Education · 1 of 5

The path

You buy the licence, then you buy the hours. There is no apprenticeship here.

1. 1

   Finish high school

   Grade 12

   Math, physics and English. Get a Transport Canada Category 1 medical exam before you spend money on training, because a condition you did not know about can disqualify you.

2. 2

   Private pilot licence

   6 to 12 months

   The first licence. Minimum age 17. Ground school plus flight training at a flight school or a college aviation program.

3. 3

   Commercial pilot licence

   1 to 2 years

   Minimum age 18 and at least 200 hours of flight time in aeroplanes, of which 100 must be as pilot in command. Add an instrument rating and a multi-engine rating to be hireable.

4. 4

   Build hours

   1 to 3 years

   Instruct, fly floatplanes, fly freight or fly small charters. Regional airlines usually want somewhere between 500 and 1,500 hours.

5. 5

   Airline transport pilot licence

   After the hours

   Minimum age 21 and more than 1,500 hours. This is the licence you need to captain an airliner.