Where would new pilots work ?
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Where would new pilots work ?
Good evening , I'm a student in Vancouver and starting my life as a pilot soon this year . I'm going to a college which offers a diploma and teaches you to become a pilot. The thing I'm really curious about is where would new graduates go right after flight school? Can they be hired by regional airlines ?
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He is not joking
The market for newly qualified Pilots unless sponsored by a employer is almost NIL.
There is a large pile of burgers to be flipped and a small pile of empty right seats.
I suggest build hours, either as a glider tow pilot, pleasure flight , or instructor.
Pay your dues, and then get upset, if not employed in 3-4 years time.
sorry but that's the hard truth.
There is a large pile of burgers to be flipped and a small pile of empty right seats.
I suggest build hours, either as a glider tow pilot, pleasure flight , or instructor.
Pay your dues, and then get upset, if not employed in 3-4 years time.
sorry but that's the hard truth.
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Linzian
Welcome to Pprune!
The problem is that the industry is in the doldrums right now and a quick read through some of the threads in this forums will indicate how dire the situation is at present.
There is a lot of unemployed highly qualified and experienced pilots out there looking for jobs as a result of the economic downturn and you should understand their cynical view when you ask the question in the original post.
A couple of hours spent reading some of the threads here will give you a good insight to the industry.
HWB
Welcome to Pprune!
The problem is that the industry is in the doldrums right now and a quick read through some of the threads in this forums will indicate how dire the situation is at present.
There is a lot of unemployed highly qualified and experienced pilots out there looking for jobs as a result of the economic downturn and you should understand their cynical view when you ask the question in the original post.
A couple of hours spent reading some of the threads here will give you a good insight to the industry.
HWB
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To be fair, I do not think this industry is much different from any other.
When there is a shortage of qualified people, those without experience have a chance to start somewhat higher up the ladder, such as would be a first paid job on a turboprop or even a jet in the case of a pilot.
In the normal course of events though, people have to start much nearer the bottom, sometimes without payment received, or even having to self-finance their "jobs".
People kick a big stink about the latter in these forums, but that is hardly unique to aviation: ask a merchant navy officer how he started, or a lawyer, physician, or geologist, and there is a pretty good chance they all had to work for free or nearly free at the beginning of their careers. If you ask an author, a car racer (or any other professional sportsman), or any self-employed person, they all had to put money up front in order to finance the activities from which they expect to eventually make a profit.
There may be differences of scale, e.g., the cost of becoming a pilot vs becoming a lawyer, and the eventual rewards, but the principles are exactly the same as for many if not all other professions.
I hope the OP can, from the above posts, get an idea what's ahead of him. If I were him, I would start hanging around the local aeroclub and offering to wash planes, cut the grass, etc. That'll give you a nice insight into this world and make you some contacts.
Hope this helps.
When there is a shortage of qualified people, those without experience have a chance to start somewhat higher up the ladder, such as would be a first paid job on a turboprop or even a jet in the case of a pilot.
In the normal course of events though, people have to start much nearer the bottom, sometimes without payment received, or even having to self-finance their "jobs".
People kick a big stink about the latter in these forums, but that is hardly unique to aviation: ask a merchant navy officer how he started, or a lawyer, physician, or geologist, and there is a pretty good chance they all had to work for free or nearly free at the beginning of their careers. If you ask an author, a car racer (or any other professional sportsman), or any self-employed person, they all had to put money up front in order to finance the activities from which they expect to eventually make a profit.
There may be differences of scale, e.g., the cost of becoming a pilot vs becoming a lawyer, and the eventual rewards, but the principles are exactly the same as for many if not all other professions.
I hope the OP can, from the above posts, get an idea what's ahead of him. If I were him, I would start hanging around the local aeroclub and offering to wash planes, cut the grass, etc. That'll give you a nice insight into this world and make you some contacts.
Hope this helps.
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To the OP, I see that you are Canadian. There is aj opportunity to fly really large piston driven planes in Canada with low time up in NWT. Check out Buffalo Airways. After paying your dues as a rampie, cleaning up planes, and loading cargo, you might get lucky enough to become a flight attendant, then eventually move up to pilot on the DC-3 with only 300 hrs TT.
Otherwise, in Canada your choices as a rookie pilot would be to become a flight instructor, or some other job appropriate for a lOw time pilot like pipeline patrol or bush flying. Sad to say, McDonalds might be better paid than a pilot doing aerial work. Unless you catch an extremely lucky break, you will need to pay your dues and work your way up.
Otherwise, in Canada your choices as a rookie pilot would be to become a flight instructor, or some other job appropriate for a lOw time pilot like pipeline patrol or bush flying. Sad to say, McDonalds might be better paid than a pilot doing aerial work. Unless you catch an extremely lucky break, you will need to pay your dues and work your way up.
Last edited by zondaracer; 7th Feb 2011 at 15:37.
