Course Dates

There are 12 PPL courses held at FTC each year. The courses start on the first working day of each month. Eight weeks would normally be adequate to complete the full PPL course taking into consideration weather and other unscheduled delays.

Lecture Hall

The full CPL course commences on the same day as the PPL. There are 3 CPL Ground School courses held each year. The complete CPL course will take on average 12 to 18 months to complete in George. 

An accelerated Commercial Pilot course is available at our Oudtshoorn base where air traffic congestion is much lower and the weather more predictable. This results in an average of between 9 and 12 months to complete the course.
Although we like to adhere to this schedule, students unable to conform to these dates can be catered for and tailor-made packages can be arranged.

PPL finisher courses, CPL and IR finisher courses, Multi-engine conversions, Night Ratings, hour building and cross country touring can be accommodated at any time throughout the year. In conjunction with our affiliated companies FTC also hosts aerobatics courses, glider and tail-dragger conversions as well as helicopter training.

The Airline Pilot (ATP) subjects are an extension of the CPL curriculum and the course is comparable to upgrading from an under-graduate to an honours degree. Because of the extensive experience required to reach this level most candidates are already employed by this stage and therefore prefer self study. Lectures can however be arranged to cover the more difficult subjects where necessary.

The ATP preparation, training and flight test can be conducted by FTC with one of our CAA designated examiners. This is the toughest flight test of all and is performed on a multi-engine aircraft during day, night and simulated instrument conditions. It takes several years of study, training and experience to attain this qualifacation. 

Training Part Time.

It is possible to train for your PPL and even your CPL "part time," paying as you go - but it generally isn't a good idea because of the length of time it will take to complete the flying hours required. The courses are quite intense and completing them part time will entail relearning many of the lessons which will obviously result in the course becoming more expensive the longer it takes.