Advisory Circular 507-001: Special Certificate of Airworthiness – Limited

By JC Audet

Transport Canada Civil Aviation released the subject Advisory Circular (AC), effective 30 June 2020, to provide guidance for persons applying for, and later maintaining or operating, an aircraft with a Special Certificate of Airworthiness – Limited (Special C of A – Limited) in accordance with the Exemption from subsections 507.06(2) and (3)(b) of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) dated 2017-04-27.

This document also aims at ensuring that the applicable CARs and their related exemptions are understood and enforced in a uniform and standardized manner within all TC Regional Offices across the country. The guidance contained in this AC is applicable to all aircraft operating with a Special C of A – Limited.

This AC covers two areas of specific interest:

• Evaluation of Individual Aircraft Criteria: clarifies maintenance schedule review and acceptance criteria as well as the expectations for the review of the flight manual; and
• Parts for Aircraft Operated under a Special CofA – Limited: introduces and describes exemption NCR-021-2017 relevant to the installation of such parts. NCR-021-2017 is partially reproduced in the new Appendix B to this AC.

All aircraft registered in Canada require a flight authority before they can fly, the sole exception being ultralight aircraft. TCCA issues different flight authorities according to the particulars of the aircraft and the need of the applicant. This AC discusses only the Special C of A – Limited. The multiple exemptions previously issued in relation to this category have been replaced with two exemptions only:

• The Applicant exemption which describes aircraft eligibility; and
• The conditions of application.

Worthy of note is that, except where specifically stated, an aircraft operating under a Special C of A – Limited is subject to the same operational and maintenance regulations as aircraft with a ‘normal’ C of A.

The AC identifies and describes the various types of aircraft which can be eligible for a Special C of A – Limited and defines the applicable conditions and exception to these types. Some non-eligible types are of particular interest to several COPA members; replica and/or reproduction aircraft are not eligible for this category, neither are Amateur-Built aircraft. Restored aircraft, Basic Ultralight Aircraft and Advanced Ultralight Aircraft may be eligible under some conditions as defined in the AC.

The complete AC is appended below: