Privileges of a Recreational Pilot Permit

The RECREATIONAL PILOT PERMIT (RPP) allows you to fly recreationally (not-for-hire-or-reward), with strict limitations.

You are restricted to Daytime Flight Only.

You may fly with Only One Passenger.

You may fly a Canadian Registered airplane with a Maximum of 4 seats (four-place airplane).

You cannot add any Ratings to your Recreational Pilot Permit, such as Night, VFR Over-the-Top, or Multi-Engine.

It is easy to upgrade from a Recreational Pilot Permit to a Private Pilot Permit, but most Pilots skip the RPP completely and make the Private Pilot Licence their first step into Flight.

Prerequisites of a Recreational Pilot Permit

In order to enroll in a RECREATIONAL PILOT Training Program, you must meet the following prerequisites:

1. You must be at least 16 years of age. (Your training can begin and end prior to your 16th Birthday, but you will not qualify to hold the Permit until you turn 16.

2. Class 1, 3 or 4 Aviation Medical certificate. (Note: Class 1 and Class 3 are obtained by examination by a Canadian Aviation Medical Examiner. A Class 4 medical certification is obtained by having your Family Doctor fill out the medical declaration form with you.

Requirements of a Recreational Pilot Permit

In order to qualify for a RECREATIONAL PILOT PERMIT (RPP), you must achieve the following:

1. A minimum of 25 hours of Flight Training, including:

A minimum of 15 hours of Dual Flight Instruction, and

A minimum of 5 hours of Solo Flight.

2. You must pass the Transport Canada Recreational Pilot Written Examination.

3. You must be recommended by a Flying Instructor for a Flight Examination.

4. You must pass the Transport Canada Recreational Pilot Flight Examination.

(You will need to obtain a Student Pilot Kit, which includes all of the training

resources and navigation / planning tools required to complete your Ground and Air training exercises.)

Recreational Pilot Program - Ground School

Ground School is where we learn the theory and information required to conduct safe and efficient flying as a Pilot, and to prepare you for your written examinations.

Although Ground School is not required under the Canadian Aviation Regulations, in order to obtain a Recreational Pilot Permit, you must pass the Transport Canada written examination. Therefore, we recommend that if you are going to pursue your RPP, you should enroll in the Private Pilot Ground School program, which meet the requirement for the Private Pilot Licence, later, should you wish to pursue the PPL at a later date.

Ground School is conducted primarily ONLINE, with weekly live video training sessions provided by one of our certified Flying Instructors. You can choose to attend the video training sessions, or you may choose to complete your Ground School by yourself, in a self-paced home study format, or any mix of group sessions and self-study.

The topics that will be covered in Ground School are:

Aerodynamics
Theory of Flight
Meteorology
Airframes, Engines & Systems
Flight Instruments
Radio & Electronic Theory
Navigation
Flight Operations
Licencing Requirements
Human Factors
Pilot Decision Making
Instrument Procedures
and More!

Recreational Pilot Program - Duration & Cost

Each Student Pilot is able to determine their own pace, so that your Pilot Training fits your schedule and your financial plan.

A Recreational Pilot Permit can be achieved in as little as 3 weeks, if you are able to engage in your training on a "full-time" basis, studying and flying 5 to 7 days per week.

If you choose to train on a "part-time" schedule, your Recreational Pilot Training Program may take two or more months to complete, depending on how much time you commit to your training and how frequently you fly.

The Total Cost of your Recreational Pilot Training Program will depend on how consistently you fly and study the training material. The longer the period between training sessions, the more "ground" you will have to catch up, in terms of relearning some of the information, and re-developing your skills. Piloting is a "perishable" skillset, and in order to get the best "bang for your buck", we recommend flying as often as you can each week.

Having said that, we are able to accommodate whatever training rhythm you choose. This is YOUR experience, and we want you to ENJOY IT!

If you are able to acquire the skills and knowledge in the minimum required hours, you should anticipate a total cost in the area of $7,000 CAD. If you are closer to the national average, you should budget around $9,000 CAD.

We will do our best to advise & support you along the way, so that you can optimize your training experience.