North America · Authority: Transport Canada
54 researched schools and 110 verified programs so far. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every provider in Canada.
Province or territory:AlbertaBritish ColumbiaManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundland and LabradorNova ScotiaOntarioQuebecSaskatchewan
54 schools
Independent flight school · Grande Prairie, Fort St. John, Canada
Full-service aviation company in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Fort St. John, BC, offering discovery flights, licences and ratings, flight reviews and maintenance.
Specialist training provider · Kelowna, Canada
Kelowna operator offering floatplane and land-plane flight training, including 7-, 15- and 50-hour seaplane courses, alongside charters and sightseeing.
Independent flight school · Greenwood, Canada
Flight school and flying club at Greenwood Airport (CYZX), Nova Scotia, with rental aircraft including a Cessna 172, Tri-Pacer, a seaplane and a Twin Comanche, a Transport Canada written exam centre and a 62-week commercial pilot programme.
University flight-training unit · Delta, Abbotsford, Canada
BCIT diploma delivered with Pacific Flying Club (fixed-wing PPL at Boundary Bay) and Chinook Helicopters (rotary-wing commercial training at Abbotsford).
Independent flight school · Lloydminster, Canada
Lloydminster operator (since 1985) offering discovery flights, recreational, private and commercial pilot courses and ratings, with charter, maintenance and ground handling.
Flying club · Brantford, Canada
Flying club at Brantford Airport running recreational, private and commercial pilot training, ground schools and aircraft rental with Cessna 152/172/177 aircraft.
Flying club · Calgary, Canada
Flying club based at Springbank offering Transport Canada private pilot licence training on Cessna 172 aircraft.
Professional flight academy · Pitt Meadows, Canada
British Columbia private career college at Pitt Meadows Airport offering Private Pilot Licence and Commercial Pilot Licence programmes, instructor and multi-engine ratings, and welcoming international students.
Independent flight school · Pitt Meadows, Canada
Flight school serving the Vancouver Lower Mainland since 1979 from Pitt Meadows (main base), with campuses in Kamloops and Red Deer; offers private pilot, professional pilot and airline pilot diploma programmes, tailwheel and aerobatic training.
University flight-training unit · North Bay, Canada
One-year Ontario college certificate program leading to a Transport Canada commercial helicopter pilot licence, delivered at the college Aviation Campus.
Independent flight school · St. Andrews, Lac du Bonnet, Canada
Manitoba flight school with bases at St. Andrews and Lac du Bonnet offering fixed-wing training through the Commercial Pilot Licence, helicopter training on the Enstrom F-28, instructor rating, instrument rating and PPL/CPL ground schools.
Independent flight school · Saint-Hubert, Mirabel, Trois-Rivieres, Canada
Quebec flight school with bases in Saint-Hubert, Mirabel and Trois-Rivieres offering private pilot licence, professional (CPL) modular training, multi-engine and an integrated airline pilot collegiate programme.
Independent flight school · Sturgeon County, Canada
Flight school at Villeneuve Airport near Edmonton offering private and commercial licences, night, multi-engine, IFR and instructor ratings, with an in-house simulator.
Independent flight school · Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Canada
Quebec City-area flight school created in 2005 offering recreational, private and professional pilot training, ratings, online theory courses, aircraft rental, city tours and a one-day-pilot experience; French-language site.
Helicopter school · Abbotsford, Canada
Abbotsford school training helicopter pilots (private to commercial and instrument) and airplane pilots (private, commercial, multi-engine IFR, instructor), also a partner in the BCIT diploma.
Professional flight academy · Saint-Hubert, Canada
Quebec flight college at Saint-Hubert airport offering a college diploma in aircraft piloting with integrated ATPL, an attestation for commercial airline pilots, and private/modular pilot training.
Professional flight academy · Kingston, Canada
Kingston-based professional flight training organisation that, with CAE, delivers airline-oriented integrated ATPL training on Diamond DA20/DA40/DA42 aircraft and simulators, including airline-partnered cadet pathways.
Flying club · Debert, Canada
Flying club and flight school at Debert Airport in central Nova Scotia offering introductory flights, licence and rating training, an online ground school, a Transport Canada written exam centre, rentals and scenic tours.
Flying club · Edmonton, Canada
Flying club in Edmonton offering Transport Canada licence and rating training, including the Class 4 flight instructor rating.
Independent flight school · Lethbridge, Canada
Lethbridge flight school offering recreational, private and commercial licences, night, VFR over-the-top, multi-engine, instrument and instructor ratings, and a professional pilot programme.
Helicopter school · Okotoks, Canada
Okotoks helicopter school offering full-time and part-time commercial helicopter training and private licence training on the Robinson R44, plus mountain, external load and night ratings.
Professional flight academy · Gander, Canada
Gander, Newfoundland flight school (sister company of the charter operator EVAS Air) offering recreational, private and commercial licences, an integrated commercial diploma, advanced ratings and a youth summer programme.
Independent flight school · Kingston, Canada
Kingston, Ontario flight school and Ontario career college offering recreational, private and commercial licence training, instrument, night, VFR over-the-top and multi-engine ratings, aircraft rental and sightseeing flights.
Professional flight academy · Windsor, Canada
Flight school at Windsor International Airport offering a full-time or part-time Aviation Diploma Program from Private to Commercial Pilot with multi-engine, instrument and night ratings on Diamond aircraft, plus a University of Windsor partnership programme.
Results are listed alphabetically; there is no price ranking because prices in different currencies, price types and bases are not comparable. Schools marked Sponsored are paid placements and never change approval status or order.
Pilot licensing in Canada is federal. The Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433) require a person acting as a flight crew member to hold the appropriate permit, licence or rating and a medical certificate, and Standard 421 sets the age, knowledge, flight training and testing requirements for each. Flight training is delivered by flight training units and instructors recognised under the same regulatory framework. Students should confirm directly with a school how its programme maps onto the Transport Canada licence requirements.
Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-96-433/section-401.
Recreational pilot permit
A lower-minimum entry permit with its own age and training requirement in Standard 421.
Private pilot licence
Licence for non-commercial flying with a minimum of private pilot flight training hours, including dual and solo time.
Commercial pilot licence
Licence for professional flying, with a higher flight-time minimum and age minimum.
Names and privileges are local to Canada. Similar names in other countries are not interchangeable.
| Code | Official name | Minimum age | Regulatory minimum flight time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPP(A) | Recreational Pilot Permit - AeroplaneRecreational permit for aeroplanes with lower training minimums than the private pilot licence. | 16 | 25 hMinimum recreational pilot flight training under Standard 421.22(4). | official |
| PPL(A) | Private Pilot Licence - AeroplaneLicence allowing non-commercial flying of aeroplanes of the class or type endorsed. | 17 | 45 hMinimum private pilot flight training under Standard 421.26(4): includes 17 hours dual instruction and 12 hours solo; up to 5 hours may be in an approved simulator or flight training device. | official |
| PPL(H) | Private Pilot Licence - HelicopterLicence allowing non-commercial flying of helicopters. | 17 | 45 hMinimum private pilot flight training in helicopters under Standard 421.27(4). | official |
| CPL(A) | Commercial Pilot Licence - AeroplaneLicence for professional flying of aeroplanes. | 18 | 200 hFlight time in aeroplanes under Standard 421.30(4)(a), subject to paragraph (b), which provides for other routes (such as an approved integrated course); check the standard for details. | official |
| CPL(H) | Commercial Pilot Licence - HelicopterLicence for professional flying of helicopters. | 18 | 100 hPilot flight time in helicopters under Standard 421.31(4)(a), including a minimum of 35 hours as pilot-in-command and 10 hours cross-country pilot-in-command time. | official |
| ATPL(A) | Airline Transport Pilot Licence - AeroplaneHighest-level aeroplane pilot licence. | 21 | 1500 hTotal hours under Standard 421.34(4), including 900 hours in aeroplanes. | official |
| ME | Multi-engine Class RatingRating to fly multi-engine aeroplanes, obtained by passing a flight test. | n/p | n/pStandard 421.38(3) sets no minimum hours for a standard applicant; the flight test under Standard 428 is required. | official |
| IR-G1 | Group 1 Instrument RatingInstrument rating covering multi-engine aeroplanes where the flight test is conducted in such an aircraft. | n/p | 40 hStandard 421.46(2): 40 hours of instrument time (maximum 20 hours instrument ground time) and 50 hours pilot-in-command cross-country flight. | official |
| FI-4 | Flight Instructor Rating - Class 4 (Aeroplane)Entry-level instructor rating; prerequisites include a commercial or ATPL licence. | n/p | 200 hPrerequisite under Standard 421.69(1): 200 hours total time with 20 hours of instrument time (or an approved integrated CPL(A)/IR course), plus 30 hours of instructor-rating dual instruction under 421.69(3). | official |
A regulatory minimum is a legal floor for the qualification. It is not the number of hours most students need, and not a guarantee of cost or completion time.
Transport Canada issues aviation medical certificates under the Canadian Aviation Regulations and the personnel licensing standards. Official medical information
Languages of instruction among researched schools: English, French.
Foreign nationals planning to study flight training in Canada generally need to check immigration requirements with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), including whether the school is on the Designated Learning Institution list. This is not a guarantee of eligibility for any permit.
Training approval does not establish immigration permission or international-student eligibility. Verify current rules with the official sources above.
The Canadian Aviation Regulations include provisions for validation of foreign licences held by a licence holder from a contracting state (section 401.07) and for crediting foreign experience in the Standard 421 requirements. See the regulation text and Transport Canada for the procedure.
Country information last reviewed 16 October 2026. 3 official sources consulted.