Today I’m going to dive into STEP #2: Get your Radio certificate.
In Canada, in order to become a private pilot, you will need to be certified to use the aircraft radio for communications. The Study Guide for the Restricted Operator Certificate With Aeronautical Qualification (ROC-A), or as most pilots call it, the “Radio Certificate,” consists of the specific information required by pilots.
Transport Canada regulations stipulate that you will need to hold this certification prior to your first solo flight as a student pilot. That said, it’s best to get this certification much sooner, because understanding the process and what is spoken over radio communications will help you while you’re taking your flight training lessons.
Avoid this Mistake when Getting your Radio Certificate
As I worked towards obtaining my Private Pilot Licence, I took my ground school and my flight lessons at the same time, however, I missed the class that recommended I take my radio exam sooner rather than later. In fact, I missed the entire conversation about “the radio exam” that student pilots are required to write.
Not knowing anything about having to get a “radio certificate” I kept working away at my flight lessons and found the radio communications part pretty complicated. Let’s face it, with all the short form codes and specific language, it’s a bit like a foreign language to most pilots.
Well, I got to the point where I was finally ready to fly solo and my flight instructor asked me if I had my radio certificate so that he could recommend me to the Class 1 Flight Instructor for my first solo.
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“You don’t have your radio certificate yet?”
“What’s that?” was my only response.
Learning Things in the Right Order will make it Easier to Become a Pilot
If I had gotten my radio certificate back when I first started all of my flight lessons, things would’ve been much simpler. I would’ve been able to understand all those radio calls I was practicing all along the way.
Looking back, it shows me again that there are many ways to learn things, but there is often a “better way to learn” than most of the other ways.
This is particularly true when it comes to getting your PPL in Canada. The better way would’ve been to get my radio certificate way back when I first started. Just like it’s best to get your Category 3 Medical certificate right from the beginning so that you’re sure that you’re healthy enough in order to become a private pilot. If you can’t get your Cat 3 Medical from your doctor, you’ll never qualify for your PPL.
That’s just good to know from the beginning and why getting your Cat 3 Medical should be step #1 in the process. This isn’t the recommended first step at most Flying Clubs, but it’s what I believe should is best for the student pilot right from Day 1.
How to Prepare for your Radio Exam
The radio exam is VERY simple. There is a study guide provided by Transport Canada that you can download from here.
TIP: Read the TC Study Guide once a night over the period of 3 days, spend a little extra time memorizing the phonetic alphabet, and within these 3 days you’ll find yourself ready to write the exam.
Do you study better with an App? Due to the amount of requests we’ve received from student pilots, we decided to create an online Radio Exam course. Keep in mind that the Radio & Communications knowledge that you require isn’t complicated, but there is specific information you need in order to do well on the Radio exam.
For example, you really need to know the phonetic alphabet.
It’s something you’ll use all the time as a pilot and eventually it becomes very familiar because it’s used so often. There’s also information about procedures and how things get reported sequentially with the proper format. It’s not necessarily common knowledge, so it will require the reading and preparation.
Once you’ve read over the material for 3 consecutive nights, you should be ready to write the exam on the next day. You can write it at your local Flying Club and it shouldn’t cost anything, it’s generally free at most clubs since it’s required to fly solo.
Become a Pilot in Canada
So here are the steps so far:
#1 – Obtain your Category 3 Medical Certificate
#2 – Study and pass your radio exam to obtain your Radio Certificate
If you do these 2 things right off the top, you’ll be in a good position as you progress through all the flight training you’re about to embark on.
Check out Step #3 – The PSTAR Exam- Become a Pilot in Canada
GOT QUESTIONS?
Again, if you have any questions about aviation in Canada, shoot us an email or give us a call. See our contact page for that information.
