Career Options

[DaveC]

Hey all (just registered, been reading here for awhile though),

I am looking for some advice.

I have spoke to quite a few people(AC pilots, instructors) with opinions on this dilemma I have. Here it is:

I am a 2nd year UOIT (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) student in Oshawa, ONT.
I am in the Information Technology program (huge demand for this work should my medical ever expire or whatnot, also heard that Airlines prefer pilots with degrees?)

After I am done with my degree, I plan on picking up a full-time job doing IT related work, however:
I am hoping to be an Airline pilot at the end of it all.

I have quite a bit of hours logged at the moment, but know that I have lots to do. Money is tight right now (OSAP!!! Damn student loans) so I can't do the flying as I would like at the moment.

There are many options I have looked at:
-Subsidized College programs
** What are some well-known colleges that get results, how long does it take?
-Old fashioned modular training
** Local flight club? I work at the Durham Flight Centre so I would probably train there.
-Military?? (Need a degree to be a captain over there)
** Would they take me with with a degree in Information Technology?

For a PPL and CPL i'm looking at probably $40,000+ (assuming in 3 years the gas prices continue to rise)
This is ALOT of money. The alternatives i've looked at would be to buy a share in a very cheap 150 or equivilent trainer, and pickup a freelance instructor.

What is the most reasonable fast and cost efficient way of doing this? (I'll listen to everything )

[Highflyinpilot]

I would say get a job in the IT field and purchase a small aircraft(150) or buy a share in one, get all your time, then if it so happens you get a flying job at the end of it and have to move sell your share of the aircraft atleast what you paid for it, break even on the purchase part of it anyways, or if you outright buy a plane yourself, then decide either to sell the craft to recover some of the training cost, or hang on to it for the leisurly weekend flying(when you have time, but probably not much time for that working in the industry)

Thats what I would do, sorry for the quick explanation, hope it makes sense(It does in my mind), but im in quite a hurry right now, so ill double check my post later to see if it makes sense

[DaveC]

Yeah.. I considered that option.

I have already had multiple job offers, most of which start @ $70,000 CDN a year.
I know that I wont be making that kind of money flying but I will be doing what I love!

What does a share in a 150 cost these days anywho?

[767]

Hey all (just registered, been reading here for awhile though),

also heard that Airlines prefer pilots with degrees?)


** What are some well-known colleges that get results, how long does it take?
-Old fashioned modular training
** Local flight club? I work at the Durham Flight Centre so I would probably train there.
-Military?? (Need a degree to be a captain over there)
** Would they take me with with a degree in Information Technology?


)

Since you will already have a degree in IT, I dont think you need to look into subsidized aviation college programs. One reason is because they range from 2 to 4 years to complete. If you spent all those years getting an IT degree, why spend more years getting an aviation degree/diploma? If time is not important for you, then its fine. If you wish to get it done quicker, then I suggest to do flight training at a local flying school instead of aviaton college. Suppose that you didnt have any degree, then you should look into aviation colleges. It is true that airlines prefer pilots with degrees, however its not usually a requirement with airlines in Canada as far as Im concerned. In the USA you usualy need a "4" year degree. I personally never did any university or community college. The highest "ministry of education" I have done is high school. After that I got my CPL and instructor rating through a private flight college program, not ministry of education aviation college program, and so far everything is working out for me like I had planned when I started flight training. The only disadvatage I see of attending a local flight school is that you have to be rich to pay for flight training, and flight instruction is only up to transport canada minimums, as compared to aviation college programs where flight training is paid by the govt and flight training is beyond transport canada minimums.

So, as I said, since you will already have a degree, I think you will be a sutibale candidate for an airline position. Remember that you dont only need a university degree to automatically get an airline job, you also need the experience. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you. Cheers

[BTD]

I agree with almost all of the above of what Clunckdriver has said. His advice is well worth reading.

one example in Ontario has been so bad that TC did in fact pull the licences of the few that did graduate, the ones who didnt finish were dicked around by a totally inept staff and just didnt get their flying done in time, no fault of theirs by the way,

The above statement however seems to tweak at me slightly seeing as how, at the time I was part of the "totally inept" staff at said college. I can guarantee that neither I nor any of my fellow instructors did any dicking around of students. The reason those few students didn't retain their licenses was because of the "Integrated Commercial" program which nobody at TC even knows anything about but pushes for the schools to follow. The CPL and MIFR needed to be completed within a year, TC approved the Integrated MIFR for said students but after realizing that the tests were a year and a few days apart they revoked their decision, and required the students to redo (I believe) a portion of the tests. The main requirement of the Intergrated commercial is to complete the program within 36 months. The year between flight tests was an obscure rule that I doubt many at TC knew.

To the best of my recollection that is what happened.

It was an unfortunate lack of communication that should not have happened. As for not getting done in time, that can be the problem with any time line in aviation training, due to weather and in some cases lack of responsibilty (ie cancelling flights because you have "better things" to do.)

I enjoyed my time at this college as a student and an instructor. I believe it helped prepare me in certain ways for my time in the 703 Medevac flying and the 704 flying I do now. I am, however, always learning

What will make you a better pilot is not a college or a private flight training unit, it is finding an environment that you are comfortable with and can excel in. For me it was the college atmosphere, for others it is not.

To each his own,

BTD

[BTD]

I agree, that it was a pretty big screw up.

BTD

[200hr Wonder]

I am an IT/Geek pilot if you wish you can PM for my experiences and how I am handling it. I would prefer not to share on the open forum.

[alctel]

Also IT/training pilot here, IT is a pretty great backup plan since there is so much demand for it at the moment.

Even if it is soul-destroying

[200hr Wonder]

Also IT/training pilot here, IT is a pretty great backup plan since there is so much demand for it at the moment.

[color=#FF0000Even if it is soul-destroying][/color]

Hence why I want OUT!

[DaveC]

Well the thing is:

I have a long history of type two diabetes in the family.
Brother, Sister, and Mom have it.

Going to a flight college and becoming a pilot to find out (perhaps after my training is done) that I cant restore my medical would be a complete waste of time, and i'd be toast.

Having a degree in IT is a good backup.

[mathias_now]

business diploma vs. two years working in the hospitality industry as a guest service agent. Which would make somoene more attractive/ employable as a pilot?

[E-Flyer]

If your source was an AC Pilot or an Instructor who wants to fly for AC, then yes a degree is preferred. But if you look at 1001 other airline options the degree is nice, but there are other things that make you qualified as a good candidate as well. For many airlines, things don't run on having a degree or not.

Good Luck

[Hedley]

At the risk of being attacked by the many airline pilots here ....

Might I ask why you want to be an airline pilot? The flying
there really isn't much fun. If airline pilots want to have fun
flying, they do it as a sideline - eg Bill Carter.

Most pilots want to fly for the airlines, not for the fun, but
for the MONEY. 99% of pilot can earn more at an airline
than they can, anywhere else. Most pilots, if they quit flying,
could never earn a fraction of their union salary in any other
industry.

But not you. If you're good in the IT business, and you
start your own company, or get options in the right startup,
you can make more money than any airline pilot.

I've been programming in C and assembler for 25 years
now. I hold patents in computer network protocol design.
Tech has been very, very good to me.

I think it's fair to say that I have more fun than almost any
other pilot I know of in Canada, and that includes all the airline
pilots.

I have a hangar full of Pitts S-2B's and a Maule that I use as
a pickup truck. I regularly fly a C421B, a PT-22 Ryan, a
450hp Stearman, a clip-wing hotrod Harvard and other stuff
that belongs to another pilot friend of mine.

He's not an airline pilot, either. He earns more in a month
than any airline pilot in Canada earns in a year.

I just flew in an airshow. Couple weeks before that, I
flew a Pitts down to central america and did an airshow
there. I just landed a few minutes ago - I did a flight in
one of our Pitts.

My normal takeoff is to 1/2 roll inverted at 80 mph,
accelerate inverted in ground effect, then push for a
1/2 outside cuban eight at the end of the runway.
0.2 on the tach of surface aerobatics follows, then
I land.

I hold a Canuck ATPL, class one instructor and class
one aerobatic instructor ratings, an SFOC in respect
of CAR 602.27(d), an ICAS card valid for solo and
formation airshow aerobatics on Pitts, Stearman
and Harvard/T-6.

And I will never, ever fly for an airline. Why on
earth would I?

Think about why you want to fly, and what you
want to fly.

Probably the best advice I can give you, is to
do what makes you happy. Most people hate
their jobs, they hate their wives, they hate
their families, they hate their lives. I can only
recoil in horror from such dysfunctionality,
which is saddeningly common.

I love my job. I love my family. I love flying,
even with all the unbelievable hassles and court
time that comes with it.

[Rockie]

I have a friend who drives trucks for living and just loves it. In fact on his days off he goes for drives with his family. Different strokes for different folks as they say. Tell you what Hedley, give me one of your Pitts and I'll do outside surface level loops with you.

[Hedley]

give me one of your Pitts

I'm sure for a guy as smart as you, the cost of a new
Pitts would be pocket change. Pick a new one up at the
factory, stop by and I'll teach you to fly it

[Rockie]

Aw c'mon Hedley, share the wealth. You can only fly one at a time.

[Hedley]

Rockie, if I wasn't such a refined gentleman,
it might occur to me to inquire as to how many
orifices your significant other possesses

But seriously. If you swing by CYSH (25nm sw CYOW)
PM me and we'll have some fun. It's a goddamned candy
store here.

[200hr Wonder]

But not you. If you're good in the IT business, and you
start your own company, or get options in the right startup,
you can make more money than any airline pilot.

I've been programming in C and assembler for 25 years
now. I hold patents in computer network protocol design.
Tech has been very, very good to me.

Hedley you clearly have fun and seem to enjoy what you do flying. Do you enjoy the Tech work? If you do that is great. I on the other hand have to argue with my self to get out of bed in the morning to go to my office job, nearly quit in disgust on more than one occasion and really hate driving a desk and sitting in front of a computer. I am decent at what I do there and it pays the bills, however it is going to drive me insane. I would rather make $25K a year as a pilot than $100K a year as a desk jockey. Oh and I have no real urge to fly for the airlines at this particular time. I want lots of cycles, interesting people and places. I want to fly for Borek in the Maldives one day, I want to fly a Dash 7 in Afghanistan. There are so many things that I want out of aviation. So that is my rational for getting out of IT.

[SQ]

what is a cancuk ATPL ??

[CYQT]

Canuck = Canadian

[Hedley]

I would rather make $25K a year as a pilot than $100K a year as a desk jockey

Then do it!!

I can't stress enough that people need to have the courage
to do what they enjoy. Work is such a big part of your life,
either you find work that you enjoy, or you're going to be
miserable for the rest of your life. Don't do that.

Get out of IT, before it destroys your soul.

Free advice: don't burn any bridges. Leave on good terms
with lots of notice. It's a small world.

[200hr Wonder]

I am I start line indoct next week

[just curious]

Congrats! Who for?