Lunenburg County Flight School
Flying over the Mahone Bay Islands
Introductory flight lessons
Take an Introductory Flight in the open air Merlin EZ Flyer II ultralight aircraft for $150/ hour including tax. (A normal intro flight is 1 hour, but half hour is also possible.) A waiver and “category 4” medical declaration is required. Your pilot is instructor Christopher Ball who has logged over 1000 ultralight hours and over 500 hours of instructional time. We are located about 15 minutes inland from Mahone Bay at the Church Lake Water Aerodrome.
Watch this Video of a typical introductory flight.
Final checklists and heading out
ULTRALIGHT PERMIT
An Ultralight permit is the most affordable and achievable licence and is a great way to enter into the world of aviation.
The initial requirement is a self declared (category 4) medical which you submit to Transport Canada to start a file number. Transport Canada minimums require 10 hours of instructional flight hours, of which 2 hours are solo, however most students need 15 to 20 hours to comfortably be ready for their solo flight. Flight hours are $150/hr in the Merlin EZ Flyer, or $90/hr if you are training in your own aircraft. (I charge by the hour as opposed to a full course flat fee due to the many variables in experience and scheduling availability.) There is also a 20 hour ground school which I offer annually in the winter for $400 per student.
It is highly advisable to think about purchasing, or co-owning your own aircraft because, once you graduate with a permit, you will not be able to get access to rental aircraft (as you can with a private or recreational licence). In an ideal world you can start your training on the Merlin, and then transition and complete your hours and your solo flight on your own aircraft.
When you decide to commit to starting your training you can purchase the Ultralight Information Manual from UPAC, which has all the information you need for ground school and the Transport Canada tests. At the completion of the course, you will write a transport Canada multiple choice 50 question test with a pass mark of 60%. An ultralight permit is good for life, as long as you can continue to renew your medical (every 5 years).
After 25 hours logged (including 2 hours cross country), you can go for your Passenger Carrying rating, as long as you operate an Advanced Ultralight aircraft. For more information, email here
Other links: COPA, Passenger Carrying Flight test guide, Ultralight Pilot’s Association of Canada, Bluenose Flying Club, South Shore Flying Club, Stanley Sport Aviation For students looking for Powered Paragliding instruction: PPGschool.com
Aerial view of Church Lake Water Aerodrome in Nova Scotia
Church lake water aerodrome
CHL3 Comm 122.8 Elevation 280
Church Lake Water Aerodrome is located in the southwestern region of Nova Scotia, near Mahone Bay and Lunenburg and not far from the Annapolis Valley. The lake is 2.5 km in length and 1 km in width and is oriented in a NE/SW direction. Details can be found in the Water Aerodrome flight supplement under Church Lake CHL3. Visitors are always welcome. Mogas can be made available by prior arrangement. Visiting pilots may be interested in docking at the Aerodrome and making use of the on site air bnb. Also, visitors to the air bnb receive a discounted intro flight with their stay (weather permitting).
Local Weather: Windy, Environment Canada, Marine
Watch this stunning sunset video of an evening flight at CHL3 or this video of a local flight from CHL3 to New Germany.
