Canada has a large and dynamic aviation industry. It needs to – the country is so large and so diversely populated, aviation has become a mainstay industry – from delivering food and providing communication links to remote arctic communities to flying company executives on a 6 hour domestic flight from Vancouver to Halifax. Canada has a storied history in aviation as well – having developed the DeHavilland Beaver and Otter Floatplanes, the Arrow Fighter Jet, and recently the immensely popular Bombardier CRJ Regional Jet line used worldwide by major and regional airlines.
Canadian Pilot Licences - respected and validated around the world as ICAO Pilot Licences. There are Canadian pilots flying professionally for airlines, military, UN Relief, Helicopter Contracts etc. For example.......UN Relief Flights in Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways & DragonAir of Hong Kong, Qatar Airways, Emirates airline of Dubai, Singapore Airlines, Japan Air Systems, and much more.
Optimum Weather in Canada – the diverse weather in Canada allows for many sunny days to get your initial Pilot Licences completed under daylight, visual conditions. Later on in your training, while undergoing the more advanced Instrument Flight Training, Canada can have many cloudy, poor visibility days enabling you to get real-time, practical IFR Instrument Flying Experience during your training, including flights in rain, snow showers, and some icing conditions.
The low Canadian Dollar – Training in Canada is very cost effective - it is estimated to be 30-35% less than countries in Western Europe. This reduced cost in building hours and training can be a real advantage to Pilots from Europe.
Student must hold a Canadian Aviation Category 1 Medical to pursue a Commercial Licence. Student can obtain the Canadian medical upon their arrival in Canada or have the medical done by an approved Transport Canada Civil Aviation medical Examiner in India prior to arrival. It is recommended this be done no later than 1 month prior to the students intended departure for Canada. A list of the approved doctors in India can be obtained on Transport Canada” website www.tc.gc.ca in the Civil Aviation information section.
We pride ourselves on providing a superior level of customer service, our staff and instructors are always available to answer students questions and to provide a helpful and friendly environment. At Principal Air our students are are treated like family not just a customers.
Unlike other schools we do not hide the true cost of training, we pride ourselves on our honesty and integrity. Our proven track record over more than twenty years in business speaks for itself.
We maintain our aircraft to the highest standards, compare our aircraft to most other flight schools and you will see a noticeable difference.
With a Class 1 CFI, (the top qualification for a flight instructor) with more than 10,000 hours of teaching time you can be assured the highest quality of instruction.
Commercial Pilot Training
Minimum Flight Time 65 hours including the following
Ground School - 80 hours including the following subjects: Canadian Aviation Regulations; Aerodynamics and Theory of Flight; Meteorology; Airframes, Engines, and Systems; Flight Instruments; Radio and Electronic Theory; Navigation; Flight Operations; Licensing Requirements; and Human Factors including Pilot Decision-Making.
Written Examination: Transport Canada's written examination, CPAER, may be taken in Vancouver or Abbotsford. A minimum of 60% in each of four areas - Air Law, Navigation, Meteorology, Aeronautics/General Knowledge - is required as well as in the overall written examination.
Flight Tests are conducted at Abbotsford by Transport Canada approved examiners.
The Commercial Pilot License is the gateway to a professional career in aviation. A Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holder may exercise the privileges of a Private Pilot License (PPL) holder; may exercise the privileges of a VFR Over the top rating (VFR OTT), and act as Pilot in Command (PIC) in a commercial air service on any class and type of aeroplane endorsed on his/her license that is not required to be operated by more than one pilot. A CPL pilot may act as co-pilot of any class and type of aeroplane endorsed on his/her license, regardless of the number of crew required to operate it.
We took careful note of what customers wanted: all-inclusive service, meticulously maintained, reliable, readily available aircraft at affordable rates, and most importantly, personalized, friendly service that recognized and responded to their individual needs. We found that flight schools tended to fall into two categories: large, impersonal “pilot factories” that churned out hundreds of students hoping to fly for the airlines, and older, traditional flight schools.
In a fiercely competitive market like aviation, it is abundantly clear that if we want to succeed, we needed to bring something new to the table and deliver outstanding customer service.
In Canada, the holder of a commercial pilot licence or airline transport pilot licence may have their licence endorsed with a flight instructor rating - aeroplane. Initially, the pilot is endorsed as a "Class 4" flight instructor. This allows the pilot to deliver flight training towards the issuance of a recreational pilot permit, private pilot licence, commercial pilot licence, night rating, and VFR over-the-top rating. The "Class 4" flight instructor may only conduct training while under the supervision of a "Class 2" or "Class 1" flight instructor.
After satisfying certain requirements (satisfactory flight test records, experience requirements, written exams, and flight tests), an instructor can upgrade their rating to a Class 3, Class 2, and Class 1 instructor rating. The Class 3 flight instructor does not require the supervision of a Class 2 or Class 1 flight instructor. The Class 2 flight instructor may supervise Class 4 flight instructors and act as the chief flight instructor (CFI) of a flight training unit. The Class 1 flight instructor may give ground school and flight training towards the endorsement of a flight instructor rating.
In order to give instruction towards the instrument rating, multi rating, type ratings, and class conversions (for example, land plane to sea plane), an instructor rating is not necessarily required. The requirements may be limited to holding a commercial or airline transport license and having met certain experience levels (such as time on type and in class). In the case of an instrument rating, the holder of a flight instructor rating can teach it even if they do not have the experience level required for non-flight instructors. Details are contained in the Canadian Aviation Regulations, parts 401 and 421.