STARs Briefing Notes are now available. Check the support page for the notes on the Instrument Rating and Airline Transport Rating support pages.

Instructor Rating - Support

Below we provide solutions, errata, omissions, exam hints & solutions. We do not provide solutions to every question - only those that students find consistently challenging.

If you have a question or concern please let us know on our contact page.

Solutions
2025

Section 4 - Navigation - True Altitude Calculations

Navigation Question 50 deals with calculating your true altitude so that you can check clearance over a ridge in front of you. This question often gives students difficulty, so we have prepared a solution to help you:

Question 50 Solution (PDF, 179 kB)

Errata / Omissions
2019 - 2025

Section 4 - Navigation - Question 50 - True Altitude Calculations

The correct answer for Navigation Question 50 should be:

b) 1,250'

Errata / Omissions
2020 - 2024

Student Pilot Permit requirements, Air Law section 1.1.1:

The requirements to obtain a student pilot permit (SPP) erroneously listed that you must be certified as ready for solo. To obtain a SPP you don't have to be certified ready for solo, but to exercise the privileges of a SPP you must have authorisation from a flight instructor.

The requirements to obtain a SPP are listed below:

  1. You must be a Citizen or Landed Immigrant
  2. Minimum age is 14
  3. A Category 1, 3, or 4 medical is required, but if a Category 4 medical is used, it must be signed by a physician licenced in Canada
  4. Minimum 90% on the PSTAR written exam

Refer to CAR 401.19 and CAR 421.19 for more details.

Exam Hints & Info
2024

ADS-B Out Briefing Notes

ADS-B Out is now required in Class A airspace (as of Aug 10, 2023) and will be required in Class B airspace from May 16, 2024. Transport Canada is now testing your knowledge of the ADS-B system in the written exams. Please review the ADS-B Out Briefing Notes that are linked below:

ADS-B Out Briefing Notes (PDF, 120 KB)

Exam Hints & Info
2023 - 2024

VHF Line-of-sight Calculations

Calculating the maximum line-of-sight reception range for VOR or VHF radio can be tricky. Review the PDF linked below for the three most common types of questions and and explanation of how to solve each one.

VOR Reception Exam Hints (PDF, 210 KB)

Errata / Omissions
2023

Rhumb Lines and Great Circle Lines on Transverse Mercator Projections:

The following changes are made to the description of Rhumb and Great Circle lines on the Transverse Mercator projection, which is used on the VTA charts.

Rhumb Lines: Arc - bulged towards the nearest pole

Great Circle Lines: Approximates a straight line

These details are updated on: Navigation section 4.1.1 “Chart Properties”, page 119, which is reproduced below:

Chart Properties (PDF, 86 KB)

Errata /Omissions
2023

Wake Turbulence Separation

Transport Canada has updated the wake turbulence categories in AIM RAC 4.1.1 to show in kilograms (kg), not in pounds (lb). Make sure you know the categories in kilograms for the exams.

The Super Heavy wake turbulence category was added, and separation distances between Super Heavy and other categories are updated.

Refer to AIM RAC 4.1.1, Table 4.1 - Separation per Aircraft Category for Wake Turbulence Purposes

Errata / Omissions
2023

WAC Charts No Longer Available:

Both Canada and the United States of America have stopped production of the 1:1,000,000 scale World Aeronautical Charts (WAC). You no longer need to know the details of WAC charts for your TC exams!

The details of WAC charts have been removed from: Navigation section 4.1.1 “Chart Properties”, page 119

Exam Hints & Info
2017 - 2024

Use of aeroplane performance charts in the Transport Canada exams

Some aeroplanes only publish landing performance data for maximum gross weight. When operating below maximum gross weight, using the maximum gross weight landing distance chart will give longer distances than you will be able to achieve in actual operations, and is the conservative and safe way of planning your landing performance.

It can be confusing during the written exam where the scenario clearly provides an aircraft below maximum gross weight, but there are only performance charts for operations at gross weight. In this case, you are not allowed to extrapolate outside of the information given in the chart and you must answer the exam question with the gross weight landing distance.