PACELINE  PILOT TRAINING

Private Pilot Licence (day VFR)

The minimum age for this licence is 17 years.

The applicant must hold a valid Category 1 or 3 Medical Certificate.

Training for the licence must be conducted as per Transport Canada requirements.

The applicant must have completed a minimum of 40 hours Groundschool on subjects specified by Transport Canada.

60% on the Transport Canada examination is required (Air Law, Navigation, Meteorology, and Aeronautics-General Knowledge).

The applicant must have completed a minimum of 45 hours flight training in the aircraft category (aeroplane, gyroplane, and helicopter), including no less than 17 hours dual (logged with a flight instructor) and 12 hours solo.

Of the 17 hours of dual instruction, 3 hours must be cross-country, and 5 hours must be instrument time (reference only to flight instruments).

Of the 12 hours solo practice, 5 hours must be a cross-country trip with a triangular flight not less than 150 nautical miles, including 2 full-stop landings.

Successful completion of a flight test is required.

Private Pilots receive a blanket aircraft type rating for “all single pilot, non-high performance single engine land aeroplanes”; however, they can fly any aeroplane provided they have received an Individual Aircraft Type Rating, which may require additional ratings, examinations, and Pilot Proficiency Checks (flight test).

The blanket aircraft type rating therefore excludes multi-crew aircraft (e.g., requiring a co-pilot), as well as high performance aircraft.

A high performance aircraft is formally defined as aircraft with a “never-exceed speed” (Vne) of 250 knots (KTS) indicated airspeed (KIAS) and greater, or a “stall speed in a landing configuration” (Vso)[6] of 80 KIAS and greater.

(Vne is the fastest that an aircraft should be permitted to fly, as determined by the aircraft’s manufacturer during the type certification process.  Vne is indicated on the airspeed indicated by a red radial line, alerting the pilot to this limitation.  Above Vne, an aircraft will encounter structural failure.   By comparison, Vso is the “stalling speed” of an aircraft in its landing configuration—e.g., the gear and flaps extended.  The aircraft’s manufacturer has determined—again during the type certification process—that speeds below Vso are too slow for the wings to properly support lift.  Vso is also indicated on the airspeed indicator, in this case by the bottom of a white arch that appears at the lower end of the speed scale.)

Importantly, Private Pilots are initially restricted to flying during the day and with visual meteorological flight condition—VMC—where control of the aircraft is conducted using Visual Flight Rules—VFR.  The definition of day is generally clear—it is technical and legal, but straight forward.  The definitions of visual meteorological flight conditions and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) need a more detailed introduction.

First VFR simply refers to the rules governing the flight and the primary visual source the pilot is using to maintain flight control.  VFR means the pilot is operating the aircraft with visual reference to the surface of the earth (CAR 602.114).  Visual reference to the surface of the earth requires that visual meteorological flight conditions (VMC) exist at all times during the flight, so a specific visibility must be maintained (depending on the classification of airspace in which the flight is occurring), and that specific distances are maintained from cloud formations (that would of course obscure visibility).  VFR is in contrast to Instrument Meteorological flight conditions—IMC—where the control of the aircraft is conducted using Instrument Flight Rules—IFR.  With IFR, control of the aircraft is maintained by the pilot using the flight instrument only where the surface of earth cannot be seen, and—generally speaking—flight visibility and cloud formations are irrelevant (IMC) as the pilot is not looking outside the cockpit.  If it seems complicated, do not worry as these concepts will be reviewed in detail repeatedly in later course material.  At this point, just note the restrictions to VMC weather and VFR flying.

Completion Requirements

Students must be timely on completing both the written examination and flight training requirements for their flight test examination.  The results of written examinations are valid for only 24 months.  In contrast, the results of a flight test are valid for only 12 months.  To obtain the licence, the successful completion of the flight test and the written examination must be simultaneously valid—the flight test must be completed during the validity period of the written examination, or the written examination must be completed during the validity period of the flight test, whichever the candidate decides to do first.

Transport Canada charges a licensing fee, and Designated Flight Test Examiners (appointed by Transport Canada) charge a flight test fee.

Examination Administration

If a person fails a written examination, there is a waiting period.  In the event of a first failure, the person must wait 14 days; with a second failure, the waiting period is 30 days; and in the case of third or subsequent failures, the person must wait 30 days plus an additional 30-day period for each failure in excess of two failures, up to a maximum of 180 days.

This waiting requirement does not apply to the PSTAR examination required for the Student Pilot Permit.

The Private Pilot and Recreational Pilot written examinations are composed of sections, and the waiting requirements do not apply if a person obtains a passing grade on the overall examination, but fails one or more sections.

Additionally, re-writing an examination only requires that you rewrite the failed sections.

Transport Canada charges an administration fee for examinations.