Hi everyone,
My question involves some background info that I hope I will not bore you all to death with before actually getting to the point.
So yeah, here we go:
I am an Aerospace Engineering major and currently studying in my second year at a UK university. As many others my goal is also to become a professional pilot.
The reason being for myself pursuing a university degree is basically to have a second career at hand in case the flying option will not take off as I hope it will. Furthermore, I think an Aero Eng degree will make my resume stick out a bit from other applications, provided that the flying experience is identical.
I plan on leaving my current college with a Bachelors degree to continue my studies towards a Masters degree either in America or Canada. The colleges I am interested in are San Diego State University or University of Ottawa.
My plan is to obtain all ratings up to a CPL/IR including the CIF’s so I can work for one of the local FTO’s as an instructor in my spare time while attending university and during the one-year period of practical training as an engineer, following university. After completing my education and hopefully having built enough hours to be employable I would be returning to the UK to find a job as an engineer as well as to start converting my FAA/TCCA ratings into JAA.
I think by doing so I will minimise the financial risks involved, while increasing my airline interview prospects to the utmost. The job market for engineers is looking fairly good at the moment and according to predictions will still do so in a few years down the line, so hopefully there should be a decent job with good pay for me in the bag.
My question to you now is, in regard to my flight training concerning factors such as costs, employment prospects as an FI etc., what would be the wiser path to take? I have done some research on flying in either country and it seems to be that either has its advantages and disadvantages. It would be great if there is anyone around who is familiar with aviation in particular in Canada, as there is so much more info available on flying in America.
Thanks a lot for your help! It’s greatly appreciated!
