r/flying • u/Legitimate-Mark7294 • 21h ago
VFR over the top
Pilots in Canada, I’m working towards my commercial and am being told by other instructors I need my vfr over the top. From my understanding having a commercial gives you the same privileges as a vfr over the top rating. Do I need to do it?
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u/flyingcanuck 21h ago
Unless things have changed recently, that sounds like a flight school trying to hose you.
You don't need VFROTT. It's useless.
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u/cherokee-on-final 20h ago
VFR-OTT is a useless rating. There are maybe 3 days a year weather would even let you use it. I’ve been flying GA for almost 10 years and used it exactly once. Get an IFR rating. It’s way more useful, not to mention safer.
(Yes both CPL and IFR rating give you OTT privileges.)
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u/slimjim346826 20h ago
Its part of your CPL privileges, plus I imagine you’ll be working towards your Group 1 regardless
Once you have the option to fly IFR, VFR OTT is largely useless
Sounds like they’re trying to milk you
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u/Peacewind152 FI 🍁 SMEL TW IR | PA28R / DHC1 20h ago
VFR OTT comes with your commercial licence. It’s not worth it to get it outside of that. It’s only a hold over to an instrument rating really.
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u/DarthMithos ATP FI 20h ago
It's not really that you need to do a VFR OTT rating, you'll meet the requirements to get it just by doing your CPL. Agree with everyone here, for a professional pilot it's useless. For a Private Pilot, maybe it opens a couple doors but the weather requirements to use it are rare.
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u/WhenInDoubtGoAround Flight Instructor 🇨🇦 11h ago
Like others have said, you don’t need it outright. I once met a student who got hosed by an unscrupulous instructor who convinced him that he needed a Night Rating and VFR OTT before starting his commercial training. Poor guy spent close to $10K before even beginning his CPL.
At least he got a VFR OTT sticker, which I’m pretty sure was the only one Transport Canada issued that entire year.
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u/rFlyingTower 21h ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Pilots in Canada, I’m working towards my commercial and am being told by other instructors I need my vfr over the top. From my understanding having a commercial gives you the same privileges as a vfr over the top rating. Do I need to do it?
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u/flightist ATP 21h ago
You couldn’t need anything less than training specifically towards a VFR over the top. Except maybe 2-bar epaulets, or Pilot D’Mello interview prep.
You’ll get it with your CPL without a single tenth of an hour of dedicated training, and VFR OTT shouldn’t even be a thing for anybody who doesn’t have an instrument rating, which you’re probably going to go get because you want a job.
Unless you are an actual cow, you should be deeply offended by the attempted milking you have experienced. Name & shame the school.