Buying ex-military aircraft for civil use can be complex. Know what's involved so you can make an informed choice.
Some ex-military aircraft may be unable to meet civil aviation requirements. This is because military aircraft have different standards for design, manufacture, operation, modification and maintenance.
Owners may also sell the aircraft 'as is'. It might not be airworthy at the time of sale. You may need to invest money to bring it up to the safety standard.
Registering ex-military aircraft
To bring the aircraft into the civil system, you need to register it with us. This creates an official record of the aircraft and its owner.
Apply for registration:
Find out more about registering an aircraft:
Certificates of airworthiness
Following registration, you need a certificate of airworthiness before you fly it.
There are 3 types of airworthiness certificates for ex-military aircraft.
Limited certificate
Limited certificates are the most common for ex-military aircraft. We issue these for purposes such as:
- personal use
- parachute descents
- exhibition flights
- adventure flights
- to support Defence training.
You cannot use a limited category aircraft for work purposes, other than carrying paying passengers for adventure flights.
Find out more about what you can and can't do in the limited category:
- Limited category aircraft operations
- AC 132-01 Operation of limited category aircraft (PDF, 251.69 KB)
Experimental certificate
If you make major repairs or changes to the aircraft, such as reassembly after shipping, an experimental certificate lets you do short-term flight tests. This is a type of special certificate of airworthiness.
Find out more about experimental certificates:
Restricted certificate
With a restricted certificate, you can use ex-military aircraft for special purposes such as:
- aerial surveying
- farming operations
- forest and wildlife conservation
- law-enforcement support
- aerial advertising
- firefighting
- patrolling infrastructure such as pipelines or powerlines.
We may approve other operations on a case-by-case basis. A restricted certificate does not allow general private or passenger use.
If you are thinking about flying an ex-military aircraft in the restricted category, be aware that approval can take extra time, cost and paperwork. Some ex-military aircraft don't have equivalent civil aviation type certification. These need a rigorous process before they can meet the requirements. To be confident the aircraft is safe and suitable, we look at its:
- design
- age
- past operation
- history of maintenance and modifications
- what you want to do with it.
We use criteria from the United States when assessing applications for restricted certificates. Find out more: