Hi Everyone,

I am a low time pilot and I just got offered two jobs and I dont know which one would benifit me most. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The first one is a dispatch position. I would work dispatch for around two years and then I would become a FO on a B1900. The other job I got offered is for a skydive pilot. This job is of course only seasonal and it would only be on weekends. I would average about 200 hrs a season on a Cessna 206. I am not sure what to do. Both companies seem great but I am torn between the two. If somone has done either of these jobs or has some helpful advice I would love to hear it. Thanks in advance.

What career path do you intend on pursuing?

Where are you located and what company is the dispatch with? The skydive one will be seasonal, but immediate pic time, and the dispatch one will be a long term progression in one company you'd hopefully want to stay with for a few years. All depends on where you want to be.
I'm no expert though, just a rookie myself..... Many others with much more experience than I.

My $.02 would be to take the skydiving (assuming it's not with that place in Ontario that gets the terrible rap on here..)
Why? 1.)It's flying (PIC) - you're a pilot, right? 2.)If you, through some unfortunate turn of events, sh!t the bed at your dispatch job, then the 2 year wait might turn into forever, and you'll be back here asking us for advice again, only this time with a black smudge on your resume. 3.) Two years is an awful long time to wait to go flying - lots of things could change with the 1900 operator before then (especially with the current state of Air Canada) 4.) Lots of things to be learned in a skydive operation - real world loading, fuelling, engine handling, etc..none of that @ a dispatch desk.

Good Luck!

I would definitely go for the flying job.
With the demand for pilots at an all time high, the days of dispatching for two years are nearly over in most of the country.
At the end of the season when you look for another job, it will be to your advantage to already have some time under your belt. 400 hours will make you twice as experienced as the rest of the pack!

Good luck with it and have fun!

Thanks for the replies. To answer everyones questions; I would like to be an airline pilot one day and the skydive operation is not in Ontario .

JB, as another low time guy I'd lean towards the skydive gig, its an enjoyable way to spend the summer providing they're a good group of guys, fair pay, and the location works for you.. at the end if the day as North Shore said its PIC you can take to the bank It could be discouraging if you spend a year and a half in dispatch only to have the company lose a contract or worse yet go belly up.

Skydive for sure and then keep trying to get other jobs during the week when the skydive season is over. I got my start flying jumpers and still go back when my other flying job is done because I enjoy it so much. My skydive background certainly imporoved my skills and helped immensely with my current job. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have questions about any dropzones.

skydivepilot wrote:Skydive for sure and then keep trying to get other jobs during the week when the skydive season is over. I got my start flying jumpers and still go back when my other flying job is done because I enjoy it so much. My skydive background certainly imporoved my skills and helped immensely with my current job. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have questions about any dropzones.

Ditto, without a doubt... take the Skydiving Gig!

Most fun I ever had flying and it definitely helped me get my second flying job.

Pilots are in high demand right now... trust me. AC, Jazz and WJ are hiring in large numbers which means all the lower tier ops are dying for anyone with experience. You definitely don't have to sit in dispatch for two years right now!!!

Good Luck,

CK

Skydiving for sure. Like the unanimous opinions here.
It's not really a fair comparison (I think).
I, myself, would probably not even consider the dispatch job unless/until I am completely out of other options, and there are a lot out there seemingly much better than dispatch for 2 years.
(just gotta look for them!)

Glad it's not the one here in Ontario

I'll be starting ramp for an operator here soon, hoping the wait time would be close to what my friend got...which was about 6 months! He got lucky though

Good luck!
Ram

I would pick the job that involves flying a plane.

If I were you I'd go with the skydiving gig. You get immediate PIC time, develop handling and are always going up and down and dealing daily with dozens of clients & people. It's also a fun environment to be in. The other thing is that if there are other companies at the airport where you'll be skydiving you might get a lot more noticed by working for the skydiving gig than by doing the dispatch job. A lot of aviation enthusiasts are also regular skydivers and that might give you an amazing networking opportunity to develop new contacts and sort of prove to the other people around that you can do the job as long as you don't shit the bed.

Thanks for the help I am definatly leaning towards the skydive gig now.

I guess the only thing I am worried about is getting another flying job after flying skydivers. Is the job market that good right now that I can get another job with 500TT? Or will I be back to square one working another ground position?

Good thinking JB.

I say take neither one.

PM DanWEC and pick his brain. He's on the right track. You can find a ramp or dispatch job that will get you flying within 6-12 months and you'll be on your way gaining the valuable experience you need to climb the ladder.

2 years as a dispatcher to get into the right seat is crazy. And a couple hundred hours of 206 time over the course of a summer is just going to put you six months behind your peers. Sure you'll have a couple hundred more hours PIC and TT, but in the big picture, it won't make much of a difference.

My .02 cents

JB,

I agree 100% with 180. That S.O.B makes a lot of sense sometimes.



BL

I'm going to choose one of these jobs. It makes no sense not to. I'm a 1000 times better off with one of these jobs than I am now.

Just remember that 2yrs can become 6months or 3 years + almost over night similarily a flying spot can evaporate into thin air overnight depending on the economy or unforseen events (ie: 9/11). The important thing to understand is that there is not a number set in stone as to how long you would be in any given spot. A very wise person told me, if the music stops, where would you want to be stuck for 3-4-5+years assuming no movement? If thats flying jumpers then go do it, if thats in a large airline type operation where you will have to go start on the ground then go do that. Think of lifestyle.

The fastest route to a FULL TIME flying position is in your best interest if you want to be an airline pilot.

~JB~ wrote:I guess the only thing I am worried about is getting another flying job after flying skydivers. Is the job market that good right now that I can get another job with 500TT? Or will I be back to square one working another ground position?

Your instincts were right here JB. Take it from a guy who had 800 hrs of single engine piston time and ended up on the ramp with all the other 200 hour wonders. 500TT (or 800TT) of single engine piston time won't put you any further ahead than a fresh CPL Multi-IFR when it comes to a Multi-IFR turbine operation. (Well, maybe marginally, but not 2 years worth.)

There's unprecedented movement in the industry right now, and I'm sure there's lots of guys on here who spent 2 years on the ramp and then 2 years in the right seat in butt@*ck nowhere before finally going captain who are jealous as hell of how fast it will be moving for 200 hour wonders on the ramp right now.

DanWEC has done a great job of networking on this site and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has sent him some long in-depth PM's.

Contact him and pick his brain, because I don't have the time right now to do it all over again. I'm sure he'd be happy to point you in the right direction of a half dozen operators who could give you a more beneficial start to your airline career.

Another thing to remember is how quickly your IFR skills will deteriorate and how quickly your ATPL knowledge will disappear if not being exercised.

If the airlines is the goal, then getting into the right seat of a multi-IFR machine ASAP should be paramount.

Good luck.

(I wish I had had access to the quantity of quality information that flows so freely on this site when I was just starting out. I think that's why I like steering people in the right direction, because I never had that when I was starting out. All we had 20 years ago was the road trip, telephone, pay phones on the road, and snail mail.)

BverLuver wrote:JB,

I agree 100% with 180. That S.O.B makes a lot of sense sometimes.



BL

Hey BL, where'd you get that video of me?

Ha ha

I just googled, "cool guy from avcanada 180" and thats what came up first. I think thats how it happened anyways. My mind gets a little spotty as I get older.

BL