Pilot licensing in Canada

Pilot licensing in Canada is administered by Transport Canada under the Aeronautics Act and the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs).

Other than when flying a hang glider or paraglider, a person may only operate a Canadian-registered aircraft or act as a flight crew member in Canada with a licence or permit issued by Transport Canada.

At the end of 2008 there were 64,932 Canadian licences and permits held, giving Canada the second largest population of licensed pilots in the world.

The first Canadian private pilot's license was issued to James Stanley Scott on January 24, 1920, and the first Canadian transport license was issued to Douglas G. Joy on April 1, 1939.

A licence is issued by Transport Canada in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) licence Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs). A licence can be used to fly domestically as well as internationally, while a permit does not comply with ICAO standards and therefore can only be used within Canada, unless accepted by another country. In April 1920 the first commercial pilot license in Canada was issued to Roland Groome.

Pilots with licences from foreign countries that are ICAO contracting states may apply to Transport Canada for a validation of their foreign licence. This allows them to fly Canadian registered aircraft in Canada. A foreign licence may be used to fly an aircraft registered in the same state as the licence while in Canada.

The term licence in Canada is equivalent to the term certificate in the United States. The term licence is also used in the United Kingdom. Under the ICAO they are all legally equivalent.

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