The Training Process
General Pilot Training / Flight School information for Canada
Pilot Training in Canada is not unlike Pilot Training in the rest of the world. There are a series of steps one must accomplish before you are employable as a Transport Canada Certified Pilot. You can accomplish these steps on your own, at your own pace, at a Flight School or through a program within a Flight College. Do note though that most, if not all, Flight Colleges in Canada require that you have your Private Licence completed before you commence their program.
The first step is to take a Discovery Flight – a quick 30 minute flight which will either make you really want to become a pilot (most likely) or may make you realize you are not meant to be a pilot. This flight is not a test of anything, merely an introduction to aviation itself! We, the pilots at the PilotCareerCentre all absolutely loved our first flight and knew right at that moment, that this was the best career for us!
The next step is to get a Pilot Medical done - just to ensure that nothing medical is holding you back from becoming a pilot. Once you receive a valid medical, you can start your Private Pilot Licence Training. At the end of this training, usually you will have logged between 45 and 80 flight hours (45 hrs is the minimum), you will be recommended by your Flight Instructor to do the Private Pilot Licence Written Exam and Flight Exam. Passing the Transport Canada Multiple Choice Exam, and successfully flying the required maneuvers will result in you receiving your first licence – the Private Pilot’s Licence. This licence allows you to fly Single Engine Piston Airplanes without an Instructor onboard, but not for renumeration.
The next step is the Night Rating which will allow you to fly at night. This is a brief but important Rating to acquire because the more advanced Licences require a fair bit of Night Experience in your log book.
The next step in the Pilot Career Path in Canada is the Commercial Pilot Licence. A common misnomer is to think that this is the Training you need to fly for the ‘Commercial Airlines’, when in actual fact it is simply the licence required for you to be able to be paid to fly airplanes. This licence involves more advanced training and maneuvers, and also more advanced theory. At the end of this training, and once you have successfully logged the required flight time totals; usually between 200 - 250 hours (Minimum 200 hrs), you will again be recommended to do the Transport Canada Written Exam as well as the Flight Exam. Once both are successfully completed, Transport Canada will grant you a Commercial Pilot Licence.
From here you have a variety of options. You can work and be paid as a Single Engine Charter Pilot - although there are not a lot of companies employee pilots solely in this capacity. Another option is to continue training and take your Floatplane Endorsement. You can also elect to train to become a Class IV Flight Instructor. Another option is to continue training to get your Multi-Engine Rating. After this rating, most continue on to learn how to fly in clouds under Instrument Flight Conditions or 'IFR' with no reference to the earth other than your instruments, while flying a Multi-Engine Aircraft. This is called the Multi-Engine Class I Instrument Rating, and is the most popular option as it enables you to be the most employable when you commence your Job Search - Why? Because the majority of Fixed Wing Aviation Companies in Canada have Multi-Engine Aircraft, and also need you to have your IFR Instrument Rating to be able to use you on poor weather days. Like the rest of your initial training, there is a Transport Canada Written Exam and a Multi-Engine IFR Flight Test. Once these are successfully completed, you will receive a new licence in the mail from Transport Canada with the Class I Multi-Engine Instrument Rating endorsed near the top of the page.
ATPL - the "ATPL" stands for Airline Transport Pilot Licence and this licence is highly respected in Canada and worldwide by ICAO. This is also the licence you need to fly for the airlines in Canada. The requirements for this licence are experience (Minimum 1500 Flight Hours, incl. 250 PIC, 100 PIC Cross Country, 100 Night, and 25 Night Cross Country PIC, and 75 Hours Instrument) and successful completion of a 2 Part Written Exam. There is no Flight Exam required for the issue of an ATPL.
IATRA - the "IATRA" stands for Intermediate Airline Transport Rating. This Rating is similar to the ATPL in that the required book knowledge and examinations are very similar. The time requirements are much lower for the IATRA and allow low time pilots with a bare Multi-Engine Instrument Rating and a Commercial Pilot Licence to fly heavier aircraft (over 12500 lbs) that require 2 Crew by Transport Canada regulations - example aircraft would be the Raytheon BE1900 Turboprop, the Fairchild Metroliner, etc.