Helicopter vs airplane job market

[miramis]

Hey y'all!

I am Swedish but planning to become a commercial pilot in Canada (Vancouver area preferably) and settle down there. I have a BIG dilemma though! I'm not sure what type of aircraft to choose?!
I've flown a helicopter R22, a cessna 150/172 and a piper supercub (float). Enjoyed all of them equally!!! (No license yet)

My question is, since I'm not aiming to become an airtraffic pilot, more interested in flying floats, helicopters or "smaller airplanes" what would be the best option career wise? I know the market isn't screaming for people (even though media says differently) and I feel like I have no inside info regarding those types of jobs. Seems like everybody wants to become captain and fly boeings and airbuses?
It's a lot of money to spend so I need to make sure I'm making the right decision.

I've really really tried to figure out what I like flying more but it's too hard so I need to know more about job opportunities. I'm talking about Canada in general but yes preferably in the BC area.

Any non airtraffic pilots out here? Heli and airplane. What do you do? How did you decide on which one? Help a rookie out!!!

thank you!!!! :)

[Pilot DAR]

Welcome Miramis,

BC is a great place for float and helicopter flying in Canada. There is float flying throughout Canada, and some helicopter too, though it is the mountain work which creates the demand for helicopter operations in BC.

Pilots are in need for both services, though it is important to understand that there is also a requirement for experience too. There is a big gap between earning a license, and having enough experience to be desirable as a pilot for single pilot operations. Gaining that experience is expensive for you, expect fifty to a hundred hours of flying after you're licensed, before you're desirable. Some of that should be advanced instruction, though solo flying is valuable too.

A very good path is to buy a very modest plane with floats and wheels and earn your license in it. Gain experience as a PPL, toward your CPL. You're not renting, you're flying your plane, so you can go where you want, when you want = long trips. With experience and a fixed wing CPL, the helicopter CPL is less costly to earn, and you have underlying flying experience already. I had 6000 hours fixed wing when I trained helicopters, so all I had to learn was differences, I already knew navigation, weather, and the rules of the air. 'No point paying three times the operating cost to use a helicopter rather that plane to learn basic navigation!

Better is that when you are flying your own plane around, the people you meet (whom you might approach for a job one day) see that you can manage yourself in all aspects of piloting, rather than asking at the desk if you can rent a plane that day, and having a dispatcher make your decision for you. If you want to be in the aviation business, you have to get to know the people who are already there. They are at the airport, so that's where you'll have to be to meet them. Working downtown all week, then taking a two hours lesson at the airport once a week is not the way to succeed meeting the people who you really need to meet.

Aviation is much more vibrant in Canada than in Scandinavia and Europe, because we need it here to get around. There a re lot of places in Canada you just do not get to without a plane. But, when you get to these places, a lot of them are either just a turf runway, or no runway at all. There is a lot of skills development, and decision making to be learned, and there is no formalized training for it, you learn by experience. So, while you plan your learning path, include planning for how you will gain experience after license, before job, it's a bigger gap than appears from the front of the process.

Flying schools at Abbottsford, Langley, Boundary Bay, and Victoria are good places to inquire. Poster Big Pistons, who occasions these threads is a valuable source of wisdom in this realm.

[Ilyushin76]

How much would a modest float plane cost exactly?

[Pilot DAR]

How much would a modest float plane cost exactly

Well... The only price I know exactly is that for the amphibian I'm selling, which is $66,000.00, though it's not "modest", it's in really great condition. I'm confident that a modest condition floatplane (old paint, scruffy interior, basic instruments) can be had for less.

[newfieboy]

Miramis

Before you look at dropping large amounts of $ on a licence, be it fixed or rotary wing, you probably want to make sure you can gain the right to live and work in Canada. Either Permanent Resident status or Citizenship. Not easy to obtain either nor temporary foreign work permits these days.

Apart from that, I’m flying utility helicopter stuff and starting to see quite a demand for experienced operators. The operative word there is experienced ie. longline, drill move, bird towing, Arctic,firefighting and hydro to name a few skills required.
Good luck on your endeavours, its not easy but doable. I moved to Canada 25 years ago from the UK. Don’t regret a thing and have acquired nearly 20;000 hrs of very diverse flying in some very harsh environments.

[miramis]

Thank you so much for your replies! Very helpful!

And about getting a work permit I’ve read that if you study in Canada and obtain a Canadian CPL you are entitled to work there. The US is not as generous and Australia is also trickier... But obviously I will look it up better while Im there. Either way I have to start with my PPL anyways :)

cheers!

[newfieboy]

miramis

I’m not sure where you got the idea that if you study in Canada and obtain a CPL you are entitled to work here. Permanent Residence or Citizenship is done on a point process. It also takes into account what industries are short of qualified people and qualifications. As far as I’m aware, there is no entitlement to work here just because you studied for and gained a CPL.

The company I work for will hire Europeans; but they are experienced operators with the qualifications required and already have a work permit or residency. Pretty much gone are the days of TFW permits.

[miramis]

miramis

I’m not sure where you got the idea that if you study in Canada and obtain a CPL you are entitled to work here. Permanent Residence or Citizenship is done on a point process. It also takes into account what industries are short of qualified people and qualifications. As far as I’m aware, there is no entitlement to work here just because you studied for and gained a CPL.

The company I work for will hire Europeans; but they are experienced operators with the qualifications required and already have a work permit or residency. Pretty much gone are the days of TFW permits.


hmmm alright I gotta look into that better then! I’ll do my ppl for starters anyway. Thanks for the heads up!