Fresh CPL pilot job outlook

[pild04]

Hello all,

I plan on completing my ratings this year (once things get better) and start looking for my first flying job next year. Given the pandemic, I would like to know if companies (pipeline, survey, aerial photgraphy, up north etc.) are operating this summer.

Thank you in advance!

[ayseven]

Nobody knows. You keep looking, don't get discouraged, and you will find something. And it will get better. It always does, but sometimes doesn't feel like it...

[altiplano]

It will get tough I think. I remember after 9/11 how difficult it was, there were basically no jobs and the ones that did come up - even entry level - required tons of experience.

Do you really want it? You have to be resilient, you have to be persistent, you have to be ready to do what it takes to get an opportunity, you have to be ready to work hard.

[dialdriver]

Hello all,

I plan on completing my ratings this year (once things get better) and start looking for my first flying job next year. Given the pandemic, I would like to know if companies (pipeline, survey, aerial photgraphy, up north etc.) are operating this summer.

Thank you in advance!

I like your attitude - unlike the one with 250 hrs that thinks he should be in a 737 already.

Between the 80s recession and medical problems, it took me well over a decade to left seat in a Navajo. I never gave up, but man was I broke for a long long time lol

Don't give up.

[Gabe_to]

Hey everyone!
Kind of a random question but I'm hoping you can shed some light.
I see many pilot jobs that will send you all over the country and you're far from your base for a few days.
Is there such a job (FO or captain) in this industry where you're home everyday with a decent schedule?
Or does the entire industry requires you to have garbage sleep patterns?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

[bring me the horizon]

Typically the 702, 703 operators are the first to recover but I'm not too certain that it'll happen this summer. Doesn't hurt to get your ratings and be ready to leave at a moments notice.

[TailwheelPilot]

I see many pilot jobs that will send you all over the country and you're far from your base for a few days.
Is there such a job (FO or captain) in this industry where you're home everyday with a decent schedule?
Or does the entire industry requires you to have garbage sleep patterns?

Regional 704s (definitely not a nation-wide company) may, although it seems like the northern ones are more likely to have schedules that span the business day or slightly more. Float operators, most bush operators, single piston, aerial application all tend to not fly at night and many operators will have you back to base for most nights. Whether you want to live in a (typically) small town where these operations are based is the biggest factor.

[schnitzel2k3]

Once the borders open back up, we should see some positive movement from most operations from 702-704. 705 pax ops might be a little slower to gain traction.

[pild04]

Thank you all for your replies! I will continue my training and hope for the best.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I have had 6 flying jobs over 33 years. I got every job as a result of contacts in the industry that gave me a heads up or recommended me. Who you know is everything in this Industry.

It is going to be very hard for low time pilots to get a flying job for probably several years as there is going to be a glut of experienced pilots looking for work, This is the fourth time in my career that the industry has cratered and it looks worse than any of the other downturns.

My advice is to take any work in related to aviation, ramping, dispatch, parts person, aircraft cleaning, anything. Impress those around you with your attitude and work ethic and talk to people. When something does come up most CP’s would rather hire someone they know or will pass on the name of the guy that works the ramp but is a real go getter.

But let me be clear. It is going to a tough slog unless you are incredibly lucky. You have to want to be a pilot more than anything else and be prepared to push through a lot of disappointment.

[pild04]

I have had 6 flying jobs over 33 years. I got every job as a result of contacts in the industry that gave me a heads up or recommended me. Who you know is everything in this Industry.

It is going to be very hard for low time pilots to get a flying job for probably several years as there is going to be a glut of experienced pilots looking for work, This is the fourth time in my career that the industry has cratered and it looks worse than any of the other downturns.

My advice is to take any work in related to aviation, ramping, dispatch, parts person, aircraft cleaning, anything. Impress those around you with your attitude and work ethic and talk to people. When something does come up most CP’s would rather hire someone they know or will pass on the name of the guy that works the ramp but is a real go getter.

But let me be clear. It is going to a tough slog unless you are incredibly lucky. You have to want to be a pilot more than anything else and be prepared to push through a lot of disappointment.

Big Pistons Forever, thank you for the advice! I am looking for aviation job opportunities right now.

These are indeed testing times. I'm sure we will all get through this soon.

[Plane_sight]

But let me be clear. It is going to a tough slog unless you are incredibly lucky. You have to want to be a pilot more than anything else and be prepared to push through a lot of disappointment.

Big Pistons Forever, thank you for the advice! I am looking for aviation job opportunities right now.

These are indeed testing times. I'm sure we will all get through this soon.

I completely agree with Big Pistons Forever, in that there will very likely be a lot of disappointment and it will be incredibly tough. I finished all my ratings in 2009 just as the entire industry had cratered and there were zero jobs for new pilots.

I'm not saying give up on aviation, but strongly consider whether you enjoy any other field as much as aviation. Do some reading here on AvCanada and take into account other factors (ie: living conditions, are you willing to move, low salaries, significant others, circadian rhythms, etc.) that many have discussed before you. Also, keep in mind that there is a backlog of new pilots building because they are continually finishing their training and not getting jobs (the bottleneck problem). Even when this is over and the industry recovers, there is an enormous backlog of pilots waiting in the wings for an opportunity to fly, both new CPLs and those that were laid-off.

To answer your question directly, at present, the job outlook for new pilots is as bleak as it's ever been.

Good luck.

[pild04]

But let me be clear. It is going to a tough slog unless you are incredibly lucky. You have to want to be a pilot more than anything else and be prepared to push through a lot of disappointment.

Big Pistons Forever, thank you for the advice! I am looking for aviation job opportunities right now.

These are indeed testing times. I'm sure we will all get through this soon.

I completely agree with Big Pistons Forever, in that there will very likely be a lot of disappointment and it will be incredibly tough. I finished all my ratings in 2009 just as the entire industry had cratered and there were zero jobs for new pilots.

I'm not saying give up on aviation, but strongly consider whether you enjoy any other field as much as aviation. Do some reading here on AvCanada and take into account other factors (ie: living conditions, are you willing to move, low salaries, significant others, circadian rhythms, etc.) that many have discussed before you. Also, keep in mind that there is a backlog of new pilots building because they are continually finishing their training and not getting jobs (the bottleneck problem). Even when this is over and the industry recovers, there is an enormous backlog of pilots waiting in the wings for an opportunity to fly, both new CPLs and those that were laid-off.

To answer your question directly, at present, the job outlook for new pilots is as bleak as it's ever been.

Good luck.

Plane_sight, thank you for your reply! I have an engineering degree as well, so I might work in this field for now and then move when I get a flying job.

[ayseven]

That sounds like a good plan. Keep at it, but don't lose sight of the runway.

[North Shore]

Is there such a job (FO or captain) in this industry where you're home everyday with a decent schedule?

Ah....the unicorn question! You can have money, schedule or location in aviation, but only two of the three at the same time!

[jpilot77]

I got all three (different than OPs desires, I enjoy my layovers) but it took a long time. With this downturn you’ll be lucky to get any job.

[captainhack]

As a fresh CPL myself and on the same boat as you, I would recommend that you keep trying and don't be discouraged. Dont be in a huge rush to get the Multi and the IFR this minute (that was my mistake as I spent 15k doing this right before the pandemic). Go knock on doors after this pandemic passes. Companies receive resumes via email all day (and all night) long. I have sent 50 resumes via email with no response at all whatsoever - but I am not discouraged. And, take ANY aviation job - ramp, aircraft grooming, feeling, dispatch, whatever... until you get your first job. Good luck!

[schnitzel2k3]

Is there such a job (FO or captain) in this industry where you're home everyday with a decent schedule?

Ah....the unicorn question! You can have money, schedule or location in aviation, but only two of the three at the same time!

Morningstar Caravan job out of YYZ, YEG and YVR.

You are away during the day when you have to fly, but home in the evenings, only fly 10-12 days per month. I think it's as close to unicorn as possible. I think there is a fourth category, type, with that. Money, schedule, location and type. 2 out of the 4 lol.

[iflyforpie]

I don’t think Caravan money will get you very far in YVR or YYZ. You’ll get home to a place you can afford just in time to get 8 hours of sleep and do it all over again. YEG would be the choice out of those.

I think I got pretty close with my medevac job being 4/4 all days home almost every night (average one overnight a month.. none now with COVID) in an affordable but well serviced community.

Definitely not for low timers. For the OP and others my advice is to keep plugging away. Fear drives away jobs, but it also drives away applicants as many hopefuls give up or go back to their tent-making trades.

There will be 250 hour CPLs hired this year. If you’re not a fair-weather fan of aviation, make yourself one of those pilots.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Back in the dark times of the early 1990"s one of my CPL students made a cross Canada job hunting road trip. He loaded up his little car with food and camping gear and a plan to live frugally. His strategy was to go to the most obscure out of the way operators he could find. Well into the trip he drove 7 hours up dirt roads to a little outfit in Bumbfuc*k Northern Ontario.

He walks into the little shack of an office by a dock with 2 airplanes on it and sees an older guy sitting behind a messy desk

"Help you" the older guy says
" I am looking for work"
" lets me guess, another 200 hr wannabe"
"Yes" is the reply
Waving at a stack of paper at least 6 inches high the guy says "I got a hundred resumes here, why should I hire you ?"
" Because I am here and they are not"

The guys says, "That is a pretty good answer, you got any work gloves ?"
"Yes in my car"
He was told to go get them and when he produces a set of well worn leather gloves, the guy who was the owner of the company said he would try him out for the weekend on the dock for no pay, and then make up his mind.

He worked the dock that summer but got a little bit of flying in with the boss on non-rev flights
The next summer he went on the 185 part time and worked the dock
The next summer he was a full time pilot on the 185 and Beaver

He worked floats for 5 years and then with 2000+ hours wanted to make break to get into Multi IFR. His first job was with a scanky Navajo operator, but he hung on until he got 500 Multi PIC and then got on with JAZZ. He is still there as a senior Captain

He ended up making a decent living doing something he still enjoys and should be senior enough to hold his position. But it took 7 years of hard work, some of it with truly shitty operators, and working for very little money to get there.
Every other new CPL wannabe from that years cohort that I knew all gave up.

This downturn is almost certainly going to be worst than the conditions my student had to deal with.....