Documents carried on board & by the pilot

You carry documents to prove two things: the aircraft is legal to fly, and the pilot is qualified to fly it. Aircraft documents cover the machine; pilot documents cover the person.

On board the aircraft:

• Certificate of Registration (C of R): proof the aircraft is registered to its owner, carried on board (CAR 202.26).
• Flight authority / Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A): the flight authority certifying the aircraft is airworthy and matches its type design, carried on board (CAR 605.03).
• Aircraft flight manual / POH where one is required: available to the flight crew at their stations (CAR 605.04).
• Journey log (CAR 605.95): it may stay on the ground when the flight is not planned to land and shut down anywhere other than its point of departure (CAR 605.95(2)(a)).
• Aircraft radio station licence if the aircraft has radios (the licence or a copy, carried on board, CAR 605.03.1; the licence itself is issued by ISED).
• Proof of liability insurance: the owner must subscribe to it (CAR 606.02(8)) and proof that it is subscribed for must be carried on board (CAR 606.02(9)). Only a balloon may leave the proof behind, and then only if it is immediately available to the pilot-in-command before and after the flight (606.02(10)).

Carried by the pilot (CAR 401.03): the pilot licence or permit and a valid medical certificate, which you must be able to produce. The licence booklet already carries your photo. To use the radio you also hold a Restricted Operator Certificate (ROC-A), issued by ISED under the Radiocommunication Act (not by Transport Canada).

Trap: your personal logbook (CAR 401.08), the aircraft's maintenance records and its weight-and-balance report (a technical record, CAR 605.92(1)(c)), and a copy of the CARs are not required to be carried: among the technical records only the journey log must be on board (CAR 605.95). And do not swap the buckets: the licence and medical are on the pilot, not filed in the aircraft.

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