BASIC PILOT TRAINING

Canadian Forces Primary Flying School, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba 1979

Over the many years of training pilots, the Royal Canadian Air Force and subsequently the Canadian Forces have used many different aircraft and trained at many different locations. When I commenced pilot training with PFS "Tigers" in November of 1979, training was conducted using the Beechcraft Sundowner "Musketeer" aircraft. The course was conducted over a period of approximately 10 weeks and consisted of a daily regime of Ground School academics and 27 hours of hands-on flying training.

Basic Pilot Training is not only a training course but also a selection process. Trainees are expected to demonstrate a capability to quickly learn and master both academic and flying lessons. Traditionally, with only a 65% Pass and 35% Failure Rate all students worked very very hard to avoid the infamous "Red" corner, or failed flying trip on their Progress Cards. The pressures designed into the curriculum are intentional and geared towards "simulating" the requirements of future flying environments where pilots will be required to adapt, learn new information and perform successfully in "real life" flying situations.