FLIGHT SCHOOL IN GREAT VANCOUVER AREA

[Pliskin1108]

Hi everybody !

First post here

The question I have to ask have been answered many time for sure, but I need a recent update as the situation change fast.

I'm a french (that's why my english is far from perfect ) CPL-IFR-ME pilot. I did all my training in Montreal, QC. As many people, I didn't find any job to begin my career so I decided to do my instructor rating.

To improve my english level and because this city seem to be great, I decided to move to Vancouver in March 2014.

I need to find a school in the great Vancouver (it doesn't matter if it's Delta, Langley, Surrey etc...).

It would be great if the school could :

- Have multi-engine because my goal is to become (after few months/years) IFR instructor.
- Have a big fleet and a lot of student.
- Hire most of their student who did instructor rating at the school and not just 2 or 3 of them.
- Hire people on working permit and without their permanent resident (for the first year).
- Have a service that handle the immigration issues (for student permit).
- Be used of international students and know where to rent near the airport (or own condos).

The price is important but it is not the biggest point for me cause I rather pay a little more for a good school which have the criterias I'm looking for than do a cheap instructor in a little school with no opportunity.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Sincerely,

Pliskin.

[Tail-Chaser]

Pacific Flying Club based out of Boundary Bay meets most of your criteria.

[Airmanship Police]

Are there no flight schools in France?

[Pliskin1108]

There are flight schools in France.

They are more expensive than in Canada. There is less job in France than in Canada and above all, I did all my training in Canada, it will be expensive to do all my conversions.

And I love Canada, I want to live in an english country to improve my english and British Colombia seems to be a beautiful and a nice place to live. So this is why

I've seen a school in Delta called ProIFR. Does anybody have feedback on it?

[Pliskin1108]

Pacific Flying Club based out of Boundary Bay meets most of your criteria.

I've contacted them yet by email and they answer this to me :

"We do not offer employment at the end of your Instructor Rating. We only
consider graduates that are citizens of Canada or have landed immigrant
status."

With this type of answer...I don't think that it will be a good school for me...

[cdnpilot77]

I think you will find that to be a pretty standard answer.

[esp803]

I think you are going to find the latter part of your requirements hard to find in a flight school without already having a work VISA... but good luck to you!

[gaamin]

Sounds like you put the carriage before the horse... spending money on flight training without having a realistic plan to work in the field you want in Canada...
Emigrating and working outside of your home country (or outside of the Shengen area in your case) must not be taken for granted. You research, then see if there are opportunities and if you are eligible, then make a realistic plan and work hard at it.

Here are a few things you'll need to consider/answer/organize for yourself :
- realistic plan to achieve permanent residency? If you are absolutely certain you will have it within a year, why not work somewhere else and save money for that year, some place where they don't require you to be a landed immigrant?
- from what you write, you want to become an instructor because you find no other pilot jobs... that's one of the worst possible reasons; any other reasons why you want to be a flight instructor?
- why would anyone want to learn at a school where most instructor rating candidates are hired after their rating? (even the bad ones, even if there is not enough activity for many instructors)... think about it from a customer perspective.
- what would make you a better instructor than the other ones? why would a flying school choose to hire you at the end of your instructor training?
- immigration paperwork is the same here as it is out East, why would you need extra immigration paperwork here, that you have not already seen there?
- more important than what school trains you, who trains you will have a bigger impact on your ability in the end.

Overall, don't expect anyone to take you by the hand. Everyone will accept your money and possibly train you. Anyone who makes promises to you is a liar. Be a self-starter, offer something people need.

When I wanted to become a flight instructor I found 4 schools in the same area, that were looking for Class 4s on avcanada. I phoned each of them and asked who should train me into a good instructor, one they might consider interviewing after completion of the rating. All of them gave me the same name, and I was eventually hired there, timing worked well.

There are not that many flying schools here, and even fewer that meet your restrictive criteria. Contact each of them, come meet the people, and find out what would work for you.
Schools that do instructor ratings : http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/f ... &at=I&ct=A
Schools that teach multi : http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/f ... &at=M&ct=A
Add Compass West at CYYJ for the multi instruction, they do a good job. Avoid Blue Bird at CYCW.

Good luck.

JBL

[Pliskin1108]

Thank you gaamin for your answer.

I think my english level doesn't help me to say what I really want to say. I've seen how you think I am and this is not what I want to say.

I will answer to your points the best that I can.

- realistic plan to achieve permanent residency? If you are absolutely certain you will have it within a year, why not work somewhere else and save money for that year, some place where they don't require you to be a landed immigrant?

This is the plan. But the thing is I had to stop my training (as many pilots) for two years due to a need of money and it's hard for me to think that I will do my instructor rating and work anywhere else the time I will be able to work in a school who request permanent resident. Flying is really really misses me. And I know that in QC (I don't know for BC) there are schools for which a working permit is enough.

- from what you write, you want to become an instructor because you find no other pilot jobs... that's one of the worst possible reasons; any other reasons why you want to be a flight instructor?

This is honest BUT, at the beginning of my training I decided to do my instructor rating because I love to teach and I think that I will like to be an instructor. At the end of my CPL-IFR, I've found a job on King Air 100 but because of layoff, I just finish the ground course and leave the cie. So, yes, my first goal as I want to be an airliner was to find something in a little company. But it is not a sacrifice for me to do my instructor rating, I could try in Africa or something else but I think it's a good opportunity too to be a better pilot and I will do it with passion. Just be in a plane is pretty cool for me and I feel lucky about it...it just was not my first goal as someone who want to be a career instructor.

- why would anyone want to learn at a school where most instructor rating candidates are hired after their rating? (even the bad ones, even if there is not enough activity for many instructors)... think about it from a customer perspective.

I don't want a promess that I will be hired, because if it is to be hired officially without flying...it's the same thing as not be hired. I just want to find a school that usually hired pilot they trained if they think they could become a good instructor. But as the situation is what it is in Canada, I know too that there are schools that have more or less the same number of instructors that they have students. So I am looking for a good school that doesn't suffer too much of the economic crisis.

- what would make you a better instructor than the other ones? why would a flying school choose to hire you at the end of your instructor training?

Because I never had problems (except money problem) in my previous training. And as I really love to be a pilot whatever is the type of the airplane, I will give a lot of work and motivation to convince the school that I deserve to be hired.

- immigration paperwork is the same here as it is out East, why would you need extra immigration paperwork here, that you have not already seen there?

I know but there are some school that handle it for the student, and a reason why I had to leave Canada is they refused 4 times because immigration become harder year after year due to the growing number of immigrants. It is just a "security" because some school are used to do it.

- more important than what school trains you, who trains you will have a bigger impact on your ability in the end.

I agree with you. But there is nobody that I know in BC to share experience with me. I'm sure looking for a good class I and, I'm maybe wrong, but I think that renowned school are because of their instructors too so this is a guarantee of quality for me.


My point was not to find someone to do all the stuff in my stead. It's just that I really don't know nothing about schools in BC, I've sent many email to have more information on schools and only few of them answered and as there is 9 hours of jetlag with France and I'm living in France for now, it's (possible) but not that easy to communicate.

I thank you all for all your answers.

I will see a little bit more from myself, but if anybody has anything more to share about schools, or experience as instructor in BC, you are welcome.