Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
Fair enough. What you can imagine is not available to you, don't torture yourself about it, work with what you've got.
I have flown all over the world (including 48 of the states). That opportunity to see the world has made me feel the most lucky of people that I was born in Canada. The freedom that we have here to plot and execute our own success in general is really good in the context of much of the world - being a pilot in particular! So many countries I have visited, private aviation hardly exists at all, and for what it does, it's profoundly expensive and difficult, and there's hardly anywhere to go. Our freedom to fly here in Canada is amazing!
So plot your path to pilot advancement, and circulate among the people of our industry - it's the connections which make it work! I have worked in aviation my entire life, and I have never applied for a job! And remind yourself that the people who hire most like to surround themselves with positive people who are focused on their job to be done, and advancing their own skills and experience safely. Being in someone's office for a job interview, and explaining why you prefer the system of another nation, is probably not going to work to your benefit!
I'm not saying this because I don't know, I say it because I do know, and I believe I did mention that even my instructor examiner, being American citizen, also agreed with me that the Canadian aviation system need HUGE overhaul, and they could benefit a LOT from coping the US one (even though Canadian, for whatever reasons, think the US is inferior to them).
And I do have the US system to thank for being able to get my IMC time as well as multi time, and being able to learn extra like Chandelles and Lazy Eights and Eights on Pylons (as part of my flight test) has done magic to fine tune my skills. Being able to do P180 with -0/+200 made the Canadian version of -50/+400 a walk in the park.
Bottom line - I'm not going to sit down an interview and explain why the Canadian system is inferior and old/old fashion, but I will definitely say that having both FAA and TC license, and getting the extra training (as I just mentioned) in the States, have made me a better pilot and given me tools that I wouldn't otherwise be getting through Canadian training, and I can take best of both world and apply it during my instruction to make my students a better pilot.