night Rating Overview
Flight Training in Canada is regulated by Transport Canada. Applicants who wish to obtain their Night Rating must completed 20 hours of training. This includes 10 hours of in-flight training and 10 hours of dual instrument time.
The specific requirements for obtaining your Night Rating are outlined, by Transport Canada, in the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) Standard 421.42 (1) Requirements - Private Pilots License - Aeroplanes .
Night Rating Training Requirements
Ground Instruction
There is no formal ground school requirement to obtain the night rating. It is the instructors responsibility to ensure that the student has sufficient ground knowledge to operate the aircraft safely at night.
Our online Night Rating Ground School can be found here.
Our ground school will ensure you have the required ground knowledge for completion of the Night Rating.
In-Flight Instruction
The flight training must include a minimum of:
- 10 hours of night flight time*
- including 5 hours of dual flight time, including 2 hours of cross-country flight time; and
- including 5 hours of solo flight time, including 10 takeoffs, circuits, and landings.
- 10 hours of instrument flight time*
- Instrument hours from PPL flight training can be used towards the 10 hours.
- A maximum of 5 hours of instrument ground time in an approved flight simulator can be used towards the 10 hours
Recency Requirements
CARS 401.05 States that if you hold a night rating and you wish to carry a passenger at night, you must have completed five (5) night take offs and (5) night landings within the past six (6) months.*
This requirement is in addition to the 24 month, and 5 year recency requirement.
* If the take offs and landings are done at night, they meet the recency requirement for carrying a passenger during the day as well, however the reverse is not true. Day take offs and landings do not meet the recency requirement for carrying a passenger at night.