Flight Schools near Vancouver

[saskflyer]

A friend from Vancouver is looking to get his private license. Being a flatlander I know nothing about the market over there but still agreed to do some digging for him. Who would be a good flight school to use out there? He said he’d prefer to keep the driving distance within an hour of Vancouver itself and preferably a smaller school at a quieter field with a good reputation. Thanks!

[DadoBlade]

Google flying schools at Boundary Bay, Langley and Pitt Meadows.

[boeingboy]

I don't think you can find one that satisfies all (or even most) of your conditions.....

[JDW]

I really liked training with Sea Land Air but that was around 10 years ago, so I cant speak to what has changed. Flying out of zbb means you wont get the quiet field but you will get very comfortable very quickly with talking to atc and keeping up in a busy pattern. Just have to be very careful and aware in the practice areas to the east (its been a while, forget the name glenn valley...fraser something...) it can be a bit of a zoo

[lhalliday]

There are no quiet fields within an hour of Vancouver. Squamish CYSE would be the nearest miss.

I learned to fly at Langley. Tiny runways so you learn to land properly. And adjacent to Glen Valley.

...laura

['97 Tercel]

Yeah I second Langley. Very busy area though, makes O'Hare look like Fort Liard.

[A350_1987]

Langley Flying School seemed to have a really great atmosphere and decent rates at the Langley airport.
Was also closer to the common practice area then some other schools around. Was going to do a PPL there a few years ago until life got in the way. Worth a look.

[ba31pilot]

SkyQuest Aviation in Langley ran a great program when I was there. It has been a few years, but the CFI knew his stuff and the planes were always kept in good shape.

[flyinhigh]

Blue bird academy..

[geneticistx]

Depends where the person lives in lower mainland.

[challenger_nami]

They are mostly the same: money hungry businesses looking for your money to pay for their overhead expenses.

If you are serious about getting your license, just roll with it and pay the dues with one of them, don’t jump from one to another. You can’t win.

Most of the flight schools in lower mainland BC are now owned by foreign entities from West of British Columbia. There are not many independent flight schools anymore, but you can find a few.
example: Classic Aviation in CYPK. It’s a husband and wife operation. The husband is the instructor. He is a retired Jazz pilot and also a Transport CANADA examiner. I should say that he is rather old school and hard to please, but he teaches you the flying stuff well in case one day your life depends on it. He also has good general ethics.

GENERALLY:
To know which training unit is modestly honest, ask them this question:
How many hours does it take to get a Private Pilot License?

if they lead you to believe by about 45-50 hours, you will have a PPL, then walk out ... unless you know you are a top notch pilot ... ie . Yeager.

If they clearly explain to you that an average PPL student completes it at around 65-70 hours, then you know that flight school is being honest, at least at that point in time. But that indeed is a good start.

Good luck

[Av8r7]

I'll second the SkyQuest, its been a few years but their prices were good and so was the program, didn't waste money and didn't go through any BS. got whati paid for and they worked around my schedule. worth a look!

[flyinggenius35]

I’m a big fan of Montair out in the valley, not sure if they’re still there. As a GA guy they are good to me

[lhalliday]

I’m a big fan of Montair out in the valley, not sure if they’re still there. As a GA guy they are good to me

It's obviously been a while. Nowadays you want to avoid Montair like the plague. They do the bulk of their flight training in Red Deer.

...laura

[pelmet]

I have rented at Langley Flying School. It was average in my opinion but that should not be taken as a slight. Most schools are average. I only flew the old Cherokees which was fine by me and the maintenance during my experience there was satisfactory. Toward the end, it was difficult to get bookings. The airport is a good one to learn at for gaining experience at a busy place with confined airspace and shorter runways and congestion. Overall, I was happy with my experience there.

Seeing as your friend is looking for a quieter field, he might want to consider a different location.

[vova_k]

Most of the flight schools in lower mainland BC are now owned by foreign entities from West of British Columbia. There are not many independent flight schools anymore, but you can find a few.
example: Classic Aviation in CYPK

https://www.chinookhelicopters.com/airplane-training/ in CYXX is another example