Night Rating
Night Rating — Learn to Fly After Dark
The knowledge side of your night rating: how your eyes work in the dark, how to plan and fly night cross-countries, how to read airport lighting, and what to do when things go wrong after sunset — taught by an active airline captain who flies at night for a living.
Enroll Now — $39.95Instant access. Already in our CPL Ground School? This course is included — check your dashboard.
The Rating That Doubles When You Can Fly
A private licence without a night rating ends every flying day at sunset — which in a Canadian winter can mean 4:30 in the afternoon. The night rating removes that limit, opens up evening cross-countries, and makes your licence genuinely useful year-round.
And if you’re heading for a commercial licence, night flying is part of that path anyway — most commercial candidates complete their night rating during training.
Night flying is also where good airmanship gets tested: your eyes play tricks, familiar landmarks disappear, and the margin for casual preparation shrinks. This course was built by an airline captain whose job includes flying at night, so the techniques you’ll learn are the ones professionals actually use.
Your flight training for the rating happens at your flight school; this course gives you the ground knowledge to arrive prepared for it.
What You’ll Learn
The regulations that govern night flight — what changes when the sun goes down.
Night vision, visual illusions, and how to manage the ways your body works against you in the dark.
Night takeoffs, circuits, approaches, and landings — flown differently, and deliberately.
Planning night cross-countries: routes, altitudes, fuel, and the details that matter more at night.
Decoding runway, taxiway, and approach lighting systems, plus your own aircraft’s lights.
What to do when something fails after dark — the procedures and decisions that keep you safe.
Working toward your commercial licence? Don’t buy this twice.
This entire night rating course is included free in our Commercial Pilot Ground School. If a CPL is in your plans, enroll there instead — you’ll get this course, the full 80-hour CPL curriculum, and our Multi-Engine Ground School in one enrolment, with a 7-day free trial.
- Complete night rating ground training, self-paced online
- Six subject areas, from human factors to night emergencies
- Built and taught by an active airline captain
- Instructor support included
Planning a CPL? This course is included in our Commercial Pilot Ground School.
Night Rating — FAQ
Is there a Transport Canada written exam for the night rating?
No — unlike your licence, the night rating has no separate Transport Canada written exam. The rating is earned through night flight training and instrument training at your flight school, and this course delivers the ground knowledge that training builds on.
What does the night rating require?
The flying portion of the rating — night flight time, including dual and solo night training and instrument training — is completed with an instructor at your flight school. This course covers the knowledge side, so ask your school about their night rating program and arrive prepared.
Do I need my PPL first?
The night rating is added to a pilot licence, so you’ll complete it during or after your private pilot training. You can take this ground course at any point — many students work through it while finishing their PPL.
Is this course included in the CPL Ground School?
Yes — if you enroll in our Commercial Pilot Ground School, this entire course is included at no extra charge. Only purchase it separately if you’re not planning to take the CPL course.
Half of Every Day Is Night. Fly It.
Complete night rating ground training, taught by an airline captain, for less than an hour of aircraft rental.
