If you were me, advice please

helinas · Post by **helinas** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 12:09 pm

Guys and Gals: I need some advice on what you would do if you were me. Presently I have 14 years airline experience with Air Canada as a ramp personnell and 500 hours total time as a pilot. My life long dream is to fly just like alot of you guys out there. I am 35 years of age and I am starting to think that I would be happy just to be a medevac pilot on a part time or full time basis do what I love to do and that is fly and continue to work at Air Canada as my wages average fifty thousand a year and all the benefits that come with it.
Any advice would be appreciated .

desksgo · Post by **desksgo** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 12:49 pm

I can hook you up with a medivac pilot that will trade his job with you for 50,000 bones a year! Have you really thought this one through, chief? I mean, let's be reasonable here. You could own your own plane, and really have a blast with it making that kind of cash. But, I am intrigued by your passion, have you any wives, kids or demanding pets? It's hard to dish out advice not knowing your exact situation. If you are content right now, I urge you not to tinker with your situation.

JBI · Post by **JBI** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 12:52 pm

Where abouts do you live?

It'd be great if it'd work out that you could continue to work at AC and fly on a part time basis. However, unless you've got some connections, I figure the only way to do that with your amount of hours would be to stay where you are and try and instruct part time.

A medevac job would usually require a move to a more remote town (not likely somewhere where AC flies). working on the ramp for significantly less than AC paid, and then flying on a fairly full time basis for the first few years. It'd unfortunately porbably be at least 3 or 4 years before you'd be able to head back to where you're from and find a job where you'd be able to do both.

Good Luck.

helinas · Post by **helinas** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 2:29 pm

guys, I am thinking of taking a leave of absense from air canada and going up north for a year or two and get the time and come back down and get that medevac job. that is my plan for now anyway.

cheers

zero · Post by **zero** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 4:05 pm

Do your research and save your pennies before you take the leap. I did it a couple of years ago at 33 and I figure it'll still be a few years before I get on full time. Get rid of all your debts and sock away about 50k's for your license(25k) and living expenses for a couple of years. At least you'll be ahead of the game once you've finished your CPL and the 500hrs. you have now. If it's your dream job then get at it before it's too late, it doesn't get any easier the older you get.

KAG · Post by **KAG** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:32 pm

check your PM's

co-joe · Post by **co-joe** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:44 pm

I'm sorry to say that your 2 goals are mutually exclusive. Pick one. Either you want to make 50K or you want to fly medevacs, not both. Sorry but that's the reality from where I sit.

CJ

Panama Jack · Post by **Panama Jack** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:11 pm

Sure Helinas,

We live life only once, so it is good to try out things that have been pulling at the hearstrings-- just make sure you think it through, don't burn any bridges, and come prepared.

I've known of past Air Canada personnel who have left the well paying jobs to go fly (ramp and maintenance personnel and flight attendants). The rest of the Canadian aviation industry looks so little like Air Canada-- it can be a pretty abusive place that will make Robert Milton look like your favorite uncle. And then there is the economic hardship. Oooooh. It is sooooo hard to survive on scraps after you've been living on Cordon Bleu.

I assume you live in one of the large cities. Here is my suggestion. Become a part-time flight instructor, or a banner or glider tow pilot. If you can get an offer to fly, sure, even an LOA would be OK. All of these will allow you to enjoy flying more often, while allowing you to continue to stay at Air Canada with fairly decent pay and benefits. Heck, even the job security at AC is starting to look up.

skywagon · Post by **skywagon** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 6:48 am

Hey I know a guy who took 6 months off from working at a prison to fly floats. He liked it, but came back to the money, bought his own plane and has never looked back. He now has money and a plane. Another guy in my area worked for the Ministry of the Enviroment(ie. GOOD paying Gov't job) and was on call to fly a private company's twin Cessna. He had the best of both worlds and racked up a pile of twin time for something like 14 yrs. Just think everything thru...

Bushed · Post by **Bushed** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 4:00 pm

If you are having a hard time making a decision stay with AC. If you really wanted to fly there would be no hesitation.

JigglyBus · Post by **JigglyBus** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 7:36 pm

As always, I'm a little confused.

You say you'd like to continue to work for AC, and fly medivacs part time????

How is that going to work. How can you be on call for medivacs while you are at work at AC??? You would have to leave work all the time, with 2 minutes notice. How is AC going to like that?? Medivacs generally aren't those type of jobs where you can make your own hours.

Have you thought this out??

I think if you want to fly and work somewhere else, you're gonna need a flying job with a lot of flexability. There aren't to many of those out there, and medivacs are definitely not one of them.

Good luck.

PS. I still love to here how generally employees (I'm assuming you are???) at AC make the same or more than 1900 Captain, at AC connectors.

I better not open that topic, we'll be here all night.

But just as a quick reference, in the region where I am, regionally Cpts get approx 6-8 times the generelly employees salaries.

Oh, crap, I said I wasn't going to open that topic.