I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

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mdyshaik786
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I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by mdyshaik786 »

Greetings to all of you,

I am an indian in KSA working currently , wanted to become Canadian bush pilot but which school to choose from i am confused , as i have gone though Victoria, Brantford , Brampton , spectrum , seneca , sault , confed , waterloo, Canadian flight center , pro ifr, mt. royal .

Recently from this forum i came to know about confed giving up floats and moving to mifr , as to this i was trying for Confed coz of floats but when heard that they're giving up floats rating for mifr , then was thinking about victora flying club coz they have seaplane rating , ultimate goal was to move to air canada but via float pathway looked cool , any comment / guidance / tips / help / advice will be appreciated.

P.S. I'm currently working on my English and grammar , apologies to all.
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North Shore
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by North Shore »

My $.02 worth:
Just had a conversation similar to this with one of my co-workers...if you want to go to an airline, seniority is everything at most airlines. So, the sooner you get that seniority number, the better off you'll be down the road. Forget the bush/floats thing (unless it's the stepping stone into a twin), and go after a twin turbine IFR job...

Good Luck!
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DrSpaceman
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by DrSpaceman »

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NAT2
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by NAT2 »

Talking seniority numbers and quickest ways to airline seats to someone just starting out seems like such a disservice, almost sad. Some are going to put the blinders on and say airline or bust, but I'm not going to be the one to hand them the blinders. NS, You're right, once you're in the seat, the number is the only thing that matters, but what a shame to miss out on so much to achieve that number.

I'm of the mindset to get out, explore, try some different avenues, see what truly lights you up and gives you the life that you want. You may learn some crazy things about yourself along the way. The route of Beech 1900 FO-->Captain-->Airline of Choice isn't going to open your world up too much. Maybe your world is already set, maybe I was aviation's only lost soul.
Just in case I am not though; go fly floats if that interests you, go work the north. Still haven't seen an obituary with a solid seniority number mentioned, but I have read some great stories.

To the original poster, the school doesn't matter so much as your mindset when you come out. Go check them all out, which one feels best to you? Trust your intuition, you'll need it to be strong when dealing with this business. Work hard at any of those schools you listed, and come out ready for an adventure. The rest will come.

Your mileage may vary, but good luck

N
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Saxub
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by Saxub »

I know a few Indian guys who did exactly what you want to do. They went to private flight schools in Canada on a student visa, and then afterwards got a post study work permit for the length of time they were in school (about 2 years). One year working is enough to apply for PR I believe? If you work hard, Canada is the El Dorado of entry level flying.
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Saxub
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by Saxub »

Check out Harv's Air in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They have a good international program and the weather there is pretty consistent year round.
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mdyshaik786
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by mdyshaik786 »

I am strictly devoted to bush/float flying , I am thinking now of either Air Hart or else lake country airways , BTW i did not get the meaning of work holiday visa , as either of the places say that expats don't require a work visa for this sort or kind of work , idk.
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NAT2
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by NAT2 »

What is your current status in Canada, do you have the right to work?
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cdnpilot77
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by cdnpilot77 »

mdyshaik786 wrote:I am strictly devoted to bush/float flying , I am thinking now of either Air Hart or else lake country airways , BTW i did not get the meaning of work holiday visa , as either of the places say that expats don't require a work visa for this sort or kind of work , idk.

Expats require a work permit for ANY sort of work in Canada. How you obtain that or the type of work permit you obtain can be drastically different based on how you enter Canada and what you intend to do. Ie: study, vacation, or go straight to work.
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Saxub
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by Saxub »

Sounds like you have a lot more research to do.

Firstly you must get your PPL and then CPL License. Some places offer flight training for your CPL on floats... but it will cost you a lot. Most people here in Canada get their PPL and CPL on wheels (aside from maybe a bit of time towards a float rating which is 7 hours) and then time build 50 hours on floats. You can do most of that within the 200 hours it takes to get your CPL license. Afterwards you can apply with the government for a working visa equal to the time you spent in flight school in Canada. Then go find a job, and after 8 months of work you can apply for permanent residency.

Air Hart is good an all, but there's a lot more to it than just going to one float school. It doesn't work that way.
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TheStig
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by TheStig »

Just wondering why you want to be a bush pilot? Where have you learned about bush flying in Canada? Is it something you'd like do for a career? Or just to get started in the industry?
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mdyshaik786
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by mdyshaik786 »

I have been reading these forums and collecting some ideas regarding flying in air and on floats , so the adventurous pathway to me was floats / bush , with canada being the best country and kind people in the whole world , i came to the conclusion of doing my floats cpl , ppl in canada , and in a certain forum i found the pros regarding air hart , so i'm thinking of going to air hart.
To saxub, You mean that i will have to go to certain flight school or go to moncton have their integrated course instruct for passion and acquire knowledge as well then when you think you can fund on floats then head towards it or do a complete diploma program either from confed or algonqouin to become floats pilot , what do you suggest ?
As i am now 25 , wanted to go for UWO/Seneca/Waterloo/sault , but already am a graduate in pathology that too not by my own desire to be so , hence realised my dream after so many years of wastage , so what do you suggest me to pursue for a diploma / degree / some flying schools then floats kinda pathway ?

P.S. I appologise for over questioning .
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fish4life
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by fish4life »

Do you enjoy long days of manual labour? That is a good question to ask yourself because float flying is more manual labour than flying.
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Meecka
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by Meecka »

fish4life wrote:Do you enjoy long days of manual labour? That is a good question to ask yourself because float flying is more manual labour than flying.
This^

Does the idea of slugging 50lb hockey bags full of rotten hunting gear repeatedly appeal to you? How about flying an aircraft that has the pungent odor of moose blood and garbage permeating the interior upholstery, only to come out and assault your senses on a nice hot day? (I hear a shmear of vicks under your nose helps with that) How are you with scrubbing congealed fish guts off of floors?

In all seriousness though, if Float flying is what appeals to you, giv'er. It's a whole different world. I kinda miss working on float aircraft once and a while...
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North Shore
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by North Shore »

mdyshaik786, if you already have a degree in something, don't waste your money going through a college program. Go to a decent private school, and get flying. It might be reasonable to go to a place like Harv's Air in Manitoba, as they have a fair bit of experience in teaching people who speak English as a second language.
The dilemma with float flying is that it's really quite expensive - so, do you get your licences on wheels and then do a float rating, or do you do as much as possible on floats? You'll have to do the maths on that and decide what your budget is.. IIRC, there are only a few places in Canada that offer ppl and/or cpl training on floats: Airhart, Sudbury Aviation, and Lakecountry Airways are the ones that I'm aware of.
Treat learning to fly as a job - don't drift through every couple of days and expect to finish quickly, with a thorough understanding of what you're doing. Also, a read through the various posts on the flight training forum here will give you many other nuggets of information.
Lastly, keep in mind what Meecka and fish have posted - there's many days that I've done camp changes where it's an hour turn at each end, loading and unloading the jigsaw puzzle of freight and bags in the back, and 15 minutes of flying at the end of it. Then, of course, there are the glass-smooth days in September, when the leaves are changing, and it's clear and sunny...

Good Luck!
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BeaverDreamer
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by BeaverDreamer »

Meecka wrote:
fish4life wrote:Do you enjoy long days of manual labour? That is a good question to ask yourself because float flying is more manual labour than flying.
This^

Does the idea of slugging 50lb hockey bags full of rotten hunting gear repeatedly appeal to you? How about flying an aircraft that has the pungent odor of moose blood and garbage permeating the interior upholstery, only to come out and assault your senses on a nice hot day? (I hear a shmear of vicks under your nose helps with that) How are you with scrubbing congealed fish guts off of floors?

In all seriousness though, if Float flying is what appeals to you, giv'er. It's a whole different world. I kinda miss working on float aircraft once and a while...
Still sounds a lot better than sitting in the right seat of a twin to the same boring locations for less than minimum wage.
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Meecka
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by Meecka »

BeaverDreamer wrote:
Still sounds a lot better than sitting in the right seat of a twin to the same boring locations for less than minimum wage.
Have you done it? Trust me, it gets old fast.
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by redlaser »

Float flying is a lot of fun, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but it can be expensive to work in the field because insurance companies usually ask for at least 50 hours or sometimes more to insure you. So getting the float rating is farely easy, but getting the hours to be insured is another story,
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BeaverDreamer
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Re: I want to become canadian bush pilot , am an indian !

Post by BeaverDreamer »

Meecka wrote:
Have you done it? Trust me, it gets old fast.
I've hauled a good amount of "unpleasant" cargo on wheels. Absolutely love it and go to work every day excited for the adventures ahead. Even after 12 flight hour days I tend to go to bed with a big smile on my face. However, I am still young and the lifestyle appeals to me. Who knows, maybe this will change when I am older but bush flying right now is the best thing in the world to me. For now I can only dream of getting a float job for next season but I definitely don't see anything wrong with people pursuing that career.
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