Commercial Pilot Licence 

The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) course is designed to provide a private pilot with the additional knowledge and skills to assure the traveling public of safe and efficient air transportation. The minimum age for issue of a Commercial Pilot Licence is 18 years.

The Commercial Pilot course itself consists of 35 hours dual instruction time, plus 30 hours solo flight time. The dual time includes 5 hours night, 5 hours cross-country, and 20 hours instrument training. The solo time must include a flight to a point at least 300 nautical miles from the point of departure, as well as 5 hours night flying. At the completion of the course, the candidate must have a grand total of 200 hours flight time, with at least 100 hours Pilot-In-Command (PIC).

The candidate will be required to demonstrate an appropriate level of skill and ability through a flight test given by a Transport Canada examiner, or a person designated by Transport Canada. The flight test requirements and standards are specified in the Flight Test Guide.

There is also a requirement for an essential level of knowledge, which will be met through a course of ground school, which shall be not less than 40 hours. The syllabus and course content are specified in the Study and Reference Guide.

There are certain medical standards which must be met in order to make sure the pilot is healthy enough to be entrusted with the operation of the aircraft. These are met through an examination by a Designated Medical Examiner.

The Examiners in the Comox Valley are:

For those who live outside the Comox Valley, please click here to view a list of Civil Aviation Medical Examiners in your area.

The Commercial Pilot Licence can be undertaken in a variety of ways. The usual way is to achieve a Private Pilot Licence first, then accumulate some general flying experience on your own, followed by the Commercial Course. You will need a total of 200 hrs total before the licence can be issued. Some people will begin their Commercial flight training soon after the Private Licence, and then continue flying after the Commercial training until the total time is accumulated. Besides the 65 hrs flight training that is dedicated to the Commercial course, prospective Commercial students have a variety of options to complete the remainder of their flying experience to reach 200 hrs. Some options include completing a float rating, multi-engine rating, or even an instrument rating. 

For more information about becoming a Commercial Pilot, please click here

To assist those who wish to follow a career in Professional Aviation, the following cost breakdown is provided. While prices may vary somewhat due to individual skill differences & the price of fuel the overall cost to Commercial standard should be fairly accurate.


Private Pilot Licence & Commercial Course (without Float)