"Ghazan Haider" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a few questions about private piloting (the PPL license) that I
havent seen answered anywhere. Maybe I'll learn about them during
training, but whether or not I'll train depends on these answers:

(1) Is there a central repository of rental locations other than the
yellow pages?

No official place to find that information. However, the Canadian Owners
and Pilots Association has a wealth of information that will likely be
useful to you. The web site may answer many of your questions. The main
page is he
http://www.copanational.org/non-members/index.htm

They have a directory of flight schools, which generally also offer rentals
after you get your certification:
http://www.copanational.org/non-memb...0Certified.htm

(2) After the ground training, do you have scheduled time with a
trainer regularly, or do you just call a day or two in advance to check
if the trainer is available to fly with?

It depends on what works best for you. Flight schools don't provide any
sort of class schedule the way a college might. But it is usually easy
enough to set up a recurring schedule with your instructor, if that works
best for you.

Just keep in mind that weather may affect whether you actually get to fly
each of your scheduled lessons. Your instructor should either cancel the
lesson before you make the trip to the airport or (even better) have a
ground lesson prepared to take advantage of the time not spent in an
airplane.

If you are more comfortable scheduling lessons just a few days in advance,
you can do that. Keep in mind, however, that this may well lead to less
frequent flying, which will significantly increase the time you take to
complete your training, and it may also be difficult depending on how many
airplanes are available and how busy your instructor is. Longer-term
scheduling is better, as is flying at least two or three times a week.

(3) Once the 20 hours with the trainer is complete, can you go to any
FBO, rent the airplane and fly around to complete the remaining hours?
Do you have to stick with an FBO?

There should be no requirement to complete your training with the same FBO
and/or instructor with which you started. In the US there's not, and I
doubt Canada is much different. In fact, you should not hesitate to
consider switching instructors and/or schools if you are having problems
with the one you start with.

That said, you certainly don't want to switch very often. A new school will
not allow you to solo until you have done some kind of orientation and check
flight with one of their instructors; it's highly unlikely they would accept
the previous school's solo endorsement for the purpose of allowing you to
rent an airplane. So every switch does involve a certain amount of
overhead, not even counting the time it takes for a new instructor to become
familiar with you, your learning style, and your current level of progress.

(4) Do the required 40 hours have to be in clear overcast weather or do
you get to experience windy weather/rainy/night?

"Clear overcast weather"? What's that?

Again, I don't know the Canadian regulations specifically. In the US, you
can do your training in any weather condition, as long as the instructor is
qualified to act as "pilot in command" for those conditions. Some training
in "instrument meteorological conditions" may not count toward your required
aeronautical experience, but there's no rule in the US against training in
such conditions.

Generally, however, your instructor will want to at least maintain "visual
meteorlogical conditions", and will probably avoid the worst visual
conditions, at least until you are near the end of your training. Weather
interferes with learning the basic concepts key to flying, and so it's
probably counterproductive to try to train in poor weather.

As far as what "VMC" actually is, in the US it generally means that you can
remain 500' below the clouds, and maintain 3 miles visibility. The actual
rules are much more complicated than that, and depending on what airspace
you're in, the actual conditions may be a bit worse than that, or may have
to be better than that. But it's a good starting point for you, with
respect to where you are in your training (haven't started yet).

(5) What is the difference between the recreational pilots license and
the PPL?

In the US, the recreational pilot certificate prohibits various operations
that would be permitted with a regular private pilot certificate. Most
notably, no cross-country flights beyond a relatively short distance, being
able to carry only one passenger at most, and not being permitted to fly
into certain kinds of airspace. Some of these restrictions can be removed
with further training, and of course once you have your recreational pilot
certificate, there's less work left to go ahead and get the full-blown
private.

To further complicate matters, the US has just created a new "Sport Pilot"
certificate, that is kind of like the recreational, but in some important
ways is different. I don't know whether this is relevant to Canada or not;
as far as I know, Canada doesn't offer that certificate, and I don't know
how they would treat a US pilot with that certificate.

(6) Can you fly ultralights and wing gliders with a PPL?

I assume so. In the US, no pilot certificate is required for those
aircraft, and getting the additional training doesn't take that privilege
away from you. Presumably, Canada's rules are similar.

(7) Is the PPL recognized worldwide? Can I just rent out aircraft in
Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, UK, Spain, Brazil etc?

"Just"? No. You can't even do that within Canada. Any new FBO from which
you want to rent will, just as they do for new student pilots with previous
training, want to have you fly with one of their instructors to verify your
competence as a pilot.

Going to a different country depends on each country, but generally any
country that has a pilot certificate will also have rules that dictate how
you convert another country's certificate to theirs. I have heard a wide
variety of rules, from a simple rubber-stamp, to a detailed examination.

(8) Can you also fly aircraft with floats?

No. Seaplanes require a different pilot certificate than landplanes. The
add-on is not nearly as difficult as the initial training, but it does
involve some significant new skills.

(9) I understand to fly aircraft weighing more than 12500 lbs, you have
to test for that aircraft with a trainer for a few hours. Is this also
required for lighter but multiengine or turboprop aircraft like the
Cessna 208?

I don't know off the top of my head for all airplanes. Multiengine aircraft
require a different certificate, just as seaplanes do. In the US a turboJET
[emphasis mine] powered aircraft requires a type rating (just like large
aircraft), but that doesn't apply to turboprop power aircraft like the
Cessna 208. The FAA (and so, I suppose Transport Canada) may require type
ratings for some aircraft other than large or turbojet powered ones, but
AFAIK all of the single-engine turboprop airplanes don't fall under such a
restriction in the US.

Of all the regulations in the FAA/TC book, these are some that I would not
at all be surprised to find significant differences.

(10) Will I be able to rent any airplane under 12500lbs from any FBO or
do each FBO put their own requirements (like 100 flight hours)?

Each FBO has their own requirements. This is generally driven by their
insurance carrier, but they may have other reasons as well. Generally
speaking, the smaller or slower the airplane, the fewer restrictions.

You are unlikely to be able to get anywhere close to the large aircraft
limit (12,500 pounds) without some very specialized training, and extensive
flight experience. Even airplanes in the 3000-4000 pound range won't be
within reach immediately after getting your private pilot certificate.

(11) Can I rent something to do a trans-atlantic? (after some real
x-country experience)

Possibly. It all depends on the FBO, and they will almost certainly want to
do a fair amount of hand-holding to ensure that you have properly prepared
for the flight. Trans-atlantic in small planes is never easy, and doing it
in a rental just adds to your complexity of planning.

That said, it wouldn't surprise to find an FBO that actually specializes in
such flights, especially in the Nova Scotia area for example. There is a
small, but probably solid business, in such flights.

(12) Can I take aircraft into the arctic as cold as it gets?

Flight into the Arctic involves a whole slew of other problems. It is
theoretically possible, but likely involves at least an order of magnitude
or two greater complexity and planning requirements than the trans-atlantic
flight (which is itself no walk in the park).

I would be surprised to find an FBO that allows that sort of flight, except
under very narrow and unique circumstances.

That said, keep in mind that there certainly are extensive areas in Northern
Canada where flight is possible. Flying to the North Pole is one thing;
flying near the Arctic Circle is something else, and much more likely.
Planning can still be complicated, but this is true any time a flight
extends away from populated areas.

(13) Is there a limit of the distance I can go or the number of people
or weight I can carry, or the altitude or speed beside the aircraft's
certified performance?

Sort of. In the US, you can only fly above 18,000' with an instrument
rating or a waiver from the FAA. As far as I know, waivers are generally
not given to powered aircraft (the only time I've heard of them being used
is for gliders under very specific atmospheric conditions). Also, flying an
airplane with a service ceiling higher than 25,000' requires special
high-altitude training. In addition, there are requirements for the use of
supplemental oxygen above 12,500' in the US.

As far as weight goes...if you are qualified for the weight of the airplane,
then you are permitted to fly it. Same thing with number of people.

As far as speed goes, different airspaces do have different speed
restrictions. But those restrictions are high enough that they are relevant
only for very high performance airplanes, and they don't apply to the use of
the airplane generally, just in airspace around terminal areas (that is,
near airports, or below a certain altitude).

(14) Can I fly jets? If so is anyone renting out?

In the US, not without a type rating. Canada is probably similar. Renting
a jet? Never heard of it.

(15) Can I take friends skydiving?

Don't know. I suspect that as long as you aren't getting paid, a private
pilot certificate is just fine.

(16) Are some of these questions answered in a FAQ I can just check?

Many of them can be answered by reading the pertinent regulations. This
would be a good place to start:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/re.../cars/menu.htm

Granted, it can be hard to read and find what you're looking for, when
you're not a pilot and are unfamiliar with the regulations. But that's the
authoritative source. On the bright side, I find the Canadian regulations
to be better organized than the US regulations.

The Transport Canada website probably has other useful information for you
as well. Start on the "Air" page (click on the button at the top, on their
navigation bar), and browse around.

Pete