Help!! -Canadian Training
 

Alright so, I live in Toronto and like most people here...want to be an airline pilot really badly. So, I've been looking around and heres what I've found:

Seneca College:
-offers a bachelors degree of applied flight technology (sounds really good)

Royal Millitary College:
-offers any regular degree program with a manditory 3 years you must stay with the millitary (flying their jets) downside is that you have to have 20/20 vision NO LASER SURGERY ALLOWED

Western University:
-Some crappy degree in flight management (you get a commercial liscence while youre at it)

So I think this whole seneca thing is for me but my only concern is that I want to know that I can get hired by any major airline (AKA Air Canada) with just a degree in applied slight technology...Airlines are getting harder to get into these days and I jsut want to be sure they wont start having aeronautical engineering as a requirement anytime soon. If anyone knows ANYTHING about Seneca College tell me everything you know...really...everything.

MANY MANY THANKS!!

There are ton of articles on Seneca at AvCanada

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/

Seneca
 

Seneca is the place to go if you want to work for AC. I'm in the same boat as you, but I found out I don't have all of the high school requirements to get in:mad: . So remember this, You must have grade 11 & 12 Physics and Chemistry to be eligible! That's what I won't have, so i'm opting for the next best place (so i've been told) Sault College.

As for Seneca, i've heard from a friend of a friend that the curriculum is intense, be prepared to work! it's 4 years with no summers off, but you come out of one of the most well regarded places for flight training in the country. As of this year, they have an RJ simulator so you get a number of hours training on that (somewhere around 50 IIRC) and is the only flight school with a 4 year degree in Aviation Applied Tech in the country. Sault and many others is just 3 years.

There is an entrance acceptance exam that must be passed with high ranking in order to get in first year, around 80 make it in. After the first year around half make it to the second year when the flying starts.

All this is coming from a friend of the family at AC, he has gave me a lot of help and information, so if you have any other questions i'll try to answer them.

Good luck!

As far as Seneca goes... I dont know, I here good things about their program but I get the negative as well. Yes, I have alot of friends that been through the seneca program, but they claim it can be better. As for Western, Crappy Degree? Business Management? I doubt you know what you're talking about! Why would you want an applied flight degree over a business management degree? What good does that applied flight serve you? Besides, at Western you fly with traffic, which is better training and your occasional WestJest 737's. As for AC, it'll be long before you get on lol... Think about the competition within Canada and there'll be so much more people with the same qualifications as you. The best opportunity to build time here is CFI, although it's good training, how many multi time are you going to acquire. I have friends with 1500 TT and didnt get accpeted yet. Why? All CESSNA HOURS. You need those multi, which leave bush as your next option. Not to discourage you, its a long way ahead. We dont have that much carriers like the U.S. to choose from.

**Good Way To Build Time Is Bush Piloting. If You're Up For It! Up North

P.S. Flight Schools With Degree or Diploma:

*Sault College, Royal Military College (free training + serve additional yrs. in the air force & probably fly F-18's), Confederation College, Seneca College (around $50K+), Red Deer College (Alberta), U of B.C.

Thanks so much guys. That was helpful, I checked out AVCanada and was pleased to find more options for flight schools...but to reply to GoldenFlyer, are you saying that a business degree in aviation is better than a tech degree, I thought that the tech degree would be more applied to the actual act of flying and would pose useful in the air. Fill me in...so, now I have some choices which is great, I think I'll write a letter to AC or WestJet and ask them what they think of my (refined) plan and to pose suggestions for improvements to it...I know e-mailing them would be alot easier, but it would be more formal to actually write a letter to them, what do you think?

Oh and as for Royal Millitary College, like I said, you have to have 20/20 or pretty damn close to be accepted into their flight program: no laser surgery allowed...they do, however, allow PRK, basicly the same as laser surgery, without the lasers...they use blades instead (no thanks).

I'm working on writing a letter to AC right now (hard to get it finished with friggin' exams next week), just to let them know that someday I want to fly for the company and it's been my life long dream etc.. I'd think they would appreciate a letter as opposed to an email. A guy on AVCanada suggested it, I think it was in your thread flystraitin; just to give the company a heads up and they'll probably keep the letter on file someplace and might come in handy at interview time down the road, i'm sure they'd appreciate the gesture.

btw, have any of you heard much about Monctons flight program? I have where I want to go narrowed down to that and Sault.

The good thing about Sault and Seneca is that you can apply for government funding for most or all of your tuition, I think Selkirk in BC also has this. That would save a bunch, Moncton costs over 50K:eek:

Just out of curiosity, what makes those your top two choices...I mean, it can't be just because theyre close to you, mostly because they're a little far apart. I think the whole letter idea is the best, I'm sure AC will have some insight as to where I should go...and ya, haha, exams:( , tell me about it...lol

FlyingBlind747... Regardless, Flight Training will give you what you need. Seek good instructors. Pertaining to the degree, well dont you need something to fall back on if aviation doesnt work out?