Overview

This program provides people of all ages with unique opportunity to experience pilot training, with all flight and ground time providing credit for certified pilot training.  Acadia College provides eleven levels of training, with students being able to progress through the levels and ultimately achieve certification from Transport Canada as a Canadian Private Pilot.  Remember too that the Private Pilot Licence is also the prerequisite for the Canadian Commercial Pilot Licence!  Each of the levels consists of five days of training, with each day providing approximately 1.5 hours of pilot ground school, 1 hour of pre-flight ground instruction, and 1 hour of air instruction/practice in one of Acadia College’s training aircraft. 

 Here are the initial levels:

Level 1—Aircraft Basic Maneuvers

Level 2—Advance Upper-air Maneuvers

Level 3—Introduction to Takeoffs and Landings

Level 4—Advanced Takeoffs and Landings

Level 5—Dual and Solo Takeoffs and Landings

Level 6—Dual and Solo Upper-air Maneuvers

Level 7—Pre-navigation Exercises

Level 8—Specialty Takeoffs and Landings

Level 9—Dual Cross-country Training

Level 10—Solo Cross-country Training

Level 11—Instrument Flying

Level 12—Flight Test Preparation

The Pilot Summer Camps run actively through the summer, with the first session beginning the week of June 29th 2026, and the final session taking place the week August 31st 2026.

Space is limited, and registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Camps are conducted at our pilot-training facilities at Langley Airport, with each camp running five days, Monday through Friday.  

Below is an example of a typical day at summer camp:

• • • Start of Day: 9:00 am
    • Ground School Session: 9:00 am – 10:30 am
    • Recess: 10:30 am – 11:00 am
    • Pre-Flight Ground Session: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm 
    • Lunch: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
    • Flight Training: Partner System = 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Solo = 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

 The first class of the day is the Ground School Session, which will focus on fundamental pilot ground school subjects appropriate for the camp level. The second class, Pre-Flight Ground Session,  prepares student for the flight exercises.  During the afternoon air training, each student will have a minimum of one hour at the controls of a training aircraft under the direct supervision of a Transport Canada certified Flight Instructor.

Partner System

Where possible, all camp levels seek to provide student with a “partner system” when possible, where two students of similar age are paired to progress through he training as a team.  Partners generally learn at the same pace and are assigned co-ordinated team responsibilities, which includes both groundschool assignments and aircraft preparation for flight.  Where training permits, the partner system continues into the afternoon training flights where students will have an additional hour in the air observing their partner’s training at no additional charge.  Some camp levels require the training aircraft to be operated with loading restrictions where passengers other than the student and Flight Instructor are prohibited owing to the nature of the maneuvers—in these cases the partners will flying concurrently in their own aircraft when possible.

Registration and Camp Tuition

Once you have decided to register in one of the camp levels, complete the Application for Registration form that appears at the following link:

Registration Form

This registration form enables you to identify the camp level and week of training you wish to attend.  If you register concurrently with another student whom you wish to be partnered, let us know and camp arrangements will be made.  Joint registration with a predetermined partner virtually guarantees your camp will run as requested.  If you are registering by yourself, not to worry—we will find you a suitable partner and give you the option to be paired for the week.  If a partner is not available, you will still have the option of completing the pilot training during the selected week as a individual (regular) student pilot.

The tuition for each camp level is between $3,040 – $4,634 for solo attendance and between $2,646 – $4,240 where students are partnered. The prices are dependant on which level is being taken. All prices indicated have been displayed including GST tax. 

The registration fee is $500. Students attending more than 1 year only require the initial registration fee on their first year attending. This fee is waived for subsequent years.  

Students also require to purchase the books and supplies for the camp, which costs $453 tax included. Students only require to purchase the books on their initial registration and do not require to repurchase them subsequent years.

All fees and books are to be paid prior to the first day of camp. For more information about the cost of the camp for each level, please email us at aviation@acadiacollege.ca

Direct entry and Prerequisites

All students must first complete Level 1 of our Pilot Summer Camp—Basic Maneuvers, before progressing to additional camp levels.  Once the week of basic maneuvers training is completed, graduates can follow one of the three options we have available. Option 1: Normal Progress. This option is for students completed one level at a time from beginning to end. This can be done in one summer, or throughout several summers. If the student is participating in the solo levels, they must be 14 years or older. Option 2: Cross-Country. This option allows students to jump directly into the cross country level, where students explore flying to different airports. Once the cross-country level is completed, they can either go back to level 2 and work down or handpick the levels they are more interested in completing. This can be done in one summer, or throughout several summers. For the solo levels, students must be 14 years or older. Option 3: No solo flying involved. This option allows students to progress through all the dual flying levels in order while skipping over the solo levels in cases where the student is 14 years old or younger and in cases where an aviation medical cannot be attained. This can be done in one summer, or throughout several summers.

Accreditation for Transport Canada Pilot Qualifications

All students must first complete Level I Pilot Camp—Basic Maneuvers before progressing to additional camp levels.  Once the week of basic maneuvers training is completed, graduates have the option of enrolling in a second week of Upper-air Maneuvers training and/or a week of Cross-country Flying.  Ultimately, students completing Level I have the option of progressing through the additional weekly pilot camps that can eventually lead to completion of the Private Pilot Licence (see chart above).

Aircraft

All training is conducted in Acadia College’s fleet of Cessna 172 Aircraft that are certified and maintained in accordance with the airworthiness requirements of Transport Canada.

Cockpit and ATC Communications

All cockpit communications among training crew members are conducted using a voice-activated intercom system, which also connects with the VHF radio required for communicating with Air Traffic Controllers.  Student pilots are actively trained to communicate with controllers from the very start of flight training.

For further information about the weekly pilot summer camp, please email us at aviation@acadiacollege.ca or call us at +1(604)-795-2220 and speak to one of our instructors, or dispatchers. 

Photo Booth – Previous Summer Camp Snapshots