Commercial Pilot Licence

The Pre-Requisites to Start the Commercial Pilot Licence:

• Already have a Private Pilot Licence (we do that!)
• Be a minimum of 17 years old
• Have a valid Category 1 Aviation Medical (you can actually start training with a Category 3 medical, but you will want to get a Category 1 as soon as possible in order to minimize delays in your training).

The Requirements to Complete the Commercial Pilot Licence:

• Be a minimum of 18 years old
• Have a valid Category 1 Aviation Medical
• Complete the required Groundschool and Flight Training
• Successfully complete a Written Exam and Flight Test

Link to the Canadian Aviation Regulations for the Commercial Pilot Licence.

Groundschool for the Commercial Pilot Licence can be In-Class or Online.

OSFS does not currently offer an inclass groundschool for the CPL program, however we do recommmend an online option from Canadian Flight Trainers.

CPL Groundschool involves a minimum of 80 hours of content including:

• Canadian Aviation Regulations
• Aerodynamics and Theory of Flight
• Meteorology
• Airframes, Engines and Systems
• Flight Instruments
• Radio and Electronic Theory
• Navigation
• Flight Operations
• Licencing Requirements
• Human Factors including Pilot Decision Making

The Flight Training and Experience Required for a Commercial Pilot Licence are as follows:

In order to obtain a Commercial Pilot Licence you need a total of 200 hours of flying, of which 100 hours shall be Pilot in Command Time including 20 hours of Cross Country flying as outlined in the Canadian Aviation Regulations.  When you commence the CPL training, you may  already have some of this flying experience, so we can work with you to determine exactly what you need to meet the standard.

Following the issuance of your Private Pilot Licence, the minimum flight training experience required for the Commercial Pilot Licence is 65 hours, outlined as follows:

• • 35 Hours Dual which must include
    • 5 hours night (including 2 hours of night cross country)
    • 5 hours cross country (you can count the 2 hours from the night cross country)
    • 20 hours instrument flight time (you can do 10 of these hours in our simulator and save $$$)
  • 30 Hours Solo which must include
    • 5 hours night (including 10 takeoffs and landings)
    • 300 nm cross country (this is a radius from the point of departure, and you have to stop at 3 other airports along this trip)

Students can expect more than 35 Hours of Dual to reach the standard for the Commercial Pilot Licence.  You can see an out line of the training program hours below in the Hours and Cost Estimate.

In order to complete the Commercial Pilot Licence you must also complete:

• Commercial Pilot Written Exam (CPAER).
  • The exam is a 3 ½ hour, multiple choice type exam with 100 questions.
  • The pass mark is 60%.
  • Currently these exams are available in Toronto and Hamilton.

• Commercial Pilot Flight Test (With a designated Transport Canada Flight Test Examiner)
  • The flight test is undertaken at the Owen Sound Airport

Hours and Cost Estimate based on the breakdown of hours as outlined in our program.

The total cost to complete the program is heavily dependent on student performance and the total hours it takes to reach the level of proficiency required to complete the program.  The following breakdown assumes students complete the course in the projected timeline starting from zero and completing the entire course at OSFS.  Students coming to us with various levels of flight experience can be given a custom estimate based on their hours and final costs will vary based on overall performance.

See this link for our latest Hours and Cost Estimate for the Commercial Pilot Licence Program.

Q.  What is the Career College Admin fee?

• In the cost estimate you will see a Career College Admin fee.  This is not a simple money grab for aspiring Commercial Pilots, but rather an unfortunate necessity for us to viably offer the CPL Program.  Did you know it costs us over $10,000 each year in administrative fees just to simply offer the CPL program?  Historically, flight schools have always been able to offer CPL training under their Transport Canada operating certificate, however in 2005 the Ontario government decided they wanted to further regulate this industry Provincially, despite already being regulated Federally by T.C.  As a result they introduced the requirement for Flight Schools to become a Career College in order to offer the CPL program, registered under the Career Colleges act 2005.  With that accreditation comes annual fees and expenses that add up significantly, and in order to offset the cost of offering Commercial Pilot Training, we need everyone to help contribute to make this program viable.

Q.  How long does it take to get a Commercial Pilot Licence?

• There are a number of factors affecting the timeline to get a CPL, some of which have been addressed in the content on this page.  If you are starting from scratch and have average or greater hands and feet skill in the airplane and a strong aptitude for the knowledge needed to pass the Written Exam, it’s not unreasonable to complete the CPL program in under 18 months.

Q.  Do I need to be 18 in order to start the CPL course?

• No, you need to be 18 in order to finish the course.  You can get a Private Pilot Licence at 17, so you could start your CPL training as soon as you complete the Private Pilot Licence course.

Q.  Can I carry a passenger for some of the 100 hours PIC “Experience” requirement, and 20 hours PIC cross-country “Experience” requirement of 421.30(4)(a)(i)?

• Yes, absolutely, even if the passenger is a licenced pilot, no problem. The key is that it is an “Experience” requirement and not a “Flight Training” requirement, which is looked at differently as described below.

Q.  Can I carry a passenger while I am PIC, for some of the 30 hours solo post-PPL “Flight Training” requirement of 421.30(4)(a)(ii)(B)?

• No, this is not allowed, because this 30 hours solo is a “Flight Training” requirement, and CAR 401.26(c)(i)(B) says that no passenger may be carried for solo training.  If a passenger was allowed, an experienced licenced pilot could be the passenger, which would make it too easy for the CPL student.  Within that 30 hours you will be doing 5 hours of solo night flying and approximately 8 hours to complete the 300nm cross country.  The remaining 15-20 hours of solo flight training is going to be spent practicing airwork, low level navigation and specialty take offs and landings, you would not benefit from having the distractions of friends and family on those flights anyway.  Save the passenger flights to make up the remainder of the 100 PIC and 20 hours Cross Country PIC Experience requirement.

Q.  Can I carry a passenger on my 300 NM Cross Country?

• No, this is not allowed, for the same reason as stated above.  The 300nm Cross Country is part of the 30 hours of Flight Training, and therefore is subject to the privileges and limitations outlined in CAR 401.26(c)(i)(B).

Q.  For the 300 nm cross-country flight, what does “radius” mean, and can I stop to refuel, and is it OK if I make only one stop on the outbound leg and one other stop on the return leg?

• This requirement means that you have to fly from a departure airport to ‘a point’ which is at least 300 nm away, in a straight line (great circle distance) and you have to make 3 landings away from the departure airport. 
• Normally the point you fly to is a destination airport, and the landing there will count as one of the 3 landings.  This is a one-way flight requirement, not there and back so the airports you land at should be on the way to the destination. 
• CAR 421 says this is “a cross-country flight” which implies one leg, however it is acceptable to stop to refuel, which actually makes it 2 or 3 legs or “flights” by definition. 
• The intermediate landings should be full-stop landings (although the CARs don’t say so); there is no requirement to get a stamp in your logbook at every landing location, but you should be able to provide proof that you landed at each place (a photo on the ground, or a GPS record). 
• We have calculated multiple cross country scenarios that meet the CARs, not all of them originate from CYOS.  The 300nm cross country will be one of your most memorable experiences in your training to be a Commercial Pilot, don’t think about how to do the minimum, but consider this an experience you want to plan.  There are options to take the aircraft overnight and make it a multi day trip, so have fun with it!

Q.  I have a night rating endorsed on my PPL, does the night rating dual and solo night time and instrument time also count for the CPL?

• Yes, absolutely.   CAR 421.30 requires 65 hours of ‘commercial pilot flight training’ but any flight training for the night rating does count for the CPL. You can think of the night rating as CPL training that is not yet complete. 

Q.  Does all the 100 hours PIC experience requirement, and 20 hours PIC cross-country requirement of 421.30(4)(a)(i) have to be flown in OSFS planes?

• The current answer is yes.   Technically it does not, however we are presently not accepting Commercial Pilot Applicants that are not enrolled in our CPL Program from start to finish.  This may change due to availability, and as such this FAQ answer will be updated.

Q.  Does all of the 30 hours solo post-PPL experience requirement of 421.30(4)(a)(ii)(B) have to be flown in OSFS planes? 

• The current answer is yes.  Technically it does not, however we are presently not accepting Commercial Pilot Applicants that are not enrolled in our CPL Program from start to finish.  This may change due to availability, and as such this FAQ answer will be updated.

Q.  Does OSFS offer an approved integrated course for the CPL, as specified in CAR 426.75? 

• No, not at this time.