Depends on your worldview, but yes, at the end of the day, it is not a bad gig.
Like the stock market, you can make it big time, or you can lose your shirt, and that will depend on timing, on luck, whether someone likes your face or not, and silly office politics. Those silly politics can have a disastrous effect, but it does not mean that it will happen. Don't get fooled about selection processes, that means squat in the big picture, it's just a stupid game for show.
Pretty much like every other walk in life.
There are no guarantees anywhere, so if you want to do it, fine. Maybe you will make it, maybe you won't. Once again, just like anything you choose to do.
Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
Moderators: lilfssister, North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, I WAS Birddog
-
confusedalot
- Rank 8
- Posts: 959
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:08 pm
- Location: location, location, is what matters
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
Attempting to understand the world. I have not succeeded.
veni, vidi,...... vici non fecit.
veni, vidi,...... vici non fecit.
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
My .02,
The reason why I continue to encourage people interested in aviation to pursue it is simple: aviation is one of the few careers out there that you can tailor to the lifestyle you want.
Do you want to work hard for a couple months a year for an annual salary and then take the rest of the year off? You can do that. Do you want to see a new destination every flight? You can do that. Do you want to be home every night? You can do that. Do you want to sell your soul for money? You can do that.
Something to consider is that it won't be long before computers start replacing pilots. Probably not the next 10-20 years, but certainly after that. The first will be cargo, then bombers, then airlines and finally the smaller guys. Anybody who thinks "people will never get on an airplane without a pilot" is a fool, ditto to those who think a computer can't do what we do. They land spaceships on barge, they can land a 737 on a runway.
With those two key points in mind, I would absolutely encourage someone to pursue aviation, but have a fall back degree/trade/skill.
PS
The reason why I continue to encourage people interested in aviation to pursue it is simple: aviation is one of the few careers out there that you can tailor to the lifestyle you want.
Do you want to work hard for a couple months a year for an annual salary and then take the rest of the year off? You can do that. Do you want to see a new destination every flight? You can do that. Do you want to be home every night? You can do that. Do you want to sell your soul for money? You can do that.
Something to consider is that it won't be long before computers start replacing pilots. Probably not the next 10-20 years, but certainly after that. The first will be cargo, then bombers, then airlines and finally the smaller guys. Anybody who thinks "people will never get on an airplane without a pilot" is a fool, ditto to those who think a computer can't do what we do. They land spaceships on barge, they can land a 737 on a runway.
With those two key points in mind, I would absolutely encourage someone to pursue aviation, but have a fall back degree/trade/skill.
PS
-
flyingcanuck
- Rank 7
- Posts: 534
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:55 am
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
While I agree with Porcsord, I think the biggest factor that turns me off is the starting wages. It takes around 4-5 years once you get to some professional level to get paid enough to be able to rent your own apartment. Which shouldnt be the case in our profession and its frustrating, but we all want that working 10 days a month 200k a year lifestyle down the road. Short term pain long term gain right?!
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
If you question the value at all, don't go into aviation as a career. Do it if it is your passion.
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
Aviation is not really different than the entertainment industry. Some make it. Most don't.
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
Of the cadre of pilots in my college class that graduated, all of those that took up commercial flying have had 35+ years in the industry with some reaching the highest levels. Having said that, some experienced periods of layoff, bankruptcies, and mergers. But we all stuck with it and we have all had reasonably lucrative careers.
Aviation is not for the feint of heart. It is unrealistic expectations - born of the unprecedented progression rates of the last few years - that makes some feel that where the industry is today makes the vocation undesirable.
Biggest career decision making errors that I have seen in the industry is individuals taking a ‘snapshot’ in time and then extrapolating that out decades in to the future. That applies to both positive and negative snapshots.
Success is about determination, not circumstance.
-
skytramp2800
- Rank 0
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:37 pm
Re: Is being a Commercial Pilot in Canada worth it?
Once upon a time, there was a dude who had the last page in “Flying”, known as “Bax”.
He represented every wizened old dude who used to hang around every grass strip that used to populate the countryside.
He was found in every hangar, large and small, corporate, private, in big cities, small towns. I cannot count the good, and bad coffees I was offered, as I used to wander through these mystic places, a 170 tucked behind the King Airs, 1121’s, Lear Jets,
P-Navs, even a P-51, trying to impress anyone who would listen that I was just the guy they were looking for, if there was no flying to be done, they almost always had time for me.
Sadly, those days are done. Passes, security, heck, you can’t rubberneck any more.
Anyway, I never did get one of those coveted jobs, but I did fly throughout the land, before GPS, I rolled countless drums of fuel, pumped a million floats, mingled with eggheads with Phd”s in geology, botany, biology, medicine, vulcanologists from Hawaii, learned all about leverite, and a lot of other stuff as we spent our days crawling over the tundra, the Great Canadian Shield. I did bend some tin, thankfully, the biggest injury was to my ego, which did recover.
Getting back to “Bax”, the words that resonate with me today, as I meet way too many young pilots, hired with Jazz in Oct ’19, laid off March ’20, ‘y’all know who you are... “... the MOST important character that you need is.. “The HBD”, without that, it’s not going to work.
What’s that? This “HBD?” ...the hot burning desire.
Good luck to you all, each and every one of you fine young guys and gals, as much as I reluctantly include myself amongst the wizened, I still get to spin a prop, and get paid.
He represented every wizened old dude who used to hang around every grass strip that used to populate the countryside.
He was found in every hangar, large and small, corporate, private, in big cities, small towns. I cannot count the good, and bad coffees I was offered, as I used to wander through these mystic places, a 170 tucked behind the King Airs, 1121’s, Lear Jets,
P-Navs, even a P-51, trying to impress anyone who would listen that I was just the guy they were looking for, if there was no flying to be done, they almost always had time for me.
Sadly, those days are done. Passes, security, heck, you can’t rubberneck any more.
Anyway, I never did get one of those coveted jobs, but I did fly throughout the land, before GPS, I rolled countless drums of fuel, pumped a million floats, mingled with eggheads with Phd”s in geology, botany, biology, medicine, vulcanologists from Hawaii, learned all about leverite, and a lot of other stuff as we spent our days crawling over the tundra, the Great Canadian Shield. I did bend some tin, thankfully, the biggest injury was to my ego, which did recover.
Getting back to “Bax”, the words that resonate with me today, as I meet way too many young pilots, hired with Jazz in Oct ’19, laid off March ’20, ‘y’all know who you are... “... the MOST important character that you need is.. “The HBD”, without that, it’s not going to work.
What’s that? This “HBD?” ...the hot burning desire.
Good luck to you all, each and every one of you fine young guys and gals, as much as I reluctantly include myself amongst the wizened, I still get to spin a prop, and get paid.
