What Can I Expect on My RPAS Flight Review? Questions, Flight Procedures, and what to expect regarding EVLOS & Sheltered Ops

5 days ago

6 min read

By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy 30 October 2026

Stepping up for an in-person flight review with a Transport Canada-authorized Flight Reviewer is often the most demanding milestone on your journey to becoming a certified commercial drone pilot in Canada. Whether you are aiming for your Pilot Certificate – Small RPAS (Advanced Operations) or preparing for the Level 1 Complex Operations rating, knowing what can and cannot be evaluated is critical to preparing effectively.

A common question among candidates preparing under the latest Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) Part IX framework centers on new operational privileges: Because an Advanced Certificate authorizes pilots to conduct Extended Visual Line-of-Sight (EVLOS) and Sheltered Operations, will candidates be tested on those exact maneuvers during an Advanced Flight Review? Can a Flight Reviewer include them on a flight review and grade them on a pass or fail basis?

Understanding the expectations, the ground questioning, the prescribed flight exercises, and the legal limits of a reviewer's evaluation requires examining how Transport Canada structures both the Advanced and Level 1 Complex reviews.

The Ground Assessment: What Questions to Expect

Every flight review begins before the aircraft leaves the ground. Transport Canada delegates evaluation authority to Flight Reviewers under CAR Standard 921.06, requiring them to use the criteria established in the Flight Reviewer’s Guide for Pilots of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (TP 15395E).

The ground portion evaluates your pre-flight discipline, knowledge of CARs Part IX, and risk management through direct scenario-based questioning.

Site Survey and Airspace Analysis

You must present an organized site survey for the review location. The reviewer will examine whether you correctly identify the airspace classification, nearby aerodromes, seaplane bases, heliports, and localized hazards such as transmission towers or high-density public areas. Expect questions such as: What is the procedure if a nearby uncertified aerodrome has active ultralight traffic? What designated emergency cut-off zones have you selected if a forced landing is required?

Environmental Factors and Limitations

Reviewers will test your operational decision-making based on current and forecast conditions. They will look for your understanding of regulatory minimums for cloud clearance and ground visibility, as well as the effects of local temperature, wind velocity, gust spreads, and wind shear around tree lines or structures. They will expect you to explain how ambient temperatures influence lithium battery life, discharge rates, and low-voltage return-to-home triggers.

Standard Operating Procedures and Checklists

ou are expected to bring and use standard operating procedures and physical checklists. Transport Canada emphasizes methodical execution over memorization. Reviewers will verify that you follow a structured sequence through equipment inspection, power-up, satellite and compass verification, command-and-control link establishment, and emergency preparations.

Crew Resource Management and Briefings

If the reviewer acts as an observer, or if you bring a visual observer or payload operator, you must deliver a thorough crew safety briefing. You will need to address the division of duties, clear communication terminology, the maintenance of a sterile cockpit during safety-critical flight phases, and handoff protocols if an unexpected hazard emerges.

Emergency Response Planning

Reviewers place heavy weight on emergency procedures. They will ask you to walk through immediate actions in high-risk scenarios: What is your exact response to an uncommanded fly-away? What are your steps in the event of an incursion by a low-flying emergency medical helicopter? How do you isolate and handle a damaged, overheating lithium-polymer battery on the ground?

Prescribed In-Flight Procedures for the Advanced Flight Review

Once ground questions and pre-flight inspections are complete, the practical flight evaluation begins. Under Appendix A of TP 15395E, the flight review for an Advanced rating is evaluated strictly within direct Visual Line-of-Sight (VLOS).

The flight evaluation consists of standard practical exercises:

Pre-Flight Inspection and Station Setup: You must physically inspect the airframe, motors, propellers, sensors, payload, and the ground control station to verify airworthiness before applying power.
Take-Off and System Assessment: The departure must be smooth, stable, and executed with appropriate clearance from obstacles and personnel. Immediately after take-off, you will bring the aircraft to a low hover to check control responsiveness, motor sound, telemetry stability, and balance before proceeding.
Manual Precision Maneuvers: The reviewer will instruct you to fly defined flight paths, such as rectangular patterns, figure-eights, precise heading changes, and altitude adjustments. You will be evaluated on orientation awareness, heading maintenance, and smooth control inputs. The reviewer may ask you to complete these maneuvers without relying on automated flight modes.
Simulated Emergencies and Lost-Link Handling: You will be evaluated on your ability to react to simulated failures, such as a lost command-and-control link, a loss of positioning data, or an avoidance vector due to conflicting traffic.
Approach, Landing, and Securing: You will execute a stabilized approach to a designated landing area, demonstrate a smooth touchdown, power down the system, and complete post-flight checks.

Sheltered Operations and EVLOS: The Reviewer's Legal Boundaries

With regulatory updates granting Advanced pilots the privilege to perform Sheltered Operations and EVLOS, candidates frequently ask whether Flight Reviewers can require an in-flight demonstration of these capabilities as part of an Advanced Flight Review.

Regulatory Authority and Pass/Fail Prohibitions

Transport Canada does not permit a Flight Reviewer to mandate an in-flight Sheltered or EVLOS maneuver during a standard Advanced Flight Review, nor can a reviewer fail a candidate for not performing one.

Flight Reviewers are authorized representatives of the Minister of Transport, but their testing mandate is strictly governed by CAR Standard 921.06 and the exercises set out in Appendix A of TP 15395E. That document evaluates competency within Visual Line-of-Sight. Reviewers do not have the regulatory authority to add new flight exercises, introduce personal test maneuvers, or withhold a flight review pass based on unlisted flight items.

Practical safety also dictates this boundary. Directing an uncertified candidate to fly into the blind spot of a structure during a licensing flight review introduces severe collision and signal disruption risks. Similarly, conducting an EVLOS flight would require setting up trained visual observers, long-range communication links, and expansive flight perimeters, which fall outside the scope of an entry-level Advanced Flight Review.

Oral Evaluation of Sheltered and EVLOS Concepts

While reviewers cannot test these maneuvers in the air during an Advanced review, they can examine your understanding during the oral assessment.

Because passing the review grants you the operational privileges of an Advanced pilot, reviewers can question your regulatory knowledge under CARs Part IX:

You may be asked to define the horizontal and vertical boundaries of a Sheltered Operation, including the requirement to remain within 61 meters horizontally and 30 meters vertically of the structure.
You may be asked to explain the operational structure of an EVLOS mission, such as the direct communication requirements between the pilot and the visual observer, visual scanning obligations, and the prohibition against daisy-chaining observers.
You may be asked to identify what manufacturer safety declarations or equipment requirements apply before operating near bystanders or within sheltered airspace.

You are expected to understand the rules and risk mitigations governing these flights, even though you will not be asked to execute them in the air during the Advanced test.

How the Level 1 Complex (BVLOS) Flight Review Differs

Candidates moving beyond visual operations toward a Level 1 Complex rating face a different set of requirements.

Level 1 Complex operations permit Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) flight in low-risk airspace. Because the operational risk profile is higher, Transport Canada requires candidates to complete an approved 20-hour ground school and pass a separate Level 1 Complex written exam before qualifying for the flight review.

During a Level 1 Complex Flight Review, the practical evaluation changes. The reviewer evaluates candidate performance under specific BVLOS flight modules in TP 15395E, including exercises such as TP 15395E D-2 and G-2 ( manual flight and landing procedures ).

In this environment, in-flight navigation without direct eye contact on the aircraft is actively tested. Candidates must demonstrate competence using telemetry displays, managing command-and-control links, monitoring detect-and-avoid (DAA) sensors or electronic conspicuity feeds, managing geofenced flight perimeters, and coordinating with remote emergency landing sites.

While the Advanced Flight Review evaluates basic visual airmanship and manual control within line of sight, the Level 1 Complex Flight Review evaluates a pilot's ability to manage complex automated systems and maintain airspace safety when operating entirely beyond visual sight.

Practical Preparation for Candidates

Thorough preparation ensures a successful flight review:

Verify your administrative documentation before attending. Bring your Transport Canada Candidate ID, written exam confirmation, RPAS registration certificate, and the manufacturer's operating manual.

Draft a complete site survey for the flight location in advance, documenting airspace classes, aerodromes, obstacles, weather minimums, and emergency procedures.

Prepare printed checklists covering normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures, and use them throughout the review.

Inspect your airframe, update firmware, calibrate onboard sensors, and verify your batteries are charged and balanced prior to arrival.

During the flight review, communicate your decisions clearly. Flight Reviewers evaluate judgment, situational awareness, and methodical execution alongside manual stick skills.

Official References and Study Documents