View Full Version : Back to flying
ddanu9015
2nd Nov 2019, 09:58
I got my FAA PPL in 2008 and after that I obtained my bachelors degree in Aircraft Engineering and now I am working for an Airline as an Aircraft Maintenance Planning Engineer and receiving a decent salary. Now I feel like to start my CPL. I am now 38 years old , married and having a Kid. Planning to migrate Canada and start my CPL. After CPL I am Planning to apply post study work visa and to try for a job. Would it be a silly idea to leave my permanent job and go back to student status at this age ?
Is canada a good country to continue my CPL ?
Duchess_Driver
2nd Nov 2019, 14:05
I was a similar age - but redundancy made my decision significantly easier. It isn’t the easiest of careers - especially if you’re marred with kids - and don’t think you’re going to be earning big for a while.
Why not build hours and do the theory part time - modular means you can work whilst training.
Would it be a silly idea to leave my permanent job and go back to student status at this age ?
Nope. Lots of guys and gals at my outfit are starting a second career in aviation well into their 50's, which means they were students in their 40's. Starting at 38 will likely put you out of the running to ever see heavy jet command time in Canada as there will be so many younger people more senior than you at the airlines, but as long as you're comfortable with that, you're fine.
Is [C]anada a good country to continue my CPL ?
Yes. There are a lot of good schools to continue your CPL. Like the US, you have to decide what type of climate you're willing to live in before coming north as not all of Canada is covered in igloos. Vancouver Island is beautiful this time of year. Winnipeg; not so much.
However, what you do after you earn your CPL is a whole other story. I would generally suggest that American pilots stay south of the border as the earning potential is much greater. I found starting at the airlines in a similar position to you here in Canada - late 30's with an ankle biter - was very difficult. I had the advantage of already having buckets of total and command time and the airline desperately needed experienced Captains, so I obtained a very quick upgrade. However, coming up on 4 years later I am only now emerging from the debt caused by those 6 months I spent in the right seat as a single-income family. Had I not known the upgrade was quick, I would not have come to the airlines. With a fresh CPL, you can expect at least 2 to 3 years right seat at a regional, assuming all plays out well with the economies of the world.
If you're going to do this, do this with eyes wide open. It is a great gig and I wouldn't want to do anything else, but it is going to be akin to white water rafting for a while. Hunker down, don't get extravagant and you'll do OK. It'll be just like you're an apprentice again!
ddanu9015
4th Nov 2019, 06:07
I was a similar age - but redundancy made my decision significantly easier. It isn’t the easiest of careers - especially if you’re marred with kids - and don’t think you’re going to be earning big for a while.
Why not build hours and do the theory part time - modular means you can work whilst training.
Thanks for your comment. How can I build hours ? Can you please give me some more information ?
ddanu9015
4th Nov 2019, 06:11
Nope. Lots of guys and gals at my outfit are starting a second career in aviation well into their 50's, which means they were students in their 40's. Starting at 38 will likely put you out of the running to ever see heavy jet command time in Canada as there will be so many younger people more senior than you at the airlines, but as long as you're comfortable with that, you're fine.
Yes. There are a lot of good schools to continue your CPL. Like the US, you have to decide what type of climate you're willing to live in before coming north as not all of Canada is covered in igloos. Vancouver Island is beautiful this time of year. Winnipeg; not so much.
However, what you do after you earn your CPL is a whole other story. I would generally suggest that American pilots stay south of the border as the earning potential is much greater. I found starting at the airlines in a similar position to you here in Canada - late 30's with an ankle biter - was very difficult. I had the advantage of already having buckets of total and command time and the airline desperately needed experienced Captains, so I obtained a very quick upgrade. However, coming up on 4 years later I am only now emerging from the debt caused by those 6 months I spent in the right seat as a single-income family. Had I not known the upgrade was quick, I would not have come to the airlines. With a fresh CPL, you can expect at least 2 to 3 years right seat at a regional, assuming all plays out well with the economies of the world.
If you're going to do this, do this with eyes wide open. It is a great gig and I wouldn't want to do anything else, but it is going to be akin to white water rafting for a while. Hunker down, don't get extravagant and you'll do OK. It'll be just like you're an apprentice again!
Appreciated your comment and this would be a great inspiration for me. Now I think I MUST start my CPL .
Thanks for your comment. How can I build hours ? Can you please give me some more information ?
How many hours do you have? If you have less than 150 total, then building hours is pretty much limited to going out to the school and renting the aircraft. If you have more than 150 hours, you're still going to be renting but it would behoove you to start knocking away some of the CPL training sessions with an instructor. When I was time building, I befriended a local owner who owned a Cherokee, Chipmunk, and Harvard. We put a rental agreement in place and off I went. It was far cheaper than renting from the local schools and did the same job. On the plus side, I got checked out on the Chipmunk and flew the Harvard a couple of times - not a unique occurrence nowadays, but not common either.
Time building means different things to different people. For some, they'll take an aircraft over multiple days and explore the country. For others, they'll stay in the local training area practicing stall recovery, steep turns, constant radius turns, precision flying, etc. Looking back on my PPL to CPL time building, I was a mix of the two. I would suggest that when time building, keep building on the basics you learned during your PPL. Find out early on what is required from the school for the CPL and start applying those to your early flights. Don't waste your time sitting comfortably in the circuit. It might be an hour of flying but it doesn't teach you too much after a little while.