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A plain-language, side-by-side look at the IFR and VFR rules that differ between Canada (CARs / TC AIM / CAP) and the United States (14 CFR / FAA AIM) — alternates, fuel, weather minima, airspace, lost comms, approaches, equipment, oxygen, night rules, phraseology and more. Search a topic, filter by IFR / VFR, and see both systems next to each other.
This isn't a full regulatory manual — it's a working reference to the differences that catch pilots off guard on a cross-border flight. Plain-language guidance, not the official source; always confirm against the current regulation for the country you're flying in.
Two principles apply at the same time, and it helps to keep them separate. Rules of the air follow the airspace. Under ICAO Annex 2, you fly by the rules of the country whose airspace you are in — so a Canadian-registered (C-) aircraft in US airspace follows FAA operating rules, and an N-registered aircraft in Canadian airspace follows Canadian rules of the air. Airspace entry, weather minima, altitudes, speed limits, lost-comms and approach procedures are all set by the country you are physically flying in.
Licensing and airworthiness follow the aircraft's state of registry. Your authority to act as pilot-in-command comes from a certificate issued or validated by the country the aircraft is registered in — an N-registered aircraft requires an FAA certificate, a C-registered aircraft a Canadian licence (or a validated foreign licence) — and your recency/currency, ratings, medical and the aircraft's equipment and maintenance are all judged against that state's rules, wherever you happen to be flying.
When the two sets genuinely conflict, satisfy the more restrictive of the two — meeting one does not excuse breaking the other. If your certificate's currency rule is stricter than the local one, you are still bound by your certificate; if the local operating rule is stricter, you must fly to it. When in doubt, plan to the tighter standard, and confirm the current Canada–US bilateral arrangements and any validation requirements with TC and the FAA before you go. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
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Ferry flights, cross-border ops, N-registered aircraft in Canada, C-registered aircraft in the US — the differences add up fast. When a rule raises a question you'd rather not answer alone at 200 feet on the approach, that's exactly what Cardinal Aviation's independent, owner-first advisory is for.
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