RECREATIONAL PILOT PERMIT
Welcome to the exciting world of recreational aviation. Canada's newest level of pilot permit, the Recreational Pilot Permit, will open the door to recreational flying for approximately half of the cost of the Private Pilot Licence. The Recreational Pilot Permit will allow you to fly aircraft having up to four seats, but you will be limited to not more than one passenger. You will also be limited to flying by day, under Visual Flight Rules, although you may fly anywhere in Canada. With further training, the Recreational Pilot Permit may be endorsed to allow you to fly on floats. In addition, the Recreational Pilot Permit may be upgraded to the Private Pilot Licence at any time in the future, provided that you obtain the necessary training, and that you meet the medical standards for the Private licence.
Since March 2008, all students and licensed pilots are required to pass an Aviation Language Proficiency Test prior to completion of training. This exam is administered in the office, and there is a fee.
In order to hold the Recreational Pilot Permit, you must be at least 16 years of age, and meet the medical standards for a Category 4, 3 or 1 Medical Certificate. The minimum total flying time required for the permit is 25 hours, of which not less than 15 must be dual instruction, and not less than 5 must be solo practice. There is no groundschool requirement for this permit, but you must obtain a minimum of 90% on a pre-solo written exam, a minimum of 60% on the final written exam, and you must pass a flight test.
Before you can fly solo, you must supply us with a copy of your birth certificate or valid passport, in order to verify your age and citizenship.
We recommend that you budget for an average completion time of 40 hours. Also, our groundschool course, which is not required, is highly recommended.
Our teaching schedule is flexible to fit your own personal schedule. You may fly as often as you like, but it is to your advantage to fly as often as possible. For a person flying four hours per week, expect to complete the training in about eight weeks.