0

Eligibility & First Steps

PREREQUISITES

Before you book a single lesson

Minimum Age

16+

To solo an aircraft

Language

English

ICAO Level 4 minimum

Residency

Canada

Citizen, PR, or Study Permit

Non-Canadians: Foreign nationals can train in Canada under a Student Permit. You will need to apply for a Security Clearance (background check) through Transport Canada before your first solo. Start this process early — it can take 4–8 weeks.

✓Obtain a Restricted Radio Operator Certificate (ROC-A) — required before solo. Available through the RAC written exam. (~$35 CAD)
✓Open a MyCivil Aviation account at tc.canada.ca — all licences and exams are managed here.
✓Research Approved Training Organizations (ATOs) in your province. Compare hourly aircraft rates, instructor quality, and fleet type.
✓Book a discovery flight (typically $150–$250 CAD) to confirm aviation is your career path before committing financially.

1

Category 3 Aviation Medical

MEDICAL CERT

Your medical fitness for solo & PPL flight

Medical Class

Cat. 3

Minimum for PPL/solo

Cost

~$250

CAD — varies by CAME

Validity

5 Years

Under age 40; 2 yrs after

✓Find a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner (CAME) through Transport Canada's CAME locator. Book well in advance — popular CAMEs can have 4–8 week waits.
✓Bring government-issued photo ID, glasses/contacts if applicable, and any medication or medical history documentation.
✓Key checks: vision (correctable to 20/20), colour vision, hearing, cardiovascular, neurological.
✓Pro tip: get your Category 1 medical at this stage if you plan to go professional — it screens you early for any disqualifying conditions and satisfies PPL requirements simultaneously.

Important: A Category 1 Medical is required for CPL and ATPL. If you suspect any health issue, get Category 1 assessed now before investing in training. The ATPL requires an annual Category 1 renewal.

CAT 3 → PPL CAT 1 → CPL/ATPL

2

Student Pilot Permit & First Solo

SPP

Your legal authority to fly solo in Canadian airspace

Min Age

14

To hold; 16 to solo

Hours to Solo

10–15

National average

Written Exam

PSTAR

Air Regulations

✓Complete PSTAR exam (Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations) — 30 questions, must score 90%+. Study using the Transport Canada exam prep materials.
✓Complete ground training with your flight school covering Exercises 1–10 of TP 975E (familiarization, effects of controls, taxiing, straight & level, climbing, descending, turns, stalls, slow flight, spins).
✓Obtain a Student Pilot Permit from Transport Canada after passing PSTAR and medical.
✓Your instructor will sign off your first solo — the most memorable flight of your life. Typically occurs between 10–20 hours depending on aptitude and weather.
✓Continue building hours toward the PPL flight test.

Spin Training: Unlike the FAA, Transport Canada requires actual spin training (Exercise 10) for all PPL candidates in Canada. This is a critical safety milestone.

PSTAR EXAM — 90% PASS

3

Private Pilot Licence

PPL — ASEL

Standard 421.26 — Your first Transport Canada licence

Min Age

17

At time of flight test

Total Hours

45

Min flight time

Dual

17 hrs

With instructor

Solo

12 hrs

Including 5 hrs X-country

Cost Est.

$15K–$25K

CAD total

✓Complete ground school — either in-person at your flight school or via online courses (Harv's Air, Transport Canada ATPL prep providers). Covers meteorology, navigation, air law, human factors, and aerodynamics.
✓Pass the PPLA written exam — 50 questions, minimum 60% pass mark. Higher prep is recommended as this knowledge builds into future exams.
✓Complete all 29 exercises per TP 975E syllabus.
✓Fly a solo cross-country of at least 150 NM with two full-stop landings at different aerodromes.
✓Pass the Transport Canada Flight Test with a Transport Canada Designated Flight Test Examiner (DFTE). Assessed against TP 13723 Flight Test Guide.

PPLA WRITTEN — 60% MIN TC FLIGHT TEST

Item	Est. Cost (CAD)
Flight training (~45 hrs dual + solo × ~$250/hr wet)	$11,250
Ground school	$800–$2,000
Textbooks, charts, headset	$600–$1,200
Written exam fee	$35
Flight test fee (DFTE)	$450–$600
TOTAL PPL	~$13,000–$20,000

4

Night Rating

NIGHT VFR

CARs 401.42 / Standard 421.42 — Required for CPL night cross-country

Min Night Dual

10 hrs

With instructor

Night Solo

5 hrs

Including cross-country

Total Hours

~65 hrs

Cumulative after PPL

Cost Est.

$3K–$5K

CAD

✓Complete 10 hours of dual night VFR instruction including takeoffs, circuits, and a night cross-country flight.
✓Complete 5 hours of solo night time including a solo cross-country of at least 50 NM.
✓No separate written exam or flight test — signed off by your flight instructor.
✓All night hours count directly toward your CPL 200-hour total and your ATPL 100-hour night sub-requirement. Build night hours deliberately from this point forward.

Do this immediately after PPL. The night rating rolls directly into your CPL hour count and you will need 100 hours night total for the ATPL. Starting early means you accumulate it naturally through training rather than chasing it at the end.

5

Multi-Engine Rating

MER — AMEL

Fly twin-engine aircraft — prerequisite to Group 1 IR training

Min Dual ME

~10 hrs

Typical training time

Aircraft

AMEL

Light twin-engine aircraft

Total Hours

~75 hrs

Cumulative at this point

Cost Est.

$8K–$14K

CAD

✓Complete ground school covering multi-engine aerodynamics, Vmca, critical engine concepts, and emergency procedures including engine failure on takeoff and engine-out approaches.
✓Complete approximately 10 hours of dual instruction in a light twin-engine aircraft with emphasis on asymmetric flight and single-engine emergencies.
✓Pass the Multi-Engine Rating flight test — assessed on Vmca demonstrations, engine-out procedures, and single-engine ILS approaches.
✓Why this comes before the IR: A Group 1 Instrument Rating is conducted in a multi-engine aircraft. Earning your MER first means your IR training hours are flown in the twin you'll actually use commercially — better training, more relevant hours.

Sequence matters. MER before IR means your 40 hours of instrument training are accumulated in a multi-engine aircraft. This directly satisfies the ATPL requirement for 75 hours multi-engine time and produces more airline-relevant experience than single-engine IR training.

MER FLIGHT TEST

6

Instrument Rating — Group 1

IR — GROUP 1 AMEL

CARs 401.46 — IFR in multi-engine aircraft — the most valuable rating you will earn

Min X-Country

50 hrs

PIC before IR test

Instrument Time

40 hrs

Min 30 hrs dual

Aircraft

AMEL

Trained in your twin

Medical

Cat. 1

Required for Group 1

Total Hours

~115 hrs

Cumulative at this point

Cost Est.

$20K–$32K

Twin-engine IFR rental

✓Upgrade to a Category 1 Aviation Medical Certificate before starting Group 1 IR training — this is a hard requirement for IFR operations in multi-engine aircraft.
✓Pass the INRAT written exam — 60 questions, minimum 60% pass mark. Covers IFR procedures, airspace, plate reading (SIDs, STARs, approaches), Canadian ATC phraseology, and instrument meteorology.
✓Complete 40 hours of instrument time in the AMEL — up to 20 hours may be completed in an approved FNPT II or full-motion simulator, significantly reducing cost.
✓Training covers: ILS, VOR, NDB, and RNAV/GPS approaches; holds; partial panel; radar vectors; missed approach procedures; and engine-out IFR emergencies.
✓Pass the Group 1 IR flight test in a multi-engine aircraft — includes holds, precision and non-precision approaches, missed approaches, and single-engine ILS.

INRAT WRITTEN — 60% MIN GROUP 1 FLIGHT TEST CAT 1 MEDICAL

Simulator savings: Use an FNPT II or Level D FFS for up to 20 of your 40 instrument hours. This saves $4,000–$8,000 in twin rental costs while providing superior scenario training — failures, icing, engine-out approaches — that a real aircraft cannot safely replicate.

7

Commercial Pilot Licence

CPL — AMEL

CARs 401.26 / Standard 421.30 — Graduate at 200 hrs with CPL + Group 1 IR + MER

Min Age

18

At time of test

Total Time

200 hrs

Minimum at graduation

PIC

100 hrs

Including 20 hrs X-country

Dual

65 hrs

Including CPL training flights

Solo X-Country

300 NM

Solo nav requirement

Cost Est.

~$90K

PPL through CPL total

✓Pass the CPAER written exam — Commercial Pilot Aeronautics, Aeroplane. 100 questions, minimum 60% pass mark. Covers advanced weather, navigation, airspace, CARs, and aeromedical human factors.
✓Complete all CPL flight exercises: steep turns, forced approaches, precautionary landings, spiral dive recovery, and commercial-standard cross-country flying.
✓Complete a solo cross-country of at least 300 NM with full-stop landings at two different aerodromes.
✓Pass the CPL flight test with a DFTE — assessed against the TP 13723 CPL Flight Test Guide.
✓At graduation you hold: CPL (AMEL) + Group 1 Instrument Rating + Multi-Engine Rating + Category 1 Medical — the complete package for a regional First Officer position or Flight Instructor Rating.

CPAER WRITTEN — 60% MIN CPL FLIGHT TEST

You are now commercially licensed at 200 hours. CPL + Group 1 IR + MER is the complete qualification package. You can legally fly IFR for hire in multi-engine aircraft. Many regional carriers accept candidates at this stage. The next step is building to 1,500 hours for ATPL — and the fastest, most financially logical way to do that is through Flight Instruction.

8

Flight Instructor Rating

FI — CLASS 4

The fastest path to 1,500 hours — get paid to build your logbook

Prerequisite

CPL

Must hold CPL

Course Length

~25 hrs

Dual instruction + ground

Cost Est.

~$20K

CAD total course

FI Build Rate

600–900

Hours/year full-time

Time to ATPL

14–18 mo

Full-time instructing

Written Exam

AIRAF

Air Instructor written

The Canadian ATPL timeline — months at a glance:

Months 1–4: Medical · SPP · PPL (45 hrs)
Months 4–6: Night Rating (~65 hrs total)
Months 6–8: Multi-Engine Rating (~75 hrs total)
Months 8–12: Group 1 Instrument Rating (~115 hrs total)
Months 10–14: CPL — graduate at 200 hrs with full commercial package
Months 14–16: Flight Instructor Rating (Class 4) — ~230 hrs total at this stage
Months 16–34: Instruct full-time → 600–900 hrs/year → reach 1,500 hrs
Month ~32–36: SAMRA + SARON → ATPL issued administratively ✈

✓Pass the AIRAF written exam — Air Instructor, Aeroplane. 50 questions, minimum 60% pass mark. Covers instructional techniques, lesson planning, human factors in training, TP 975E syllabus, and TC regulatory requirements for instruction.
✓Complete the Flight Instructor Course at an approved ATO — typically 25 hours of dual instruction focused on teaching technique, demonstration-performance method, and briefing skills.
✓Pass the FI Flight Test — assessed on your ability to teach (not just fly). The examiner plays a student; you demonstrate, debrief, and correct errors.
✓Class 4 → Class 3: After 100 hours of instruction given, you may apply for a Class 3 rating — no longer requiring supervision on your sign-offs. This opens solo instruction privileges.
✓Class 3 → Class 2: After 500 hours dual instruction given, Class 2 permits you to conduct instrument ground school and, with additional qualifications, IFR dual instruction — building your instrument hours simultaneously.
✓Track night and instrument hours as you instruct. Many schools operate early morning and evening flights — accumulate your 100 hours night and 75 hours instrument sub-requirements naturally through your instructing schedule.
✓Write SAMRA and SARON at approximately 1,200–1,300 hours. Both results are valid for 24 months, giving you a comfortable window to reach 1,500 hours before submitting your ATPL application.

AIRAF WRITTEN — 60% MIN FI FLIGHT TEST

ATPL Hour Requirements (CARs 401.34 / Standard 421.34) — track these from Day 1:

• 1,500 hours total flight time
• 250 hours PIC (including 100 hrs PIC cross-country)
• 100 hours night flight time
• 75 hours instrument time — at least 50 hrs actual IFR
• 75 hours PIC or co-pilot of multi-engine aircraft
• 35 hours cross-country PIC in multi-engine
• Valid Group 1 IR · Valid Category 1 Medical

9

ATPL Written Exams

SAMRA / SARON

Transport Canada's two-part ATPL written examination

Exam 1

SAMRA

Meteorology & Navigation

Exam 2

SARON

Air Regulations

Pass Mark

70%

Both exams

Questions

100 ea.

Multiple choice

✓SAMRA (Senior Aviation Meteorology and Navigation for ATPL) — covers upper atmosphere weather, high-altitude navigation, long-range planning, and advanced meteorology. 100 questions, 70% minimum.
✓SARON (Senior Aviation Regulations and Operations for ATPL) — covers advanced CARs, crew resource management, CASS, airline operations, and dangerous goods. 100 questions, 70% minimum.
✓Study with Transport Canada exam prep resources, Ace Aviation, or Harv's Air study banks. Both exams can be written before accumulating full hours.
✓Exam results valid for 24 months — write them 12–18 months before you expect to meet hour requirements.

SAMRA — 70% MIN SARON — 70% MIN

10

Airline Transport Pilot Licence

ATPL — ISSUED

CARs 401.34 / Standard 421.34 — Issued administratively by Transport Canada. No flight test required.

Total Hours

1,500

All requirements met

Medical

Cat. 1

Annual renewal

Exams

SAMRA

+ SARON (70%+)

Flight Test

NONE

Administrative issuance by TC

✓Verify all CARs 401.34 / Standard 421.34 hour requirements with Transport Canada — submit a Flight Experience Report to confirm eligibility.
✓No separate ATPL flight test is required in Canada. The ATPL is issued administratively by Transport Canada once you have met all hour requirements, passed SAMRA and SARON, and hold a valid CPL with Group 1 IR and a Category 1 Medical. Your CPL flight test already satisfies the practical assessment requirement.
✓Apply to Transport Canada Civil Aviation through the MyCivil Aviation portal — submit your logbook, medical certificate, and passed exam results. Processing typically takes 2–6 weeks.
✓Obtain a Type Rating for your airline's aircraft — typically employer-sponsored and completed on a Full Flight Simulator (FFS) at an Approved Training Centre. This is separate from the ATPL issuance.

CAT 1 ANNUAL ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUANCE — NO FLIGHT TEST

After ATPL: Canadian airlines hire ATPL-holding pilots for Captain upgrades. Major Canadian carriers typically require 2,000–5,000 hours and an ATPL before Captain consideration. Your First Officer years post-1,500 hrs count toward this goal.

TRAINING ROADMAP GUIDE