To fly an aircraft safely and legally, Transport Canada requires that you hold a suitable license, with additional ratings and/or endorsements to cover the kind of flying you will be doing. Please click on the links below for more information:

PILOT LICENCES

1. Recreational Pilot Permit
2. Private Pilot Licence
3. Commercial Pilot Licence
4. Airline Transport Pilot Licence
5. Helicopter, Glider and Balloon Pilot Licences

RATINGS

1. Night Rating
2. Multi Engine Rating
3. Instument Flight Rules Rating
4. Instructor Rating

ENDORSEMENTS AND SPECIAL FLYING REQUIREMENTS

1. Aircraft Endorsements
2. Float Plane Endorsement
3. Mountain Flying

Recreational Pilot Permit
The Recreational Pilot Permit allows the holder to fly single engine aircraft with a maximum of four seats. This permit is restricted to flying VFR with one passenger and may not be endorsed with any other ratings. While you can solo at 14 and you may complete all the training required in advance, you must have reached 16 years of age and posess a Category 4 medical certificate to be licenced. Ground school is not a requirement for the Recreational Permit however we recommend you take the course to ensure you will pass the written exam. Minimum training requirements are 25 hours of flight training.

Private Pilot Licence
The Private Pilot Licence allows the holder to fly all single engine non-high performance aircraft during daylight hours under Visual Flight Rules. While you may complete all the training in advance you must have reached 17 years of age and you must possess a valid Category 1 or Category 3 medical certificate to be licensed. Minimum training requirements are 45 hours of flight training and 40 hours of ground school (VFC's ground school is 60 hours).

Commercial Pilot Licence
The Commercial Pilot Licence is the minimum licence required to be employed as a pilot. To hold this licence a person must have reached 18 years of age and hold a Category 1 medical certificate. The minimum training requirements are 65 hours of flight training and 40 hours of ground school (VFC ground school is 80 hours). One must also have a minimum of 200 hours total time including not less than 100 hours pilot-in-command of which 20 hours must be cross country time. The table below does not take into account the hours students will have to accumulate over and above their compulsory training to reach the 200 hour minimum. 

****All flights subject to a fuel surcharge effective May 29, 2008****

Airline Transport Pilot Licence
Through our Professional Pilot Program we can provide the training required to attain the licences and ratings that form the foundation for the ATPL. We will work with you to deliver the most cost effective training package in the least amount of time. The following example illustrates the estimated cost of acquiring a Commercial Pilot licence and Multi-IFR* ratings working on all three at the same time. This example assumes the student starts with a Private pilot licence and 20 hours Pilot in Command (65 hours total time) and that the student can achieve the required standards in the times listed. 

*Multi-IFR training provided by Professional Flight Center (Pro-IFR)

Estimated training cost:
Night Endorsement	2,410
Multi-Engine Endorsement	3,120
20 hrs Simulator @ $81 dual	1,620
20 hrs in Seminole @ $332 dual	6,640
10 hrs ground briefing @ $50	500
5 hrs dual prep for CPL flight test	800
30 hrs solo @ 111	3,330
80 hours ground school	495
IFR seminars	500
Books and enrollment	200
68 hrs build up time @ $104 (Block rate to reach 50 hrs cross-country PIC) *	7,072
Medical, Exams & Licence fees	975
Total excl. tax:	$27,662

****All flights subject to a fuel surcharge effective May 29, 2008****

* Block time available to licenced pilots for time building or recreational flights.

Helicopter, Glider and Balloon Pilot Licences
Helicopter training is provided by our friends Professional Flight Center in Boundary Bay. 

 RATINGS

Night Rating
The Night Rating on a Private Pilot licence allows the holder to fly during the hours of darkness in visual meteorological conditions under Visual Flight Rules. There is no flight test or written exam. The minimum training hours are set out below and the costs are based on C-172 rates:

* The rating requires 5 hours dual instrument which will take a total of about 7 hours dual to accumulate.

Multi Engine Rating
The multi-engine rating has no specific number of training hours required. The candidates must simply pass a flight test that proves their proficiency in all multi-engine maneuvers and emergency procedures. The average candidate takes approximately 7.5 hours to complete this.

****All flights subject to a fuel surcharge effective May 29, 2008****

Instrument Rating
You can choose to do a single engine (group 3) instrument rating on one of our C-172's or a multi-engine (group 1) instrument rating on a Piper Seminole. The minimum requirements for the rating are 40 hours of instrument time (with a maximum of 20 hours done in a simulator) and 50 hours of cross country Pilot in Command time. Of the 40 hours instrument time, a minimum of 5 hours must be on the category of aircraft you wish the rating to cover e.g. single engine, multi engine or helicopter. The cost of the rating will vary depending on the experience of the student and the aircraft type chosen for the rating.

Multi-IFR (Multi-Engine Rating plus Group 1 Instrument rating)*

Aircraft Endorsement
The VFC operates two types of aircraft, all of which fall under the "single engine - non high performance aircraft" category. In terms of remaining current the VFC requirements are as follows: Both the 152's and the 172's have 60 day currency - if you are current on a 172 you are also current on a 152.

Float Plane Endorsement
The VFC does not provide float training at this time however there are two or three local companies providing this service. Check with them for types of ratings available.

Mountain Flying
A Mountain Course is an extremely important course for any pilot flying in British Columbia.  In the Pacific Region, the combined effect of the great mountain system and the adjacent Pacific Ocean lead to some extremely changeable flying conditions.  To an unprepared pilot, these conditions can produce a hazardous flying environment.  Our course is designed to provide a licensed pilot with a level of skill and proficiency to fly safely in mountainous terrain.  It is a requirement for all Club members planning flights through the mountains with Club aircraft to complete a Mountain Flying Course.