Brand new pilot looking for advice during COVID

[Benm11]

Talk about a bad time for a career change...

Joined the airforce in the years after 9/11 because there were no jobs and after 12 years as an aircraft tech, flight engineer and 2 tours I got out to "finally" be a pilot...Since there was a shortage and all...sold everything and moved back home.

Well I got my CPL MIFR and a bunch of float time but my 1st flying job in northern Sask got cancelled 2 days before I was about to leave.

Hurts like hell but still don't regret my choice.

In the meanwhile though... what do you guys recommend for moving forward ? I'm looking at doing an instructor rating and flying a little bit of floats, might start work at L3 next week(money to fly), join reserves as an FE too.
Trying not to stagnate and to improve my situation for when things open up again.

I want to fly floats but I have a feeling that won't be possible this year... Should I switch to instructing or something else ?

I've got 270TT 60 Floats, 25 Tailwheel & Skis, MIFR - Montreal area.

Appreciate the help!

Cheers

[pelmet]

I recommend to anybody looking for a career as a pilot to only pursue it if you are willing to accept the risk of job loss due to recessions every decade or so.

If not, I suggest a different field and fly for enjoyment. There can be ways for some of this to be at very low cost such as flying skydivers and towing gliders. Part time things such as instruction can be an option as well.

[chipmunk]

Talk about a bad time for a career change...

Joined the airforce in the years after 9/11 because there were no jobs and after 12 years as an aircraft tech, flight engineer and 2 tours I got out to "finally" be a pilot...Since there was a shortage and all...sold everything and moved back home.

Well I got my CPL MIFR and a bunch of float time but my 1st flying job in northern Sask got cancelled 2 days before I was about to leave.

Hurts like hell but still don't regret my choice.

In the meanwhile though... what do you guys recommend for moving forward ? I'm looking at doing an instructor rating and flying a little bit of floats, might start work at L3 next week(money to fly), join reserves as an FE too.
Trying not to stagnate and to improve my situation for when things open up again.

I want to fly floats but I have a feeling that won't be possible this year... Should I switch to instructing or something else ?

I've got 270TT 60 Floats, 25 Tailwheel & Skis, MIFR - Montreal area.

Appreciate the help!

Cheers

I think you have some great ideas already - instructor, floats if you can, and part time jobs... keep working your contacts and connections - now more than ever is the time to keep up your industry connections and make new ones. Keep an eye out for survey flying jobs - oil & gas and anything to do with it, including exploration, is an essential service. They probably won't advertise flying jobs but do some research and send out some resumes, again, you never know.

I was finishing up my CPL & IFR on 9/11, and it was a hell of a lot of work, perseverance and a little bit of right place right time to make my career. It can be done! Even though the future is fairly bleak at the moment I don't regret my choice to continue.

[Benm11]

Talk about a bad time for a career change...

Joined the airforce in the years after 9/11 because there were no jobs and after 12 years as an aircraft tech, flight engineer and 2 tours I got out to "finally" be a pilot...Since there was a shortage and all...sold everything and moved back home.

Well I got my CPL MIFR and a bunch of float time but my 1st flying job in northern Sask got cancelled 2 days before I was about to leave.

Hurts like hell but still don't regret my choice.

In the meanwhile though... what do you guys recommend for moving forward ? I'm looking at doing an instructor rating and flying a little bit of floats, might start work at L3 next week(money to fly), join reserves as an FE too.
Trying not to stagnate and to improve my situation for when things open up again.

I want to fly floats but I have a feeling that won't be possible this year... Should I switch to instructing or something else ?

I've got 270TT 60 Floats, 25 Tailwheel & Skis, MIFR - Montreal area.

Appreciate the help!

Cheers

I think you have some great ideas already - instructor, floats if you can, and part time jobs... keep working your contacts and connections - now more than ever is the time to keep up your industry connections and make new ones. Keep an eye out for survey flying jobs - oil & gas and anything to do with it, including exploration, is an essential service and all survey operators are starting to get back out there now.

I was finishing up my CPL & IFR on 9/11, and it was a hell of a lot of work, perseverance and a little bit of right place right time to make my career. It can be done! Even though the future is fairly bleak at the moment I don't regret my choice to continue.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'm sure anybody in or finishing flight training needs it!

About those survey jobs, or any low flying job for that matter, where do you find them ? I probably check avcanada and pilotcareercentre 4 times a day in case something pops up.

[chipmunk]

About those survey jobs, or any low flying job for that matter, where do you find them ? I probably check avcanada and pilotcareercentre 4 times a day in case something pops up.

Right now survey companies are likely getting flooded with resumes, so they won't be posting any jobs. (I'm sure the same is happening for float operators... if a company ends up needing someone quickly, they'll take out their current stack of resumes and pick.) You could check way back over the past couple of years on the avcanada job ads for companies, or do some basic googling... TC likely has a list of all 702 operators as well.

Off the top of my head: Ares Aviation in Calgary, CGG in Ottawa, Sander Geophysics in Ottawa... there's a bunch more (including many that fly small Cessnas and are a little more entry level than those I listed) that I'm sure you can find with some googling. In the past few years those companies have been hiring fairly low time pilots due to the pilot shortage, so obviously now there will be more competition. Focus your cover letter on what sets you apart from the other low time pilots - many of these companies send you out for weeks at a time, so maturity and work ethic is a plus...

[Benm11]

About those survey jobs, or any low flying job for that matter, where do you find them ? I probably check avcanada and pilotcareercentre 4 times a day in case something pops up.

Right now survey companies are likely getting flooded with resumes, so they won't be posting any jobs. (I'm sure the same is happening for float operators... if a company ends up needing someone quickly, they'll take out their current stack of resumes and pick.) You could check way back over the past couple of years on the avcanada job ads for companies, or do some basic googling... TC likely has a list of all 702 operators as well.

Off the top of my head: Ares Aviation in Calgary, CGG in Ottawa, Sander Geophysics in Ottawa... there's a bunch more (including many that fly small Cessnas and are a little more entry level than those I listed) that I'm sure you can find with some googling. In the past few years those companies have been hiring fairly low time pilots due to the pilot shortage, so obviously now there will be more competition. Focus your cover letter on what sets you apart from the other low time pilots - many of these companies send you out for weeks at a time, so maturity and work ethic is a plus...

Alright I'll do that
I had sent a bunch of resumes to the companies in Ottawa and Montreal, I think their min hours went up in the last year tho. I'll keep trying !
I don't mind going on the road, in fact I enjoy it. That's what my prior life was like hehe
Cheers

[jpilot77]

I’d go visit these places. Show your face. Talk with a chief pilot or the owner. They probably won’t have a job for you but in 3 months they might. And someone they met and talked to for 45 minutes stands out a lot more than a guy who emailed his resume for that job.

[Benm11]

I’d go visit these places. Show your face. Talk with a chief pilot or the owner. They probably won’t have a job for you but in 3 months they might. And someone they met and talked to for 45 minutes stands out a lot more than a guy who emailed his resume for that job.

I'll do that thanks for the advice

[rigpiggy]

I’d go visit these places. Show your face. Talk with a chief pilot or the owner. They probably won’t have a job for you but in 3 months they might. And someone they met and talked to for 45 minutes stands out a lot more than a guy who emailed his resume for that job.

+1 This. and unlike the .50$ page of the late 1990-2000s email resumes cost nothing

[ayseven]

And don't give up. Never give up. Sometimes it is just timing - usually it is just timing, but persistence does pay.

[Heliian]

I’d go visit these places. Show your face. Talk with a chief pilot or the owner. They probably won’t have a job for you but in 3 months they might. And someone they met and talked to for 45 minutes stands out a lot more than a guy who emailed his resume for that job.

I'll do that thanks for the advice

When the pandemic is over of course. Door knocking at the moment will not get you anywhere and may even negatively effect your chances of getting hired there.

[Heavy Rayn]

If you can’t find anything in the mean time and you have the funds available, pursuing an instructor rating sounds like a good idea. Even if you only use it for a year to tide you over into a different area of aviation, having the privilege to teach, and to also continually learn, is a good thing.

I’m no expert but I feel like in a few years the difference between getting hired somewhere and not will be the diversity/experiences shown on ones résumé. You’re already looking good with your 60hrs of float for a low time guy, but why not show that you can teach as well. Never know what doors will open for you in the future.

[MrAviator19]

When the pandemic is over of course. Door knocking at the moment will not get you anywhere and may even negatively effect your chances of getting hired there.

Negatively affect his chances how exactly? The worst that'll happen is he'll get a big NO from most places but nobody is going to blacklist him for applying during the pandemic. This is just the kind of de-motivation that is so rampant on AvCanada.

MrA

[7ECA]

When the pandemic is over of course. Door knocking at the moment will not get you anywhere and may even negatively effect your chances of getting hired there.

Negatively affect his chances how exactly? The worst that'll happen is he'll get a big NO from most places but nobody is going to blacklist him for applying during the pandemic. This is just the kind of de-motivation that is so rampant on AvCanada.

MrA

Consider how many companies have either laid off the majority of their staff/voluntary LOAs/barely afloat, or shut down entirely. If you go "hat in hand" to a company with a skeleton crew working, there's a chance someone there is going to take a dim view of you looking to scoop a job as a low timer.

Obviously, people have done the door to door routine for years, or carpet bombed resumes, but it's a little different these days with so many out of work pilots. Mind you, many pilots are hoping for a recall to their company...

Let's face it, in this industry is doesn't take much to piss someone off and end up on "the list".

[Heliian]

When the pandemic is over of course. Door knocking at the moment will not get you anywhere and may even negatively effect your chances of getting hired there.

Negatively affect his chances how exactly? The worst that'll happen is he'll get a big NO from most places but nobody is going to blacklist him for applying during the pandemic. This is just the kind of de-motivation that is so rampant on AvCanada.

MrA

If you show up physically with resume in hand and knock on the door during a pandemic when people are supposed to be restricting movements and interactions, I will not call you back. It's just a poor decision. Call, email, fax, snail mail it in for the time being until restrictions are lifted.

Like said above, the crews are down to minimal at the moment so the jobs aren't there anyways.

I've always been very supportive of job seekers and I am giving you my honest opinion for the times.

It's just reality.

[MrAviator19]

When the pandemic is over of course. Door knocking at the moment will not get you anywhere and may even negatively effect your chances of getting hired there.

Negatively affect his chances how exactly? The worst that'll happen is he'll get a big NO from most places but nobody is going to blacklist him for applying during the pandemic. This is just the kind of de-motivation that is so rampant on AvCanada.

MrA

If you show up physically with resume in hand and knock on the door during a pandemic when people are supposed to be restricting movements and interactions, I will not call you back. It's just a poor decision. Call, email, fax, snail mail it in for the time being until restrictions are lifted.

Like said above, the crews are down to minimal at the moment so the jobs aren't there anyways.

I've always been very supportive of job seekers and I am giving you my honest opinion for the times.

It's just reality.

Agreed, now isn't the time for in-person meetings. My argument is more so for when restrictions are lifted and people start moving again, even if the industry as a whole is still in the gutter. No company will be so stupid as to hire a new low-timer before calling back their own laid-off staff. But that doesn't mean a brand new pilot is forbidden to apply. If someone takes a "dim view" of that or gets "pissed off" from a mere application as someone mentioned, it's really their problem and I'd stay away from such a company. You can't tell me that just because of the downturn in the industry and the lay-offs, people have also lost their sense of civility in dealing with new applications. When the time comes, a face-to-face meeting and formally introducing yourself as a person will go a long way, especially in the smaller 703/704 environment. Like someone already mentioned here, when the hiring gets going again, they'll remember the guy who took the time and made the effort, even in these times, to let them know he's eager to get started in the industry.

It's better to apply and get a "no" as opposed to not apply at all with the assumption that it will put them on some "list".

MrA

[photofly]

If you don’t show up in person, you’re lazy and have no drive. If you do, your judgement is poor. Or you’re trying to steal a job from someone laid off and you have no morals. If you show up in person you’re wasting the time of busy people. How can you expect them to give you a job if you’re a time waster? If you don’t show up in person nobody can see if your face fits; obviously you can’t expect a job.

Everything you do is wrong. But never give up!

[ayseven]

This is the story of flying, right there. In life, somebody is always going to try to guilt you into something. Choose your own path. They do not care about you.

[Benm11]

Hey guys thanks for all the replies.

Quick update on my end; got a job thanks to my past airforce experience fixing Cf18's at L3 in CYMX.
Also got to teach floats a few days here and there and I am midway through my instructor rating. Also, taking up aviation management university courses this fall.

Have a bunch of resumes printed and I am waiting for the right moment to start knocking on doors.

It's been quite a rollercoaster ride in emotions for all of us in aviation since the spring let's hope things get better soon !

Cheers