How to become a drone flight reviewer
You need to be 18 or older, hold an Advanced or Level 1 Complex pilot certificate, have six months of operating experience while holding it, have no aviation enforcement actions against you, and pass the flight reviewer exam — 30 questions, 90 minutes, 80%. It's a rating added to your existing certificate, not a separate one. And every reviewer must be associated with a self-declared drone flight school, which is the part most people don't expect.
Why anyone bothers
Two honest reasons. The first is commercial: every pilot going for Advanced needs a flight review, there are only so many reviewers, and in much of Canada the nearest one is a long drive away. If you're already operating commercially, it's an additional revenue line that uses equipment and knowledge you have.
The second is less obvious but matters more over time. Assessing other pilots makes you noticeably better at your own operations. You spend many hours listening to people explain why an operation is legal, and you develop a fast instinct for when a briefing doesn't hold together — including your own.
The eligibility bar
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age | At least 18 |
| Certificate | Pilot Certificate — Advanced Operations, or Level 1 Complex Operations |
| Experience | Six months operating a drone while holding that certificate. Time before certification doesn't count. |
| Record | No aviation-related enforcement actions against you by Transport Canada |
| Exam | Flight Reviewer examination — 30 questions, 1½ hours, 80% to pass |
| Affiliation | Association with a self-declared drone flight school |
The six months is the bit that catches people. It runs from the date your Advanced certificate was issued, not from when you started flying. Plenty of experienced operators discover they're four months short because they only became certified recently.
The flight school requirement
This surprises most candidates. Transport Canada states plainly that every flight reviewer is associated with a self-declared drone flight school — and candidates book their reviews by contacting the school, not the reviewer directly.
What people assume this means: you have to establish an accredited training institution.
What it actually means: schools self-declare. Any organisation that provides training in line with the published knowledge requirements can email Transport Canada and ask to be listed in the public Find a drone flight school directory. There is no accreditation process, no audit, no fee. It's a declaration that you comply.
So the practical route is either to associate yourself with an existing school, or to self-declare your own operation as a training provider. Both are legitimate; which makes sense depends on whether you want to run training as a business or simply conduct reviews.
What the exam covers
Two bodies of material, and the second is the one people underprepare for:
- TP 15263 — the advanced operations knowledge areas. You've seen these before; it's the syllabus you passed for your Advanced certificate, at the same depth.
- TP 15395, the Flight Reviewer's Guide — how to actually conduct a review. This is new material, it's the reason the exam exists, and it covers VLOS, EVLOS, sheltered VLOS and Level 1 Complex BVLOS reviews.
Ninety minutes for thirty questions is generous. The 80% pass mark means you can miss six. The failure mode is treating it as a re-run of the Advanced exam and skipping the reviewer's guide entirely.
What the rating actually gives you
- It's a rating on your existing certificate, not a standalone credential
- The process is the same for Advanced and Level 1 Complex — you don't apply separately for each
- You may only review at your own rating level or lower. An Advanced-rated reviewer cannot conduct Level 1 Complex reviews.
- You may charge a fee, and you set it yourself — Transport Canada doesn't regulate what reviews cost
The obligations that come with it
Being a reviewer isn't only a privilege. You're validating candidates' identity, assessing whether their knowledge and skills meet a national standard, and submitting results within 24 hours of the review. If you pass someone who shouldn't have passed, that's a safety outcome with your name on it.
Flight reviewers also have their own recency obligations, separate from ordinary pilot recency. Budget for staying current as a reviewer, not just as a pilot.
An honest word on the money. Reviews are unevenly distributed — busy in spring and summer, quiet in the depths of winter, and heavily dependent on how many other reviewers work your region. It's a good complement to a commercial operation. It's a difficult thing to build a business on by itself.
Questions
How long does the whole process take?
The gating item is the six months of post-certification experience. Once you're past that, the exam is a matter of study time and the rating application is administrative. Most people are limited by the experience clock, not by anything else.
Can I review pilots on aircraft I don't fly myself?
Candidates are assessed on their own aircraft, so you'll see a wide range of platforms. Your rating level governs what class of review you may conduct, not what make of drone the candidate brings.
What if I fail the reviewer exam?
The same rule applies as to other RPAS exams — it may be rewritten after 24 hours, with no cap on attempts. Your results letter includes feedback statements identifying the areas where you answered incorrectly, which is worth reading carefully before re-sitting.
Is there demand for more reviewers?
It depends entirely on your region. Major metros are well served and competitive; rural and northern areas often have candidates driving several hours to find anyone. Check the Find a drone flight school directory for your area before committing — if there are already six reviewers within an hour of you, the economics look different.
We conduct Advanced flight reviews and are happy to talk to pilots considering the reviewer rating — including what the work is actually like week to week. Get in touch, or see how we run reviews.