Transport Canada recency requirements: CARs 401.05 explained
Checked against the sources below on 12 November 2026. How these guides are written
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To carry a passenger under CARs 401.05(2)(b) you need 5 takeoffs and 5 landings within the 6 months before the flight, in the same category and class of aircraft or a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of it, and all of them must be at night if the flight is wholly or partly by night. Every pilot also needs recurrent training within 24 months and a flight as pilot-in-command or co-pilot within 5 years, or one of the two other routes in 401.05(1). To use an instrument rating you need an IFR flight test or check within 24 months and, from the first day of the seventh month after it, 6 instrument approaches within the 6 months before the flight.
- Five-year rule, any licence
- A flight as PIC or co-pilot, an approved Level C or D FFS training program, or a flight review and exam
- 5 years before the flight (12 months for the flight review route)
- 401.05(1)
- Recurrent training
- A recurrent training program under the personnel licensing standards
- 24 months before the flight
- 401.05(2)(a)
- Passengers, flight wholly by day
- 5 takeoffs and 5 landings, by day or night, same category and class or a Level B, C or D FFS
- 6 months before the flight
- 401.05(2)(b)(i)(A)
- Passengers, flight wholly or partly by night
- 5 night takeoffs and 5 night landings, same category and class or a Level B, C or D FFS
- 6 months before the flight
- 401.05(2)(b)(i)(B)
- Instrument rating: test or check
- An IFR flight test, an instrument proficiency check, or a listed check with an instrument portion
- 24 months before the flight
- 401.05(3)
- Instrument rating: approaches
- 6 instrument approaches to the minima of the procedure
- 6 months before the flight, from the first day of the seventh month after the test or check
- 401.05(3.1)
Carrying passengers: 401.05(2)(b)
With a passenger on board, other than a flight test examiner designated by the Minister, you must have "completed, within the six months preceding the flight, (i) in the case of an aircraft other than a glider or a balloon, in the same category and class of aircraft as the aircraft, or in a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of the same category and class as the aircraft, at least (A) five night or day take-offs and five night or day landings, if the flight is conducted wholly by day, or (B) five night take-offs and five night landings, if the flight is conducted wholly or partly by night".
The day rule accepts night takeoffs and landings, so night circuits keep you current for a day flight. The night rule turns on the flight: if any part of it is at night, all 5 takeoffs and all 5 landings must have been at night. Recency is held for each category and class of aircraft, so landings in one class do not keep another current, and only a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator stands in for the aircraft.
Gliders and balloons have their own counts in 401.05(2)(b)(ii) and (iii). A glider pilot needs "five take-offs and five landings in a glider", or two of each flown with a glider instructor who then certifies the pilot as competent to carry passengers. A balloon pilot needs "five landings in a balloon by day" and five take-offs, at night if the flight is partly by night.
CARs 101.01 defines night as "the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight".
The five-year rule and recurrent training: 401.05(1) and (2)(a)
No holder of a flight crew permit, licence or rating may use it unless "(a) the holder has acted as pilot-in-command or co-pilot of an aircraft within the five years preceding the flight; (a.1) the holder has, within the five years preceding the flight, successfully completed an initial or recurrent pilot training program, approved under the applicable Subpart of Part VII, in a Level C or D full-flight simulator ...; or (b) within the 12 months preceding the flight" the holder has completed a flight review with a flight instructor, the instructor has certified in the holder's personal log that the holder meets the skill requirements, and the holder has passed the examination the licensing standards set.
Separately, 401.05(2)(a) requires that you have "successfully completed a recurrent training program in accordance with the personnel licensing standards within the 24 months preceding the flight". The personnel licensing standards list what counts as recurrent training; this guide quotes only the regulation.
Instrument rating: 401.05(3) and (3.1)
To use an instrument rating you must have "successfully completed, within the 24 months preceding the flight, one of the following: (a) an instrument rating flight test in an aircraft or in a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of the same group as the aircraft indicated on the pilot's licence; (b) a Canadian Armed Forces instrument rating flight test; (c) an instrument proficiency check" that meets the conditions in (c), or (d) a listed competency check or pilot proficiency check "that includes a portion on instrument procedures".
Subsection (3.1) adds the approaches: "following the first day of the seventh month after the completion of a test or check referred to in subsection (3) and within six months before the flight, the holder has completed six instrument approaches in accordance with the minima specified in the instrument approach procedure". They can be flown in an aircraft in actual or simulated instrument conditions, in an aircraft while instructing for an instrument rating, in a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of the same group, or in a flight training device under the supervision of a person with the qualifications in 425.21(9) of the licensing standards.
Counted month by month, a check passed on 14 March covers you on its own until the end of September. October is the seventh month after March, so from 1 October you also need 6 approaches in the 6 months before each IFR flight. Under 401.05(3.2) you keep a record of meeting (3) or (3.1) for three years. The section was last amended by SOR/2025-241, so guidance written before that amendment may describe the approach rule differently; go by the regulation.
Mistakes pilots make
- Using 3 landings in 90 days, the FAA, EASA and CASA number. Canada asks for 5 takeoffs and 5 landings in 6 months.
- Carrying passengers on a flight that ends after dark with only day landings in the last 6 months. A flight wholly or partly by night needs 5 night takeoffs and 5 night landings.
- Counting landings in another class. The rule counts the same category and class, or a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of it.
- Counting a flight training device toward passenger recency. A supervised FTD counts only toward the 6 instrument approaches.
- Treating an IPC as 24 months of instrument currency on its own. From the first day of the seventh month after it you also need 6 approaches in the previous 6 months.
- Forgetting the 24-month recurrent training in 401.05(2)(a), which applies whether or not you carry passengers.
What Off Chocks tracks
- Counts passenger recency under 401.05(2)(b)(i): 5 takeoffs and 5 landings in the 6 months before the flight, and 5 night takeoffs and 5 night landings for a flight wholly or partly at night, for each category and class you fly. Night comes from civil twilight, the CARs 101.01 definition.
- Tracks instrument recency under 401.05(3) and (3.1): your IFR flight test or check within 24 months and, from the first day of the seventh month after it, 6 instrument approaches in the previous 6 months.
- Tracks the five-year rule in 401.05(1).
- Lets you edit each rule: the counts, the window, which aircraft and simulators count, whether it tracks per type, class or category, and the warning time. An edited rule shows Edited, and one tap resets it to the Transport Canada rule.
- Prints your logbook in the EASA-style layout, on Letter paper by default. There is no Canadian printed layout, and licence progress bars are not available for Transport Canada yet.
Common questions
- How many landings do I need to carry passengers in Canada?
- 5 takeoffs and 5 landings within the 6 months before the flight, in the same category and class of aircraft or a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of it (CARs 401.05(2)(b)(i)). If the flight is wholly or partly at night, all 5 takeoffs and 5 landings must have been at night.
- Do night landings count toward day passenger recency in Canada?
- Yes. For a flight wholly by day, 401.05(2)(b)(i)(A) asks for "five night or day take-offs and five night or day landings".
- How long does an instrument proficiency check keep a Canadian instrument rating current?
- 24 months, with a condition: from the first day of the seventh month after the test or check, you also need 6 instrument approaches within the 6 months before each IFR flight (401.05(3), (3.1)).
- Does a simulator count toward Canadian recency?
- For passengers, a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of the same category and class counts. For the 6 approaches, a Level B, C or D full-flight simulator of the same group counts, and so does a flight training device used under qualified supervision.
Sources
- Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), section 401.05, Recency Requirements, Justice Laws Website (current to 2026-10-19), read 12 Nov 2026
- Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), section 101.01, Interpretation (night), Justice Laws Website, read 12 Nov 2026
This is a plain-words summary to help you keep your own records, not legal advice. The regulation and your operator's procedures always take precedence.