Where can I fly?
What do these labels mean?
- edge
- A typed relation between two concepts: one points at the other for a reason the model records.
- prerequisite_of
- One concept must be understood before the other. These decide study order.
- applies_to
- A rule applies to a concept. Administrative, not an order to study in.
- proposed
- A model suggested this edge. No person has confirmed it, so it is evidence of nothing yet.
- human-confirmed
- A person checked it against the source and accepted it.
- sequencing
- A prerequisite edge that affects the order lessons are offered in.
- structural
- A relation that describes the corpus rather than the order to read it.
The rules that bind at a position, with the passage each one comes from. The map, its layers and the note on why airspace is not drawn here live under Settings.
Your position
Opens a globe - click a place and it comes back as coordinates.
The aerodromes around your position
Every aerodrome, heliport and water aerodrome in the public dataset within 100 km, with its distance. Tap one to fill the aerodrome fields below - the verdict is then computed from the point you actually chose, not from numbers typed from memory.
What each layer means, and who says so
A coloured area on this map is only ever a statement about a rule: which instrument applies, and whether it forbids, requires, or merely advises.
| Layer | What it shows | Who says so | When it opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerodromes | Airports, aerodromes, heliports and water aerodromes within 100 km, with the distance and the ring CAR 901.47 implies. Community data; each row links to the section. | CAR 901.47 | on |
| Airspace | Control zones, terminal control areas and Class F advisory areas (CYR, CYA, CYD) from openAIP, drawn as volumes with floor and ceiling. Being inside one means an authorization is required (CAR 901.71), not that flight is forbidden. | CAR 901.71 | off |
| National parks | National parks and park reserves. Take-off and landing only at prescribed locations - a Parks Canada rule, not a CAR section. | AIM RPA 1.0 / Parks Canada | on |
| Built-up areas | Built-up areas from Natural Earth, coarse by design. A planning hint only: CAR 901.26 is a distance from people, not a ban on overflying an area. | No rule - advisory only | off |
| Wildfires | Active wildfire perimeters from NRCan CWFIS. The restriction is a NOTAM or a provincial fire order, so this layer is an advisory and never a verdict. | NOTAM / provincial order | on |
| Bird sanctuaries | Migratory bird sanctuaries and national wildlife areas. Take-off and landing may require a permit from Environment and Climate Change Canada (AIM RPA 1.0). | ECCC - permit may be required | on |
Abbreviations and terms
The abbreviations, airspace codes and data sources used on this page. The Regulations are authoritative in English and French; the other languages are aids to reading.
Regulations and aviation documents
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CAR | Canadian Aviation Regulations: the rules for civil aviation in Canada, including remotely piloted aircraft. |
| AIM | Aeronautical Information Manual: Canadian operating, airspace and flight-procedure information. |
| RPA | Remotely Piloted Aircraft: a drone flown by a remote pilot. |
| NOTAM | Notice to Air Missions: temporary information that affects flight safety or operations, such as a temporary airspace restriction. |
| ECCC | Environment and Climate Change Canada: the department responsible for the environment, climate and wildlife. |
Airspace classes and codes
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Control zone | Control Zone: controlled airspace, usually around an airport, protecting traffic in its vicinity. |
| Terminal control area (TCA) | Terminal Control Area: controlled airspace around busy airports, managing arrivals, departures and related traffic. |
| Class F advisory area | Class F Advisory Area: special-use airspace for a specific activity. Its legal character differs from restricted airspace; the requirements depend on the classification. |
| CYR | Canadian-designated Restricted Area: entry is normally tightly restricted and requires the applicable authorization. |
| CYA | Canadian-designated Advisory Area: warns of a specific activity or hazard. |
| CYD | Canadian-designated Danger Area: warns of activity that may endanger aircraft. |
| Floor / ceiling | Floor / Ceiling: the lower and upper vertical limits of an airspace volume. The height reference is the one stated in the aeronautical publication. |
Map data sources
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| openAIP | An open aviation information platform providing airport, airspace and related aviation data. |
| Natural Earth | An open global geospatial data project covering cities, built-up areas and borders. |
| NRCan | Natural Resources Canada. |
| CWFIS | Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: NRCan's wildfire information. |
| Parks Canada | Parks Canada: manages the national parks and related protected areas. |
Useful sites to check yourself
Handy places to verify a rule, a restriction or an authorisation. Each one does a different job - read the scope column before trusting it for yours.
| Site | What it is good for | Scope | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check it yourself | |||
| NAV CANADA - aeronautical information | The published aeronautical information: the AIM, the Designated Airspace Handbook, and the procedures a control zone or a Class F area is defined by. | Canada-wide, authoritative, published documents rather than advice | 2026-10-28 |
| NAVDrone | Submitting a flight request and checking whether an authorization or a permission applies to a specific operation in controlled airspace. | Canada-wide; an operational tool, not a reference | 2026-10-28 |
| NRC Drone Site Selection Tool | Screening a location: what is around it and what would need to be considered before flying there. | Canada-wide screening; a starting point, not a clearance | 2026-10-28 |
| Transport Canada - drone safety | The rules in plain language, registration and pilot certificates, and the guidance Transport Canada publishes about them. | Canada-wide; the regulator explaining its own rules | 2026-10-28 |
| Canadian Aviation Regulations - Part IX | The text of the regulations themselves, including every section this app cites, in English and French. | Canada-wide; the law, and the only text that settles a dispute | 2026-10-28 |
| Browse the data yourself | |||
| OurAirports | The public airport, heliport and runway database: an aerodrome's type, codes, coordinates and elevation. | Worldwide, community-maintained; good for detail, no legal weight | 2026-10-28 |
| openAIP | An open airspace database with the vertical limits of control zones and special-use areas, browsable on a map. | Community-contributed; the published aeronautical documents remain authoritative | 2026-10-28 |
| Parks Canada | Which places are national parks, and what each park says about drones on its own land. | Canada-wide; park-specific rules, not the Regulations | 2026-10-28 |
| Natural Earth | Small-scale maps of built-up areas, coastlines and borders - useful for a rough picture of where settlement is. | Worldwide, coarse by design; never a boundary you can rely on | 2026-10-28 |
| NRCan CWFIS | The current wildfire situation: perimeters, hotspots and provincial fire restrictions. | Canada-wide situation map; the NOTAM or the provincial order is what restricts a flight | 2026-10-28 |
| ECCC - protected areas | National wildlife areas and migratory bird sanctuaries, and what a permit there involves. | Canada-wide; a permit may be required for take-off and landing | 2026-10-28 |
Distance to an aerodrome
The corpus holds no aerodrome coordinates, so enter the one you care about. The tool computes the distance; it does not know the aerodrome.
The rules that bind here
How far must I stay from an aerodrome?
3 NM from an airport centre, 1 NM from a heliport centre, for visual line-of-sight. 5 NM for BVLOS unless you hold an SFOC-RPAS.
May I fly in controlled airspace?
Not without an authorisation. Under Division V the air traffic services provider issues it; under the other divisions an SFOC-RPAS is required.
How high may I fly?
400 feet AGL, or up to 100 feet above a structure if you are within 200 feet of it horizontally.
How close may I fly to people?
100 feet (30 m) horizontally from anyone not involved in the operation, measured at any altitude.
Is there a transponder requirement?
In transponder airspace you need one, plus automatic pressure-altitude reporting, unless an ATC unit authorises otherwise.
Am I over a place with its own rules?
Three areas carry rules that are not in the Regulations: national parks (take-off and landing only at prescribed locations), migratory bird sanctuaries and national wildlife areas (a permit may be required), and built-up areas (a planning hint, not a prohibition). The layers on this page draw all three.
Is there a wildfire or a NOTAM here?
A wildfire perimeter restricts the area through a NOTAM or a provincial fire order, not through the Regulations. This page draws the perimeter and names the instrument; check the NOTAM before you fly.
May I fly at an advertised event?
No, not without a special flight operations certificate - RPAS. An advertised event is any outdoor event advertised to the public, and CAR 901.41 applies at every certificate level.
Data sources, reference links and the note on why airspace is not drawn are under Admin - Data & evidence. Open Settings