Question to pilots, who live in Finland

[guyLivingInFinland]

Hi,
I'm considering my possible career opportunities as a professional pilot but I don't want to move outside Finland.
So I'm looking for people who live in Finland and work as an airline or cargo pilot (hopefully there are some at this forum). I'd be very grateful if you could answer few questions for me. Which airline except Finnair, Norra or Cityjet do you fly for? How much time do you spend commuting and whether now with your experience you'd recommend a wanna-be pilot like myself to avoid this path and either be prepared to move from Finland or stick with those 3 airlines I've mentioned earlier?

Thanks in advance!

[Beamr]

You say "wanna-be". Considering the current general situation, the question is are you PPL, CPL, ATPL or what? If you have nothing, your question won't be valid for a few years, and by then everything will most probably be different.

and for clarity, I am NOT an airline nor cargo pilot.

[guyLivingInFinland]

You say "wanna-be". Considering the current general situation, the question is are you PPL, CPL, ATPL or what? If you have nothing, your question won't be valid for a few years, and by then everything will most probably be different.

and for clarity, I am NOT an airline nor cargo pilot.

Yes, the current situation is... well, it is what it is. I have a PPL, though I'm not exactly sure, how does that affect anything I've asked about. Even a friend of mine who's soon to graduate from Ilmailuopisto has no clue, when and if they'll get a job in upcoming years.

[Beamr]

Sorry for being unclear, but what I meant is that if you have a PPL now, it means that it will take a few years before you will be eligible for the right hand seat. By that time due current economic climate it is somewhat difficult to say which airlines/cargo companies are gone OR emerged to fill the holes that the fallen has left. Good bet is that Finnair will be here (government won't let it fall), not so sure about others. Hence it will be a tricky question and the crystal balls are very hazy.

Nevertheless, I wish you all the best in chasing your dream, even though it might well mean moving to another country. And who knows, things may well pick up in a faster pace than anyone anticipates (fingers crossed).

[guyLivingInFinland]

Thanks! Yeah, fingers crossed!
I understand the situation and unpredictability of its development. I'm just trying to gather some info of what was it like to be a commercial pilot in Finland not flying for Finnair/Norra over past X years.

[JA8957]

I'll never be able to understand why so many Finnish pilots refuse to leave the country in order to find work. FYI Cityjet has filed for bankruptcy and laid off their pilots so you might want to do your research before posting next time. There are hordes of far more qualified and motivated people who will get hired before anyone even looks at your resume.

As if high taxes, the horrible climate and only a handful of employers wasn't enough you still want to limit yourself there even with a commuting job... Good luck with that. Might want to reconsider your career choice if you're unwilling to compromise. It's a cut throat industry and your comment reeks of unjustified entitlement from someone holding just a PPL.

[SaulGoodman]

In 2 or 3 years from now everything could be completely different again. Having said that, you have to be very lucky to immediately get a commuting option as there are not too many.

there are a few:
DHL
ASL/TNT
West Atlantic
Aerologic

I would not bet my money and effort on these options though.

[thepilot91]

I'll never be able to understand why so many Finnish pilots refuse to leave the country in order to find work. FYI Cityjet has filed for bankruptcy and laid off their pilots so you might want to do your research before posting next time. There are hordes of far more qualified and motivated people who will get hired before anyone even looks at your resume.

As if high taxes, the horrible climate and only a handful of employers wasn't enough you still want to limit yourself there even with a commuting job... Good luck with that. Might want to reconsider your career choice if you're unwilling to compromise. It's a cut throat industry and your comment reeks of unjustified entitlement from someone holding just a PPL.


Home is home, he is just asking a question, your comment however reeks of toxic hostility and poor assumptions derived from your own point of view.

How are people supposed to learn if not by asking questions...this is a forum after all.

[FarewellFire]

When I changed careers in my mid-30’s and became a pilot I was fuelled by the same magical ambition that you are. A few mumbled not to do it, period. But I did and managed to fly a bit before Covid struck.

Hence I will not advise you not to give it a go but what I will do is raise a few warning flags. The first one being that if you limit your scope too much from the get go it’ll be so much harder to find work. If you start now you could be line-ready in 1,5 years (as you have the PPL taken care of). Even if the industry have picked up somewhat at that point you will then compete with a load of pilots with loads of experience, people who have been laid off and now are eager to come back. With this in mind it will be hard to find work even abroad.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t try but you should be prepared for reality. With that I wish you the best of luck, whatever your decision may be!