By Adam Hunt
I was recently at a fly-in where there were many ultralight aircraft. While walking around and admiring all the ultralights I noticed not one of them had the required placard installed on it.
CAR 602.29 (1) d iii says – [No person shall operate a hang glider or an ultra-light aeroplane… unless the aircraft is equipped with…] where the aircraft is an ultra-light aeroplane, a placard that is affixed to a surface in plain view of any occupant seated at the flight controls and that states, "THIS AEROPLANE IS OPERATING WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS/CET AVION EST UTILISÉ SANS CERTIFICAT DE NAVIGABILITÉ"
Now, having a placard doesn’t make the airplane fly better, but it is a common item that TC inspectors look for when doing ramp checks. The maximum fine for not having the placard is $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 if the airplane is owned by a corporation.
It seems kind of silly to risk that large a fine by missing the one placard you are required to have.
There is no standard for size or materials, so the placard could be made of plastic, paper, or even handwritten in magic marker.
Don’t get caught on a ramp check missing something as easy to comply with as a placard.
And yes, it has to be in both English and French – the person that it warns may only read one of those languages!