Welcome to the world of ultralight aviation or “aviation 101” as we like to call it. The Pilot Permit – Ultralight Aeroplane is the easiest and least expensive of all the flight permits and licenses to acquire. This course is made easy by the relaxed atmosphere, scheduling and minimum requirements set forth by Transport Canada.
4 Steps to Successful Flight Training
Step 1 The “Discovery Flight”. There are no prerequisites or requirements to enjoy this initial flight. This familiarization flight is designed to introduce you to the joys of ultralight flying while accompanied by a certified flight instructor. There is no need for any special clothing or equipment (except your camera), our aircraft are cool in the summer and heated in the winter. You will be offered a chance to take control of the aircraft during this flight and you will also have an opportunity to ask all the questions you can think about while enjoying the amazing scenery of the Cowichan Valley and Gulf Islands from the air.
Step 2 Time to sign up. There will be a little paper work to accomplish this and of course some money will be required. The deposit required is $625.00 plus GST which pays for your entire ground school and all the books required. This is a one time fee which means you may attend as many initial ground school courses as you like at no extra charge! The application will take about 15 minutes for you to complete and it consists of the usual requirements such as name, Address, contact numbers, etc.
You may now start your flying (Step 3) any time your ready.
Transport Canada also requires a few items to prove who you are (Proof of Citizenship) and how old you are (Proof of Age). You will also be required to complete a medical declaration form. (Proof of Medical)
.…..see age and medical requirements below
Step 3 The flying. You (and the weather) are in control of setting the flight schedule. You may fly any time you want providing the weather is acceptable, no winds above 20 KPH and no heavy rain. We are open 7 days per week to accept your bookings. Your initial flight lessons will be approximately 1 hour of duration. This time frame will expand up to 1 1/2 hrs as your training progresses. You may choose to fly once a week initially and increase this to twice a week as you progress, the choice is entirely up to you. We also have a variety of payment methods. We except most major credit cards, personal cheques and cash. You may elect to pre-pay on your Account or pay as you go.
Some of the skills you will learn:
| pre-flight inspection | slow flight |
| taxiing and ground handling | side-slipping and turns |
| take-off and landings | stalls and spirals |
| straight and level flight | navigation |
| climbing and descending | radio procedures |
Step 4 The ground school. This portion of your training may be attended any time you desire. It is not necessary to complete your ground school before you start flying. This “Live” online presentation will be held on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 pm to 9 pm for 6 weeks utilizing zoom.us. You will be able to interact with the instructors and fellow students. This ground school course is offered several times each year
Topics include:
| aeronautics (theory of flight) | weight and balance |
| airframe, engines, maintenance | licensing requirements |
| air law and regulations | radio procedures |
| air traffic rules and procedures | navigation |
| meteorology | human factors & pilot decision making |
| air traffic services | flight operations |
| emergency procedures | airmanship |
Age & Medical
Age Requirements:
Student Pilot Permit-Ultralight Aeroplane minimum age – 14 years
Pilot Permit-Ultralight Aeroplane minimum age – 16 years
Instructors Rating-Ultralight Aeroplane minimum age – 18 years
Note: There is NO maximum age.
Proof of Medical
Pilot Permit-Ultralight Aeroplane
A medical declaration is required for the Pilot Permit-Ultralight Aeroplane. This medical is a simple “self declared”, Category 4, Civil Aviation Medical Declaration (Form 26-0297) with Part B completed by the applicant, which means that you (the applicant), read, complete and acknowledge that all is correct and is signed by you. The medical validity period for a Student Pilot Permit shall be 60 months.
Passenger Carrying Endorsement
Same Category 4 medical form as above except Part B completed by the applicant and Part C completed by a physician licensed to practice in Canada.
In the event that an applicant can not complete the form due to a medical condition that may be in question, then the applicant must be examined by a designated Transport Canada Medical Examiner.
Additional Courses Available
Passenger Carrying Rating – Ultralight Aeroplane – Now that you have your ultralight permit, you’re going to want to share it with someone in your life. To carry a passenger, you are required to complete additional flight training and a flight test. This course will enhance your current capabilities and prepare you for these Transport Canada requirements. You can expect an additional 3 to 5 hours of dual instruction in this phase of your flight training.
Advanced and Recurrency – Ultralight Aeroplane – Been away from the cockpit for a bit? Don’t feel that you have a complete grasp on one particular aspect of flying? We will create a custom training regime to fit your particular needs, anything from a quick once or twice around the circuit, to an intense re-training program, just let us know what you need and we’ll get you going.
Mountain Course – Ultralight Aeroplane – We live and fly here in beautiful British Columbia, if you plan to venture more than a quick hop outside of the circuit, there are things you need to learn about flying in the mountains. We’ll delve more into mountain wave activity, and about how to see and avoid the hidden dangers associated with sudden weather caused by the terrain we fly in every day here on the “wet coast”. This course includes a textbook designed as “the resource” for mountain flying education. Not restricted to only classroom time, we’ll take you flying on both local and cross-country flights showing you first hand how to prepare and fly properly in the mountains. This course involve 5 hours of ground school and typically takes 3-5 hours of flight training.
Instructor Rating – Ultralight Aeroplane – Do you feel that you want to impart the joy of flying to others? As more and more folks learn how much fun it is to fly, and how inexpensive flying an ultralight can be, they are needing qualified flight instructor to teach them how to take to the air. We’ve put together a top-notch flight instructor course that involves both ground school and flight training that will get you to the level you need to pass down your piloting skill to the fresh pilot of tomorrow.
Conventional Pilot checkout – Have a licence already, but have been thinking of flying ultralights? It’s not as easy as “hopping in and learning as you go”. Ultralights can fly different that the heavier plane you may have learned on. We use different engines that have their own unique requirements, and you need to learn how to fly in a different flight envelope than you may be used to. Many pilots aren’t used to knowing as much about their plane and engine as an ultralight pilot does, and we’ll take you through that learning curve using your existing knowledge as a starting point. Once you try it, we’re confident that you’ll love the world of “low and slow”. Transport Canada has a clearly defined set of requirements laid out for the transition of pilots from certified aircraft to ultralights, and we’ll take you through those steps flying off the necessary time with you while you learn the joy that this kind of flying can bring.
Off Airport Training – In British Columbia, there are 500 airports in the CFS, half of which are unpaved. Add to that all those little strips you see pass under your wing on those cross country excursions. Would you feel comfortable landing on one of those in less than ideal situations? Here’s an opportunity to get into these with a plan ahead of time. We’ll take to you into (and out of) various strips around our airport using various techniques to help you hone your skills as a pilot. You may never plan to land in one of these, but if weather sneaks up on you like it is known to do, you’ll have a lot more options to land and wait it out. We’ll concentrate on soft and short field techniques, more intense crosswind practice, and how to “read” a field properly before setting down on it. This course typically lasts 3-5 hours in the air, and expect longer than normal briefings before heading out.