Thinking about becoming a pilot. Where do I start?

[stellersjay]

I'm new to this forum so please let me know if this type of question is too vague or not in the appropriate place. Apologies if this question is hugely redundant!

I don't want to make this too long! But as general background, I have university education (graduated with BSc in Biology in 2015) and am female... if that matters! In terms of flight schools in Canada, I'm nearest to the Moncton Flight College.

Since graduating I've been working full-time, which is great, but I need to figure out my career move as this is only really temporary. Money is okay/good, I own my own home and am in my mid-20's. I've been particularly interested in becoming a pilot and wonder if you fine people could offer suggestions on this process. I've done a fair bit of research though I'm still very much in the beginner stage, so go easy on me!

I've read through some of the posts on here and find the first hand info/experience to be so helpful.

I initially thought taking a course (1 or 2 year) would be the best, but I need to drop over $50k, which I don't have sitting around. I'd have to look at a student loan or line of credit, both of which freak me out a bit, not gonna lie. Other option would be to go all-in for the BSc of aviation but not sure that would be smart or even necessary? I already have a BSc...

Now I'm wondering if I should go the modular route.

Opinions?

Thanks guys!

[lhalliday]

You pay as you go for flight training. If a school wants $$$ up front you pick a direction and start walking. Flight training takes as long as it takes until you do things right, so nobody can quote all-in up-front costs.

Nobody is going to lend you a dime for flight training. How do you propose to pay it back?

Aviation degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

Go to a school and talk to them. See what the vibe is like. I visited three. One handed me a folder and told me to call back if I had any questions. One showed me around. One talked to me for a while, showed me around and sat me in a plane. Guess which one I gave my money to?

Go for a familiarization flight.

Get your medical.

There's lots more in New Brunswick: http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/C ... x?lang=eng

...laura

[Beefitarian]

Hopefully someone from Moncton will wander in to talk about local places.

Or just google flight schools [moncton airport].

Go talk to them take an introductory flight. If you like it book a lesson. Never pay more money than you would lend a stranger before you fly.

If you like watching videos on the internet you could start with Harv's online ground school. Seems decent, they even give recommends for the written tests.

If you get your private license and realize. "This is great but I don't want to do it for work." You have only spent a few thousand dollars instead of whatever a college would charge.

There is no benefit of having a second degree except the knowledge you will receive.

[JasonE]

You can get student loads for flight training IF you attend a college diploma program.

[Tylerjohnston]

It is 100% possible to get a student loan going to a privately owned Flight School.. I am living proof, and the school wasn't even within Canada. PM me if you want more info.

[stellersjay]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my silly question!

You all have really great info and good points, I really appreciate it. I'm still looking for where to get information and how best to proceed. I understand this is a substantial investment!!! I'm more excited about this than any other career prospect, so I'm eager to learn more. My next steps would be to visit schools and get a good feel for things.

If anyone else has advice or words of wisdom for a newbie such as myself, that'd be wonderful.

Thanks folks

[lhalliday]

If anyone else has advice or words of wisdom for a newbie such as myself, that'd be wonderful.

Three words:

Just Do It.

Nobody learned to fly on a computer.

...laura

[stellersjay]

If anyone else has advice or words of wisdom for a newbie such as myself, that'd be wonderful.

Three words:

Just Do It.

Nobody learned to fly on a computer.

...laura

That's the kind of push I need!

[PilotDAR]

My first thought about this is: Follow Laura's advice.

My next thought is:

I understand this is a substantial investment!!!

Yes, but not just the money, that's actually the easy part. Flying is a substantial investment in your effort to learn, focus your attention, and commit to keeping current with the skills you learn. From the time you arrive to the airport for the purpose of flying, you have to invest yourself in what you're doing. Though a delightful recreational activity, it is not something you can succeed at if you just dip you toe in, you'll have to immerse yourself. Your extra capacity for thinking and learning must be devoted to it.

When I learned to fly, computers were hardly known, and TV had six channels, so books about flying were my distraction. Now I see so much distraction available, I wonder how people could focus at all - but you must! That's not to say that we don't use computers, certainly, they provide excellent access to things like the regulations (which you gotta know), weather and flight planning information, and formal ground school resources. And... these chat groups, which contain some useful advice, when used with wise moderation!

Commit yourself to the airport for the day, stay around and watch landings and takeoffs. Read the magazines, and chat with pilots if they have time (pilots love to be asked about the plane they just flew in!). To become absorbed in aviation, you will have to be where the planes are! When I learned to fly, I would spend the day at the airport (Brampton), and listen, chat (if I had anything of remote value to add), offer to help wash planes, and help pump gas. I met excellent people. Last fall I flew there for lunch, on a beautiful, though breezy day. As I joined the circuit overhead, I saw nearly all of the training fleet parked on the ramp. I landed, and went into the restaurant - crickets! Apparently it was too windy to fly - well... not really, I flew in. But I met a student pilot, had lunch, and he and I chatted about flying for a while. He had come just to be around the airport, even though he would not fly that day after all. Go and absorb aviation, and give it more than a fleeting chance to draw you in!

My final thought for this post: You gender has zero to do with anything in piloting airplanes, and anyone telling you otherwise deserves less of your attention. Just go and do it...

[altiplano]

Lots of good advice here.

I'd avoid a diploma program, you already have a BSc...

Do it and do it quickly. The longer you take is lost opportunity. You own a home, get a home equity LOC.

Keep working in your existing job and fly after work, every Saturday and Sunday, etc.

Go start now and do that and you'll have your CPL, MIFR by next summer.

[ahramin]

Time is of the essence right now. Don't quit your job. Don't waste your time on any aviation degree or diploma program. Go to all the schools close enough that you can get there, do a lesson, and get home again in an evening and see which one you like. Start training right away and treat it as a second job. Commit as much time as you can to it, be organized, and get as much done as possible before the days get too short to get a lesson in after work. Hopefully you'll have your private done in short order and can get the night rating, then continue classes in the evenings as well as on days off.

[altiplano]

The organized thing ahramin mentions is huge.

Don't trust a 20 year old flight instructor and some people at a flight school to organise your training. Know what you need to do, what the minimum requirements are, know what's next, and dictate what you want to accomplish and what your expectation is. You're the customer.

I finished CPL/MIFR/floats in 205 hours because I was organised and didn't want to waste my time or money. I knew some people that were loosey goosey, didn't have their shit together and took nearly 300 hours to get a CPL... or didn't fit their MIFR in and ran out of money.

Anyway, good luck.

[Black_Tusk]

If this is something you really want to do, having a career and owning a home actually puts you in a good spot to get a student loan. Have you considered a home equity line of credit? The interest will be even lower than many student lines of credit. You will finish much faster and start working quicker, you could save and wait but if it's a long term thing you want to do the sooner you enter the industry the better. RBC and BMO offer pretty low percentage student loans, my RBC one only recently went into repayment 24 months after I finished school. It will take a bit of time to pay off but I don't consider it toxic debt because it allowed me to get where I am today. Lastly, if you have all the money to do the training up front then you will likely take less time to do it (or at least learn more instead of having to brush up after a week or two off from flying).

[Black_Tusk]

Time is of the essence right now. Don't quit your job. Don't waste your time on any aviation degree or diploma program. Go to all the schools close enough that you can get there, do a lesson, and get home again in an evening and see which one you like. Start training right away and treat it as a second job. Commit as much time as you can to it, be organized, and get as much done as possible before the days get too short to get a lesson in after work. Hopefully you'll have your private done in short order and can get the night rating, then continue classes in the evenings as well as on days off.

The best advice here.

[stellersjay]

Sorry for the delay. I didn't think I would actually get this much information! You guys, this is SO HELPFUL. You have no idea how much I appreciate every bit of your advice.

I need to take my time and really go through each response, taking in all of the info.

The support is what I really appreciate. This would be a big jump! The money does scare me but I have to believe it's so worth it. I love reading about you all talk about your jobs and experiences, and this site really helps with that. I have to figure out if I can get the finances in order, if I should take the full-year course and rent my house, or if there are other options... these are all things that make my head spin. I realize that starting out can be rough, after training and looking for work, but like to believe if I'm dedicated enough, as I believe I would be, then I can work my way up to a career I'm truly satisfied with.

I have been working on gathering more information... the local flight club isn't taking new students for flight training courses as there is only one instructor and for whatever reason they are unable to accept new students. That is all fine. I am leaning toward the flight college in Moncton and just go the hard/fast route of the 1-year integrated program. I need to look into it more and see if I can keep working and do the modular route, and if that would even make sense for someone in my shoes. I have a friend who works at the local airport (corporate hangar I believe) and he strongly suggests buckling down and doing the full year course and get as many qualifications as I can.

It's definitely something I need to think long and hard about before jumping in, but as you all seem to be saying... I just need to jump in!

I will keep lurking and may seek more guidance as I go along.

Thanks again! Cheers!!!

[Alcoholism]

This "career" is shite. I would recommend any other course in life, but if you must....

Now is as anytime good to get into this blue collar job. Since you have a degree any diploma or degree in aviation is useless. Period. Even if you didn't have one. A degree/diploma outside of aviation is more useful than any aviation related one, so you're off to a good start. That said. Your degree will open doors for you in aviation. Go for the 1 yr course at MFC, commerical, multi IFR. They use to be good. Not sure now a days with the chinese airforce that they concentrate on. Check out Debert flying club.

After you get your $hit tickets (license, ratings) road trip it, even before you finish, start networking. Since you're near YQM, Voyageur maybe a good start on the medevac, skylink I think, or if you're real desperate to stay east, EVAS. Some skydive places out there that may help you get ahead as well. But don't be afraid to road trip it west/north. They're desperate up north. Get some time, preferably multi PIC, then take a pay cut to get to a regional that will go to AC or WS. Be prepared to make little money for the first few yrs or so. It'll be hard to pay off that loan/credit and still make ends meet and feed a family if you have one. This job may have it's good days, but be prepared for the bad and a lot of them, especially during economic downturns (which one shouldn't be far off). Try to heed some of my advice, I wish you luck.

[Black_Tusk]

This "career" is shite. I would recommend any other course in life, but if you must....

Now is as anytime good to get into this blue collar job. Since you have a degree any diploma or degree in aviation is useless. Period. Even if you didn't have one. A degree/diploma outside of aviation is more useful than any aviation related one, so you're off to a good start. That said. Your degree will open doors for you in aviation. Go for the 1 yr course at MFC, commerical, multi IFR. They use to be good. Not sure now a days with the chinese airforce that they concentrate on. Check out Debert flying club.

After you get your $hit tickets (license, ratings) road trip it, even before you finish, start networking. Since you're near YQM, Voyageur maybe a good start on the medevac, skylink I think, or if you're real desperate to stay east, EVAS. Some skydive places out there that may help you get ahead as well. But don't be afraid to road trip it west/north. They're desperate up north. Get some time, preferably multi PIC, then take a pay cut to get to a regional that will go to AC or WS. Be prepared to make little money for the first few yrs or so. It'll be hard to pay off that loan/credit and still make ends meet and feed a family if you have one. This job may have it's good days, but be prepared for the bad and a lot of them, especially during economic downturns (which one shouldn't be far off). Try to heed some of my advice, I wish you luck.

Real positive. Nice.


OP, times are changing.. there has never been a better time to enter the industry. If it's something you really want to do. It will be a tough go at first but the payoff in the end (or middle... whatever) is pretty great.

[Cat Driver]

Hey Alcoholism were you an alcoholic before or after you started to fly for a living?

Your description of flying was quite accurate, however you could have added it is like finally getting that perfect woman, it is great for a while then slowly the excitement fades and you turn to alcohol to ease the pain.

[cap41]

If money is a concern. Consider buying a 150. do your 200 hours or so for CPL. Than sell it. Yes you will lose a little money on resale. However you will save thousands over the course of your training.

[Cat Driver]

If you buy right you may end up making a profit on the airplane.

[Black_Tusk]

Hey Alcoholism were you an alcoholic before or after you started to fly for a living?

Your description of flying was quite accurate, however you could have added it is like finally getting that perfect woman, it is great for a while then slowly the excitement fades and you turn to alcohol to ease the pain.

That's usually what happens when you try to find your happiness in other people (IE; a woman). Eventually they will disappoint you and your world falls apart. If you find your happiness and fulfillment in other things, that solves this problem. Same goes for work. If you find your identity in other things, rather than your job.. you job actually becomes a million times better. I work to live, I don't live to work. Flying is just a job to me, and I rarely tell people what I do unless they bring it up.

[Kejidog]

Some good advice here. If you are interested in Debert drop me a PM. I took my PPL there. It is Good advice on buying a two seater too. There are plenty out there quite cheap. I know of a nice GRUMMAN AA1b locally. I did sort if the same thing, I bought a 172 to train on and have put over 100 trouble free hours on it. Getting a CPL may be in my future too, not for employment but to keep the learning going. I would look at a pay as you go option at a local school over any full time program. I did it pretty cheaply and got a plane to knock off hours in. Over 150 so far.

[MFCAdmissions]

Hi Stellersjay,

Have you contacted us at MFC yet? We can help you with the answers to your questions.

Regards,
MFCAdmissions