Okay guys, I need some help. I think I've got a pretty good plan but I'd like to get a second (or third) opinion.

I'm 17 and just about to wrap up my junior year (11th grade) in high school. Just after I turned 16 I got my first job, last year, working as a ground service agent, GSA aka Rampie for Canwest Flight Services Ltd. at Victoria Int'l (YYJ). We do everything (deice, cater, groom, turns, cargo etc.) for Westjet (and Air Transat charters), Horizon Air, Harmony, Purolator and Sky Service. I think my choice to work for the airlines was a good decision for me, since I want to become a pilot.

I did the discovery flight and a couple lessons and have really fallen in love with the 'magic of flight'.

Heres my plan:

-Graduate High School
-Go to UVic for a non-aviation degree (maybe BCom or law)
-while at UVic, start flying lessons at Juan Air (YYJ), work towards PPL, CPL, ME, night, instrument, ATP and CFI/CFII.
-after completing university, try to fly charters and instruct for Juan Air (where I'll do my training) Build time. 2-3yrs
-apply for a regional Pasco/CMA or maybe even AC Jazz, work for 3-5yrs
-move to AC mainline, try to get YVR hub.

From what I've been told, getting a non-aviation degree to "fall back on" is a must. How is Juan Air as a flight school? Should I (do you think it's even possible to..) apply straight for the mainline fleet?


Would it be better to head south for a while to build time or even stay in the states? Does AC look promising for the future? Do you think they will go into bankrupcy (sp?) again?

I need some serious help!! Any insight is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,

fsi

The CFI and the CFII may prove difficult as there is no such thing in Canada.
As an instrucotr, you begin as a Class 4 and work upwards. There is no specialised instructor rating for instrumnt flight.

The rest sounds good, but do keep in mind that a law degree for examle would take longer than four years to complete as it is a post graduate field of study. I hear that Juan Air is a decent outfit. I did my PPL at Vicotria Flying Club. My instructor is now the CFI there. It's a top notch operation.

Thanks V1, I always get the Class IV, III, II, I system mixed up with the CFI, CFII and MEI system in the states.

As for VFC, that wouldn't be Marcel Poland by any chance? Thats where I took my first couple lessons and Mr. Poland was my ins. It looked real good, but most of the guys I work with fly @ Juan Air plus its cheaper, so I think Im sold on them

Thanks for your help!

All six points in your plan seem fine, and workable.

But... (you knew there'd be one of those right?) points 4-6, while a good guideline, may not happen at the companies and locations you envision currently.

Not to say that it can't happen that way. Send each of the targetted companies a letter now, indicating your future interest. If the target company has some special interest to you, spell it out. Oddly enough, it's letters from people who are not yet qualified that are remembered rather that cover letters from qualified applicants.

My point is that university is a four year process. Canada is a huge place, and there are a number of places with great working & living conditions. You may discover over those four years that your target companies may change. I like Pasco and Air Canada as targets. But there are a 1000 other companies. Taking a Vancouver-centric approach may limit you.

In the meantime, some other things to consider to aid you along the way:

There is a grant for French immersion for college students. Spend one summer at it. AC likes bilingual applicants.

The air cadets offer free training. You may not get a scholarship for flying out of it, but later in life, you will discover how crucial networking realy is in this business.

Interview your flight training possibilities as if you were going to employ them. In a very real sense, you are. Pay close attention to the fit between you and your instructor. Be specific in telling them that you want to instruct for them after course completion and ask for the names and numbers of instructors who have done so. Contact all of them and get their counsel on working there.

Ask CMA, Harbor Air, and Pasco if you can talk to a junior captain to act as your mentor while you are taking your ratings. Their advise will often be at odds with an instructor's who hasn't workied in a 704 company.

Night cross country for instance is often minimal in a commercial student's build-up time. Three years later when trying to apply for an ATPL, a lot of applicants are denied due to the lack of 25 hours night cross-country.

Have fun.

FSI,
Sounds like an awesome plan to me!! Granted as previously mentioned there may be a few deviations here and there, but all and all as a general outline looks good!
This is exactly what I did/am doing; just finishing up at U-Vic, presently instructing here on the field (not at JuanAir, but they are a great school) and all and all loving it. A few things to point out again. Very few people get their undergrad in 4 years these days id say on average 5-6y. I was originally going to do law at uvic as well, however at this point in time I am getting tired of school and would like to get into the “real world” more and more so adding another 4 years is looking like a less than fantastic scenario. IE all the people I did my training with are on turbines now, going over seas etc…. And the outlook of being at school that much longer is less than stellar. A year or 2 more perhaps but that’s it. If you building a plan from this point it MAY also not be a bad idea to add some trades onto the list as well, maybe also take a program or 2 at Comosun College on something more “practical” be it accounting, welding, electrics, programming, mechanics etc… The more well rounded you are and the more diverse your skill set the better worker you will be.
It has been my experience that most Bcom grads are totally clueless to the real world. And as a result you may want to consider taking something in arts or science instead, but that’s just IMHO. (FYI on average UBC arts grads make 39% more 10 years after graduation than UBC Bcom grads)

As to were you will end up; who knows but that’s the whole point, life is an adventure and your starting out on a great path. If you knew your whole life right now at the ripe old age of 17? Then what would the point of living be? The best of luck!

PS if you would like any program suggestions for uvic feel free to pm me…

-walk

Excellent plan,

The only thing I would worry about, is flying and going to University full time. I tried to flight test and complete my written while going to College and working for two cadet squadrons (about 40 hours per week) to be a complete gong show. I burned out awefull fast.

If you fly during the summer, and do university during the winter (except for maybe flights to keep currency) that may be more ideal. But, like everything, it depends on your situation. This is purely speaking from my experience. All I am saying, is just be careful, and don't burn out. Allow for less than ideal conditions. However, at the same time get er done!

Any questions PM me.

Good luck and Happy Landings!

I totally agree with canpilot, I'm a full time student at UBC and find that flying while going to school is nearly impossible. For me, the greatest difficulty was not having a car (CZBB isn't easy by bus) and a close second was the fact that if you only have a few days to fly due to scheduling problems, winter on the west coast tends to rapidly reduce those with bad-weather days too. I instead work at an FBO part-time through the winter and save my money so I can maximize my flying time during the summer. Also, college on its own is a blast, and don't get yourself so totally wrapped up in aviation that you neglect the more fun aspects of college - you should be there to get more than a piece of paper...

Lommer,

You took the words right out of my mouth. Well said.

eg. Hell weekl week.

GEOG 2395 Mid-term/ Paper due.
GEOG 2390 Mid term/ Paper due.
GEOG 2250 Mid-term/ Paper due.

Saturday+ Sunday (Fam Flying 0800-1730)

Flight Test Following Monday.

Eventually, with a few of those you will not only loose your mind, but your patience and drive. Keep in mind you should (in theory) be striving to do VERY VERY well in both aviation and university or college. Bottom line, don't spread yourself too thin. Enjoy life, not curse at it.

sounds like a good plan. I did all my licenses while i was in highschool and it affected my marks. university is probably a lot more time consuming so be careful with that. then again i did skip a lot of classes to go flying. but other than that sounds doable. smart idea getting a degree. good luck.

I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but I think making "plans" are somewhat of a waste of time. I'm not saying your goals are not realistic, because they are, and I know people who have progressed pretty much by that exact route.

What I'm trying to say is that I strongly believe you shouldn't spend too much time worrying about where you're going to end up and how you're going to get there. Take it slow, one step at a time.

The problem with making "plans" is that there are so many variables which make it impossible to make your plans accurate. Instead, you should have an idea of where you want to be, but keep an open mind and realize that things might change.

When I was your age, my "plan" was pretty much exactly like yours. Ironically, my "plan" didn't turn out at all like I expected. Instead, new doors opened up (doors which I never knew existed). A few years ago, I would have expected to be more advanced in my career than where I am at this point in time, but to be honest, I have no regrets. If I had to go back, I would have done things the exact same.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "take your time to smell the roses." It's easier said than done, but I'm sure everyone here will agree with its wisdom. Whatever you do, don't make your career a race to the airlines and don't waste time comparing your career to other people's careers (again, easier said than done). If you live for the destination, you will never be able to enjoy the journey. (sorry for all the corny references

Here is a non-aviation article that KAG posted a while ago. It is an excellent article and it sums up what I have been trying to say:http://www.homebiztools.com/journey.htm

Life is what happens when you are making other plans...

too drunk to read it all, but JUST CURIOUS makes a good post.

My opinion, get your hours ASAP. AC wants hours first then the degree and if you never get on with them Jazz is same way. Even WJ they want a minimum time so that is crucial.

I'm not saying a degree is not good, au contraire, it is very very good. But you have to ask yourself what is the airlines or cummuters looking for the most.

Oh well, 2 many posts for one night.

Here It Comes Again

RE: Minimum time.

I know there are 'minimums' for companies, but at the same time, might a company make an exception if you are a relatively low time pilot so that they could mold you into what they want; so that you only pick up that company's habits and not someone elses? <Be>

Thanks for the great comments guys! Looks like I've got a lot of choices to make....I also could move to the states if it's cheaper to train, I used to live in PHX and I've got dual citizenship, so I could live and work there. If the mins are lower, would working for a reginal like Skywest or Horizon, to build hours, be do-able?

Thanks again,

fsi

PS...Im not like planing my whole life or anything. LOL these are just some goals that I want to keep in the back of my mind. I'll make sure I enjoy 'the ride' too!!

JohnnyHotRocks wrote:Life is what happens when you are making other plans...

OK, John Lennon...

water wings wrote:

JohnnyHotRocks wrote:Life is what happens when you are making other plans...

OK, John Lennon...

Lennon got shot by a psycho....... Watch it Johnny.

Hey FSI, don't forget about all the dick your going to have to suck and ass you'll have to kiss along the way. Better plan on getting some knee pads.

quick

haha @ quicksilver

thanks for the tip.

real nice avatar btw.

Lennon got shot by a psycho....... Watch it Johnny.

...but just imagine all the people living life in peace....

Here's a plan: shitcan your current plan and be open to whatever comes along, don't limit yourself. You might find you dislike things you thought you'd enjoy or vice versa. Besides, nothing ever works out as planned especially in this business. By the time you're done your training the industry could very well be down the crapper again. Above all have fun and enjoy the ride, too many people take this aviation stuff way too seriously.

too many people take this aviation stuff way too seriously.

You've got to be serious if you want to be the best.

on that note I think I'll take my pants off and drink some beer

quick