Low timer looking for a start in Canada
 

Greetings Chaps,
I'm a low time pilot who will be hitting the dusty trails looking for work once the hiring season begins this year. From what I understand it's a waste of time sending in the resume, it's better to visit in person. Can anyone recommend what companies to go to, and more importantly, who not to go to? I'm more than willing to work until my hands bleed and I'm half blind from inhaling avgas, but I've heard a few horror stories about low timers being ridden bareback too. What's generally a starting wage for a newbie?
P.s. I've have an R22, R44 and B206 endorsement if that's any help.

The odds of that happening are slim!

Do you have a Canadian license (I assume you have because you're talking about endorsments)?
How many hours do you have?
How old are you, in other words do you qualify for a working student visa?

Yes I have a Canadian CPL(H), and I'm on about 135 hours total at the moment. I'm 26 at the moment, and I have applied for a usit under 35 visa. I presume the student visa you are talking about is the usit student programme, or is there another one?

Davy, have you any info on what's happening in Canada? Are you over there yourself?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but I strongly suggest that you do not waste any time, money or effort coming to Canada looking for a start as a low-timer.

Have a look at the Vertical Magazine Forums for the current feeling toward immigrant pilots.

Ok thanks WL, yeah things sure are going down the drain, jeez I didn't really understand just how bad things are in Canada. I guess my piddly 135 hours don't really amount to a hill of beans in the big scheme of things. Not to worry, I'll adapt and overcome (basically go back to my old job).....

Yeah, like the good folk have said, as a low timer it's a bad idea going to Canada for helicopter work. Hell, its gonna be bad enough for guys with 2000 hours, let alone 100+ hours. Since you have your Canadian CPL, you must know how ti al works there. As a low timer, you would only get a job as a hangar rat. Cleaning machines and all sorts of other jobs, all for a very low wage. After you prove yourself, maybe summer 2010, they would let you do maintenance runs and occasional ferry flight. Canada is one of the hardest places to start in the industry as a low time pilot.

Dont waste the student visa this year, unless you wanna escape the crashing emerald isle for other work. In the past Iw ould normally tell most people not to go to Canada until they had between 700-1000 hours. Now, its just gone bad. Very bad!

Since you have a CPL now, you cant go the American route and work there either. So, not sure what the best route would be at this point. Maybe consider doing the JAA and getting an IR to head to the North Sea?? Who knows at this stage. Work around the world is drying up, and its only gonna get worse. What we need to do is get out there and find a way to drive up the price of oil - then we will be in good hands again!!!

Good luck!

I'm from Canada and really don't hold well with much of the thread on Vertical...kind of on the Open Minded Side when it comes to Aviation, considering I would like a chance to show up and work somewhere else in the world just once. Not to mention I've worked with Kiwi's, Aust, Frenchies, Poms, Hungarians, Romanians, Ruskies etc and found them all good guys/gals to work with.

So that being said, if you have a different skill set that you could work, AND produce mind you, other than the ground, that might be something you might want to look into...and at the same time see a little of our rather large country. Are you a computer programmer, engineer, accountant, carpenter etc? Maybe a HR specialist perhaps? That way you could justify your being in Aviation in Canada without the thought of stealing jobs...all the while working on your immigrant status.

At 135 hours, if I was in a positon to hire, you probably wouldn't get it based on moral grounds (lot's of hungry Canucks here too). But if you get in the office doing something else on more of a long term kick the door may open for you as time passes. I'm 3500 hrs and did it the hard way here in Canada (Ground Pounding for ****e money).

If you can sell yourself there is no stopping you...and that is very important, no matter how many hours you have, when your a VFR bush type pilot here in the Great White North. Companies I know of that have a reputation for hiring low -timers are Airborne Energy Solutions, Gemini Helicopters, Ultra Helicopters, Big Horn Helicopters (they are a training/conversion type of school that hires their own...very good), VIH sometimes (but they are very large and that extra skill set I was talking about may come in handy) and Bailey Helicopters.

I wish you and all the rest of you new lowtimers just breaking in the best of luck...it sounds tough out there right now...but then it took me 5 years I think to start pulling some revenue in too.

BWB

Any company that gives you a start is a good one, but if you manage Bailey helicopters, thank your lucky stars and keep your ears open and your mouth shut - there are a lot of very senior guys there from whom you will learn a lot - but don't worry, they won't bite!

Probably the most concentrated place to make the effort is North of Edmonton in Alberta, but certainly stick your nose in at Bighorn in Springbank. Don't forget the Tim Hortons!

And good luck - in this game (and life in general) it's being in the right place at the right time and you ain't going to be there if you stay at home! If you want Allah's help to win the lottery, you have to buy the ticket!

phil

PS - Make sure you get a car you can sleep in!

Don't let the whiners over on the thread at verticalmag scare you off. Sure it's tougher now for a newbie then it was in recent years but you can't win if you don't play.

Good luck wherever you go.

Tad uncalled for norunway.

Is it really ethical to "offer encouragement" to a non-Canadian to go out to Canada where there isn't a lot of work for low time pilots? I'd suggest not.

Cheers

Whirls

Norunway
 

Fair enough, il not post on here anymore. Il be eager to see all the positive encouragement from yourself in future similar topics on here.

As a Brit Expat who has been flying in Canada for aprox 20years, I would normally encourage anyone to come over and give it a go, especially at this time of year as it is normally the time companies start hiring for the busy summer season. To be honest though with all the machines parked at the moment I think as a 100hr pilot you would be wasting your time, but you never know, its all about timing. Up until the end of last year there were still seats to be filled with the outlook for work through the winter looking good on exploration, drills etc.But that has all been put on hold till who knows when. Some of us still working, but its real slow. Haven;t heard of too many lay offs, but most guys are contract over here so just means no lay off, but no phone calls either.

Don;t get too discouraged over the whiners on the Vertical forums about foreigners working here, these guys doing the whining seem to forget all the Canucks working international. It will pick up again, then we will need to import pilots again to fill seats. In the meantime if you are serious about coming over here, get some hours on vertical reference,, confined areas, hover exit, whiteout, longline precision and production, etc as these ae the real skills needed to make it here. Oh yeah and lots of turbine. Good luck.:ok:

Out of interest, what are the pay scales like in Canada? I heard they were dropping because of a lack of positions and too many pilots.

Fly for Fun

Just outta interest, what part E.Anglia you from, I only ask because I;m originally from Lincolnshire:ok:. Far as I know, nobody cutting wages yet, like I stated on my previous post most guys/gals are contract.Depends on experience and type ratings, lights, intermediates, mediums or heavies as to payscale.Myself have over 10,000hrs with alot of it precision longline so it pays comparable with most other countries with same experience, if not better. Company I work for pay daily rate, bush pay and flight pay daily with minimums, amount of min hours depends on time of year normally 2hrs a day in winter 4hrs a day summer, but that will vary company to company and on a busy year you'll fly way over mins. Also depends what province you are based out of, Western provinces always paid better, but you;ll need approved mountain course for most contracts out west, most guys/gals here have that anyway.

I have worked in UK, ME, Africa ,US,S.America,to name a few places, far as I;m concerned Canada a good place to be if you like to fly lots of variety and lots of hours and a good way of life, don;t forget it;s middle of winter here, very short days and extreme cold, so I think it will pick up in next couple months as days get longer on exploration anyways, I;m currently sat on exploration camp and thats what I;m hearing. As for fire season, well thats in the hands of Mother Nature, but we sure are due for a good one and if it does burn, then we;ll all be b***ching cos we want some time off. Hope that helps.Just as a last note, this time last year we were struggling to keep aircraft flying due to lack of experienced crews, and that was middle of winter.Get outta this recession and it will be same again, things are only on hold, NOT cancelled.

From people in the know, would an over 35yr old 1000hr pilot with an electrical background have much more opportunity? The moons line up for me in late April, early May. Is that leaving it too late to make the move?

Thanks

Mick

VH Mick,
You're too old for the working holiday visa and I think in the current climate Canadian companies wont need to sponsor Pilots. A mate of mine has just come back due to lack of work and another is hanging on until spring but he is really hanging around for the snowboarding.
With your 1000 hours can't you find something around OZ?

Ringer

Heliringer

I'd be interested to know how long, approx hrs and what part your mate was flying in Canada? PM me if you like. I've always wanted to go to Canada and don't really want to put it off for another year. Do you know if April, May would be too late to go?

thanks

VH mick

Personally from the amount of jobs I see going in Australia I would probably stay there. I think I might actually just head to Australia for work. The fact that there are no jobs whatsoever in Canada, and it will most likely be one of the worst seasons - which might be hard to believe because I thought last summer was the worst season, its probably a good idea to stay put.

Hey Murdock

Thats a bit doom and gloom, if ya don;t mind me saying. No jobs whatsoever in Canada isn;t quite right,company I fly for just hired a 100hr guy two weeks ago, headsheds must know something us mere minions don;t. Also think Stars and CHC still looking, check Vertical marketplace, think HTS, Heliquest , Trans North all looking for guys/gals. Could be old adverts, if so you;d think they would be removed. I stand to be corrected, but where I am right now theres 4 drills turning. Yeah ok so they are skidding um round with Cats, but ya know how that goes, always seem to need heli support when things break....:ugh:Rumour on this job, another 6 heliportable drills turning up in march, theres hope yet.....