Training for ultralight permit in Saskatchewan?

[evranch]

Hi AvCanada.

I'm a farmer in SK who started the beginning of my PPL in my teenage years but then life got in the way. Now in my 30s I would like to get back into the air, just in a recreational capacity or to do some 150km commuter hops to visit my daughter in good weather.

I farm in hilly country so I need an aircraft with pretty good STOL capability if I want to fly off the farm. I think an ultralight trike or a Kitfox style plane would suit me well, allowing me to store it easily in a shed due to the folding wings. This sort of aircraft would let me get in a lot more hours than having to drive over an hour to an airport that offers rentals, and they appear to be very affordable for the recreational pilot.

I've searched the internet and called a couple flight schools in the province but nobody seems to offer training for the ultralight permit. Does anyone know of a school that is doing ultralight instruction, or would I have to go to Alberta?

On the flip side, is there a reason that nobody is doing ultralights in SK? Is it just too windy here to fly them safely? I would never dare fly a powered parachute here for fear of crosswind gusts, but the Rogallo wing trikes seem fairly robust.

Thanks

[Beefitarian]

I don't know what happened to astroguy. He was posting some of his adventures in his little plane. Looked fun and sounds like what you'd like to do.

Here's an example from the home builder's forum here.
viewtopic.php?f=94&t=126899

[Squaretail]

On the flip side, is there a reason that nobody is doing ultralights in SK?

There's just no market for it. Remember, there's twice as many people in Alberta as there is in Saskatchewan and Manitoba combined, and Alberta supports only a few ultralight dedicated places, the busiest probably being Blue Yonder at Indus just outside of Calgary. I can't remember if the folks at Border City Aviation do ultralight training or not but you might try them.

[photofly]

You can train for and obtain a PPL, and then fly ultralights with that.

[S2CPC]

You could complete the Recreational Pilot Permit, this also allows you to fly ultralights. You do not need a recommend to write the RPP written (no groundschool requirement, but it is recommended). The RPP can be completed through a regular Flight School.

[Beefitarian]

Of course. I think the fellow wants to save money though. I'm not picking a side because if I was looser with my purse strings I might be flying today instead of pounding keys here.

Also once I board an ultralight it might not fly or it may become just a light.

[photofly]

Perhaps. But if the alternative is to "go to Alberta", it might be more convenient (and cheaper, all things considered) to get a PPL in a 150 in an airport an hour away than train on ultralights in another province. The OP might not realize that a PPL includes the privileges of an ultralight permit.

[Beefitarian]

True even with the Sask sales tax the commute might bump up the costs. They were hoping there might be at least a couple of ultralight instructors near by.

astroguy is even further in Ontario.

You never know though. Sometimes talking to someone leads to talking to someone else and you find out there is someone close by.

[evranch]

Looks like discussion has picked up on my topic! Squaretail hit the SK problem on the head, it's nice that this province isn't crowded, but it's hard to find anything even slightly out of mainstream. We could use a few more people for sure.

I was thinking of doing my RPP a couple years ago at a regional airport that I often pass by, but they lost their CFI and can't run their flight school anymore. So I'd be looking at going to Saskatoon or Regina, 2 hours away. That makes me feel like I could end up a perpetual student as honestly, I make it to these cities once or twice a month if I'm lucky.

The hour requirements for the ultralight permit are so low that it makes a trip to AB... somewhat practical. I called Air Adventure FS up by Edmonton a couple days ago and had a chat with their ultralight instructor. They have cheap camping on site and think I would be able to knock out my hours in a week, maybe two *assuming the weather cooperates*. Also they have no problem with Harv's Air online groundschool so I don't have to waste my trip in a classroom. So I might haul my trailer up there for a week in late spring and a week in summer, and have my permit within the year.

I'm not trying to be super cheap here, but for the kind of flying I want to do the ultralight permit is definitely a lot more affordable - and I can transfer all my hours towards an RPP if I want to. PPL if it's a 3-axis ultralight. So by buying and flying my own ultralight off my farm, I could log those hours in my airplane instead of in my truck driving back and forth to the city.

An applicant for a Pilot Permit - Recreational - Aeroplane who holds a valid Pilot Permit - Ultra-light Aeroplane may credit all dual and solo flight time acquired in ultra-light aeroplanes towards the experience requirement.

I looked up Blue Yonder since I do visit Calgary from time to time, but it appears that they shut down, unless they just closed their presence online and I need to call them from a number in the phone book.