How do I get the aircraft home?

There are two ways to get the aircraft home.  It can be flown under US registration or it can be flown under Canadian registration.

A Canadian licenced pilot can not legally fly a US registered aircraft without a US pilot licence.  This is one reason for utilizing a ferry pilot.

If the aircraft is flown under US registry, it cannot be de-registered until it arrives in Canada.  Some owners do not like their aircraft being moved pending a sale while it remains registered to them.   In actual fact, the sale occurs after the aircraft arrives in Canada.  The money is put in escrow and the sale is finalized once the aircraft is in Canada. The aircraft cannot be flown if it is not registered.

The other option is to fly the aircraft under Canadian registration.  This means that it must first be de-registered in the US.  This process alone can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks depending on the FAA.  Once US de-registration has been received by Transport Canada in Ottawa, the aircraft can be registered Canadian.  A Canadian registration is not a flight authorization.  Once registered, the US numbers will have to be removed and the new Canadian registration installed.  There are size requirements to be met per the Canadian Aviation Regulations.  With the aircraft now registered Canadian, you will need a Canadian flight permit along with a FAA validation of the flight permit.  The permit must be approved by both countries prior to flight.

When planning your return flight to Canada be aware that your first point of entry into Canada is where you will be required to pay tax.