Career Opportunities
Really, there is no such job description as “being a pilot”!
There are airline pilots, flying anything from regional commuter planes to transcontinental flights with the major airlines. For many aspiring professional pilots, this is their career dream – and with a shortage of airline pilots on the horizon, the prospects have never been better.
The work of corporate pilots is equally fascinating and challenging, flying a business jet for a major corporation around the world. There is simply no job with more variety!
Some pilots end up flying in the military – anything from transport aircraft to fighter jets. They are needed for the protection of our domestic air space, but they can be deployed to any hot spot in the world where Canada plays a role in peace keeping.
One of Canada’s traditional jobs is that of a bush pilot – providing services to the communities in the countries vast northern region. When it comes to filling positions worldwide that have a similar job description, Canadian pilots are in high demand! Be it in the deserts of Africa or the ice deserts of Antarctica, pilots that have been trained in Canada, often are at the forefront.
Junior pilots often start their career with jobs like traffic watch, surveillance for forest fires, flying with a local air taxi or charter operator.
An interesting way to fast track your career is working as a flight instructor. Even if it’s only for a few years, a flight instructor will build hundreds of hours of valuable “pilot-in-command time” each year, which makes him a prime candidate for the airlines in a short period of time. And the instructor rating will make a pilot the prime candidate for positions like training captains etc.
The Training
Pilot training that does not take into account the individual student’s career goals – like a lot of college and other programs, can only provide some “random” training.
At CFC , our PROFESSIONAL PILOT PROGRAM is customized – tailored to the knowledge and skill requirements of the student’s chosen career path.
The first step therefore is an interview process, that starts with clarifying the student’s intentions and goals.
The next step is designing the individual training. Here it will determined which components of CFC’s training options will be implemented. It could be just a private and commercial license, but most of the time options like aircraft type training on several available planes, tail wheel and aerobatic training, multi-engine and IFR training, CRM and other line oriented training (LOFT) can be added. The student’s financial situation and available time (ideally, but not necessarily full time), are taken into account when planning the time line for the training. While a basic private and commercial license can be earned in as little as 8 months, additional training components often lead to a duration of up to 12 months.
An important decision is the location of the training. With CFC’s main base in the vicinity of Vancouver International Airport, the student gets exposed to a highly controlled and regulated airspace that prepares him for the typical airline career. Here we teach ocean flying and we venture into US airspace. Our second base is in the mountainous interior of British Columbia. Students learn to fly in a desert climate and get used to flying in the mountains, the airspace is mostly uncontrolled which prepares the student for a career in Canada’s North – it also is less challenging for international students that are not comfortable with the English language yet. As part of the PROFESSIONAL PILOT PROGRAM, we like our students to experience flying in both locations.
CFC’s extensive online resources like PPL, CPL or instructor rating ground school, several specialized seminars, test exams etc. are available to the student.
Last but not least is the selection of an instructor. Since a student will be working with a number of instructors during their different training stages, one instructor will be designated (or can be chosen by the student) to mentor the student throughout the entire training process. This provides continuity for the student and ensures support at all times.
Learn to Fly!
Pitt Meadows and Kamloops
Office +1 604 946 7744
www.cfc.aero
Published on www.cfc.aero.
