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How I got started with my private pilots license

On final approach, wearing the headset.

Here is the account of some of the first steps taken when I set out to get my private pilots license – the PPL

Discovery Flight

Shortly after taking my Discovery Flight, I decided I was interested in pursuing the license and I was really impressed with my flight instructor  – so there was no looking back – I decided to get my started on my PPL.

Ground School – February 2010

I finally started ground school at Edmonton City Center Airport (CYXD) – after much research, deliberation and anxiety.

Was I ready to commit to learning to fly?  It’s intense, and it’s expensive.  You have to be willing to commit time and resources to this.  It’s going to require not only money, but a lot of concentration and mental resources.  You will have to study lots and be prepared to take time out of your schedule to commit to fly.  To take the flight test for PPL, Transport Canada requires that a student have 45 hours total, of which, 5 hours may be completed on a simulator. At least 17 hours must be dual instruction and you will need 12 hours solo time.  For details, check Transport Canada’s regulations.

You should budget close to $10,000 for the PPL.   It will take longer (more flying hours) the more breaks you take. So if you can, be prepared to have the finances and the time to be able to do the license as fast as possible – flying 2 to 3 times per week, if you can.  Consistency is everything when you are learning. If you are happy with your instructor, I recommend not switching instructors, and not switching airports or schools (unless you have to, like I did, during a move). I received this advice when I started, but knowing that I wouldn’t be able to commit to going regularly, foreseeing that I would likely have some breaks,  I decided to pursue it anyway.  I’ve had to take lots of breaks during my license, and I even had to switch home airports and instructors – all which cost me more training hours in the end. However, I am interested in obtaining a commercial license eventually, and am not trying to finish my PPL in minimum hours, so I decided I was okay with it. And really, once I was into to (it didn’t take long) I didn’t want to stop, I just love to fly.

I have always been infatuated with airplanes, and flight in general.  I’ve flown in bush planes several times so I had no misconceptions about how loud and old some of them were – it didn’t bother me at all.  I find all airplanes fascinating, and like most pilots, am just obsessed with flying and anything flying.

Here is the account about my first training flight

Ground School – Winter 2010

I was still in graduate school at University of Alberta when I signed up for ground school.  Ground school costs about as much as a graduate level course at the University, and you get 60 hours of instruction in various topics.

The courses are revolving and ongoing so a topic is repeated in cycles.  Each school has a different price, however generally they will be in the $500-$700 range, depending on the school and if you buy their study materials, or ground school “kit.”  You can purchase the materials yourself somewhere else, however it’s likely that you won’t save enough money from buying it elsewhere to justify the inconvenience of having to collect the materials yourself.

The fee for ground school generally gets you a year of instruction in these courses, so if you miss a course, or are away for a period of time, you can easily pick up the courses later.  It takes just over 2 months, at my school, if you’re going constantly to each class.  This means that if you missed a course, you can pick it up again in just over 2 months time, depending on the schedule for that particular school.  You can repeat as many classes as you need.  Generally for the private level the courses are in the evenings, twice a week.   This depends on the flight school for their particular schedule.   My flight school, Centennial Flight Center , offered private ground school Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 to 9 pm.

My flight school selection was fairly simple.  A year or so earlier, when I began looking at flight schools in the Edmonton area, I came across two flying out of CYXD.  The first school I contacted was Edmonton Flying Club (EFC), where I booked my very first “fam” or familiarization flight.  This is a discounted, introductory flight that is offered by every flight school so you can try out the school, see what their planes and instructors are like, and how they generally run their school to see if you feel comfortable there or not.  You will be spending a lot of time with your instructor, in that classroom and in the aircraft, and costs as well, so you want to make sure you chose carefully!   It’s an important first decision.

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Do you want to learn how to fly?

Hanging out with a Cessna 172 at CYBW

Thinking about about becoming a pilot – or want to try flying?

First, take a Familiarization (Fam) or Discovery Flight

Every flight school offers a Fam or Discovery flight, a deeply discounted first flight designed to introduce you to the basics of flying.  The instructor will do a walk around the aircraft with you, explain what does what, and then take you up for a short flight, which usually lasts 30 minutes but depends on the school. I took a Fam flight from Edmonton Flying Club, which cost me only $70, and one from the Pacific Flying Club at the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta, BC, cost roughly the same. The one from Centennial Flight Centre in Edmonton cost me $170 and lasts an hour, and I believe Springbank Air Training College charges the same.

Regardless of whether you think you want to pursue a license or not, taking a fam flight is a great idea to introduce you to the basics of flying and flight. Even if you are just curious about flying, it is highly recommended.

On the fam flight, one of the first things you should note is what type of aircraft the school uses, and what condition they are in.  The most important things you should look at are the exterior or flying surfaces of the aircraft, such as the propeller, brakes, what is the tire wear, and so on.  You may also want to take a look inside the aircraft to see what condition the interior is in.  Are the seats worn out?  Are the radios old? Certain items that are cosmetic will not make a huge difference. If you have questions about the safety or condition of the fleet, you should ask the instructor.   You should also keep in mind what plane you want to fly after you complete your license. Are you planning on purchasing a plane, or renting, or are you pursuing aviation as a career?    If it’s just for recreational purposes, is this the plane you want to rent after you have your license?   After you have your license, if you would like to rent a different aircraft, you first must go up with an instructor and learn how to operate or get a type rating on that aircraft, learn it’s particular flight characteristics to satisfy the flight school that you are able to fly it safely before they would l allow you rent it on your own.  This may take lots of flying time, (which can get expensive!) so it is important to chose the plane that you plan on flying after you are finished your license.

Diamond eclipse C1. Image courtesy of diamondda20.com
Diamond eclipse C1. Image courtesy of diamondda20.com

My first flight was in a stunning Diamond Eclipse C1 two-seater plane pictured above, which was new and very nice inside and out!   I had no idea what I wanted to fly, or what the most popular training aircraft was – that is, by the way, the Cessna 172.  The Edmonton Flying club (EFC) had a fleet of Diamond and Cessna aircraft.  The instructor I was booked with recommended that we go up in a Diamond for my first flight.  It was a great experience, I was scared out of my mind, but hooked right away.

There is also the deeper issue of what you want with the license. Do you want to fly for fun, or do you wan to do it as a career?  I have always been in love with aviation and airplanes. From the first time I flew in an airplane, which was in a LOT Airlines Boeing 767, at 6 years old, my parents took me and my brother up to view the cockpit and I knew there was something about this that would change my life.  I didn’t try flying for decades after that when I was finishing up my Master’s degree.  Once I finish my private license, I am strongly considering a commercial license and making flying a big part of my life.

Stay tuned for some advice as to what challenges to expect when making this decision, and what kind of license you can get.

I was hooked and started looking at which aircraft I should be learning how to fly on and which flight school I should go with.

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