You have just invested about a 100,000 $CAD and finished flight training in Canada in the hopes of being a pilot of an airline company. You have a work permit or you are a Canadian National looking to find your first flying job in Canada. What kind of jobs can you expect in Canada after flight training and what is the expected pay for these jobs?
One has to understand that no airline company will hire a fresh CPL holder with just 250 hours of flying in Canada. Some other countries like India and European nations have airlines that come up with CPL job openings but that does not happen in Canada or the USA. Even the least popular regional airlines will require at least 1500 flying hours in the logbook and an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL or ATP).
So what can you do with the 250 hours of flying time you have accumulated while flight training for CPL. If these are the questions you are looking for, with this blog, I intend to give you a clear picture of what to expect as a fresh CPL holder with just 250 hours of flying under the belt.
Bush pilot jobs:
Starting salary can be from as low as 30,000 $CAD to as much as 120,000 $CAD for the experienced. That is a huge variation in salary, but most pilots use this as a means to build hours before they find a better-paying job at a regional or if lucky at a bigger airliner.
They usually continue with these jobs for anywhere between 1 year to 2 years before moving on to bigger jobs. So what is a bush pilot job?
Canada is a huge country and 90% of the population lives close to the southern border of the country. That being said there are still people living in northern Canada and access to these places is not as good as it is in the south. In winter access to these places become even harder to travel for either public commuting to other parts of Canada or even for transporting essentials like food and other necessities.
Other than having to fly to northern communities there are always people that need to fly to remote locations for various reasons like skiing, hiking, or other such recreational activities which will have no road access to start from.
There are small airline operators throughout Canada that cater to these needs. These airlines normally operate on small planes and sometimes even single-engine planes. They sometimes have job openings for even CPL holders with just 250 hours of flying. But it is still not easy to get a job in such operations unless you get lucky or you have been working on your networking from day one of your flight training.
It is not common for a pilot with CPL and just 250 flying hours to directly get to fly with even these operators. They will initially be put to take care of other jobs at these operators like office work or physical ramp jobs like luggage loading, clearing runways, snow shoveling or fueling flights, etc.
I understand it may sound discouraging to some, but flying in these operations can also be extremely satisfying. So much so that some pilots just continue with this kind of flying throughout their career just because they enjoy f and make it to earning even the six-figure salary I mentioned earlier.
Depending on the kind of bush operation one might also need additional ratings like Float Rating if the operators use lakes more than normal landing stripes.
Flight Instruction:
Salaries for flight instruction are similar to bush flying starting from 25,000 $CAD to as much as 125,000 $CAD as a Chief Flight Instructor. But again, pilots do not see these big pays doing flight instruction because they mostly do the flight instruction to build hours and move out to doing bigger pilot jobs or to even bush flying after building some amount of total flying time.
Flight instruction is a profession where certified individuals, otherwise known as flight instructors, teach students to fly aircraft. This teaching can range from basic flight training to more advanced flight techniques for experienced pilots. In Canada, anyone who aspires to be a flight instructor must first hold a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).
In addition to these, a prospective flight instructor must secure a Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 Flight Instructor Rating. A Class 3 rating allows the holder to train private pilot licence and commercial pilot licence students. A Class 2 rating enables the training of private and commercial pilot license students and Class 3 flight instructors. Lastly, a Class 1 rating allows the holder to instruct all levels of students and flight instructors.
The pay for the instructor gradually increases from Class 3 to Class 1 as more experience and flying time is built from Class 3 to Class 1. Each class requires an increasing level of experience and knowledge, and the instructor’s licence must be renewed every two years through continued training and experience.
Conclusion:
These options are the most popular options that are usually preferred in Canada by a pilot with a Commercial pilot licence (CPL) and 200-250hours of total flying time. There are jobs one can get with a CPL like Medevac – doing medical evacuations, survey pilot jobs, banner towing jobs, and so on.
Most of the time, these initial positions, such as Medevac assignments, survey pilot jobs, or banner towing jobs, serve as stepping stones in a pilot’s career. Typically, they are temporary roles lasting a maximum of about 2 years. They provide essential field experience and flight hours that enhance a pilot’s resume. This experience is invaluable as pilots usually aspire to transition into more significant roles within airlines, corporate aviation, or international cargo transportation, where they can command larger aircrafts and enjoy better compensation and benefits.
In order for pilots to obtain these more advanced positions, they must stay up-to-date with the latest industry standards and requirements. This includes obtaining additional licenses and ratings, such as a multi-engine rating which allows them to fly multiple-engine aircraft, or an instrument rating allowing them to operate in low visibility conditions. Furthermore, some pilots may even opt to specialize in certain fields, such as seaplane flying or aerial photography.
Overall, the journey to becoming a professional pilot is mentally and physically demanding but ultimately very rewarding. With hard work and dedication, pilots can find great success in their careers whether they choose to pursue commercial airline roles or opt for more specialized positions like aerobatic flight instruction.