Commercial Pilot License

A Commercial Pilot License is required before you can work for hire. It is a necessary license for any professional pilot and the basis for most other advanced training.

The Ottawa Flight College Commercial Pilot License program is designed to prepare pilots for the Transport Canada written and flight examinations for the Commercial Pilot License. We also ensure that during your Commercial Pilot Training you achieve the key requirements to receive a Group 1 Instrument Rating (Multi-IFR). This includes 25 hours of instrument time, of which 15 hours will be taught by an instructor holding a current group 1 IFR rating, and 50 hours of solo cross country time which can be applied towards the Multi-IFR program requirements.

The training includes an 80 hour ground school, held twice weekly at night over a four month period, and a minimum of 30 hours of supervised solo flight and 35 hours of dual flight. You will also spend several hours in the simulator honing your skills. On top of the training, you will require sufficient experience, called build-up-time, to reach 200 hours total time before you can get your CPL.

Admission

Qualified applicants are accepted on a firstcome firstserved basis. An application form must be submitted in writing to the Chief Flying Instructor. The Ottawa Flight College reserves the right to accept or decline any application to the Commercial Pilot License Program.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must:

1. Hold a Transport Canada Category 1 Medical Certificate
2. Hold a Transport Canada Private Pilot License
3. Be at least 18 years of age
4. Have a Canadian grade 12 diploma or equivalent (Candidates not holding a grade 12 diploma can be considered as a mature applicant provided they are at least 19 years of age and have been out of school for at least one year.)
5. Be proficient in both written and spoken English to the ICAO Level 4 standard (operational) for Aviation Language.
6. Have financial means to complete both the ground and flight instruction.

As the Commercial Pilot License Program is vocational training and falls under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 (PCCA), accepted applicants are required to sign a Student Contract with the Ottawa Flight College and provide additional information which the College is required to report on to the Ministry Training Colleges and Universities.

Foreign Students

Applicants who are not of Canadian citizenship, a permanent resident of Canada or a dependent of a diplomat accredited to Canada must get a student authorization. Contact your nearest Canadian embassy for details. For more information, see our Foreign Students page.

Program of Study

The Commercial Pilot License Program includes a ground school and flight training that leads to the issue of a Commercial Pilot License. The ground schools are generally run once a year in the spring but can be scheduled at other times if there is sufficient enrollment. Class sizes are small which allows for a more personal teaching experience. The flight training can be performed with as much intensity as the student desires. The program can be individually tailored to full-time or part-time study.

Classroom Training

The ground school portion of the program consists of approximately 15 weeks of classroom study. The in-flight training can be performed concurrently or as the student's schedule permits.

Classroom topics include:

1. Canadian Aviation Regulations,
2. aerodynamics and theory of flight,
3. meteorology,
4. airframes, engines and systems,
5. flight instruments,
6. radio and electronic theory,
7. navigation,
8. flight operations,
9. licensing requirements, and
10. human factors including pilot decision-making.

Flight Training

The flight training portion of the Commercial Pilot License Program will build the students experience to a minimum of 200 hours total flight time in aeroplanes, with a minimum of 100 hours as pilot-in-command and 20 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command flight time. The flight training portion of the program covers a minimum of 65 hours consisting of

• 35 hours dual instruction flight time including
• 5 hours night, including a minimum of 2 hours of cross-country flight time;
• 5 hours cross-country, which may include the cross-country night experience mentioned above; and
• 20 hours of instrument flight time. A maximum 10 hours of the 20 hours may be conducted on our simulator.
• 30 hours solo flight time including:
• 25 hours solo flight time emphasizing the improvement of general flying skills including a cross-country flight to a point on a minimum of 300 nautical mile radius from the point of departure and a minimum of 3 landings at points other than that of departure; and
• 5 hours solo flight time by night during which a minimum of 10 takeoffs, circuits and landings were completed.

The 65 hours of dual and solo flight training cannot be included in flight time prior to the Private Pilot License. If a student pilot has achieved a Private Pilot License with 70 hours total time at the start of the Commercial Pilot License Program, the flight training portion of the program will add 65 hours. The student will have to build 65 hours of additional experience to reach the 200 hours of total time minimum requirement.

For holders of a Private Pilot License that have meet the solo experience requirements, this solo time can be counted towards the Commercial Pilot License if the log-book is certified correct by an approved Flight Training Unit. For example, a pilot with a Private Pilot License and 700 hours of total flight time completed a Night Rating at another school and flew a private aircraft across North America for a few years. In his logbook, the night flying experience is certified by the school but the cross countries aren't. The pilot will have to complete 30 hours of dual flight time, including three hours of dual cross country time and 20 hours of instrument training, and 25 hours of supervised solo flight. No additional experience building will be required.

Graduation

Each May at the annual Wings Dinner, a graduation certificate is issued to each candidate who completes the Commercial Pilot License Program. Also the Chief Flying Instructor’s award is presented to the candidate with the highest academic performance for their written and flight skills.

Fees

Fees for the Commercial Pilot License Program will vary depending on the individual pilots level of experience. The following table calculates the fees for a typical student.