Professional Pilot Program

The Professional Pilot Program is designed to graduate highly skilled pilots who are ready for the real world of commercial flight operations. It provides the base for continued professional specialization towards sea-plane or multi-engine IFR ratings.

The graduates of a professional program can be confident that they have the skills and the knowledge that industry requires. They can also claim to have demonstrated an ability to acquire those skills and knowledge at a comparatively rapid rate in a rigorous program. This is an ability needed by commercial air services in an industry that is a continuous learning environment.

Admission

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

To be eligible for admission, applicants must:

1. Hold a Transport Canada Category 1 Medical Certificate
2. Be at least 17 years of age
3. 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.)
4. Be proficient in both written and spoken English to the ICAO Standard Level 4 (Operational).
5. Have financial means to complete both the ground and flight instruction.

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. As part of the student authorization process, a Letter of Acceptance from the Ottawa Flight College will be required. This letter will be issued once we have received verification of eligibility and the initial refundable tuition payment plus a $150 non-refundable administration fee. For more information, see our Foreign Students page.

Advanced Standing

Applicants who already hold a Transport Canada Pilot’s License may apply for advanced standing. Such applicants will be considered on an individual basis.

Program of Study

The Professional Pilot Program is a one-year full-time program (Monday to Friday) leading to the issue of a Commercial Pilot License. Additional courses will be offered for the Multi, Multi Instrument Rating, Float endorsement and Instructor Rating. Class sizes are small which allows for a more personal teaching experience.

First Term

The first term of study consists of 12 weeks of classroom study and in-flight training towards the Private Pilot License (PPL).

Classroom topics include:

1. Theory of Flight
2. Airlaw & Airspace
3. Airframes and Engines
4. Flight Instruments
5. Meteorology
6. Flight Operations
7. Navigation & Radio Aids
8. Human Factors

Upon the recommendation of an instructor, at the end of this session, the student will be required to pass both a written exam and flight test administered by Transport Canada. Successful completion of these tests will qualify the candidate to be issued a Private Pilot Licence - Aeroplane.

Second Term

The second term of study consists of approximately 15 weeks of classroom study and in-flight training towards the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).

In addition to all the above subjects the following additional topics will be covered:

1. Standards and Procedures for Air Carriers using Small Aeroplanes
2. Principles of Turbine Engines
3. Crew Resource Management
4. Standard Operating Procedures
5. Pilot Decision Making
6. Resumes, Interviews and Networking for your Aviation Career

Upon the recommendation of an instructor, at the end of this session, the candidate will be required to pass both a written exam and flight test administered by Transport Canada. Successful completion of these tests will qualify the candidate to be issued a Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane.

Third Term

The third term of study consists of 22 weeks of classroom study towards the Multi-Engine endorsement and Multi-Instrument endorsement (M-IFR). In flight training is optional but the classroom portion will be covered.

Classroom topics include:

1. Night Flying
2. Aircraft & Runway Icing Considerations
3. Aircraft Systems
4. Aircraft Type Ratings
5. Multi Engine Flying
6. Radio Aids
7. Air Law & IFR Flight Procedures
8. IFR Flight Operations and Planning
9. Advanced Meteorology

Upon the recommendation of an instructor, at the end of this session, the candidate will be required to pass a written exam administered by Transport Canada. If the candidate has chosen to do the flight training portion for the Multi, Multi IFR a flight test will also be administered.

Graduation

Students graduate from the program when they have received letters of recommendation for both the written examination and the flight test.

Graduates are issued a certificate for each license and rating achieved and on completion of the Professional Pilot Program.

Each May at the annual Wings Dinner, successful graduates are celebrated. 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 Professional Pilot Program can be found on the Fees page. Actual expenses can vary greatly with each student and be affected by individual abilities, efforts and the choice of endorsements pursued.