Pacific Flying Club

10/07/2026

Cessna 152 or Cessna 172. What’s actually different when you’re learning to fly?

Both are proven training aircraft, but the differences go beyond two seats versus four. The 152 is lighter, costs less to operate and responds more noticeably to turbulence and control inputs. The 172 gives you more cabin space, more power and carrying capacity, and tends to feel more settled in the air.

At PFC, students may train in both depending on the lesson, their size, budget and where their training is headed.

Our latest article takes a closer look at the engines, useful load, handling, avionics and why flight schools continue to use both aircraft.

Read the full article here: https://www.pacificflying.com/cessna-152-vs-172/

09/22/2026

How often should you fly when learning to fly?

The frequency of your flight lessons can affect more than how quickly you earn your licence. It can also affect the overall cost of your training.

When too much time passes between lessons, part of your next flight may be spent getting comfortable again with skills you've already learned. Training consistently helps you retain those skills and continue building on them.

At Pacific Flying Club, students who can train regularly often progress more steadily and reduce the need to repeat previous exercises.

There isn't one schedule that works for everyone. Weather, work, school and aircraft availability all play a part. But if you're planning your flight training, frequency is worth considering alongside the hourly cost.

Learn more about Private Pilot Licence training at Pacific Flying Club:

(Effective February 02, 2026)

08/27/2026

The process of earning a Private Pilot Licence involves more than simply logging flight hours. From your first familiarization flight and first solo to cross-country training and your flight test, each stage builds the skills and experience you need to become a licensed pilot.

Ground school, your aviation medical and the written exam also form important parts of the process.

We’ve put together this simple roadmap to show how the pieces fit together and what you can expect along the way.

Ready to start your flight training? Learn more about getting started at Pacific Flying Club.

https://www.pacificflying.com/recreation/getting-started

08/26/2026

Ever wonder why the propeller on our Cessna 172s doesn't have a fancy adjustable pitch like bigger aircraft? ✈️

It's not a budget thing — it's actually the smart choice for a training aircraft. A fixed-pitch prop has fewer parts to maintain, costs less to keep flying, and means students have one less thing to manage while they're learning the basics of flight.

The trade-off? The blade angle is set once and can't change in flight, so it's a bit of a compromise between climb and cruise performance. Our 172s lean toward stronger climb performance — perfect for the circuits and short-field practice our students do every day at Boundary Bay.

Curious how it all works? We break it down here: https://www.pacificflying.com/cessna-172-fixed-pitch-propeller/

Learn how the Cessna 172's fixed-pitch propeller works, why training aircraft use it, and what it means for climb, cruise, and preflight checks.

08/12/2026

If you've been outside in the Lower Mainland lately, you've probably noticed the sky hasn't looked quite right. BC's wildfire season is active again this summer, with smoke drifting in from fires around Pemberton, Vernon, Boston Bar, and Clinton. ☁️

For most people that just means checking an air quality app. For a flight school, it means something more specific — smoke changes what a pilot can actually see, and visibility is one of the most basic requirements for safe flying.

Here's the tricky part: a day can look pretty clear standing on the ramp and still be well below visibility minimums once you're in the air looking toward the horizon. That's the difference between fog (which sits in a clear layer) and smoke (which spreads unevenly through a much deeper part of the sky).

So how do we handle it at PFC? Same way we handle any other weather call — check current conditions and how they're trending, watch our live weather cams at Boundary Bay, and decide whether a lesson flies as planned, gets shortened, or shifts to ground school or sim time instead. Smoke tends to change hour by hour, so the goal is always to keep training moving whenever it's genuinely safe to.

It's also a good real-world lesson for our students — learning to recognize when a "clear-looking" day isn't actually flyable is exactly the kind of judgment that matters for the rest of a flying career.

We put together a full breakdown of how smoke affects visibility, how we make the go/no-go call, and what it teaches new pilots. Worth a read if you're curious how a flight school actually handles BC's summer weather (not just the easy, clear-sky days):
https://www.pacificflying.com/wildfire-smoke-flight-training-bc/

08/05/2026

Ever wondered why the plane you learn to fly in is called a Cessna? It goes back to a Kansas farmer named Clyde Cessna, who taught himself to build and fly aircraft with zero formal engineering training. His first flight attempts ended in a ground loop and a stand of trees — but by December 1911 he'd pulled off a five-mile flight and landed safely back where he started.

That stubborn, self-taught spirit turned into a company that's been putting people in the air for almost a century. The Cessna 172 alone has been in continuous production since 1956, with over 44,000 built — more than any other aircraft in history.

We fly both the 172 and the 152 in our training fleet here at Boundary Bay, and this piece digs into why these "old" designs are still some of the best training aircraft around.

Read the full story: https://www.pacificflying.com/history-of-plane-called-cessna/

07/24/2026

How do you actually choose the best flight school in Canada? It's not always easy to find guidance that goes beyond the basics.

So we put together a real, practical guide covering what actually matters when you're comparing flight schools:

✈️ Transport Canada FTU designation (this one's non-negotiable)

✈️ Fleet size, aircraft age, and avionics — glass cockpit vs. traditional gauges

✈️ Instructor continuity, and what the Class 1–4 rating system actually tells you

✈️ Training environment — controlled vs. uncontrolled airspace, and why it matters

✈️ How to compare costs fairly when schools quote rates differently (wet vs. dry, bundled vs. billed separately)

We also talk about two things people tend to weigh too heavily when narrowing down their options: location and price alone.

Check it out here: https://www.pacificflying.com/how-to-choose-a-flight-school-canada/

Fleet size, instructor continuity, Transport Canada approval, airspace environment — here's what actually matters when comparing flight schools in Canada.

07/13/2026

Is there really a pilot shortage in Canada? The answer is more interesting than you might think. ✈️

Yes, the federal government rates pilot employment as a "strong risk of shortage" nationally through 2033. And yes, airlines are actively struggling to hire. But the shortage isn't evenly spread across the country — job prospects are rated "Good" in Alberta, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, and "Limited" right here in BC.

What that means in practice: most of our graduates don't end up flying in BC. They go where the work is — up north, out east, and into the regions where operators are actively hiring.

There's also a real debate happening inside the industry. ALPA Canada argues it's not actually a shortage of pilots — it's a shortage of employers willing to pay competitively. That's a perspective worth understanding before you make any decisions about flight training.

We put together an honest, no-hype breakdown of what the data actually shows, where the opportunities are strongest, and what the early years of a pilot career realistically look like.

If you or someone you know is thinking about getting into aviation, this is a good read before taking the next step. 👇

https://www.pacificflying.com/pilot-shortage-canada/

04/22/2026

Thinking about becoming a pilot? Here’s exactly what happens after you book a FAM flight.

You confirm your booking.
You arrive at Boundary Bay.
You meet your instructor.
You get a short pre-flight briefing.
Then you get in the pilot’s seat and take the controls.

No pressure. Just a clear first step.

If you’ve been considering flight training, this is where it becomes real.

Book your FAM flight:
https://www.pacificflying.com/recreation/what-is-a-fam-flight

04/15/2026

You don’t need everything figured out to start flying.

You just need a clear first step.

Most people overthink the process.

In reality, it starts with a simple path: medical, ground school, first flight, first solo.

The fastest way to know if this is right for you?

Start with a real flight.

Book your FAM Flight here:
https://www.pacificflying.com/recreation/what-is-a-fam-flight/