Student Resources
Getting started
Steps towards getting your Permit
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Register with our office (Contact info)
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Provide 2 peices of Gov't issued photo I.D.
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Fill out and submit your category 4, or higher medical application
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Schedule your training with our office
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Start Flying
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Ground School - can be completed any time durring your training, as long as it's complete by the time you are ready to apply for your permit
Category 4 Medical
Category 4 Certification
Several years ago, when ultralights and other recreational aircraft were starting to become quite popular, Canada decided to create a non-ICAO compliant medical certificate, Category 4. The only requirement needed to obtain this level of medical certification is a form of self-declaration similar to that of a driver’s licence. To that end, a screening medical questionnaire was created and the need to see a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner (CAME) eliminated. However, you need to have your family physician countersign the questionnaire if you want to carry a passenger on your aircraft. That’s right: no physical examination, unless of course you have or have had one of the conditions that we are concerned about, in which case you may need to see a CAME.
So what can you do with a Category 4 medical certificate? It is the medical document required to validate a Student Pilot Permit, a RPP, a U/L and a GPL. With an RPP you can fly day VFR, on a non-high-performance, four-seat or less single engine aircraft with a single passenger. In other words, virtually all of the aircraft most recreational pilots fly. So, if you are a light aircraft driver who doesn’t need or want to fly to the U.S. or IFR, you don’t need to visit your CAME. Unlike the Sport Pilot Permit in the U.S., it is possible to receive a Category 4 medical certificate if you have previously been denied a Category 1, 2 or 3 certificate, assuming of course the medical condition has been dealt with and does not pose a flight safety hazard. You don’t need to have a driver’s licence and any decision made by Transport Canada (TC) can be appealed. The certificate can also be issued with a restriction as well, unlike the U.S. where you get it or you don’t, such as “no passenger” if your medical condition warrants. In TC’s experience, over 90 percent of Category 4 applicants get the certificate, no questions asked. The other 10 percent may need to supply Civil Aviation Medicine with more information and less than 1 percent are denied. The standards are very close to those of a Class 5 driver’s licence in Canada, although TC is more stringent on issues such as respiratory disease requiring oxygen and seizure disorders.
NEW STUDENTS
Please download the Category 4 medical form - Fill out - Return to our office ASAP
along with 2 forms of Gov't issued I.D. (Drivers license, Passport, Birth Certificate, ect.)
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Send it to - flywithuscanda@gmail.com
or drop the printed form to us upon you next lesson
Precautionary landings
There are a number of reasons. You may have a sick passenger on board, the weather may be a cause of concern. There may be something that you are concerned with, such as an engine that is acting up, you may be getting low on fuel and think you may not make it much further. In any case, the landing is done to avoid a potentially worsening situation and is done so while engine power is available. The sooner the landing area is selected the better once a precautionary landing has been decided. Quite simply, a precautionary landing is completed in two basic steps:
1) A low pass flown like a circuit over the potential landing area, this is done to inspect the surface for suitability,
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and
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2) A normal circuit flown to end in a safe landing.
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There are two basic procedures, one for a controlled airport and one for an uncontrolled airport. In the case where a field is selected, this is obviously uncontrolled. This is what I have been practicing on. When we arrive at the practice area, which is the Farm area just west of Elmvale, we broadcast our intentions for the exercise then proceed to look for a field we can “land” on.
Starting Point for Precautionary Landing.
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We find a field and enter a normal circuit approach. The goal is to make two passes: a high pass and a low pass to judge the suitability of the field for landing.
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In an uncontrolled field, such as a farmer’s field, we make a high pass at 1000′ AGL and in a controlled field like an aerodrome we do this at 1500′. Our high pass is done at cruise settings, 90 knots in the Sportstar. We fly the normal circuit at 1000′ and then overshoot.
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Then we do the “3 Ps“:
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(1) Pan Pan call: alert traffic in the area that we are preparing for a precautionary landing. We say “Pan Pan” three times and say our aircraft identifier (for example, IIAH, ICRH, and so on) three times.
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(2) Passenger brief. Let your passengers know what you will be doing, to stay calm, to put their hands free of the controls. Then:
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(3) We do our Pre-landing checks.
Then we do the low pass. This is done 500′ AGL or whatever altitude is best for inspecting the landing area. In the Sportstar, we fly at 60 knots with 30 degree flap. The slower speed will allow for better inspection of the field, and the flaps will allow for better forward visibility. The speed is also not too slow – that is it’s not in the slow flight range – which will allow the pilot to focus on observing the field rather than maneuvering the airplane. We also want to prevent getting close to a stall.
Precautionary Landing Procedure. Image Courtesy of mpaviation.com
On our observation of the field, we want to do our “COWLS” check, for suitability in landing:
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C = Civilization: are there homes, buildings, or people nearby?
O = Obstacles: are there any obstacles that need to be cleared, such as powerlines, or trees?
W = Wind: always try to land into the wind if possible. Look for indicators on the ground: direction of smoke, direction of long grass, trees, etc. Is smoke trailing upwards (calm winds), being blown slightly (gentle winds) or rapidly breaking off (strong winds)?
L = Length: once we are abeam the threshold, we count how many seconds it takes us to fly the length of the field. This is why we use 60 knots at 30 degree flap in the Sportstar: if we count the seconds it takes to fly that length, we can estimate the approximate length of the field.
On the low pass, 500′ AGL, abeam the threshold, we start the timer. If it’s 20 seconds, the length is 2000′, (20 * 100); if it takes 33 seconds, the length is 3300′, (33 * 100) and so on.
S = Surface: Check the suitability of the surface for landing. For example, are there ruts in the ground, or is the surface smooth? Is the surface grass or dirt?
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Once our high and low passes are completed, we establish for a normal approach with full flaps.