Learn to Fly with Canadian Flight Trainers
We at Canadian Flight Trainers offer students the opportunity to complete their required theoretical ground school training before completing their Private Pilot License. To earn your license, you will need to do ground training as well as in-flight training. We do not do any in-person or in-flight training, we only do our ground training online. To find a flight school, click here.
How to Get Your Private Pilot License
The steps to getting a private pilot license in Canada is fairly relatable to getting a driver’s license. There are many legal requirements which must be met before you are allowed to fly an aircraft in Canada, just like driving a car.
Introductory Flight
You may want to learn to fly and aircraft right now, but before you do that we suggest you take an introductory flight at a local flight school. If this is a life long dream and you’ve been dwelling on this for a long time, this probably does not apply to you. In any case, it is very important to get a feel for flying and seeing if you are able to commit to the process of learning. These introductory flights, also known as discovery flights, can be booked at a local flight school for around $100 – $200. This is also a good time to learn about the flight schools near you so you can choose an instructor and school that makes the most sense for your journey.
Pilot Training Basics
When you learn to fly and aircraft, you will go through two main processes: ground school instruction and flight instruction. Just like the process of learning to drive a car, you may enrol in a driver’s education course which has a school component and a driving component. Pilot training is the same.
Ground School
In ground school, you will learn the necessary theory as it relates to flying. Topics like weather maps, landing on slippery runways, and other theory that will be applied to practical flying. The main sections are air law, meteorology, navigation, and general aviation knowledge. Our Private Pilot Ground School allows you to do this comfortably at home, or at the beach, and it is accepted at all flight schools and by Transport Canada.
In-Person Pilot Training
Learn to fly? Learn to drive first, or don’t. When beginning driver’s education, you may do ten hours in a car before completing a road test. Learning to fly is again, very similar. In driving, your first few lessons may be about putting the car into gear, stopping at stop signs, lane changes, etc,. Training progresses to highway driving, parallel parking, and more difficult maneuvers once the basics have been mastered.
In pilot training, the syllabus is designed in a similar way. The early lessons are fairly simple and lay the foundation and as you build skill in the aircraft, you will be taught more advanced maneuvers. There are many stages of flight training that a student would go through, and this varies depending on the program you have enrolled in. Below is a typical syllabus we see with pilot training across Canada.
We have included a blog page on the typical private pilot license timeline you can expect in your pilot training.
How much does it cost to learn to fly in Canada?
The average cost for pilot training is around $18,110 + tax for a private pilot license in Canada. The breakdown is as follows:
- Aircraft cost is assumed to be $190 / hour
- Instructor cost is assumed to be $80 / hour
- Ground School with Canadian Flight Trainers is $300
- All ground school supplies including maps and operating handbooks is $350
- Government fees, including the aviation medical and flight test are around $850
Time spent with the instructor:
- Average of 43 hours of dual time (time spent in the airplane with an instructor) = $3440
- Aircraft rental for 43 hour = $8170
- Ground briefings before and after the flight for 15 hours = $1200
Solo time in an aircraft (time you are by yourself in an aircraft practicing in-flight maneuvers)
- Average of 20 hours in the aircraft = $3800
Total cost for a private pilot license Canada is a minimum of $18,110 + applicable provincial tax.
First Steps to Beginning Pilot Training
- If you are on the fence about it, find a flight school and do your introductory flight
- Complete your aviation medical as soon as possible.
- Look into a great reputable ground school…..wait a minute.
- Start your ground school before you begin flight training or do it with your flight training. Either or works well.
PSTAR Preparation Course
The PSTAR is one of the first written exams you will be required to complete in your pilot training process. Completing the PSTAR exam allows you to earn a Student Pilot Permit which is required for you to fly an aircraft by yourself in Canada. Fortunately, we offer a PSTAR preparation course for FREE. The course offers video instruction by our expert airline pilot and flight instructor Daniel as well as reference notes for your studying. For your practice, we offer sample exams and questions which are identical to the real exam you will be writing. As you learn to fly, let us help you make your pilot training easier.
Questions? We can help!
Canadian Flight Trainers has a team of professional flight instructors, commercial pilots, and airline pilots on staff to answer all your questions. Not only are our ground schools recognized by all flight schools in Canada and the federal aviation regulator Transport Canada, our school is backed by a diverse group of experienced aviation professionals and curriculum developers. We ensure you are not alone in this process of learning and have your back in all aspects of pilot training.
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