FLIGHT TRAINING & AIRCRAFT RENTAL POLICIES
GENERAL
1. All aircraft and lesson bookings must be made in advance through a St. Thomas Flight Centre (STFC) staff member or via the STFC online booking service (Flyaway Hub).
2. All flying shall be conducted in accordance with Transport Canada, Canadian Aviation Regulations, and St. Thomas Flight Centre (STFC) policies; all pilots shall comply with the conditions of STFC Operator Certificate.
3. It is the pilot’s or student’s responsibility to wear appropriate clothing and to ensure there is appropriate survival equipment on board, given the geographical area and season of the year, to ensure that the survival of all persons on board is not jeopardized.
4. No landings other than at certified or approved airports without authorization from the Chief Flight Instructor (CFI) and the Operations Manager.
5. In the event of an unscheduled or forced landing:
a) Notify the nearest A.T.C. or F.I.C. in the air, if possible, or
b) After landing notify the nearest A.T.C. or F.I.C. as soon as possible.
c) Notify St. Thomas Flight Centre as soon as possible.
6. All aviation accidents or incidents involving STFC aircraft shall be reported to dispatch a.s.a.p.
7. Students and Pilots must contact STFC dispatch to cancel flights. Cancellations must be made at least 24-hours in advance of the booking time.
8. All defects found in any part of the aircraft or its equipment shall be reported to the dispatcher or Operations Manager. Defects shall be entered in the aircraft Journey Log before further flight, by the pilot or student (where applicable), under the direct supervision of the dispatcher or Operations Manager.
9. No flights over St. Thomas (or other populated areas) below 1,000′ AGL as per the CARs.
10. It is the pilot’s or student’s responsibility before leaving the aircraft to ensure the master switch is off, the throttle is at full idle, mixture is at full lean, the keys are removed from the ignition switch and the control lock is installed. During the day, the aircraft should be parked into wind at the end of each flight unless otherwise instructed.
11. All pilots are requested to maintain a current Student/Pilot Information Form on file as well as a photocopy of their Aviation Document Booklet (or SPP & Medical) and Radio Operator’s Certificate. Pilot and student logbooks must be made available on request. The pilot‑in‑command is responsible for carrying his/her licence or permit and all other required documents for flight.
12. LATE CANCELLATIONS – a late cancellation fee for $65.00 will be levied for cancellations made within less than 24-hours of the booking start time, for each two-hour block. For bookings longer than two hours, will be prorated at the same rate ($65.00 per two hours). For cancellations made with less than 12-hours of notice to STFC, a late cancellation fee equal to 50% of the booked aircraft dry rate for the entire time booked (i.e. a 2-hour booking would incur are a fee equal to 1-hour of aircraft dry rental time).
13. NO SHOWS – a no-show fee equal to 50% of the booked aircraft dry rate for the entire time booked will be levied. In the case of a no-show for a dual flight with a STFC instructor, a fee equal to 50% of the instructor rate for the entire time booked will also be levied.
14. No fees will be levied for cancellation made with less than 24-hours of notice where the cancellation is a result of weather falling below STFC posted weather minima, however, the pilot or student is stall required to notify STFC of the cancellation prior to the booking start time.
(Note: all No Show/Late Cancellation fees are at the discretion of the staff of St. Thomas Flight Centre.)
COVID-19 MITIGATION POLICIES
15. Admittance to St. Thomas Flight Centre will be by prearranged appointment only.
16. All customers must complete the St. Thomas Flight Centre COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire prior to arriving at the flight centre. Customers will not be admitted to the flight centre without completing screening.
17. All customers and students are required to wear a mask or face covering at all times while in the flight centre and while in an aircraft with an instructor.
18. St. Thomas Flight Centre is employing a “no equipment sharing” policy – as a result all students are required to supply their own headset for flights (with an exception for Introductory or First Lesson flights)
19. All customers are must sanitize each time they enter the building (i.e. wash hands or use hand sanitizer)
20. Whenever possible all customers must follow social distancing protocols and other COVID-19 protocols issued by the government or local health units.
STUDENT POLICIES
21. All student training flights, dual and solo, must be authorized in advance by a Flight Instructor. Flight sheet authorization must include the specific exercises to be flown.
22. Except for dual and solo cross‑country flight training exercises, all dual and solo training flights shall take place in one of our designated practice areas.
23. Students are requested to maintain a current information sheet on file as well as a photocopy of their medical and proof of age and citizenship. Pilot logbooks must be available on request.
24. No solo spin or spiral dive practice.
25. No flights over water, except when conducting a take-off or landing, beyond a point where the aircraft could reach shore in the event of an engine failure.
26. No forced landing or precautionary approach solo practice below 500’AGL.
27. An STFC Instructor must supervise all student night flying activities. For solo night flights a flight plan must be filed with London FIC and opened and closed on the ground. The student is responsible to hangar the aircraft or secure the aircraft at one of the tie-down locations upon completion of the solo night flight, as instructed.
RENTAL POLICIES
28. If you have had an aviation incident, accident or violation within the three (3) years preceding the intended flight, please provide details to STFC. We will have to obtain approval from our insurance company prior to your flight
29. All pilots renting STFC aircraft must sign out on the flight sheet, including the names of all passengers, prior to the flight unless instructed otherwise by dispatch. Pilots should not make flight entries in Journey Logs unless directed by STFC staff to do so (STFC has approval to make bulk flight entries from the Daily Flight Sheet.
30. All pilots must be checked out on type prior to renting STFC aircraft. Please review “STFC Currency Requirements”. It is the pilot’s responsibility to ensure they meet STFC Currency Requirements prior to flight.
It is the pilot’s responsibility to ensure they meet all required recency requirements prior to booking. Thomas Flight Centre will not dispatch an aircraft to a pilot that does not meet all recency requirements. All pilots must complete a check flight with an STFC instructor prior to first flight. In-house currency requirements are as follows;
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- 30 days for pilots with less than 100 Pilot-In-Command (PIC) hours
- 45 days for pilots with more than 100, but less than 500 PIC hours
- 60 days for pilots with more than 500 PIC hours
31. Aircraft booked for a full day or longer have a 3-hour minimum charge per 24-hour period which must be paid at the aircraft dry rate whether flown or not. The sign out sheet should be marked as a dry rental, and upon return, the aircraft is to be refuelled at the renter’s expense. The renter is responsible to pay for all tie-down, hangarage, parking charges, landing fees, custom fees, etc. arising from use of the aircraft away from St. Thomas.
(Note: STFC reserves the right to increase the 3-hour minimum during times of high aircraft usage without notice).
32. Rental pilots will accept full responsibility for the aircraft while it is in their custody and/or control and assume the insurance deductible of $5,000. In the event of adverse weather, when at an airport other than the home base, the renter shall ensure the aircraft is placed in a hangar whenever possible at his/her expense. Should the aircraft be damaged due to adverse weather and these precautions were not taken, the pilot shall be responsible to STFC for repairs or replacement costs which are not covered by insurance.
33. An itinerary or a copy of the flight plan, including the scheduled time of return must be filed with the STFC. In the event of a late return, or an unscheduled or forced landing, pilots must contact STFC by telephone (for numbers see the front of the clipboard) and call the nearest FIC.
34. The on-duty dispatcher or an on-duty Instructor may ground aircraft due to weather conditions deemed unfavourable to aircraft safety.
AFTER HOURS FLIGHT POLICIES
35. All students and rental pilots must have completed Annual After-Hours Rental training with an STFC staff remember prior to booking an after-hours flight. STFC considers any booking commencing at 1700 (local time) to be an after-hours flight. Training will be valid for 12 months.
36. Unless the pilot holds a night rating, aircraft must be on the ground by official end of civil twilight.
37. In addition to the responsibility to any damage sustained to the aircraft while in their custody, after-hours renters will also be responsible for any damage to hangars or other STFC / airport property while the aircraft is in their custody and control.
| Local (< 25nm) | Local ( <25nm) | Cross-Country | Cross-Country | |
| Weather Minima | Dual | Solo | Dual | Solo |
| Day VFR | VFR limits | 1000’ AGL / 3sm | 2000’ AGL/ 6sm | 3000’ AGL/ 6sm |
| Night VFR | VFR limits | 5000’ AGL / +10sm w/Natural horizon | 3000’ AGL / 8sm | n/a |
| IFR training | not below published as per CAP | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fuel |
Minimum ½ tanks on departure |
Minimum ½ tanks on departure |
Maximum permissible | Maximum permissible |
| Maximum Crosswind | 20 kts | Maximum demonstrated crosswind as per aircraft POH | 20 kts | Maximum demonstrated crosswind as per aircraft POH |
Minimum Surface Temperature for flight operations: C172 -25 ° C; C152 -20° C
Minimum Approach Air speeds: As per POH
Landing Threshold: for all training flights, touchdown point no closer than the first 200 foot marks and not beyond 1/3 total length of the runway.
Approved solo cross-country routes from St. Thomas
1. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ St. Catherines/Niagara District (CYSN) Full Stop
Þ Waterloo (CYKF) Full Stop Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (197NM)
2. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Windsor (CYQG) Full Stop Þ Sarnia (CYZR) Full Stop
Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (194NM)
3. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Goderich (CYGD) Full Stop Þ Waterloo (CYKF) Full Stop
Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (179NM)
4. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Welland (CNQ3) Full Stop Þ Stratford Municipal (CYSA) Full Stop
Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) This route is for NORDO aircraft only. (195NM)
5. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Goderich (CYGD) Full Stop Þ Saugeen Municipal/Hanover (CYHS) Full Stop Þ Stratford (CYSA) Full Stop Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (186NM)
6. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Edenvale (CNV8) Full Stop Þ Collingwood (CNY3) Full Stop Þ Centralia (CYCE) Full Stop Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (247NM)
Routes 1 – 6 above are for the PPL 150 NM with 2 stops
7. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Stratford (CYSA) Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (79NM)
8. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Chatham (CYCK) Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (103NM)
9. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ London (CYXU) Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (32NM)
10. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Tillsonburg (CYTB) Þ St. Thomas (CYTB) (37NM)
11. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Brantford (CYFD) Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (80NM)
12. St. Thomas (CYQS) Þ Centralia (CYCE) Þ St. Thomas (CYQS) (71NM)