New Canadian Pilots
Posted by FluidBobcat5303@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 36 comments
I really want to be a pilot but there is so much fear mongering about never being able to find work after a CPL. I have gotten my medical and I plan to start soon but will it be impossible to find work? I can’t move north so id have to find something urban (Montreal area or Vancouver area) if anyone has some promising experiences in recent times please share.
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
It’s crazy everyone in here thinks that every pilot goes to Yellowknife.
F1shermanIvan@reddit
Places I’ve lived since being a pilot.
Grew up in Edmonton. Got my CPL in Victoria.
First job in Bissett, second in Toronto, third in Fort Vermilion, fourth in Vancouver, fifth in Calgary and sixth in Iqaluit. I rotate up there 2/2 weeks. I live in Edmonton again. This has taken about 11 years.
Lots of people do the same career path. So buckle up, the easy roads where 705s hired 250 hour pilots are mostly done these days.
Full_Wind_1966@reddit
Well i have never been to yellow knife but I have been to some northern parts. I have a lot of friends in aviation and they are in two groups: the ones who went up north and made it in this career and the ones who didn't go up north and are still trying to make it.
I am absolutely not saying it cant be done and in another one of my answers I have explained a path to make it down south, but the people who get fortunate enough to pull this off are few and far between.
segelflugzeugdriver@reddit
It's crazy you think you can get an airline gig without paying your dues 😂
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
There are other possibilities besides going north though, it’s just the basic response from people that don’t know shit. Up north is 2 year wait.
Dizzy-Ad-9061@reddit
I’m sure others have said already but if you don’t go north the only possibility for low time really is just flight instructing. You definitely continue to learn more and develop skills over the next few 100’s of hours of instructing but after that I don’t think it’s very productive in terms of gaining valuable time/skills (aside from PIC requirements for ATPL).
You’re getting a lot of flak for saying you won’t move up north, and honestly rightfully so imo. Even after instructing I moved up to northern Ontario to get some 705 experience before getting a job back here “in civilization”. This was also post covid so it’s not like I’m talking about the industry decades ago or something.
While I was up north my partner and I were stuck doing long distance. It sucked but we got through it, now we’re happy here in YYZ. I know you mention family being a reason that you don’t want to move north (it’s odd that you mention family yet also say you could live in either the second or third largest metro area of the country, I think that gives off the impression that you simply don’t WANT to move north… anyways) but honestly it doesn’t really matter what the reason is, you just have to decide whether the sacrifice is worth it. The reason why more people don’t do this job in the first place is because they simply don’t want it bad enough. They see the captain or FO at the airport and don’t realize everything it took to get to that point.
Full_Wind_1966@reddit
Absolutely agree with you mate
segelflugzeugdriver@reddit
If you know these possibilities so well why are you asking, friend?
NolanonoSC@reddit
No, but a vast majority goes to places like YKF, Timmins, Nunavik, northern Ontario, Manitoba and BC. Are you currently a pilot? If not, then why do you think you know more about this industry than the people here trying to help you?
Altruistic_Cause9442@reddit
I’m not even a pilot yet, nor do I live in Canada, so I wouldn’t think you’d be willing to listen to me, but you’re not even willing to listen to the actual pilots in here. Look dude, you asked a question and got answers from the people you were seeking responses from. But you keep telling these people that they are wrong.
And also, you keep saying that you can’t move north because of family. You may really want to stay close to your family, but does that mean you literally cannot move north?
Being dishonest with yourself is going to get you absolutely nowhere. You need to be able to accept reality, even if you may not like it very much.
Full_Wind_1966@reddit
Well what is north for you? Iqaluit or Timmins? Cause the answer to that would make a big difference for what jobs you will be able to get.
If you wanna stay south, there are opportunities in every city for ground to flight positions. These will get you there eventually but will likely take several years before you fly at all. That being said, once you do fly, you have a clear and fast-ish path to the airlines.
I would recommend if that is your plan, that you try to find one of those jobs ASAP and work that while you are doing flight school, so that hopefully it won't be too long for you once you are done training.
thanksforallthetrees@reddit
Buddy if you can’t move a bunch of times during your early flying career in Canada… you’re gonna have a long slow road to nowhere. Starting out, you need to take whatever job wherever you can.
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
I can move, just not up north.
Irrelevance351@reddit
You need to be willling to move where the work is, even if it's all the way up in the Territorial North. I am also training to be a pilot in Canada, and the notion that new pilots will need to move throughout the country for work was drilled into me early on.
Tradezulu@reddit
At best and most likely your first job in an urban city will be a flight instructor.
After that, to find your second job will most likely be flying in a remote location, usually up north.
If you aren’t willing to re locate and especially up north, you are severely limiting yourself. In that situation, yes I’d say in this environment it will be impossible for you to find work.
You’re not going from flight instructor > airlines based in an urban city and there are thousands of CPLs who are more than grateful to have a flying job anywhere in the country.
ILS_Pilot@reddit
Can you expand on this a bit please? I actually thought this was the pipeline. You find any pilot job (pipeline flying, banner towing, instructing, or something up north, etc.), build hours there, and move to the airlines whenever that happens.
Are you saying that is not the case?
Full_Wind_1966@reddit
In Canada, not really. You will need some turbine experience most likely in between. Not that it cant be done to go directly from flight instructing to airlines but it is very rare. You will most likely have to go fly a king air or pc12 or b1900 for a couple of years
Tradezulu@reddit
To clarify I meant directly.
OP didn’t want to move outside the city for the types of jobs you’re mentioning. It sounds like they have some preconceived notion they can skip all that.
Traditional-Oil2580@reddit
As you can tell from the other answers in here, unfortunately, family isn’t and, really, can never be seen as a priority in aviation. I’m not sure you will have luck in today’s market without some sort of sacrifice in that way. Consider this, and the attitude/tone of others in this thread, your first taste of how inconsiderate and outdated this industry is towards the fact that you have other important things in your life. Aviation genuinely doesn’t care, and perhaps this all is a useful factor in considering whether or not it’s the right thing to pursue for you before you’re too far in.
Cool_Cost_1787@reddit
Why can you not move north?
You are more likely to find a job up there then in a urban area. I was very apprehensive about moving north of anywhere when I started but it was one of the most amazing things I did.
The friends I made and the experience is something else. I personally made it to Air Canada a lot faster then my friends who stayed "south"
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
Family
Cool_Cost_1787@reddit
You may have to consider spelling that out. Lots of us mae a short term sacrifice with family.
If family is a hindrance I would reconsider this career.
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
Are these opportunities 2 weeks on two weeks off or something? Or is it just move north until further notice?
spkgsam@reddit
There quite a bit rotational opportunity, but it’s very unlikely you’ll find something like that right out of flight school. With your restrictions you’ll probably have to do some flight instructing before that.
Also something to keep in mind, not all operators have flight benefits, so the cost of commuting can really add up.
Others have already mentioned how limiting your requirements are, so I won’t beat a dead horse, but you should definitely be prepared to be job searching for months or even years after flight school.
FluidBobcat5303@reddit (OP)
If I instruct for a year do you think it’s possible for opportunities to arise? I’m not meaning I have to stay in downtown Vancouver but I can’t leave for month at a time. I’m willing to instruct for a few years if needed.
spkgsam@reddit
A year of instructing is probably going to be the minimum, 2-3 years is more realistic, but don't count on automatically finding an instructing job either, even those can be far and few in between depending on location and timing. That said, no one knows what the industry is going to look like by the time you're looking for a job.
Just over 2000 CPLs were minted last year, while retirements from the airlines add up to 500 at best.
Not trying to scare you, but that's the reality for low hour pilots in Canada, 2022-2024 was not normal. Be sure to weigh the risks before you drop 100k into training.
RedDirtDVD@reddit
I’m not on the commercial side, but PAL flies in the maritimes. They feed from within their flight schools Is my understanding. So maybe try and get a job in Moncton and take it from there? I would think that would be an avenue to consider.
NolanonoSC@reddit
Trained out of Moncton, PAL is unreachable unless you instruct for years and even then it's nearly impossible to get into instructing with MFC as they're primarily pulling from their own cadet/"Life in Flight" program, and even then you're far far far more likely to be sent to the boonies of labrador or Manitoba then get into PAL right away.
RedDirtDVD@reddit
Fair enough. I had heard a bit different but ramp talk with us middle age guys isn’t always up to date!
F1shermanIvan@reddit
You will not have much of a career in aviation in Canada if you can’t spend at least some time in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.
WhenInDoubtGoAround@reddit
I couldn’t agree more. I’m two hours away from a major city in a small town flying away students and sightseeirs, and it’s been great so far. I do miss life in the city but I do enjoy the traffic-less, extremely short commute and open areas, even my local Tims is nice!
segelflugzeugdriver@reddit
I'm guessing OP is a "new Canadian" and is expected to stay close to home. Unfortunately as has been stated already, that isn't gonna fly in the world you are trying to enter. Good luck, but if you can't take a job in Yellowknife if that's your only option... You aren't going anywhere
Cool_Cost_1787@reddit
From being a training capt at a regional. They also are not the candidate you want based off mentality.
Antique-Kitchen-1896@reddit
No one can tell you if you will find work. It’s market and individual dependent.
All I can say is the school at my field entire staff of instructors disappeared into the airlines end of COVID. A few months later it was good if they could find a survey job or fly for the commercial ops side of the company the school belongs to. That tells you the market has gone back to the days of waiting for your break.
Some people will always find a job just not everyone.
StillAnxious2493@reddit
it’s not impossible but it’s not quick either, especially if you won’t go north. friends who finished cpl recently mostly had to instruct, do ramp, or do dispatch first. expect low pay and years to build hours. everything’s slower now, jobs are way harder to get
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I really want to be a pilot but there is so much fear mongering about never being able to find work after a CPL. I have gotten my medical and I plan to start soon but will it be impossible to find work? I can’t move north so id have to find something urban (Montreal area or Vancouver area) if anyone has some promising experiences in recent times please share.
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