teen pilot training in canada

Teen Pilots in Canada: What Parents Need to Know Before Starting Flight Training

BySupport Canadian Flt Trainers

My first flight in a small airplane took place when I was 15 years old, just before my 16th birthday. Up to that point, my aviation experiences were no more than travel on large transport category aircraft and an abundance of time on Microsoft Flight Simulator. As a teenager, it took quite a bit of convincing before my parents agreed to pay the $100 or so for my half hour flight lesson – but once they did, there was no turning back for me. If we had to do it all again, I don’t think we would have done much different. In this article, we look at how to help your teenage son or daughter become the pilot they dream of.

What is Legally Allowed in Canada?

In Canada, anyone can begin learning to fly at any age. But there are legal milestones to understand:

  • Student Pilot Permit – minimum age: 14
  • Recreational Pilot Permit – minimum age: 16
  • Private Pilot Licence (PPL) – minimum age: 17

The Student Pilot Permit is like a learner’s permit—it allows a student to fly solo (no passengers) under certain conditions. It’s an important milestone, but remember: if your child starts flying and logging flight hours at 12, it could be five years before they’re fully licensed.

Flying Costs

Again, we’ll put this into perspective: this means that if someone starts learning how to fly at the age of 12, it will be 5 years until they are fully licensed in Canada. If you haven’t already checked what the cost of renting an airplane is, I’ll save you the hassle and tell you that the airplane is around $200 an hour to rent; and if they are flying dual, meaning with a flight instructor, it’ll be an extra $100 per hour. Oh, don’t forget to add your provincial sales tax.

The minimum flight time required to hold a Private Pilot License is 45 hours total time. Within those 45 hours, students must meet additional requirements such as obtaining 12 hours of flying by themselves (called solo flight time) and 17 hours with an instructor (dual flight time). On average, most students finish their flying with over 60 hours total time, 40 hours dual and 20 hours solo.

In an ideal world, training is done in quick succession so as to avoid large breaks in training and to streamline the process. Large breaks in training may generally cause students to have to review certain flight manoeuvres before learning new material. Do that often enough and you’ll spend a lot of time and money reviewing instead of building on previous knowledge. In short, larges breaks prolong training and make it more expensive.

You might already see the problem here when starting pilot training too early in life. While it may occupy a teenager’s time and satisfy their thirst for aviation, it might negatively impact your wallet.

How to Support Aviation Interest Without Wasting Money

A lot of parents notice the aviation bug in their kids from early on. Heck, when I was 12 years old I was printing aviation sections of the Britannica Encyclopedia and storing them in my desk so I could read it when my family was using the internet. Yes, this was when the internet was dial-up and you could either have an open phone line or be connected to the internet. As someone who knew what they wanted to do from a young age, any type of parental support was appreciated. At the same time, I recall the surreal look on my parent’s face when my journey began. The look on their faces was said it all, “So you’re really doing this aren’t you?” Looking back on it, I completely understand my parent’s perspective. They don’t want to invest $20,000 + tax on something I might not even commit to.

Luckily, now there are a lot of cost effective ways for parents to help satisfy their teenager’s interest in aviation while also gauging how serious they are about flying as a career. For us, the goal is to deepen the relationship with aviation until the right time comes to begin flight training. This will ultimately help your wallet and allow your son or daughter to get the most out of their in-person training.

The Aviation Medical

We have written about the aviation medical quite extensively in many other blog posts but it is worth mentioning now. To be a pilot, you need a medical approved by Transport Canada (they are the federal branch of the government responsible for aviation in Canada.) Aviation medicals must be completed by Civil Aviation Medical examiners as not all General Physicians are approved by the government to perform these specialized medical examinations. What you can do is find an aviation medical examiner near you and see if your son/daughter is even eligible to be a pilot in Canada. Note these medicals are not covered by a provincial health plan and you must pay the doctor directly for them.

If there is no aviation doctor nearby, you can get your family physician to sign a medical declaration saying that your son/daughter has never suffered from the conditions listed on the form. If they have suffered from a condition listed on the form, the your family doctor will not be able to sign it and you must do a formal aviation medical. Once the form is signed, you submit it directly to your local Transport Canada office and they will process a Category 4 aviation medical. This medical is not enough to hold a license, but it will allow your child to be eligible for a student pilot permit. Usually, anyone that can hold a Category 4 medical will later be approved for a Category 3 or 1, with exceptions.

We suggest doing this as it helps you find out if your child is eligible to be a pilot, checks off one of the requirements of holding a license, and buys you time if your child is too young to start in-person lessons.

Category 4 Medical Declaration Download

Buy Them a Book or Pilot Training Kit

Our pilot training ground school kit has all the necessary items for students to get started on their aviation journey. It includes the necessary theoretical textbooks and practical flight training references to begin in person flight training. If you don’t want to buy the full kit, I at least suggest committing to the From the Ground Up textbook (below) and seeing how much your son/daughter will immerse themselves into it. That textbook is the gold standard reference for anything aviation in Canada and is used extensively in ground school, flying, and exam preparation.

If you buy them the book and they read it constantly, take the hint. If you buy them the textbook and it is used as a paperweight, your wallet might thank you.

From the Ground Up 30th Edition Cover for Pilot Training

From the Ground Up – 30th Edition

$94.95

The gold standard textbook to accompany any student in their flight training.

Used in the Private Pilot and Commercial Pilot Ground School Courses. Many choose to purchase with the associated workbook, and Flight Training Manual.

Shipping

Lowest shipping prices in Canada. 2-Day Shipping available within major parts of Canada.

This is a pre-order item for the NEW 2025 Edition of Canada’s Best Pilot Training book. Orders ship the same day they are available in September. 

SKU: 8O-NK9F-0J5N
Category:

Do an Introductory Flight

Most flight schools will allow students to do a 1-hour introductory flight to see if they like flying. This is a sure way to see if your child is interested in aviation.

Focus on Online Ground School Early

Starting the Canadian Flight Trainers ground school as early as 14 is a smart first step for teens interested in aviation. There’s no age limit to begin learning the theory—air law, navigation, weather, and general flight principles—all of which are required to earn a pilot license later. By tackling ground school early, teens can build a strong foundation and stay ahead of the curve when they start flight training.

Ground school is legally required by Transport Canada to be completed and doing it remotely with us will help maintain that interest while also slowly working towards that goal of being a pilot. It also helps you as parents spread out the cost and commitment over time.

Consider Aviation Programs

Aviation programs through local school boards or the Air Cadet program of Canada are fantastic ways for teenagers to be around like minded individuals with similar interests. The Air Cadet program especially will help students build self-discipline and a sense of responsibility while progressing towards their goals of becoming a pilot. In some cases, qualifying Air Cadets will have their full pilot training paid for by the government through a summer camp flying scholarship. Some of the most famous aviators in Canada, like Chris Hadfield, started their flying careers in the Air Cadet program. It may not be for your teenager and if not, that is okay. Some parents don’t like the vibe, some kids don’t like the drill – it’s all good, you can still be a pilot one day even without participating in the Air Cadet program.

Use Flight Simulators at Home

This may be a controversial piece of advice but tools like Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane build habits and technical familiarity with some airplanes and the aviation system. Additionally, there are online networks, like VATSIM, which allow those aged 13 or higher to connect to the network using flight simulator software and simulate flight within a global community of enthusiasts.

I caution this as it exposes your child to an advanced form of flying that your child will not be doing for very many years. When anyone first starts flying, they do so by visually flying around. Using flight simulator encourages student pilots to focus on instrument based skills and not visual skills. With that being said, I think the overall exposure to flight simulation at a young age can foster deep knowledge later on in flight training.

What Parents Need to Do

Be supportive, but realistic. Flight training can start anytime—but licences come later. If your teen starts ground school and intro flights at 14, they’ll be in a strong position to start full training around 16.

Just don’t rush into flight hours too early or too fast. Build momentum the smart way—starting with books, medicals, and ground school. That way, when the time comes to fly, they’re prepared—and your investment pays off.

With the right strategy, you can occupy your child’s time while also allowing them the space to work towards their goal of becoming a pilot. Don’t rush to train and hop in an airplane too early as it might lead to over-training without much retention. Help them stay focused, disciplined, and happy throughout the process as it is very rewarding for both you and them. As always, start saving.

About Canadian Flight Trainers

At Canadian Flight Trainers, we understand what it’s like to support a teenager with a big dream. Our online ground school is designed to give aspiring pilots a strong foundation in aviation without overwhelming parents with high upfront costs. Recognized by Transport Canada, our courses cover everything your son or daughter will need to know before stepping into the cockpit, from navigation and weather to air law and flight planning. By starting early with us, teens stay motivated, parents can spread out expenses, and when the time comes to begin flight training, your child will be prepared to succeed.

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