The Absolute Best Option!!

[trevor3999]

I am currently doing my ppl at Boundary Bay in Vancouver, with Pacific Flight Club, I will be finished before I graduate highschool. The club offers a BCIT course which gives me a diploma, and a CPL. I was initially going to do this, and then go to a university and get a degree in business, while instructing. I started thinking though, if their was a better school that is a bit more recognized than BCIT, and that lets me get my CPL, MULTI/IFR, and on top of it all, a business degree. Im not worried about not making it into a school either, ive got a 4.0, and im taking physics, calculus, chemistry, the whole nine yards, and money is not a huge deal either, (im just gonna have a bigger dept to my parents). My goal is to start as a bush pilot, and work my way up to international Airline Pilot, (which im aware is going to take a very long time).
So if you can suggest the best possible post secondary education for a pilot, that would be great!

Thanks in Advance!

[mattedfred]

i would apply to a school that was a member of the canadian association of aviation colleges. the website is caac.ca but for some reason it only has info in french on one school. i know that sault and seneca used to be members. air canada jazz chose to graduates of caac member schools when it decided to hire pilots that just graduated.

[ScudRunner]

Well Ive dished out similar advice in the past but to reiterate here goes.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have got my PPL over the off Season, then the first summer out of high school (like in your case) Try to find work on the Dock somewhere with a bush operation, keep your nose clean don't bug guys about flying just work and learn as much as possible about the business and such. You will get some trips going along as a swamper and I'm sure get to touch the controls as well. Heck if you can negotiate it try to get a float rating out of the deal if you land a job at a Float operation.

In the Fall head back to civilization work at your CPL at a school not a uni program, keep in touch with the CP or owner of the operation, take some courses at whatever college or Uni (I think BCIT has good Rep) next spring with your CPL in hand and float rating (don't bother with IFR or Multi yet.) hopefully you can get on doing tour flights or flying in the noob position on a 180 have a blast earn some money and some experiance.

Next fall with time in your book evaluate what you want to do, go for the Multi and IFR if you think you stand a shot at something like that continue your schooling. try like hell to get a job on a multi if no dice back to the bush stuff to have some fun and log more PIC.

If you get a job somewhere in the never never land take correspondence through a program like Athabaskan etc. before you know it you will have a degree and enough time to get your ATPL and go wherever you want in this crazy bizz.

My Two Cents

[trevor3999]

Thanks for the advice!
A lot to think about, I just dont know how much of an advantage would be to do it all at once at a university, or take my time. I just want to end up with a business degree, and all my ratings, and at least enough hours to be considered for a bush pilot job.
I bet theirs some pretty nice bush pilot jobs in Alberta, or even the gulf Islands as a tourer, or hopping from Vancouver Island, to Vancouver...

[VikVaughan]

Thanks for the advice!
A lot to think about, I just dont know how much of an advantage would be to do it all at once at a university, or take my time. I just want to end up with a business degree, and all my ratings, and at least enough hours to be considered for a bush pilot job.
I bet theirs some pretty nice bush pilot jobs in Alberta, or even the gulf Islands as a tourer, or hopping from Vancouver Island, to Vancouver...

If you want a university degree in business, and money is of little object as you stated earlier, then you may want to take a look at UWO's Aviation program (http://www.uwo.ca/ and http://mos.uwo.ca/cam/). It's a 4 year Business Management and Organizational Studies degree, with an additional flight training component added on. However, you should approach this program for the degree first and as your main goal, and consider the flight training as a nice extra to go along with it. If your primary objective is pilot training, then look at some of the colleges or do it privately.

[taylor498]

I am currently doing my ppl at Boundary Bay in Vancouver, with Pacific Flight Club, I will be finished before I graduate highschool. The club offers a BCIT course

i would apply to a school that was a member of the canadian association of aviation colleges. the website is caac.ca but for some reason it only has info in french on one school. i know that sault and seneca used to be members. air canada jazz chose to graduates of caac member schools when it decided to hire pilots that just graduated.

BCIT is a member of the CAAC. Seneca and Sault are still members. (as far as I know the jazz thing didn't happen this year)

If you're looking for another school in the Vancouver area try University of the Fraser Valley (Coastal Pacific does their flying) I believe you can do a 4 year BBA with them.

There are lots of good options out there.

http://coastalpacific.com/ (under Programs > Aviation)

http://www.bcit.ca/transportation/aeros ... _ops.shtml