DISCOVERY WEST AVIATION, INC. ALL RIGHT RESERVED 2006 BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA , FLIGHT TRAINING & ADVENTURE
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DISCOVERY WEST AVIATION, INC. ALL RIGHT RESERVED 2006 BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA , FLIGHT TRAINING & ADVENTURE |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FOR PRIVATE PILOTS - ADVANCING YOUR TRAINING RENTING AIRCRAFT AND RESOURCES FOR LICENSED PILOTS
FOR NEW AND STUDENT PILOTS How long is an Introductory Flight Lesson, and what does it consist of?An "Intro" or Familiarization Flight Lesson is usually approximately half an hour (0.4-0.6 hours). Normally, this lesson is designed to show you what it's like to fly an aircraft yourself, and as a result you get to do almost all the flying (under careful supervision of your instructor, of course). We even let you take off, and you get to sit in the pilot's seat! Does an Introductory Flight count towards my licence?Yes, it most certainly does! The Intro is usually the first logged flight in any pilot's logbook. Your flight training is broken down into one of three things: preparatory classroom instruction for the flight portion, the actual flight lessons, and the academic evening groundschool. First, the preparatory instruction and flight lessons go hand-in-hand (i.e. you will receive the prep instruction before you fly, then you head out to the plane and fly the lesson you just learned). Because this training is mostly one-on-one with your instructor, you set the booking times to fit your own schedule. The evening groundschool course is about 8-9 weeks long, running twice a week in the evenings. Unlike the flying portion where you can set your own schedule, the dates of these courses are set in advance. You need to attend the groundschool before you can earn your licence, but you do not need to complete it in advance of the flying lessons. Rather, we find that taking the two simultaneously works the best. The groundschool consists of 10 individual subjects which are tested at the end in the form of a Transport Canada written exam. Your groundschool already started but I want to start flying now! Is it too late to join in?? Yes, as long as you start at the beginning of a new subject (i.e. starting halfway through the Navigation or Meteorology is not recommended, as the material being covered will be based on the previous evenings). Most subjects are between 2 and 4 nights long, and some are only one night. How much do your planes and instructors cost per hour? Click here for information about rental rates. What's included in your quoted prices? We here at Discovery West Aviation want you to know all the facts about your flight training before you start. We quote a price for a licence or rating based on Transport Canada's minimums, then we add in all the government fees you will expect to have to pay so there's no surprises, calculate all the average times for aircraft rental, instructor time and simulator time if applicable, and add it all together. The only thing our quotes do NOT include is applicable tax (see "Tax" question below). Keep in mind: the hours we use to calculate are variable depending on the student's availability to fly, weather considerations, and aircraft availability, to name a few. Click here for more information about the cost of our offered courses. What's the deal with sales tax and income tax deductions? Here's one of the most frequent questions we get asked about renting aircraft or flight training. Well, here's the answer!
As an accredited Private Post-Secondary Education Commission (PPSEC) school, we issue a tuition fee certificate at the end of each year for your income tax return. The Private License alone is NOT tax-deductible, but when you commence Commercial training, the entire cost of your Private License becomes deductible. Call us for more details. Of course you can change instructors at any time; we consider our cadre of instructors to be among the best on Vancouver Island, and we want you to have the most fun with your training while becoming the best pilot you can be. If at ANY time you do not feel you are getting the most from your flight training, ask for a consultation with the Chief Flight Instructor. Is there anywhere I can find additional study materials to help me prepare for my upcoming exams? For our students' convenience, we have put together a page with links to hard-to-find information such as Transport Canada reference documents, the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), and FREE Online Exam websites that we have found the most useful for pilots of all experience levels. Click here to go to our Pilot Resources page. If you do not find what you are looking for, do not hesitate to e-mail us. FOR PRIVATE PILOTS - ADVANCING YOUR TRAINING I've earned my Private Licence! What should I do now? Congratulations, you have become a pilot! The next phase is the most exciting yet and we want to help you achieve whatever you want to do in aviation. Assuming you are interested in a career path as a pilot, there are several phases of training still to come. However, the first step down the path is usually a course called the Night Rating. This 15 hour course enables you to fly in hours of darkness, allowing you greater freedom and ability to travel greater distances without being restricted by having to land before night falls. Following the Night Rating, we usually recommend that you start renting a plane and going places! Doesn't matter where, just go places you've never been before, experience what it's really like to be a pilot in command of your own airplane. This builds your confidence with the machine and begins developing a trust in your new-found abilities. Once you pass somewhere around the 100-hour mark in your logbook, you might start thinking about advancing your training again. You might choose to see what it's like to be a West Coast Bush Pilot by trying a Mountain & bush course, seaplane training ,or you might be interested in seeing what life an airliner captain leads, so you get your Multi-Engine Rating and learn how to fly in the clouds with an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Rating. Or you might be thinking that sharing all the great things you've learned by becoming a flight instructor yourself after completing your license could be a rewarding and fun job. However you combine the courses that are available, once you have earned 200 hours of flying time in combination with a written exam and a flight test, you are a Commercial Pilot! Call us at 1-(250) 923-6233 or e-mail us for the full details or if you are interested in a career briefing, where one of our highly experienced instructors can assist you in answering your questions, outlining the next steps, and helping you decide on a career path that best suits your desires and goals in aviation. Should I complete my Commercial License first, then continue on to additional endorsements? Think of your Commercial License as an empty glass... you need to fill the glass with 200 hours, some of which you already have from your Private License. Within certain Transport Canada boundaries, there are few limits on how, where or what aircraft you acquire the remaining hours. If you plan to continue on to other ratings, such as the Multi-Engine, Seaplane, Night, etc., we do recommend taking those ratings during the 200-hour period leading up to the Commercial Pilot's License. For example, let's say you are thinking about taking a mountain endorsement, which is approximately 15 hours. You could simply hire an instructor and complete those needed 15 hours on ordinary training, but the mountain course makes a much more productive use of those 15 hours, earning you a new endorsement and a whole set of new skills & experiences, while having a lot of fun in the process. At the completion of your license, you will find you have saved money by replacing one set of hours with another that has a more productive outcome. Try to make every hour of those 200 count towards a specific learning objective. RENTING AND RESOURCES FOR LICENSED PILOTS Describe your fleet of aircraft. Presently, we have Cessna 150, 172 and 182. This summer, we plan to add more Cessna 172's to our fleet for the busy season. As part of our company expansion, we are also looking into a twin-engine aircraft for the Campbell River base to develop our Multi-Engine IFR division of training and charters. We are always looking for your feedback and your opinion is important to us... please let us know what you would like to see here at Discovery West Aviation ! I am a licensed pilot. What steps do I need to take to rent one of your planes? We will require a short flight with an instructor, but we will evaluate each prospective renter's needs individually, based on past experience both with the aircraft type and the region, currency of experience, etc. A short type exam will be required for your file and you will have to sign a rental policy. You can complete these forms in advance by clicking here. What's the story with renting for a longer trip? We would like to see at least 3 hours of Flight Time (engine start to engine stop) per weekday when planning on being gone more than 24 hours, and 5 hours per day on weekends. This is to reduce lost revenue on the aircraft during busier times. If aircraft availability is good, this rule may be flexible. Is there "block" discount rental time available for purchase? Click here for information about rental rates. For further information :Phone: (250) 923-6233
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