1980
Year
C-GIEF — 1980 Rutan Vari-Viggen
C-GIEF is an amateur-built 1980 Rutan Vari-Viggen based in Thompson, Manitoba, listed on the Transport Canada Civil Aircraft Register (serial 459).
Experimental / homebuilt
Category
Manitoba
Based
1
On CA register
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The aircraft
Year built1980 · 46 years old
Airframe typeWhether Transport Canada classes it as an aeroplane, a helicopter, a glider, a balloon or a gyroplane.Aeroplane
Engine typeHow the engine makes power. Piston engines run on avgas like a car engine; turboprops and jets burn turbine fuel, cost far more to overhaul, and are usually reserved for bigger or faster aircraft.Piston
Engines1
Max take-off weightMaximum take-off weight: the heaviest the aircraft may legally be when it starts its take-off roll, including fuel, people and baggage. It's the number that decides what licence and ratings you need, and what it costs to park.717 kg · 1,581 lb
Where it's based
BasedThe city or airport Transport Canada holds as the aircraft's base. Where the field holds a four-letter code like CYXE, that's the airport's ICAO identifier.Thompson, Manitoba
Transport Canada officeThe Transport Canada regional office that administers this registration. It follows the owner's address, so it isn't always the nearest office to where the aircraft actually sits.Winnipeg
Identity
Serial numberThe manufacturer's own number for this individual airframe, stamped on a plate. Unlike the registration, it never changes — it identifies the aircraft across every country it's ever been registered in.459
ManufacturerThe full legal name of the company that built it, which is often not the name on the tail. A Cessna 172 built in 2022 was made by Textron Aviation.Sven Axel Talo
Built inWhere the aircraft was manufactured. Most of Canada's fleet was built in the United States.Canada
ICAO 24-bit addressA unique 24-bit number your transponder broadcasts with every Mode S and ADS-B message — flight trackers key on it rather than the tail number. Canada's block runs C00000 to C3FFFF, which is why Canadian aircraft nearly all start C0 to C3. Transport Canada assigns it against the registration, so it changes if the aircraft is re-registered.C05A36
Registration
Registration typePrivate, Commercial or State. Commercial means the registration permits use for hire or reward — charter, flight training, aerial work. It describes the registration, not who owns the aircraft.Private
AirworthinessAmateur-built: the owner built at least half of it themselves, under Transport Canada's homebuilt standard. It cannot be flown for hire or reward, so no charter, no rental and no paid flight training.Special Certificate of Airworthiness Amateur Built
Basis of registrationThe rule the aircraft is registered under. Most are registered against a type certificate, meaning they're a factory design approved by the regulator; amateur-built and ultralight aircraft come in under their own standards.CAR Standard 549 - Amateur Built Aircraft
Registered sinceWhen the current registration took effect. A recent date usually means the aircraft changed hands or was re-registered — it is not the date it was built.7 December 1988
Where C-GIEF is, and how to track it
C-GIEF transmits ADS-B under the 24-bit address C05A36. Trackers key on that address rather than the tail number, so it finds the aircraft even on flights flown under a different callsign. Transport Canada assigns the address against the registration, so it changes if the aircraft is re-registered.
Most private aircraft are on the ground most of the time — if a tracker shows nothing, it is very likely parked rather than missing.
How rare is C-GIEF?
The Rutan VARI-VIGGEN is very rare in Canada — there are 1 registered on the Transport Canada Civil Aircraft Register.
- Median year built in Canada's experimental / homebuilt category: 2001 — C-GIEF is older than half of that fleet.
- One of 22 Rutan aircraft on the Canadian register, across every model.
- One of 4,126 aircraft in Canada's experimental / homebuilt category, 179 of them in Manitoba.
- 30 aircraft are based in Thompson — see every one →
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Canadian Civil Aircraft Register, current to September 17, 2026. Aircraft data reproduced and distributed with the permission of the Government of Canada. MarketPlane.ca is not affiliated with Transport Canada.