Learn to Fly in Canada

Some of the most FAQ that we receive from prospective international students are,

How do I become a student with Principal Air?

What needs to be done in order to come to Canada to learn to fly?

How long will it take to for the application to go through?

How much should I budget for training and accommodations?

To download a program outline for  our Professional Pilot Program click here.

To download our Student Application Form click here.

Question: How much should I budget for training and accommodations and how long will the training take?

Answer: The cost from training depend on a number of factors,

• which type of license or rating you will be seeking?

• how often you plan on flying?

• how dedicated you are towards your studies?

• when in the year will you be starting?

Typically a student who trains with us on a full time basis can finish their Private Licence in 12 weeks. While a commercial license will take 6 months at the minimum. In general we recommend planning on a stay of between 1 to 2 years to complete a professional pilot program. The best time to fly in BC is from April to November although it is flyable year round. The majority of International students have some difficulty with English and generally will need some extra time on the ground to overcome this. So depending on the above questions we recommend budgeting around $20,000 to $22,000 Canadian Dollars for a private licence and $35,000 to $40,000 for a commercial licence.

Many international students also wish to take their Multi or multi with IFR. For those students we have an arrangement with an affiliate school for our student to complete their Multi IFR quickly. A multi engine endorsement cost approximately $6,000. The cost for the multi IFR endorsement is approximately $16,000 and takes 4-6 weeks.

You will also need to budget for accommodations while you are here and costs of living while in Canada. Starting in January 2024, CIC will expect international students to prove that they have at least $20,635 per year to cover cost of living expenses. The total cost from 0 time to 200 hrs Commercial will be approximately $56,500. A commercial with multi IFR will be approximately $78,000.  

Question: How do I become a student with Principal Air?

Answer: As a potential student you should spend some time on this site to research if our programs are a good fit for you. If you have any questions that you cannot find the answer to feel free to send us an e-mail. Once you are ready to apply please complete our application form and return it to you and you will be contacted with the next steps. Our application fee is $250 to review you documents and prepare you letter of acceptance.

Due to the new immigration restrictions imposed by the federal government on international students in 2024, we are only issuing LOA’s to applicants that are planning to take both the PPL and CPL programs. New applicants will also need to pre deposit their first-year fees ($30,000) and have everything else in place to apply before we will issue a letter of attestation.

The new process will be to pay the application fee for the LOA and any document needed for bank loans. Once the applicant has deposited their fees and have everything else ready to apply for the visa, they will need to notify us and we will issue the letter of attestation. It will take one letter per application attempt so if a student is refused and they want to reapply it would require two letters so I want to limit those as much as possible so we commend working with an agent or immigration specialist to help with the application process.

Question: What needs to be done in order to come to Canada to learn to fly?

Answer: What you will need to do come to Canada to study depends on which country you are a citizen of and how long you are planning to spend here. For many countries you might not need any special paper work for a stay of 6 months or less. That could be enough time to do a private pilot linence but not both a PPL and CPL. 

Stays longer than six month will require a Canadian Study Permit for which you will require a letter of acceptance from a DLI designated school such as ourselves, please contact us if you are interested in enrolling.    

Refund Policy

The following refund policy applies to the terms of this enrolment contract:

Refunds in Cases of Withdrawal or Dismissal

1.       Written Notice

a)       To initiate a refund, written notice must be provided:

1.       By a student to the institution when the student withdraws, or

2.       By the institution to the student where the institution dismisses a student.

2.       Refund Entitlement

a)       Refund entitlement is calculated based on the total fees due under the contract, less the applicable non-refundable application and or registration fee. Where total fees have not yet been collected, the institution is not responsible for refunding more than has been collected to date and a student may be required to make up for monies due under the contract.

3.       Refund policy before the start of a program:

1.       Before a program starts, students are entitled to a full refund of any deposits made to Principal Air. This also applies to international students should their visa application be rejected.

4.       Refund policy after the starting a program:

1.       For domestic students: If a student withdraws from a program, they are entitled to a refund of their remaining account balance minus a $100 administration fee.

2.       For international students:

a) If an international student withdraws, they are entitled to a refund of their remaining account balance less their enrollment fee.  

b) If an international student has been referred to Principal Air by an agency and referral fees have been paid to the agent, those fees are also non-refundable.

c) if an international student arrives in Canada and withdraws or is dismissed after the start date of their program and up to and including 10% of the hours Principal Air can retain 30% of the tuition due under the contract. The Institution must refund course materials if not provided to the student.

d) if an international student arrives in Canada and withdraws or is dismissed after the start date of their program and after more than 10%, but before 30% of instruction hours, have been provided of their hours Principal Air can retain 50% of the tuition due under the contract. The Institution must refund course materials if not provided to the student.

5.       Other Refund Policy Requirements:

a)       Where a student is deemed not to have met the institutional and/or program specific minimum requirements for admission, the institution must refund all fees paid under the contract.

b)       Refunds owing to students must be paid within thirty (30) calendar days of the institution receiving written notification of withdrawal and all required supporting documentation, or within thirty (30) calendar days of an institution’s written notice of dismissal.