I put in a request to TC under the freedom of information legislation for the average number of flight hours reported by student pilots at the point at which they undertook their flight test. For all years for which data is available.
Averaged over all TC regions, the results are as follows:
2000: 67.4
2001: 67.3
2002: 68.2
2003: 67.6
2004: 69.2
2005: 69.2
2006: 70.4
2007: 70.8
2008: 72.4
2009: 73.1
2010: 73.4
2011: 73.8
2012: 71.1
2013: 70.8
2014: 71.0
2015: 71.0
2016: 71.1
Draw your own conclusions.
Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
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Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Just a hunch on my part, but I would credit the 2008-2011 bump to the recession. Less money for training, people fly less regularly, training suffers as a result.
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
I'm sure it's because of an improvement in instruction standards since 2011.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Cat Driver
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Interesting stats.
The flying schools are averaging about sixty percent over the T.C. minimums to get a license.
That must add a fair amount of money for the student to pay.
The flying schools are averaging about sixty percent over the T.C. minimums to get a license.
That must add a fair amount of money for the student to pay.
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
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Shiny Side Up
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
To me the cause of the steady increase is obvious. More and more training in this country is geared towards mass production of pilots. It no longer matters being efficient getting a PPL since its often viewed that "hours are hours" towards the end goal of the CPL. Stack on top of that the fact that the PPL is often used to learn english at the same time, and an ever increasing use of sim time towards PPL completion. I know there's a few places that are using up to 20 hours of sim time in their PPL syllabuses.
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Cat Driver
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
What do you teach for twenty hours in a sim during a PPL?
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
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Shiny Side Up
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Good question. I suspect mostly English.
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
I'm sorry - what steady increase? What did I miss?Shiny Side Up wrote:To me the cause of the steady increase is obvious.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Black_Tusk
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
In 16 years, and less than a 4 hour increase. Based on the amount of international students in Canada now compared to then, I'd actually consider that pretty reasonable.
Add to the fact that there are likely less people out there just pursuing only a PPL, and because of that there is less pressure to get it done in the "minimum" time when you will need 200 hours to hold a CPL. Why rush when you can perfect what you need to know for your flight test.
I'm sure some will disagree and say everyone should finish in the minimum TC required hours with at least half of that on a Taylorcraft or Cub.
Add to the fact that there are likely less people out there just pursuing only a PPL, and because of that there is less pressure to get it done in the "minimum" time when you will need 200 hours to hold a CPL. Why rush when you can perfect what you need to know for your flight test.
I'm sure some will disagree and say everyone should finish in the minimum TC required hours with at least half of that on a Taylorcraft or Cub.
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
But what if you wanted to do it in the minimum TC required hours, with at least half of that on a cub - shouldn't you be given the choice?
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Shiny Side Up
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
The free market that governs the style that flight training is conducted isn't required to offer one said choice, so expect to pay more if you wish such a service.
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Cat Driver
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Do the Air Cadets still do it in the minimum time?
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
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Black_Tusk
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Sure, and there are options are out there for you. The idea is aim for the minimum, which from my understanding most schools do but don't expect everyone will be ready at that time.photofly wrote:But what if you wanted to do it in the minimum TC required hours, with at least half of that on a cub - shouldn't you be given the choice?
For the record I did mine in 51 hours. Not the minimum but not that high. I could have shaved a few hours off of that if I didn't have the long trek from CZBB to Glenn Valley. And I'm sure many many other people here all did theirs much lower than the times posted in the first post.
Last edited by Black_Tusk on Wed Jul 05, 2017 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Black_Tusk
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Does that make them better pilots?Cat Driver wrote:Do the Air Cadets still do it in the minimum time?
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
The fact that air cadets can and do finish their training in minimum hours suggests there's nothing wrong with the quality of flight instructors today: cadets are trained by the same cadre of Transport Canada approved instructors as everyone else, and on the same fleet of training aircraft. As students, however, they are young and coordinated, and well motivated. If we're worried about long training times maybe we should look more closely at the students.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Black_Tusk
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Cadets also spend every waking hour in the flight school, and fly multiple times a day. Two summers in a row for 6 weeks I left the school and sat on the beach and book studied. It was impossible to get an airplane or instructor during those times so I just didn't try. I'm sure you could bang out a PPL if you studied for 5-6 weeks straight and never left the airport. Good on them for doing it, it's impressive... but to compare that to the average person getting their license who has a job or just unable to fly 3 times a day is not that realistic.photofly wrote:The fact that air cadets can and do finish their training in minimum hours suggests there's nothing wrong with the quality of flight instructors today: cadets are trained by the same cadre of Transport Canada approved instructors as everyone else, and on the same fleet of training aircraft. As students, however, they are young and coordinated, and well motivated. If we're worried about long training times maybe we should look more closely at the students.
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
If you want get a licence in the minimum hours, you do whatever is necessary. The instructors and airplanes are the same either way - the difference is the student, whether by choice or not.Cadets also spend every waking hour in the flight school, and fly multiple times a day.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Cat Driver
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Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
While we are on the subject of how long it takes to get a license, what is the shortest time you have heard of someone going from zero to commercial pilot in months from start to finish?
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
Re: Student flight time at PPL flight test - data
Re: Cadets. As a parent with two enrolled in the program, I believe that the power cadets mostly have a glider license before they start training. And cadets have a great program of grooming and choosing the very best candidates with the best chance of success. Not just some yeo who shows up with a desire to fly. The acedemic standards are higher than most of the universities admissions requirements in canada just to get to an interview board.
Not the best comparison. I think i did mine last year in 68 ish hours. That was while working and having family responsibilities. I averaged 1-2 flights a week I felt My progression was slow due to changing to my own aircraft and then taking extra "training" flights as often as I could.
Not the best comparison. I think i did mine last year in 68 ish hours. That was while working and having family responsibilities. I averaged 1-2 flights a week I felt My progression was slow due to changing to my own aircraft and then taking extra "training" flights as often as I could.
