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If you have a love for adventure and desire a career that will take you places, Prairie College’s 2-year fully accredited Aviation Program could be your best decision!
Whether you are flying small charters through the Canadian Rockies, piloting airliners over North America, or flying for a mission organization through the plains of Africa, PATC’s flight training will help you excel as a mature, skilled, and competent commercial pilot.
Prairie Aviation Training Centre (PATC) will prepare you to pursue an exciting, fast-paced career as a commercial pilot, while learning in a supportive Christian environment. With a unique focus on training pilots for the mission field, the program will also equip you for any career in aviation.
PATC’s two-year aviation program is composed of flight training and Bible classes at Prairie College. As a graduate, you will earn an Associate of Arts in Mission Aviation, a Commercial Pilot License with a multi-engine instrument rating and an average of 230 logged flight hours.
Box 4000
Three Hills, AB T0M 2N0
Canada
Phone: 403.443.5511
TollFree: 1.800.661.2425
admissions@prairie.edu
info@prairie.edu
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All rights reserved
PATC students are provided many unique training experiences not offered by many other flight schools. They will complete Flight Training Modules designed to fulfill Transport Canada requirements towards a Commercial Pilot License with multi-engine and instrument flight ratings.
We believe these specialized modules do more than generate pilots; they produce aviation professionals prepared for any career in aviation.
Dual Credit Opportunity
PATC has partnered with Edmonton Catholic Schools (ECS) to offer our Meteorology and Private Pilot Ground School classes to qualified ECS high school students. Students enrolled in Edmonton Catholic schools are able to receive dual credit for these classes and get a head start on their aviation training. Interested students can find more information here.
All courses are three credits unless shown otherwise.
Aviation students are required to achieve a 2.7 G.P.A in the program’s non-technical courses.
The Aviation Diploma offered by Prairie College includes the following:
Non-Technical Courses
Bible & Theology (18 credits)
NT 112 Reading the Gospels & Acts
NT 221 Reading Paul’s Letters
OT 112 Reading the Torah
OT 221 Reading the Historical Books
ST 100 The Christian Life
TH 100 Introduction to Christian Theology
Arts & Sciences (15 credits)
HF 111 Thinking & Writing
SS 170 Christianity in the 21st Century World
IS 140 World Religions
SS 150 Interpersonal Communications
SC 160 Meteorology
Technical Courses
Aviation (35 credits)
AV 100 Private Pilot License Ground School (3 credits)
AV 123 Flight Practicum: Private Pilot License I (2.5 credits)
AV 124 Flight Practicum: Private Pilot License II (2.5 credits)
AV 130 Flight Practicum: Initial Time & Experience (2.5 credits)
AV 131 Flight Practicum: Aircraft Type Conversion (1.5 credits)
AV 132 Flight Practicum: Complex Aircraft Type Conversion (1 credit)
AV 133 Flight Practicum: Mountain Flying (0.5 credit)
AV 201 Instrument Rating Ground School (3 credits)
AV 207 Aircraft Systems for Pilots (3 credits)
AV 208 Commercial Pilot License Ground School (3 credits)
AV 209 Introduction to Cockpit Resource Management (1.5 credits)
AV 210 Introduction to Flight Line Operations (1.5 credits)
AV 230 Flight Practicum: Night Rating (1.5 credits)
AV 231 Flight Practicum: Commercial Pilot License Flight Test Preparation (1 credit)
AV 234 Flight Practicum: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (0.5 credit)
AV 235 Flight Practicum: Multi-Engine Instrument Rating (2.5 credits)
AV 236 Flight Practicum: Multi-Engine Rating (1.5 credits)
AV 237 Flight Practicum: Advanced Time and Experience (2.5 credits)
The following courses are an option following graduation and not a requirement for the Aviation Diploma:
*AV 312 Flight Instructor Rating Ground School (3 credits)
*AV 333 Flight Practicum: Flight Instructor Rating (3 credits)
For course descriptions, see our catalogue here.
Use effective and clear communication in a team environment, whether in a leadership or support role, in order to complete tasks.
As a licensed Commercial Pilot the world opens up to you with career options in both mission and commercial aviation.
Mission and humanitarian aid organizations continually seek to fill positions in countries where people experience desperate physical needs.
Current estimates indicate the pilot shortage across Canada is expected to increase through 2025, providing entry-level opportunities in regional airlines and smaller charter organizations.
International airlines are currently attracting many Canadian pilots to fill vacancies in their countries.
Career Opportunities
Our Grads
PATC graduates operate in a wide variety of Canadian and International organizations including:
For our Tuition & Fee rates as well as Room and Board please see Fees & Financial Aid
Program Specific Costs:
It is essential for students to have a full appreciation of both the over-all program cost and the time-line of when funding will be required.
Please carefully review the Cost Overview for financial information (effective July 1, 2023).
Provincial Student Financial Aid varies from province to province and is restricted to college courses and aviation training carried out towards the Commercial Pilot License and other advanced ratings. Please note financial aid programs do not fund training towards the Private Pilot License.
Winter 2024 (January start), Fall 2024 (September start) and Online Education (start anytime) applications are open.
Prairie welcomes applications from individuals all around the world! To begin the International Student Application please click the link below.
If you are applying for the Master of Leadership in Global Christian Education and need more information visit the program page.
Our diverse fleet of aircraft provides our students with an industry leading depth of experience:
Not only do we have an average student instructor ratio of 4:1, but our unique relationship with mission organizations has allowed us to provide our students with an exceptional crew of experienced pilots who have worked all over the world.
Our 2023 instructor team has a combined experience of 50,000 flight hours and over 120 years in the aviation industry in Canada, Africa, Asia and Asia-Pacific.
Tell us a bit about yourself and an admissions representative will be in touch shortly!
We have launched our Campaign for Greater Impact to provide students with the very best learning opportunities and campus facilities for the decades ahead.
In Phase One of this Campaign, we plan to invest in much-needed campus renewal, including: upgraded Infrastructure, a new Student Residence, Cafeteria, Worship Auditorium, and expanded Aviation Training Centre. A modern campus requires an investment that is bold, and even expensive, but each Campaign Project is strategic, and designed to enhance Prairie’s campus and student life experience.
This expansion of PATC’s facility is a key project of Prairie’s Campaign for Greater Impact. It will increase the College’s capacity to train a new generation of Christian aviators to serve God in missions, and also address the growing need for trained pilots in the commercial aviation sector.
Invest in the next generation of missional professionals. Each year Prairie College distributes over $500,000 in scholarships and bursaries to students. We are grateful for each gift that reduces the burden of students’ tuition and allows students to fulfill their God-given professions.
Encourage inmates in five institutions across Alberta to discover or reconnect with Jesus Christ. This fund assists the students studying the Certificate in Bible program with scholarships, resources for classes, and instruction.
Prairie College is educating students to pursue a Biblical foundation for life and career. Your contribution to this fund assists in minimizing the College’s general operating expenses.
To allocate your gift, please select one of the donation buttons below.