Flight School
 

Hi, I am from India and i am planning to take up my CPL/ME-IR training from Canada. I went through a couple of flying schools and now i am really confused on which to select. I am completely dependent on the bank loan for the training so every extra amount that is to paid will cost me a lot. Canadians please help me out. My ultimate aim is to become a professional pilot. Please help me.

Ok, assuming you're not a troll....

Where are the two schools that you've been before, and why were they not acceptable?
Do you have any friends/acquaintances who've been to a flight school in Canada who might be able to help you out with your choice?

IIRC, HArv's Air in Steinebach, MB., had a group of students from the sub-continent a few years back, so they have some experience with liasing with the Indian authorities for licencing requirements.
Pacific Sky Aviation in Victoria, BC., has been training ESL students for the last two years, also. They are set up with salaried instructors, and a full-time groundschool, so you could attend and treat it like a full-time job..

!!Whatever you do, DO NOT give anyone large sums of money up front!! There have been several horror stories over the years of foreign students placing money on account only to have the school go out of business, taking their money, and dreams......

There's lots more info over on 'the other' site, also - AvCanada.

Good Luck!

Before you jump into this just know how many thousands of jobless pilots are in India right now. Dealing with the DGCA is absolutely terrible and many of the pilots going home either have to pay money to fly at places or are left unemployed. If you're still interested I'd seriously take a look at Harv's Air. I used to work there, they treat their Indian students well and they are among the most affordable flight schools in the country with decent training.

Again, because you are telling us that the $$ is important to you, think long and hard on whether you want to do it.

On a side note, Harv's does end up helping guys get a temporary working visa for instructing jobs and many of their students have become instructors (as long as you have the right attitude) so there is that option available to you. If you post this question to avcanada.ca I think Adam (basically the guy involved with bringing in new students) monitors the website and can answer your questions.

@FirstOfficer A320

Its an extremely bad idea to take a loan to pay for the basic CPL alone . There are only few jobs in India with the thousands of unemployed pilots waiting for years to get the call or set the foot in the door
Its not going to be easy to find a job in Canada either unless someone is willing to sponsor you .


Dont forget after joining the airline the type rating costs another 20 -35 lakhs depending upon the airline

I know a lot of pilots stuck in this debt trap because they took loans for CPL and now cant join an airline simply because they dont have money to pay for the type rating costs

The DGCA conversion process is another headache and costs additional money as well.
You need to apply for a computer number first and only then can you give the DGCA papers
Atleast clear the DGCA papers first before going anywhere in the world for flight training . This will save you a lot of money and headache


But best bet would be to stay away unless you have 50-60 lakhs to spare

This news article sums up the situation quite accurately

Pilot job dreams crash as aviation suffers - Hindustan Times