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| quote: | Originally posted by failsafe
djshan: There's one supremely important aspect that I don't think you've grasped here. You're entire pre-airline career is a race. It's a race to acquire the right skill set, contacts, and flight time to become an interview candidate for the airlines. This might sound silly, or over dramatic but if anything it's an understatement. Your ENTIRE airline career will be determined by the age you're hired at. It will determine when you get your captain's upgrade, it will determine how many years you're stuck working every weekend and every holiday. It will determine vacation, routes flown, and to an immense extent your career earnings.
So while I see your naive distaste for ramp jobs, they can provide you to a fast track for your airline career. I'll use my own life as an example. I too started out as an instructor, also one who turned up their nose at ramp work. One day after about 8 months of Instructing I talked to a friend in Pickle Lake. That friend I had discounted as being stupid for taking a ramp job 8 months prior when we both graduated school. After all, I was flying, and he was freezing his balls of loading freight. Well it turns out that in his first 6 weeks of flying after the 8 month wait, he'd already logged more time than I had in 8 months. Infact, nearly all the guys up in Pickle on the Caravan were doing 1200hrs in 11 months and timing out with a month left in the year. It took me about a month to get my head around that. A month later I was in my Toyota Corolla headed up highway 599 to Pickle Lake. I worked the ramp, and it opened doors to me that will take years more for you to open. To give you a sense of how much it sped things up. One of my class 1 instructors and assistant CFI's at the flight school I worked at had started there 4 years prior to my start at instructing. I arrived at Air Canada a few months before he did. There were 2 others who I instructed with there too that work at AC now. They had a 2 and 3 year jump on me instructing, and I arrived at AC a few months after the 2 year head start and 1 year after the 3 year head start.
All that said, the north just might not be right for you. I certainly saw my share of cream puff city boys come up and then leave a few weeks later. It's not an easy life up there, and that's precisely why it's a short cut. If it was easy everyone would do it, and there wouldn't be the same opportunities. I did eventually make it back down south. Prior to Air Canada I was a Check captain and sim instructor at Air Georgian. I also sat on the hiring board for some interviews there too. Again and again, I saw the same story repeated with the interview candidates and resumes there. The guys who were coming back down south from the north were about 2-3 years younger than people who had stayed down in toronto.
To give you an idea of how much money that equates to. You'd be lucky to make 25k/year instructing in the GTA. So 2 years at 25k = 50k earned. A senior 777 captain at Air Canada in the last 2-3 years of his 30 career is making about 240k/year. So 2 years at 240k/year = 480k - 50k instructing = 430k ahead. When the math is presented like that it's pretty sobering. You may think that you're taking the high road, but you're really just screwing yourself. That calculation doesn't take into account the accrued career earnings as you'd always been on higher paying types 2 years ahead of the other guy. In reality that figure could very realistically be closer to a million bucks over a career.
Anyway good luck with things. Your first 5-10 years in the industry are going to suck terribly. If you make it to the airlines you'll be handsomely rewarded for your suffering though. |
Hi Failsafe,
With respect to the first paragraph of your post, i agree with most of what you say. I was only stating my opinion about the career path we have to follow to get into the cockpit. I just think it is unneccasary to go through all those tough times, and i feel like we get taken advantage of, becuase the airline knows how desperate we are to fly.. so they will make us do whatever they want. If you look at other nations, like asian nations for example, pilots get hired directly at 200 hours (although, i dont think its safe, they should have a few more)... but if they can do it, why cant we? they dont have to work ramp jobs or be aircraft groomers... I totally respect you for doing what you had to do to get to air canada, congratulations, and hopefully you get on the 777 left seat soon (if thats what you desire... i know thats what i want, lol). With respect to working weekends, overnights, and so on... when it comes to flying, im available 24/7, as long as i get paid for it (even if its minumum wage), and if im well rested. As a matter of fact, my dream is to fly long international routes, and hopefully i can skip the short runs, haha.
2nd paragraph,
Interesting to hear your story. Well, Im not in a rush to get to air canada. There are more places to go than just air canada. I got my businesess running and making good money at the moment. I fly on the side (instruct). I have plans to teach IFR this spring, summer. When i do apply to air canada, i want to be properly qualified.. I got a nice email today from a company in calgary who is considering me for an interview when they hire. They pay very good. Wish me luck 
3rd paragrapgh,
You are 100 % right, the north is not for me. I was told my many people before, that i should go apply up north... not a chance. One of my collegues used himself as a reference for me with a company he works for, i rejected. The only way i would fly up there is if thay pay good and safe working comditions, otherwise i cant go up there. I have alot of proof that im a hard worker, i wont mention details here. The only time my bosses had a hard time with me was when i wanted to quit, one of them even tore my notice in peices.
4th paragraph.... to be continued........ (exhausted)
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