Aircraft type designation for licensing

From: Transport Canada

This web page is dedicated to Aircraft Type Designators that are endorsed on flight crew permits and licenses in accordance with Canadian Aviation Regulations (CAR) Part IV.

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Blanket rating and individual type ratings

All aircraft types certified in Canada will either be classified under a Blanket Rating or, will be assigned an individual aircraft type rating that will be annotated on flight crew permits and licenses in accordance with Part IV of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs).

  • Aircraft Blanket Type Ratings
  • Individual Aircraft Type Ratings
    • Two Crew Aeroplanes
    • High Performance Aeroplanes
    • Helicopters
    • Powered Lift
    • Airships
    • Gyroplanes – Two seats or more

Note: Medically restricted - Pilots may have a medical restriction on their permit or licence that may require an Individual Aircraft Type Rating or, they may be restricted to a specific aircraft, when that aircraft normally would fall under the blanket rating.

Aircraft classified under blanket rating

Based on maximum speed and stall speed, single pilot, non-high performance aircraft that are classified as falling under the Blanket Rating are shown as a class on the appropriate licence, unless for medical reasons the specific pilot is restricted to an individual aircraft in which case the aircraft type (and possibly the registration number) will be endorsed on the pilot’s permit or licence.

The following aircraft are classified under Blanket Rating:

  • (a) Aeroplane (Aeroplane Licence and Recreational-Aeroplane Permit)
    All single pilot aeroplanes excluding high performance.

    Notes:

    1. When an aeroplane blanket rating is endorsed on a licence it is indicated by the applicable aeroplane class rating. Aeroplane class ratings are a combination of the following:

      SE - Single engine
      SME – Single and Multi-engine
      SCE – Single and Centre line thrust multi-engine

      Combined with:

      L – Land S – Sea

      (examples: SEL, SMEL, SES etc.)

    2. A Recreational Permit-Aeroplane is limited to aircraft certified to carry a maximum of four persons, but the privileges restrict the Recreational Permit holder to carry no more than one passenger on board. (CAR 401.22)

  • (b) Gliders (Licence)
    All gliders.

  • (c) Balloons (Licence)
    All non-power driven balloons.

  • (d) Ultra-Light Aeroplanes (Permit)
    All ultra-light aeroplanes.

  • (e) Gyroplanes (Permit)
    All single seat gyroplanes.

Aircraft with individual type ratings

Aircraft that are introduced and to be flown in Canada and are not classified under Blanket Rating, will become certified and assigned an individual type rating designator to be annotated on a pilot permit or licence. As part of the aircraft certification process, an assessment is made by an Operational Evaluation Team that determines whether an aircraft is considered a variant of an existing type requiring the pilot to undergo additional aircraft differences training or, the aircraft is to be assigned a separate individual type rating designator.

The following aircraft require individual type ratings.

  • (a) Aeroplanes (Licence)

    • Individual type aeroplanes (those not included under Blanket Rating)

    • Each aeroplane with a minimum flight crew requirement of at least two pilots

    • Each aeroplane with a minimum flight crew requirement of at least two pilots utilizing a cruise relief pilot

    • Each high-performance aeroplane type

  • (b) Helicopters (Licence)

    • All helicopters

  • (c) Powered Lift (Licence - reserved)

  • (d) Airships (Licence)

    • All power-driven balloons or airships

  • (e) Gyroplanes (Permit)

    • All gyroplanes with two seats or more

  • (f) Blanket Rating aircraft when medically restricted pilot permit or licence requires an Individual Type Rating or specific aircraft.

  • (g) Flight Engineer (Licence):

    • Each individual type of aeroplane

    • Individual type aeroplanes (when holding a second officer rating).

Standard 421.40: Aircraft Type Designator tables for individual type ratings

An individual aircraft type rating is issued for aircraft not included under the blanket type rating.

Military aircraft types that have no civilian equivalent in the Individual Type Rating Table (link below) cannot be endorsed on a TCCA permit or licence.

View Standard 421.40 - Aircraft type designator tables for individual type ratings

Aircraft certification process

Transport Canada incorporates two processes which are conducted separately for certification of new aircraft being introduced and operated in Canada - the aircraft certification process by National Aircraft Certification (NAC), and the operational evaluation process conducted by Commercial Flight Standards (CFS).

  1. Aircraft type certification, which usually occurs first, results in the issuance of an Aircraft Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) that Pilot Training and Licencing then uses to assign and publish in the Aircraft Type Designator Tables, a unique aircraft type designator that will be used when issuing a type rating onto pilot or flight engineer licences.

  2. NAC has often accepted the foreign type certificate completed by another ICAO contracted State without issuing its own Transport Canada type certificate. This will be specified in the results of a search using the NAPA Issued Certificate Online (NICO) database (NAPA: National Aeronautical Product Approval) for specific aircraft.

  3. Transport Canada Commercial Flight Standards (CFS) determines which aircraft will be required to undergo an Operational Evaluation (OE), after or concurrent with NAC’s approval of a new aircraft type certification. Operational Evaluations that have been previously conducted by other State civil aviation authorities are taken into consideration when conducting an OE, and at times are even recognized and accepted in lieu of performing an independent evaluation.

  4. The operational evaluation (OE) that is conducted by an Operational Evaluation Team results in a determination whether the aircraft is considered a variant of an existing type requiring additional Aircraft Differences Training. See “Aircraft Differences Training – Similar Aircraft Types” below:

    1. Aircraft Differences Training - Similar Aircraft Types - Requiring Ground Training Only
    2. Aircraft Differences Training - Similar Aircraft Types - Requiring Ground and Flight Training, but no PPC

Aircraft type certification information

After aircraft type certification and operational evaluation (OE) are complete and a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) is issued by National Aircraft Certification (NAC), type designators are then established by Transport Canada (TC) licencing to be as consistent as possible with ICAO, the FAA and EASA.

  1. Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA):

    1. TCCA Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS) - NICO (NAPA Issued Certificate Online) database (NAPA: National Aeronautical Product Approval)

    2. TCCA Operational Evaluation Board (OEB) Reports

    3. Canadian Civil Aircraft Register Computer System (CCARCS)

  2. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA):

    1. FAA Dynamic Regulatory System (faa.gov)
    2. FAA Type Designators (FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 2, Section 19)
    3. FAA TCDS database
    4. FAA Flight Standardization Board Reports

  3. European Aviation Safety Association (EASA):

    1. EASA Type Ratings and Licence endorsement list
    2. EASA Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS)
    3. EASA Operational Evaluation Board Reports (OEB)

  4. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):

    1. ICAO Aircraft Type Designators

Notes

  1. Aircraft differences training: For aircraft that have been determined similar by aircraft certification and by an Operations Evaluation Board (OEB) report, there may be “Master Differences Requirements” between the variants for training, checking and currency requirements that must be met to transition between the different variants.

    Pilots transitioning between different aircraft that are classified under Blanket Rating will learn differences in aircraft systems, performance, and handling through ground and flight instruction and manufacturer documentation.

  2. Some aircraft requiring two pilots may be permitted single pilot for either VFR or IFR under specific conditions provided the single pilot skill test and applicable knowledge and experience requirements have been completed. Applicable skill test must also be completed if operating under two-crew.

  3. High performance aeroplane – As defined in subsection 400.01(1) of the CARs

  4. Airship – as defined in subsection 101.01 of the CARs. An airship type rating is endorsed on the Balloon pilot licence.

Enquiries

Enquiries regarding Type Designators for pilot licensing may be directed to Pilot Training & Licensing (AARTJ) at: pilotlicensing-licencesdepilote@tc.gc.ca

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