Is buying a plane to build enough hours a thing in Canada

[travelisfun]

In America, apparently there's people who once have their CPL, they then buy a plane and fly around in circles until they reach 1500 hours. Is that a thing in Canada to build hours too? If you're rich, can you just pay to fly until you have enough hours for a good job? Would that be looked down upon by employers?

[rigpiggy]

I was fortunate enough that my uncle needed an aircraft to hunt/scout/transport for business. I built up pic, and xc. For my commercial by flying him around the YT. He then sold it and moved up to a 185. I figure it saved me at least 10k

[waterruddersup]

Long story short: Started my flight training March 2020, school shut down one week later, three weeks later I bought a C150, I got my PPL and flew 220 hours in the first five months since taking ownership, parked it for half a year as I had to return to my overseas home and wife for the winter, went back to Canada to get my CPL and build hours including 100 night PIC, sold the plane a year and a five months after buying it (for more than I paid) and had built 390 hours. All in, it saved me about $20-25k.

[digits_]

In America, apparently there's people who once have their CPL, they then buy a plane and fly around in circles until they reach 1500 hours. Is that a thing in Canada to build hours too? If you're rich, can you just pay to fly until you have enough hours for a good job? Would that be looked down upon by employers?

No it's not. It might be done for flight training, but it's fairly pointless to do it for 1500 hours. Your first job won't require 1500 hours or an ATPL.

In the US you need 1500 hours for certain jobs. In Canada you don't, at least not for jobs that would realistically hire you.

[PilotDAR]

If you're rich, can you just pay to fly until you have enough hours for a good job? Would that be looked down upon by employers?

I have never been rich. In 1987, I used all of my money to buy a decent 150. I flew it happily all over the continent for over 3500 hours, until I lost it in a hangar fire a couple of years ago. It was the best investment I have ever made!

Though I did, by coincidence, "build hours" in it, much more importantly, I built experience, learned decision making, learned about maintaining an airplane, flew without the restrictions of conforming to rental terms, met many fascinating people, and contributed to my industry. And, not withstanding that I kept it at my home runway most of my time with it, I visited many airports, and met people there. If you want to work in aviation, the very best way to meet the people who might hire you - is to be at the airport! Many times, I got the job, because I was the experienced pilot who was there, when the job needed to be done.

No one I ever knew just flew around in circles for 1500 hours, we used to fly to interesting places! My personal record in an airplane I own, a 44 hour cross country to the low arctic, which included a night of camping 93 miles from the nearest other person, and a flight over the icebergs! Okay, I admit it, I did fly a few circles around a pod of whales..... Or, my wife and I, and two folding bikes in the 150,Toronto to the Bahamas for a few days. Okay... I admit it, I did fly a few circles around some dolphins!

So, yes, it is necessary to pay to fly, that's a reality, and depending upon how you pay, you can gain excellent experience, and respect of potential employers. I have never had a problem getting a job flying airplanes when I wanted one....

[firstofficer]

You’ll certainly be looked down upon employers because there is really no operational experience to gain from flying around in circles in a 152 from 250-1500 hours.

[digits_]

You’ll certainly be looked down upon employers because there is really no operational experience to gain from flying around in circles in a 152 from 250-1500 hours.

That isn't necessarily true either. PilotDAR gave some excellent examples.

Flying your own 152 on long cross countries, in mountains and perhaps across oceans or continents for a couple hundred hours will definitely put you apart from other 250 hour pilots. Doing that for 1500 hours might be a bit overkill, unless you enjoy it of course.

[Stable_Approach]

Airlines (not including regionals) are looking for multi engine, turbine and multi crew experience. Occasionally, they will hire experienced instructors on with multi piston time but that is slowly going away so to buy a plane and build 1500 hours for the sake of getting a job in the airlines is probably a waste of time and money.

[JasonE]

If you can afford a random $10k breakdown at an off airport then buy a plane. I've seen some scary poorly maintained planes because the owner couldn't afford to fix it properly. I bought a Cherokee and did most of my flight training in it. After getting licensed I flew 350 hours in 3 years and had a great time learning. I would never have done those hours without my own plane. Now I rent because I'm down to about 30-40 hours per year and have access to 4 different types. I find I worry too much about the hourly cost renting and fly less than I would like. Whereas before I filled the tanks and flew everywhere. I sold the plane after 4 years for what I paid for it and got very lucky not requiring any major repairs. It could have gone the opposite way with 20K in repairs...

[PilotDAR]

Don't knock an "extra" couple of hundred hours of piloting experience in very simple airplanes. Two things will come from that experience: You'll have either encountered, or carefully with wisdom, avoided, some difficult learning events. Either way, you learned something, which probably would have passed by un noticed if you were riding right seat in something bigger, And, there is a lot to be said for building the muscle memory for simple flying. When you can fly the 150 with your eyes closed, and anticipate anything it could throw at you without being the least rattled, moving up to whatever comes next will be easier. You'll be learning differences, rather than still learning the basics. With a few hundred hours and a fresh CPL, you're still learning basics. You'll learn anything complex faster, if you're very well practiced with the basic airplanes, and whomever is training you in the next plane, will appreciate natural skill, and wise decision making, resulting from your "extra" few hundred hours in something basic.

[mucktuk]

You could get a head start on getting the minimum required PIC time. (Some people get hung up on that requirement.) Anything more is a waste of money, if you’re only looking for the atpl.
As fun as it is doing long cross country adventures with your wife or friend, you’d be flying where, when and with whom you want, likely in a low performance aircraft. Not the real world experience you would expect an atpl holder to have. Fly the plane and gather PIC while you’re waiting for that first job. Like PilotDar said, those couple extra hundred hours are valuable, to reinforce the basic skills you demonstrate to get a CPL. Paying for 1500 hours is a waste of time and money. You’ll have the fancy license but no relevant experience or career history.

[CaptDukeNukem]

Does no one find this topic almost identical to this one?

Out of curiosity, suppose after finishing your CPL and you or your parents are very rich, can you just rent a plane and fly around to build enough hours until you're competitive for air canada. Would this be looked down upon?

viewtopic.php?t=208080

[CaptDukeNukem]

Everyone be talking to machines these days. Myself included.