RCAF reserve as a second job

[JcPd_flyer]

Hi, I work for an airline here in Canada on a WB jet.

I get about 17 to 18 days off and I've been looking for ways to make them more meaningful. And I have to be honest, this COVID-19 crisis is making me think I really should have a good back up plan.
Quick search online suggested joining the RCAF as an Air reserve member, and I was wondering if anyone can share their experiences on serving or have served as a reserve member.

The gov website says that Air reserve members typically work up to 12 days/month, I'm thinking like 7 days/month, or even less if I do go narrow body.
I've always been interested in humanitarian/disaster relief work and if I can manage to balance my airline/reserve/family time(late 20s,no kids yet) that will be my goal.

Any information would be appreciated.
Hope you are doing well and healthy in this crisis
Thanks,

[McKinley]

Hi,

I’ve looked into this as well. I did end up talking to a navy petty officer (recruiter) who said “civilian pilots must go through the same process as their off their street counterparts.” ( with the exception of CEOPT) “ To us, ( The CF) you do not provide a significant advantage over an off the street applicant .. you provide a disadvantage because we will need to completely retrain you to fly the way we want.” I did call back another day and talked to someone from the Air Force an ( NCM) who said the same thing...

As a pilot in the RCAF ( CF) your primary duty is not flying...

In my post, I’m assuming you want to fly.. I’d be curious to see what their reaction is if you wanted a strictly ground based position..

I looked into the infantry as well and there would be flexibility issues for me maintaining a civilian career. They also said “ I don’t see what being an airline pilot could bring to the table.” You’d also need to complete courses in your trade which could last up to 6 weeks.

If I had no other employment options aside from flipping burgers I would go the CF route. Heck, I think Starbucks helps out with college !

Look into EMS, Fire volunteer policing. I’ve looked at those and they understood that aviation, although specialized, does bring some skills to the table.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I would suggest checking out the Naval Reserve. There is significant similarities to aviation skills and knowledge in the marine environment.

[flashheart]

Hi,

I’ve looked into this as well. I did end up talking to a navy petty officer (recruiter) who said “civilian pilots must go through the same process as their off their street counterparts.” ( with the exception of CEOPT) “ To us, ( The CF) you do not provide a significant advantage over an off the street applicant .. you provide a disadvantage because we will need to completely retrain you to fly the way we want.” I did call back another day and talked to someone from the Air Force an ( NCM) who said the same thing...

As a pilot in the RCAF ( CF) your primary duty is not flying...

In my post, I’m assuming you want to fly.. I’d be curious to see what their reaction is if you wanted a strictly ground based position..

I looked into the infantry as well and there would be flexibility issues for me maintaining a civilian career. They also said “ I don’t see what being an airline pilot could bring to the table.” You’d also need to complete courses in your trade which could last up to 6 weeks.

If I had no other employment options aside from flipping burgers I would go the CF route. Heck, I think Starbucks helps out with college !

Look into EMS, Fire volunteer policing. I’ve looked at those and they understood that aviation, although specialized, does bring some skills to the table.

This sounds about right. Although there are many talented individuals in the RCAF, the level of BS is at a level few have seen.

I would say if you are already a professional pilot and you did not come the from military, the reserve route is not feasible. Too much training to do and too much trying to fit a round peg through a square hole (their fault, not yours) I have heard of guys going into rotary in Edmonton and doing their training right there but it is far and few between of stories like that. The military may be "short of pilots" but never short of "flying pilots" which is what you would think pilots would do.

Prior to this madness, I was recommending young people interested in aviation to just stay civilian. To me, the military is too risky and if you just want to fly, then do that. Military likes to somehow make you feel guilty about that and I don't agree with it at all. Post madness, I guess there is something to be said about job security. So I don't know.

[TT1900]

I have never met, nor heard of, anyone holding a pilot position in the reserves, flying or otherwise, that had not initially served in the regular force as a pilot. To occupy a position you would need to complete all of the same training and qualifications as the regular force members, which, given the intricacies of the system, can take several years full-time depending on airframe. As pilot training slots are of finite quantity it’s not worth it for the organization to train part-timers. They’ll use that C-17 OTU slot on someone that will be full-time for ten years vice a guy who can only do a few days per month. The system, as it currently stands, is an attempt to partially retain experienced military pilots who are transitioning into something else full time.

I’m not trying to be a buzz-kill, just passing on my own observations. That said, who knows? We’re living in strange times. Recruiting isn’t normally staffed by the best and brightest, however, sometimes you’ll get lucky. Last I heard there was a very talented pilot working at the Vancouver recruiting centre and another working in Barrie. One of them may be your best bet for a solid answer.

If you can get a position I highly recommend it. I applied for and received a reserve position when I transitioned late last year, and am very glad I did. While having a fall-back has been more beneficial than I had ever imagined, military flying and guys at the squadron make it worthwhile in its own right.

[AuxBatOn]

I know one person who was/is in the reserve and had never been through the RCAF. He was hired by 402 Sqn, was an airline pilot. He did the King Air wings course in Portage and flew the Dash 8.

[JcPd_flyer]

Hello,

Thank you all for your reply.
The impression i got from going through the gov website was that they encourage us civilian pilots to do this and willing to work with our schedule so it was surprising to hear many of your replies. I really am glad and appreciate to hear all of the honest answers because that's what Im here for.

I'm gonna give them a call and see what they can suggest. Im also going to look into other reserve options.

Thanks again for your time!

[McKinley]

Sounds good.. nobody ever lost anything from trying! If you don’t mind, let us know how things go.

Best of luck in these trying times !

[pilotpark]

You could always help out in the Cadet Instructor Cadre branch of the reserves. CIC Officers are reservists in the CAF, and are paid maximum 25 days a year. Work with a local air cadet unit, and teach the power scholarship ground school courses, and teach aviation classes on a weekly parade night. Commitment is once a week, but you're expected to come out for some optional training nights such as the ground schools, and cadet bands. Training is out of CFB Borden in Ontario, and there is either the weeklong courses or weekend courses for your basic officers training course which fits well if you can get those days off. Its a great way to give back to kids and promote aviation to future pilots!

[kevind]

+1 for the cadets. We are short of adults to help in the program. Especially if you are in a smaller area, the help would be welcome.

[mijbil]

JcPd_flyer,
Waaaay back in time I went through boot camp with a guy joining as a reserve pilot. He was already slotted to fly helos in Borden (near Barrie ON). He had to do the BOTC - basic officer training course - then 10 months of French (very very important in the eyes of Trudeau the smarter), then Portage part 1 - Slingsbys for two months, then Moose Jaw - Tutors at the time for 8-10 months, then back to Portage for the helo course about 4 months, then the OTU (Ops training unit) for the actual line machine. Then he was a reserve pilot. Two and a half years of training including the all important French profile.
I'm not sure how it is these days, but I see on another forum that the RCAF is screaming for ex-mil pilots to come back. Supposedly about 29 have shown some interest. 29. What does that tell you? I can assure there are more than 29 ex-mil pilots laid off right now.
https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-aski ... ical-gaps/

Here is the newest example of the BS that seems to grow every year. Each year there is something called a PER or personnel evaluation report written on every individual in the CAF. Of course, it wants to know if your French profile is up to date and have you done any officer development courses (office work sort of thing). This includes the NCMs as well.
The kicker this year? It has to be written in non gender terms. No more "He or She".
In previous years you could - and still can - get a sex change at no cost to you. Do we offer laser eye surgery for snipers or pilots or submarine commanders? No
I can go on but let that suffice. There are lots of great people there - same as at my airline but the fact that it has been for years now used as a hobbyhorse to test out the latest social engineering project. It has also been the target of governments in search of easy money while we free-load off the Americans.
I did my 21 years. Currently I'm laid off and expect to be for at least two years. I'm not going back. The system is broken and even a generational event like the Great Shutdown can't get people to go back.
If you really want a second job that has something to do with the RCAF then help out the air cadets. It might have to wait until next year as their program is shut down until the end of August.
PM me if you want more details

[Gonzodriver]

I know one person who was/is in the reserve and had never been through the RCAF. He was hired by 402 Sqn, was an airline pilot. He did the King Air wings course in Portage and flew the Dash 8.

Do you have a name? Been around 402 for a while and haven't heard if this in recent years.

[Gonzodriver]

JcPd_flyer,
Waaaay back in time I went through boot camp with a guy joining as a reserve pilot. He was already slotted to fly helos in Borden (near Barrie ON). He had to do the BOTC - basic officer training course - then 10 months of French (very very important in the eyes of Trudeau the smarter), then Portage part 1 - Slingsbys for two months, then Moose Jaw - Tutors at the time for 8-10 months, then back to Portage for the helo course about 4 months, then the OTU (Ops training unit) for the actual line machine. Then he was a reserve pilot. Two and a half years of training including the all important French profile.
I'm not sure how it is these days, but I see on another forum that the RCAF is screaming for ex-mil pilots to come back. Supposedly about 29 have shown some interest. 29. What does that tell you? I can assure there are more than 29 ex-mil pilots laid off right now.
https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-aski ... ical-gaps/

Here is the newest example of the BS that seems to grow every year. Each year there is something called a PER or personnel evaluation report written on every individual in the CAF. Of course, it wants to know if your French profile is up to date and have you done any officer development courses (office work sort of thing). This includes the NCMs as well.
The kicker this year? It has to be written in non gender terms. No more "He or She".
In previous years you could - and still can - get a sex change at no cost to you. Do we offer laser eye surgery for snipers or pilots or submarine commanders? No
I can go on but let that suffice. There are lots of great people there - same as at my airline but the fact that it has been for years now used as a hobbyhorse to test out the latest social engineering project. It has also been the target of governments in search of easy money while we free-load off the Americans.
I did my 21 years. Currently I'm laid off and expect to be for at least two years. I'm not going back. The system is broken and even a generational event like the Great Shutdown can't get people to go back.
If you really want a second job that has something to do with the RCAF then help out the air cadets. It might have to wait until next year as their program is shut down until the end of August.
PM me if you want more details

What forum? Wouldn't mind checking it out.

[AuxBatOn]

I know one person who was/is in the reserve and had never been through the RCAF. He was hired by 402 Sqn, was an airline pilot. He did the King Air wings course in Portage and flew the Dash 8.

Do you have a name? Been around 402 for a while and haven't heard if this in recent years.

He was there circa 2005/2006. Not sure how long your « while » is.

[Gonzodriver]

I know one person who was/is in the reserve and had never been through the RCAF. He was hired by 402 Sqn, was an airline pilot. He did the King Air wings course in Portage and flew the Dash 8.

Do you have a name? Been around 402 for a while and haven't heard if this in recent years.

He was there circa 2005/2006. Not sure how long your « while » is.

Ok. I haven't been there that long only since 2014 for me. I only ask out of general curiosity as I had never heard of that before even though 402 is a reserve/reg force Sqn. All of the pilots that are there as reserves now were there as reg force first.

Cheers

[mijbil]

What forum? Wouldn't mind checking it out.

Here you go Gonzodriver. Not as much traffic as the old site hosted by Sam M but there are a few posts. I look at it about once a month.https://rcafpilots.com/phpbb/ucp.php?mode=login

[Transonic]

I believe the program was called the “Skilled Pilot Entry Program” or something like that. It was listed in 1 CAD Orders - 747. No recruiter would know about it. It was a 1.5 page document and executed by the 402 Command team.

The minimums were 500hrs and an assessment. The assessment would determine a Pass/Fail and the amount of training required, which could have included PFT. It would also mean relocating to YWG. No aircrew assessment.

This is 10 year old info.

[N181CS]

The military really does itself a disservice with the way they look at "civilian pilots". The CF takes a lot of other trades from "civilian" careers and schools. The US has many reserve pilots who were civilian pilots first. What about a Transport Canada 412 or shipborne pilots? Off shore rig pilots, retardant and waterbombers, ag pilots the DFO planes etc...

[rigpiggy]

Maybe it is just me, but had a number of ex RCAF drivers come through my old company that left me "very " unimpressed. Good at SOP's, book smart but no critical thinking skills, and sort of good hands and feet. of course they went to AC in 6 months just as they were getting good at the job, I would imagine most of them are all on the streets now.

[CPT.HarshColdReality]

Hello,

Thank you all for your reply.
The impression i got from going through the gov website was that they encourage us civilian pilots to do this and willing to work with our schedule so it was surprising to hear many of your replies. I really am glad and appreciate to hear all of the honest answers because that's what Im here for.

I'm gonna give them a call and see what they can suggest. Im also going to look into other reserve options.

Thanks again for your time!

can you point me to this?