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Ultralight Aviation in Canada: A Quick Guide

CARs for flying

No, flying cars are not out yet unfortunately! The CARs we’re talking about are the Canadian Aviation Regulations, particularly those covering ultralight aviation which accounts for 19% of total civil aircraft in Canada.

These regulations are updated every now and then, but basically they define 2 types of aircraft and their specifications:

• Basic ultra-light airplane (BULA).
• Advanced ultra-light airplane (AULA).

A bit of history about sisters BULA and AULA

Although most of the aircraft used back in the 20th century for the earliest aviation trials could be considered as BULAs with respect to the nowadays general definition, yet the basic aircraft got less popular shortly following the fast growing upgrades in aircraft.

Luckily, BULA regained popularity in the 70’s as a dream of solo aviation. For lacking some safety measures and large carrying capacities, BULA's sister AULA was born in the 90’s with specific standards put by Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association Of Canada and followed by all manufacturers nowadays.

To be able to fly either, you have to be trained, tested and ultimately licensed.

Types of permits

In Canada, flying by yourself is different from holding someone else on your wings.

Because according to the rules set by Transport Canada (The folks in the government responsible for all types of transport – obviously), the usual private pilot permit allows you to fly alone in the double seated ultralight plane. In case you want to have someone on board, he or she has to be a licensed pilot as well or you have to carry a higher permit (usually called "recreational permit").

How to get a private pilot permit in Canada?

Piece of cake. Generally you have to:

• Find a good certified school near your residence.
• Get no less than 10 hours of training in the air.
• Be a good student and be able to fly at least for 2 hours without your trainer.
• Get the plane off the ground at least for 30 successful times.
• Get yourself medically checked (your sight, your blood pressure..etc.)
• Show the examiner that you’re a good pilot by taking off in front of him.

That's it!

The basic private pilot permit in Canada allows you to fly solo and only in daytime. So don’t expect a closer look to the stars.

Canadian manufacturers: purchasing rather than transforming

As we mentioned before, there are 2 types of aircraft (BULA and AULA) that differ mainly technically. If you are an owner of a BULA, it is possible to upgrade it to an AULA by adding some pieces here and there.

However, since there’s no financial benefit for them, local ultralight manufacturers in Canada usually recommend that you buy a whole new aircraft instead of the upgrade. The government seems to favor that as well since you’re not allowed to upgrade unless you get a written permission from the original manufacturer of your BULA stating that it can be transformed into an AULA one and that he accepts that.

You can find a list of certified local ultralight manufacturers in Canada here.

Fly, and don't let anything let you "down"

Wherever you are in Canada, you might like to check the weather conditions here before you go flying, especially for the first time as you don’t want weather to ‘let you down’ on your first flight!

 

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