Different Licenses and Ratings
There are many different types of licenses in aviation, whether you are just starting out and getting your Private Pilots License or working your way up the ladder to a commercial airline job and getting your Airline Transport Pilots License, it all roots back to one, your Private Pilots License.
Private Pilots License
Your Private Pilots License is what every pilot starts out with getting. It is the building block for a pilots career in aviation. Getting your PPL can take time depending on the way you go about getting it. It takes many people 3-6 months to get their PPL with frequent flying of 2-3 times a week, if that’s not possible many people take 6 months to a year to get theirs with flying 1-2 times a week. Some may choose to fly 3-5 times a week which reduces the time to 8-12 weeks to get their PPL.
As well as flight time pilots must complete ground school work. The requirement to get your PPL is a minimum of 40 hours of ground school work and a completion of an approved Transport Canada course. Many people take longer than that so they fully understand the information and be fully prepared for their checkride. As well as the ground school work you must complete two tests before you are able to solo, these being the Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) which is an exam of 50 multiple choice questions of regulation and safety in the air to make sure you are competent in flying by yourself. Along with the PSTAR you must take Restricted Operators Certificate (ROC) which allows you to operate radios in aircraft.
Not only ground school is a requirement, but flight time as well. You must complete a minimum of 45 hours of flight time to be qualified to take your checkride. Many people go into the 60 hour mark to be fully prepared to take the final test. This flight time includes flight training, dual instruction and solo flying. This flight time must also include 5 solo cross-country hours which is flying a minimum of 60 nautical miles and having two full-stop landings at different points from the departure airport. You also must have 3 dual instruction cross-country hours with an instructor.
You also have to be medically fit to fly which is why you must have an aviation medical examination either of category 1 or category 3. You must have a category 4 medical signed to fly solo at minimum.
Before you can get your PPL you must complete a written exam and a practical flight test done by Transport Canada. The written exam is questions about how the plane works as well as situation questions. The practical flight test takes you in the sky to fly where you are put in situations and must explain what to do in them. Once you pass these two test you’ll get your Private Pilots License.
Restrictions
There are some rules you must follow when you get your PPL, one of them being that you cannot fly for compensation or hire. This means under no circumstances can you accept money to fly, you are only able to accept money once you have gotten your Commercial Pilots License.
You must also fly under Visual Flying Rules(VFR) during the day when you get your PPL until you get more ratings which allow you to fly at night and under other rules. You may carry as many passengers as the aircraft is allowed to and you must fly non high-performance single engine propellor aircraft unless you have other ratings which may include Dual-engine.
Many people find them selves restricted on getting their PPL because of the price to do so. On average it costs around $15,000 to get your PPL with other schools costing more based on the facilities that they may offer like a simulator. While this may be a problem many places offer payment options to help pilots mange the cost and keep flying.
All in all getting you PPL may seem daunting but there’s ways to make it easier and enjoy the experience of flying and getting your first license.
Night Rating
For many the nest step after acquiring their Private Pilots License is to get their night rating. The night rating lets pilots with any license to fly after sunset under Visual Flight Rules, carry passengers at night, and extend your flight time without the need to rush back to beat the sun.
For this rating pilots must complete 10 hours of dual night training, 5 hours of solo night flying, with a total of around 20 hours to complete the rating. Pilots must also have 10 hours of instrument training with up to 5 of those hours being able to be done in a simulator. Pilots once again must hold a valid Category 1 or 3 medical certificate.
To get this rating there is no written or practical test that pilots must take rather their flight instructor must state in their logbook that they have met the skill requirements to hold this rating.
Getting your Night Rating is a great next step in your aviation career since it opens up a lot more opportunities to fly and is one part closer to getting to a commercial airline pilot.
Instrument Rating
After getting their Night rating many pilots choose to take on the Instrument rating next. An instrument rating allows pilots to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) when conditions are in low visibility.
To get this rating pilots must complete ground training from an authorized flight instructor or a self lead course. For the flying aspect pilots must have 50 hours as pilot in control cross country, 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, and a minimum of 15 hours of those hours must be done with an instrument rated flight instructor.
As well as flight training pilots must complete one 250 nautical miles cross country flight which must include instrument approaches at different locations.
There are also two tests pilots must complete to get their rating, one being a written knowledge test where they must score a 70% or higher to pass and a practical flight test with a FAA inspector to see if you have the skills for the rating.
Getting your Instrument rating is a big challenge must a necessary one which will pay off over time.
Multi Engine Rating
Many pilots take one last step before getting their Commercial Pilots License which is to get their multi engine rating. Your multi engine rating lets you fly aircraft that have more than one engine.
To get this license pilots must hold a Private Pilots License or a Commercial Pilots License. You must also have a valid Category 1 or 3 medical certificate.
There is no minimum flight time required for this rating since you will receive dual flight instruction until you are ready to meet the flight test standards. There as well is no mandatory ground school, however some flight schools recommend some ground school to prepare for the flight test.
To pass the flight test you must successfully complete the test under the Multi Engine Class Rating Flight Test Guide with a Transport Canada approved flight examiner.
Getting your Multi Engine Rating is a huge step in a pilots career since it opens up lots for flying chances and is an essential piece to getting to be an airline pilot.
Commercial Pilots License
The next big step for pilots is getting their Commercial Pilots License. This license lets pilots make money from flying whether this be by charter flights or flying for a small airline type company.
To get your Commercial Pilots License (CPL) pilots must be 18 years old and hold a Private Pilots License. Having a category 3 medical wont cut it anymore and it’s required that you have a valid category 1 certificate. On average it takes pilots 9-12 months to get their CPL with a consistent schedule.
There is once again ground school that must be completed for this license, a minimum of 80 hours of ground school instruction is required with many taking more time to be prepared for the tests. The ground school builds off of what pilots learn in the ground school from the Private Pilots License.
You have to complete a multitude of hours to get you CPL. Pilots must have a minimum of 200 hours of total flight time with 100 of those being pilot in command as well as 20 hours of pilot in command cross country. The cross country must be 300 nautical miles with three landings at two intermediate stops. A minimum of 5 hours of night flying is required with 5 hours of solo flight time as well. There must be a minimum of 35 hours of dual instruction at any point after getting your PPL as well as 30 hours of solo flight time after getting your PPL. Pilots must also have at least 20 of instrument time with 10 of those hours being able to be completed in a simulator.
There is also two tests that pilots must complete and pass to get their Commercial Pilots License. One of the tests is a written exam which is the Commercial Pilot License Aeroplane (CPAER) written exam as well as a flight test with a Transport Canada examiner to see if they fit the flight standards. Pilots also need a letter from their flight instructor certifying that you have completed the training required and have passed a pre test evaluation.
Openings
After getting your Commercial Pilots License the door opens to many possibilities with your new license. The biggest thing you get out of getting your Commercial Pilots License is being able to fly for compensation which allows you to make money from flying whether this be from a charter flight flying two people or flying for an airline flying three hundred people.
Getting you CPL opens a whole job market of specialized flights that need to be done such as aerial survey and aerial photography or banner towing and skydiving. It also opens the path to getting hired at regional airlines to start it with while you work towards your Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) which lets you fly internationally with hundreds of passengers and is the biggest step of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
For all the work you need to put into getting your Commercial Pilots License it is worth it in the end because of all the openings that it brings.
