which does not apply to RPAs | Look to Part IX instead CAR 602.01 |
| A question requires the left-turn circuit rule | 602.96(3) is in the same excluded subpart | It is context, not a duty for an RPA CAR 602.01 |
| You assumed no Part VI rule applies | Only Subpart 2 is excluded; Subpart 1 airspace rules apply | Check the subpart CAR 601.15 |
Test yourself
Sources
- CAR 602.01 — Application — Remotely Piloted Aircraft (the exclusion that decides this)
- CAR 602.96 — General (Part VI Subpart 2 — context, not an RPA duty)
- CAR 602.97 — MF Area Radiocommunication (Part VI Subpart 2 — context, not an RPA duty)
- CAR 602.100 — MF Reporting Procedures on Departure (Part VI Subpart 2 — context, not an RPA duty)
- CAR 901.33 — Take-offs, Launches, Approaches, Landings and Recovery
- — Control of RPAS
- Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21