PFC or Glacier Air

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Jimmy M
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PFC or Glacier Air

Post by Jimmy M »

Hi there,

I have recently signed up and started flying at PFC and sadly am pretty disappointed with the quality of the setup for
various reasons which I won't go into in detail, although a major one would be the quality of instruction.
It seems to be a high volume and low quality outfit rather than a high quality training school, in my opinion so far.

This is my second career and realistically, am looking to take this down the floatplane / seaplane route,
with a dream job of flying for Whistler Air or something along those lines, rather than becoming a captain at a major airline.
That said, I wouldn't necessarily want to close any doors just yet.

So my question to the forum is, aside from the obvious networking benefits a school the size of PFC brings, what are the
other benefits and advantages of this school over say a smaller one like Pacific Rim Aviation or Glacier Air in Squamish?

I am looking for a solid training environment with quality instructors and don't mind travelling the extra 30 mins to get there
or even paying slightly more for a better foundation into flying.

Any thoughts and opinions would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
J
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7ECA
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by 7ECA »

PFC is geared primarily towards the BCIT program, whereas off the street or local students can feel neglected. Going to a "smaller" school doesn't necessarily mean you'll get more tailored training, either. Pac Rim is an odd school, rarely busy (aeroplanes sitting) but they always talk about how busy they are - can never schedule anything in prior to a week, etc. Disorganization is also rampant...

Glacier Air, well I've always been made welcome by Collette and co. when I stopped in at Squamish. Never did any training there, so can't comment on that aspect.

As for your goal of flying for Whistler Air - they don't really exist any more, as they are part of Harbour Air. If you want to get on with Harbour Air, you'll need upwards of 1000 hours on floats/"Coastal Experience", etc. If your goal is flying floats as a career, then you should be looking at schools/companies that focus on float training. Fort Langley Air (which now operates out of Pitt Meadows) could be an option, there's also Island Coastal (Pitt as well) - Tom seems to be revered by some and loathed by employees, so... Air Hart out of Kelowna. There's schools on Vancouver Island who do floats as well.
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npage34
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by npage34 »

I can't speak to PFC, as I've never even stepped into their office.

Glacier Air, from my experience, is absolutely fantastic. If you're looking for a school where you'll be treated as a person, and not a number, this is the place to go. It's very much your good, old-fashioned, nice but hard working Canadian flight school. The runway is small (on-par with Langley), and you're in the mountains. Also seconds from the training area. You'll learn to be a good, intuitive pilot - they focus very much on building a good foundation. When you have all that, you can do a XCountry flight to Boundary Bay to get the tower experience too. Glacier even offers acrobatic training.

That said, it is a small school - so be sure to chat with them about instructor availability first. You can do ground school there, or online through Harv's. I unfortunately need to go back after I return from Korea for a research trip - they were in the process of hiring a new flight trainer and the availability just didn't work out. Looking forward to it!

So if the (very quick I should add!) drive up to Squamish doesn't put you off, I highly recommend Glacier!
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geneticistx
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by geneticistx »

I think you mean aerobatic, not acrobatic. Although, Jessie could provably teach a few acrobatic moves, too.

Their instructors provide incredible VFR training in the mountains (pilotage), Glass G airspace, emergency procedures in tight valleys and rivers, and learning what wind shear is like on short final with a narrow runway.

If you can learn to fly in and out of YSE, you're pretty good to go anywhere. Just get some solid control zone experience and practise reading maps.
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sportingrifle
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by sportingrifle »

Don't walk, run.
You will never look back.
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rotorspeed
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by rotorspeed »

Complete bs regarding pac rim they are booked all day a month out.
PFC isn't great because they're a ways from the practice area and you waste a lot of time getting there and waiting on the ground. I flew there once a few years ago was number 4 in line then flew to Pitt lake for practice then back. Had to circle over Cloverdale for a few minutes before we could even get sequenced. Alot of wasted time at 229 an hour. Coastal might not be bad but i dont know about the instructors. Pitt meadows is getting very busy with alot of planes. Find an instructor you like
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taxiway_matthew
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by taxiway_matthew »

If you're in BC, why not take the trek up and check out Air-Hart in Kelowna, especially if floats is your thing/dream.

https://air-hart.net/

I never trained with them personally, but I've heard good things...worth check out.
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by 7ECA »

rotorspeed wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2019 11:51 pm Complete bs regarding pac rim they are booked all day a month out.
:lol:

In all fairness, if you work for Pac Rim you want it to seem like you're busy - I get that.

Reality is a heck of a lot different. Take today for example, ten in the morning and all the airplanes are still in the hangar(s). Booked solid though, I'm sure.
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rotorspeed
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Re: PFC or Glacier Air

Post by rotorspeed »

Kind of odd how they're all booked and no one showing up.
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