FTDT Duty Period — Canadian (CARs §§700.19–700.72)

Updated: 2026-08-08 07:02 ET · Audited: 2026-06-26

Canadian duty periods include all duties performed by the flight crew member on behalf of the air operator that occur before, during, and between flight segments without a required intervening rest period. Governed by CARs Part VII, Division III (§§700.19–700.72), applicable to Subpart 5 (705) — Airline Operations.

The DutyPeriod_CAN class hierarchy mirrors the DutyPeriod_USA hierarchy for Part 117 operations, adapted to the CARs regulatory framework. Primary structural differences:

• FDP table selection uses average flight duration (not segment count) as primary key
• Augmented FDP is determined by additional crew + rest facility class (not start time × crew × rest class)
• Reserve hours of work count at 33% (not 100%) of reserve availability period time
• Split duty credits use a 50%/100% formula minus a 45-minute deduction

FDP Data Requirements

All DutyPeriod_CAN Types (Base)

• FDP Start Time (acclimatized local time)
• FDP End Time
• Crew member is Acclimatized (yes/no)
• If not acclimatized: last acclimatized location and time zone
• FDP is Extended under §700.63 (yes/no)
• FDP Notes (reason for extension, UOC description)
• Duration
• FRMS Exemption active (yes/no)
• FRMS Exemption Number (if applicable)
• Details about each Flight Segment Operated

Unaugmented Operations

Additional Fields (DutyPeriod_CAN_UnAugmented)

• Average Scheduled Flight Duration (minutes) — determines which §700.28 table to apply:
  • < 30 minutes → Table 1 (§700.28(2))
  • ≥ 30 and < 50 minutes → Table 2 (§700.28(3))
  • ≥ 50 minutes → Table 3 (§700.28(4))
• Day VFR operation (yes/no) — if yes, applies Table 4 (§700.28(9))
• Number of Scheduled Flights — determines column within the selected table

Augmented Operations

Additional Fields (DutyPeriod_CAN_Augmented)

• Number of Additional Flight Crew Members (1 or 2) — determines row in §700.60 table
• Rest Facility Class (1, 2, or 3) — determines column in §700.60 table
• Number of Flights in FDP — must be ≤3 for augmented FDP limits to apply (§700.60(2))
• In-flight rest provided (yes/no per crew member)
• In-flight rest duration per crew member (minutes)
• Flight crew member role at final landing (landing pilot vs. other crew)

In-flight rest minimums (§700.60(2)):

Reserve Operations

Additional Fields (DutyPeriod_CAN_UnAugmented_R / DutyPeriod_CAN_Augmented_R)

• Reserve Availability Period Start/End Time
• Reserve Availability Period Duration (must not exceed 14 consecutive hours — §700.70(5))
• Reserve Availability Period contains WOCL (yes/no) — affects advance notice
• Advance notice time (must meet §700.70(1) minimums: 12 hrs or 32 hrs if WOCL)
• Reserve Duty Period Start/End Time

Maximum reserve duty period by start time (§700.70(7)):

Augmented reserve extensions (§700.70(8)):

Hours of work for reserve (§700.29(3)(a)): Only 33% of reserve availability period time counts toward hours of work limits. Full FDP time counts at 100%.

Split Duty Operations

Additional Fields (§700.50)

• Split Duty Break Start/End Time
• Split Duty Break Duration (must be ≥60 consecutive minutes)
• Break Location (suitable accommodation)
• Break Time Period (00:00–05:59 or 06:00–23:59) — determines extension credit %
• Night Duty consecutive count (maximum 3 consecutive nights with split duty extension — §700.50(3))

FDP extension calculation:

Effective Extension = Credit Percentage × (Break Duration − 45 minutes)

Credit Percentage:
  Break during 00:00–05:59 → 100%
  Break during 06:00–23:59 → 50%
  UOC replanning after FDP begins → 50%

Example: Break of 90 min during 06:00–23:59
  = 50% × (90 − 45) = 22.5 minutes FDP extension

Reserve split duty (§700.50(5)): If a reserve crew member is assigned to split duty, the reserve duty period may be extended by 2 hours (beyond §700.70(7)/(8) maximum). No more than 2 flights may occur following the break.

Results Requirements

Standard Results

• Maximum FDP duration (from applicable §700.28 table)
• Maximum FDP end time
• Whether FDP is legal (within limits)
• Applicable FDP table (which of the 4 §700.28 tables was used, and why)
• Applicable row and column from the selected table
• Acclimatization status and basis for table start time lookup

Reserve Results (plus standard)

• Maximum Reserve Duty Period (from §700.70(7) or §700.70(8))
• Reserve Duty Period end time
• Whether reserve availability period meets advance notice requirements (12 or 32 hrs)
• Hours of work contribution from reserve availability period (33% credit)

Augmented Results (plus standard)

• Applicable §700.60 row (additional crew + rest facility class)
• Maximum augmented FDP
• In-flight rest compliance status per crew member
• Post-augmented-FDP minimum rest period required (§700.60(7))

Flight Segment Fields

• Segment Start/End Time
• Aircraft Equipment Used
• Flight Number
• Origin / Destination Airport (IATA/ICAO)
• Duration (used in average flight duration calculation for table selection)
• Is positioning segment? (excluded from flight count per §700.28(6))

§700.63 FDP Extensions

Source: CARs §700.63 — Unforeseen operational circumstances — flight duty period and rest period.

Extension Conditions

• Extension only permitted when an unforeseen operational circumstance occurs
• UOC must occur within 60 minutes of the beginning of the FDP
• Pilot-in-command must consult with all crew members on their level of fatigue before extending

Extension Caps

Post-Extension Rest

The rest period following any §700.63 extension must be extended by at least the same amount as the FDP extension.

Further Extension (§700.63(2))

If an additional unforeseen circumstance arises after take-off on the final flight for which the FDP was already extended, the pilot-in-command may continue to the destination or alternate — but cannot further extend the FDP cap.

Notification (§700.63(4))

At end of FDP, the pilot-in-command must notify the air operator of any FDP changes made under §700.63. The air operator must keep records (§700.20(3)).

Class Hierarchy

DutyPeriod_CAN  (base class)
│
├── DutyPeriod_CAN_UnAugmented
│     Standard two-pilot operations (§700.28 Tables 1–4)
│
├── DutyPeriod_CAN_Augmented
│     Three or four pilot operations (§700.60 Table)
│
├── DutyPeriod_CAN_UnAugmented_R
│     Two-pilot operations with reserve crew member (§700.70 + §700.28)
│
└── DutyPeriod_CAN_Augmented_R
      Augmented operations with reserve crew member (§700.70(8) + §700.60)

Split duty is a modifier applicable to any of the above types when a §700.50 break is provided during the FDP.

Notes

• Date/time fields require timezone support; CARs frequently distinguishes acclimatized local time from UTC.
• The distinction between home base and away from home base significantly affects rest period requirements (§700.40, §700.42).
• Controlled rest on flight deck (§700.72): ≤45 min, cruise only, ≥2 pilots on flight deck. Not an FDP extension mechanism. Track separately.
• Nutrition break (§700.37): ≥15 min every 6 hours during FDP. Flag if FDP duration ≥6 hours without a recorded break.
• The DutyPeriod_CAN base class includes HasFRMSExemption flag and FRMS exemption number for operators with approved FRMS (§§700.200–700.234).
• Airport standby (§700.71) differs from reserve: standby time = 100% hours of work; reserve availability period = 33%. Operation type must be correctly identified.