career change need help
 

Hi there,
I just found this forum and have couple of questions I would like to ask. I recently graduated from state university with a BSc. I am considering a career change to become an airline pilot. I have always wanted to become an airline pilot since I was a child but did not have the guidance and had no idea where to begin. I understand I am a little late, I am 25 years old. I have no flying license nor any experience. However, I am determined to finish as quickly as possible and will be at this full time. No other distractions. I am a Canadian citizen btw
1. what are the first few steps? (licenses, etc)
2. realistically, how long will it take to reach 1500hrs to be considered at an airline?
3. approximately, how long will it take?

If I could get some advice and a picture of what a couple of years will look like, it would be greatly appreciated
thanks

Canada is its own, unique market. Look up Georgian Air, an AC link airline, I think they do "pay to fly" training. In Canada, they don't have the same rules as the US.

With determination at your age, it's doable. Yes, the 'fast track' is where I'd look. Check into the particulars to train with a U.S. School/flight program. That should provide a lot more options. Of course, how that training would translate into the Canadian system is key.

One may ask about cash available? Pilot training can be expensive. Then, before you go down that road, no health issues that would prevent? A fairly clean record with the legal system?

Canada's market is similar to the US right now -- pilot demand is high (not as high as the US, but they are hiring). 1,500 hours is the magic number there as it is here. There are of course far fewer operators up there at the regional level, but there are options -- Jazz, of course, and Georgian as someone mentioned above, and some of the operators up north in the more remote areas.

Transferring FAA certs to Canadian certs is NOT DIFFICULT. Look at the agreement between the FAA and TCCA -- it's a fairly painless process.

If your immigration status allows flight training here, by god do it here. You will save a substantial sum of money (fuel costs, airplane taxes, etc. all lead to significant savings south of the border). You can flight instruct up in Canada if that's where you'd like to end up. Or, you can teach Chinese guys how to crash-land a Cessna here in the states and get your 1,500 quickly, with an okay pay rate as well.

As someone mentioned, do a fast track if speed is the goal -- you'll hear mixed reviews, but many many successful airline pilots have come from places like ATP (I did it the slow way, myself, and am also a career changer. I think the faster way may have been better!). You will start with your private cert of course. After that, you could potentially get all the way to CFI in a matter of months. After that, plan on instructing for a 18-24 months at least until you attain the 1,500 mark.

As a sort-of dual citizen myself, I'm moderately well-versed in the Canadian pilot market/process, though much more so in the US market, as that's where I fly. Feel free to PM with any other questions.