That Time I Flew A Plane…And Almost Became A Pilot

Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot? Did you know that before you make the career leap, you can experience the thrill of a flight and learn how to control your own aircraft with an introductory flying lesson? The adventurer in me decided to check out this exact opportunity. When I arrived at my local airport, I received a 20-minute ground briefing, followed by 40 minutes of aircraft time. The experienced pilot and I flew north of the city up to an altitude of 5,000 ft, reaching almost Lake Simcoe, where I took control of the yoke and had the opportunity to make real turns. It was an amazing and thrilling experience! Unfortunately, to my disappointment, I quickly learned that with my motion sickness I will never be able to take up flying as a hobby or a career. C'est la vie! Luckily, I love my day job and sharing these kind of adventurers and how the library can help you become a pilot :).

There are various locations in Toronto that offer these type of introductory flying lessons. BlogTO has put together a great post of 7 schools to take flying lessons in Toronto to help you get your feet wet in this profession.

If you are serious about becoming a pilot, not surprisingly, the first step is learning to fly an airplane. A potential pilot must complete ground school and flight training to earn a private pilot’s licence. Once you have this licence and have accumulated enough flight hours, you can obtain a commercial pilot’s licence, which allows pilots to offer their services in exchange for a fee. As you build your experience, you can work towards obtaining one of four types of pilot licenses (each with different fees):

Commercial pilot's license
Airline transport pilot's license
Recreational pilot permit
Private pilot's license

To learn more about the job, work conditions, education and earnings and to view a sample career path, visit our Career Cruising database and from the "Careers" tab, select "P" for "Pilot".

Transport Canada is also responsible for all aspects of licensing of pilots and flight engineers in Canada. Visit this government website to find out about: