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Transport Canada Basic operations practice test

The Basic exam covers uncontrolled airspace and distance from bystanders. These ten questions come from the same bank the app uses, and each answer names its section of the regulations or of TP 15263.

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Ten questions

Pick an answer and the page tells you straight away whether it was right, then shows the reasoning and the rule. There is no sign-up and no score to keep, so you can start over as often as you like.

1. 1In straight and level, unaccelerated flight, which pair of forces acting on an RPA must be equal and opposite?

   1. ALift and weight, thrust and drag
   2. BLift and thrust, weight and drag
   3. CLift and drag, weight and thrust
   4. DThrust and weight, lift and drag
   Show the answer

   A. Lift and weight, thrust and drag

   In steady, unaccelerated flight the four forces balance in pairs: lift equals weight, and thrust equals drag. If either pair becomes unequal, the aircraft accelerates, climbs, descends, speeds up, or slows down accordingly.

   TP 15263E, Section 7, Theory of Flight

2. 2What is the minimum operating weight for an aircraft to be classified as a 'small remotely piloted aircraft' under the Canadian Aviation Regulations?

   1. A250 g
   2. B500 g
   3. C1 kg
   4. D2 kg
   Show the answer

   A. 250 g

   The regulations define a small remotely piloted aircraft as one with an operating weight of at least 250 g but not more than 25 kg. Aircraft below 250 g fall outside this weight-based definition and outside the registration and pilot certificate requirements that apply to it.

   Canadian Aviation Regulations, s. 900.01

3. 3What does maintaining visual line-of-sight (VLOS) require of a Basic operations pilot?

   1. AUnaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to control it, know its location, and scan for other traffic and hazards
   2. BWatching the aircraft on the video downlink shown on the controller screen, since that view comes directly from the aircraft itself
   3. CKeeping the aircraft close enough that the controller still shows a strong GPS lock and a live telemetry link
   4. DMaintaining continuous two-way radio contact with the nearest air traffic control unit for the whole flight
   Show the answer

   A. Unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to control it, know its location, and scan for other traffic and hazards

   VLOS means unaided visual contact with the aircraft that is sufficient to control it, know its location, and scan the surrounding airspace for other traffic and hazards, then act to avoid them. Watching only a video feed, relying on GPS range, or radio contact with ATC do not meet this definition.

   Canadian Aviation Regulations, s. 900.01

4. 4Under the Canadian Aviation Regulations, how long must a person wait after consuming an alcoholic beverage before acting as a crew member of a remotely piloted aircraft system?

   1. A12 hours
   2. B8 hours
   3. C24 hours
   4. D6 hours
   Show the answer

   A. 12 hours

   Section 901.19 prohibits a person from acting as a crew member within 12 hours of consuming an alcoholic beverage, while under the influence of alcohol, or while using any drug that impairs their faculties enough to endanger aviation safety. This mirrors the caution manned aviation applies but is set out specifically for RPAS crew members.

   Canadian Aviation Regulations, s. 901.19(2)

5. 5By volume, the two most abundant gases in the Earth's atmosphere are approximately what?

   1. ANitrogen about 78 percent and oxygen about 21 percent
   2. BOxygen about 78 percent and nitrogen about 21 percent
   3. CCarbon dioxide about 78 percent and nitrogen about 21 percent
   4. DNitrogen about 50 percent and oxygen about 50 percent
   Show the answer

   A. Nitrogen about 78 percent and oxygen about 21 percent

   Dry air is approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen by volume, with the remaining roughly 1 percent made up of argon, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases. This composition is essentially constant through the altitudes RPAS operations take place in.

   TP 15263E, Section 4, Meteorology

6. 6On an aeronautical chart, what do the meridians of longitude measure?

   1. AAngular distance north or south of the equator
   2. BThe height of the terrain above sea level
   3. CAngular distance east or west of the prime meridian
   4. DThe difference between true north and magnetic north
   Show the answer

   C. Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian

   Meridians of longitude run from pole to pole and measure angular distance east or west of the prime meridian. Parallels of latitude are the ones that measure distance north or south of the equator. Terrain height is shown by contours and spot elevations, and the angle between true and magnetic north is variation.

   TP 15263E, Section 5, Navigation

7. 7Why does aviation spell letters as Alfa, Bravo, Charlie rather than saying the letters themselves?

   1. ABecause letters that sound alike become unmistakable as whole words
   2. BBecause the words are quicker to say than the letters
   3. CBecause it hides the meaning of the message from anyone without a licence
   4. DBecause each word carries a standard instruction of its own
   Show the answer

   A. Because letters that sound alike become unmistakable as whole words

   Letters such as B, D, P and V are easy to confuse over a weak or noisy channel, while the phonetic words for them are long enough and different enough to survive the distortion. The alphabet is not shorter than plain letters, it hides nothing, and the words mean only the letters they stand for.

   TP 15263E, Section 8, Radiotelephony

8. 8A multirotor is holding a steady hover in calm air. What is true of the forces acting on it?

   1. AThe total rotor thrust equals the weight, and there is no net horizontal force
   2. BThrust is greater than weight, which is what holds the aircraft up against gravity
   3. CLift is zero, because the aircraft is not moving forward
   4. DDrag equals weight, and thrust equals lift
   Show the answer

   A. The total rotor thrust equals the weight, and there is no net horizontal force

   A steady hover is equilibrium: the lift the rotors produce exactly balances the weight, and with no movement there is no drag to balance either. If thrust exceeded weight the aircraft would climb, and it would keep climbing. The rotors produce lift whether or not the aircraft moves forward, which is why a rotorcraft can hold height at zero airspeed while a fixed-wing cannot.

   TP 15263E, Section 7, Theory of Flight

9. 9Which duty do the Canadian Aviation Regulations place on the Minister once a remotely piloted aircraft has been registered?

   1. AEstablish and maintain a register of remotely piloted aircraft recording the registered owner and registration number for each registered aircraft
   2. BPersonally inspect every registered remotely piloted aircraft before it is flown for the first time by the person recorded as its registered owner
   3. CSet the retail price at which every registered remotely piloted aircraft may be sold or resold in Canada
   4. DApprove the flight route chosen by the pilot before every mission, and record that approval in the register
   Show the answer

   A. Establish and maintain a register of remotely piloted aircraft recording the registered owner and registration number for each registered aircraft

   Section 900.17 requires the Minister to establish and maintain a register of remotely piloted aircraft, recording for each one the name and address of the registered owner, the registration number issued with the certificate of registration, and any other particulars the Minister considers necessary. Registering the aircraft is the owner's duty under section 900.13, and issuing the certificate is section 900.16; keeping the register itself is what 900.17 adds.

   Canadian Aviation Regulations, s. 900.17

10. 10A survey mission requires an RPA to fly at 600 feet AGL, well above the standard altitude limits in section 901.25. What must the pilot obtain before conducting this flight?

    1. ANothing extra, since 600 feet is close enough to the standard limit
    2. BVerbal permission from the nearest municipal government office
    3. CA brighter anti-collision light fitted to the aircraft
    4. DA special flight operations certificate - RPAS issued under section 903.03
    Show the answer

    D. A special flight operations certificate - RPAS issued under section 903.03

    Section 901.25(2) allows a pilot to exceed the standard altitude limits only if the operation is conducted in accordance with a special flight operations certificate - RPAS issued under section 903.03. Municipal permission and lighting changes do not substitute for this Transport Canada authorization.

    Canadian Aviation Regulations, s. 901.25(2)

Where the Transport Canada Basic operations questions come from

The bank behind this page holds 180 questions on this track, written against the published syllabus and spread over the subject areas below. Every one of them names the paragraph it tests. The whole track was last checked against its source on 2026-08-06.

You write the Small Basic Exam online through the Drone Management Portal, and you can rewrite it after 24 hours if it does not go your way.

Questions people ask

Is this Transport Canada Basic operations test free?

Yes, and there is nothing to sign up for. The ten questions, the explanations and the citations are all on this page.

Are these the real exam questions?

No. Nobody may publish the live question bank, and any site that claims to have it is either wrong or breaking the rules. Every question here is written against the published syllabus, and each one names the rule it tests so you can verify it.

How many questions does the real exam have?

35 questions, and you need 65% to pass.

What happens if I want more than ten questions?

The app carries 180 questions on this track, all of them free, with the same explanations and citations. One payment adds the full mock exams at the real length and clock.

The rest of the bank is in the app, and it is free

Every one of the 180 questions on this track is free in the app, with the same worked explanation and the same citation. One payment of 24.99 adds the full mock exams, at the real length and the real clock, on all seven tracks at once. It does not renew.

The other six tracks

• FAA Part 107 practice test
• EASA A1/A3 practice test
• EASA A2 CofC practice test
• UK A2 CofC practice test
• Transport Canada Advanced operations practice test
• CASA drone exam practice test

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