Flight reviews in London
Southwestern Ontario's largest city, with a busy international airport on its eastern side and excellent review country in every direction beyond it.
CA$275 · Reviews at Guelph · Playbook included free
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The Advanced RPAS flight review is the in-person practical assessment that completes your Advanced certificate — you must already hold a passing grade on the written exam. It runs about an hour: pre-flight briefing, aircraft and document check, a short flight on your own aircraft, and an honest debrief. Here's the full walkthrough of what to expect.
The airspace around London
London International Airport (CYXU) sits on the north-east side of the city and carries scheduled commercial traffic, cargo operations and a significant flight training presence. Its control zone covers a meaningful portion of the eastern city, and the training circuits mean the volume of movements is higher than the airline schedule alone suggests. West and south of the core, the airspace opens up quickly.
None of this can be worked out from memory on the day. You're expected to have researched your specific site — on NAV Drone or an equivalent current source — and to be able to explain what you found and why it does or doesn't constrain the operation you've briefed. Unverified airspace claims are one of the most common ways candidates fail.
Picking a site in London
The Thames River runs through the middle of London and its parkland is the obvious scenic choice, which is precisely why it's the wrong choice for an assessment — Springbank Park is among the busiest public spaces in the region. Western University's campus is likewise attractive and likewise requires institutional permission that has nothing to do with airspace.
Middlesex County outside the city is straightforward, open agricultural ground with the same seasonal consideration as anywhere farmed in this province: low-level agricultural aviation operates well beneath the altitudes people expect aircraft at. Name it in the briefing.
Municipal rules are a separate question from airspace, and they bite most often at the take-off point: many Ontario municipalities prohibit launching from their parks, and provincial parks are closed to recreational flying at any weight. Where you can and cannot fly in Ontario parks sets out which layer applies where — worth checking before you choose a site in London.
CA$275, at Guelph. The review runs from Guelph, where the airspace is open and largely unrestricted — that is what keeps the hour about your flying rather than about the site. From London it is about a hundred kilometres. If you would rather we came to you, say so when you enquire and we'll quote it. The Advanced Flight Review Playbook is included free when you book, and if the briefing makes clear you're not ready, we'd rather reschedule than take your money.
Coming from Woodstock?
Candidates from Woodstock book through this page. The review itself still runs from Guelph, and the same CA$275 applies — but the briefing is about your local airspace and sites, so the notes below cover what you are likely to be asked about your own area.
Woodstock
Woodstock is largely uncontrolled airspace with a municipal aerodrome serving general aviation and agricultural operations. There's no control zone problem to solve here and no terminal airspace shelf overhead. What there is, in season, is low-level agricultural aviation — crop-spraying aircraft operate well below the altitudes most drone pilots think of as "where the real aircraft are", and that is a hazard a good briefing names.
This is easy country to be assessed in. Open fields, long sightlines, few uninvolved people, and landowners who are used to being asked about access. If you're nervous about the review and you have any flexibility about where it happens, Oxford County is where we'd suggest doing it — not because the standard is lower, but because the site stops fighting you and you can concentrate on flying and briefing well.
The one thing that isn't easier out here is emergency planning. Rural sites mean longer response times, fewer landmarks to give over the phone, and patchier mobile coverage. A candidate who has actually worked out how they'd direct an ambulance to a field entrance is demonstrating something real. From Woodstock it is about fifty-five kilometres.
What you need to bring
- Your own aircraft, registered with Transport Canada and marked with its registration number.
- Proof of your Advanced exam pass.
- Your site survey and briefing material for the operation you intend to fly.
- Anything your briefing claims you hold — landowner permission, an airspace authorization, insurance if you're relying on it.
The Canadian RPAS Operations Guide covers the underlying knowledge, and the Site Survey & Authorization Kit is the record we most often wish candidates had filled in beforehand. Neither is required to book — The Advanced Flight Review Playbook, included free with every review, is enough to walk in ready.
Questions from London candidates
Is the London airport control zone a problem?
Only if your site is inside it, and the western and southern parts of the city generally aren't. Check the specific coordinates. The higher-than-expected movement rate from flight training is worth a sentence in your briefing either way.
Do you actually travel to London?
Not usually. Reviews run from Guelph, about a hundred kilometres away, and most London candidates make the drive. There are recognized reviewers closer to you, which we would rather say than not. If you do want us to come to you, ask when you enquire and we will quote it.
Can we do the review at Western?
Only with the university's permission. Institutional land access is a separate question from airspace and a reviewer is entitled to ask how you obtained it. Middlesex County is easier.
Whose drone do I fly?
Your own. The review assesses you on the aircraft you actually fly — it must be registered with Transport Canada, marked with its registration number, and airworthy.
How soon can I book?
Email with your exam pass and your location and we'll come back with dates — usually within a couple of weeks, weather depending. Booking sooner after your written exam is better; the knowledge is fresh.
What happens if I'm not ready?
We'd rather reschedule than take your money. If the briefing makes clear you aren't ready, we'll stop, we'll tell you exactly what to work on, and we'll book another date. A review you fail costs you more than a review you postpone.
What candidates say
★★★★★
Chris was an excellent flight reviewer, the booking process was simple and he was communicative all the way through. Would recommend if you are looking to book a drone flight test!Weldon
★★★★★
I'd highly recommend them for flight review. Chris was very thorough and facilitated the whole procedure very efficiently. Gave me good feedback points for drone ops after I passed my advanced exam.Ahmed Saeed Mirza
★★★★★
Although I was nervous for my flight review, Chris handled all correspondence, preflight and flight details in a positive…H. H.
Unedited reviews from candidates we've assessed. Read all 18 on Google.
Request a date in London.
Five questions. They are the same ones we'd ask by email, and answering them up front means the first reply can contain real dates rather than another round of questions.
Nearby
Reviews run from Guelph. The other city guides:
Book a review in London Everything about the review
Reviews conducted by Chris Jones, a Transport Canada-recognized RPAS flight reviewer. Last reviewed 2 September 2026.
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