RCAF looks elsewhere for pilots

[Even Steven]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#333423

I call total 100% complete BS they can't find Canadian aviators.
I bet I could come up with 10 Canadian commercial pilots that would fly for them by Tuesday afternoon.

Meinzinger says only about 15 have made the jump.

[Even Steven]

I know guys that would drop everything for a chance to fly their equip in a heartbeat.

Yeah, not everybody is ready to drop their life, talk their families into moving, move to the middle of nowhere where bases us, get pay pittance comparing to what they make flying commercially, lose 40 lbs to fit qualifications, pass the much stricter medical tests, and lose a chance to retire from a commercial airline by starting from zero somewhere else lol.

[Gone_Fishin]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#333423

I call total 100% complete BS they can't find Canadian aviators.
I bet I could come up with 10 Canadian commercial pilots that would fly for them by Tuesday afternoon.

Maybe Trudeau wants to hire some of ISIS's and Bin Laden's pilots to fly for the RCAF. You know, because he says these terrorists can be "a powerful voice" for other Canadians.

[featfan]

Oldtrucker, you could be like the guy in Independence day. And he saved the world.
Russell was the hero.

[Even Steven]

Back in the late 80's ...

Ok, grandpa, you should talk to people. Pilots with experience and flying larger planes make $100,000 + easily, some over $200,000. They're not jumping to RCAF lol.

Just saying there are a lot of Canadians that spent a lot of money for the training and Canada could hire and train its own people that have already logged a few thousand hours.

Well, their numbers show fifteen pilots who made the switch. Perhaps they know better as opposed to you, I have a hunch.

[OKkayak]

What does a F/O make with Westjet? 40-,50k?

For the first year or two, after that its climbs quite quickly.

Just saying there are a lot of Canadians that spent a lot of money for the training and Canada could hire and train its own people that have already logged a few thousand hours.

A few points:

- Its a big lifestyle change, not one that many are willing to switch to for various reasons like family.
- Age is another factor, as is health and other requirements. Not easy to get into the RCAF as it is into the commercial side of things.
- Seniority is another key, while most pilots at WS an AC are on reduced hours/wages, they are still being scheduled to fly and taking a second career could make them unavailable and jeopardize their seniority.

[
There are probably 15 commercial pilots within 5 blocks of me, I should have said I could find 10 by Tuesday just in one corner of Rutland, never mind the rest of Canada.

Why haven't they applied?

I know guys that would drop everything for a chance to fly their equip in a heartbeat.

Its not like one applies and you get put into a CF18, if you're lucky, you'll eventually get into a Buffalo or Herc.

[GordonH]

^^^ I also suspect not to many commercial pilots are necessarily into combat situations i.e family

[common_sense_guy]

Oldtrucker, you could be like the guy in Independence day. And he saved the world.
Russell was the hero.

And if I remember correctly later in life lost his mind for real

[bob vernon]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#333423

I call total 100% complete BS they can't find Canadian aviators.
I bet I could come up with 10 Canadian commercial pilots that would fly for them by Tuesday afternoon.

Isn't it the other way around? RCAF pilots get out as soon as they can after flying on large aircraft and go to a better paying job with a bigger pension from a private airline. It's about money.

[seewood]

I know guys that would drop everything for a chance to fly their equip in a heartbeat.

So long as they have a degree from a recognized university. To fly anything in the Canadian military you have to be a commissioned officer, ie. university degree.

In the states, you can fly helicopters as a warrant officer, or you could as most were during the Viet Nam era.

Still have to do basic training if a newbie.

I knew a fellow that flew the equivalent of the Bell 212 in the Canadian air force. Flew perhaps 200 hours a year. In civilian life, perhaps 500 hours a year up to 1000 or more if you have a good logging/fire year.

Flying fast jets would be cool , but again, just how many hours do you get a year because of budgets and aircraft availability?
If Canada decides to purchase the F35, because it is an insanely expensive aircraft to fly, I understand most of the training will be done on a simulator. How demoralizing is that? How do you recruit to fly on a simulator and very limited flight time?

If Canada upped the aircraft flight hour budget for their aircraft, including transports, perhaps retention might be better.
Canada does have good kit, as good as any other country but I think budget constraints keep them on the ground and pilots flying a pine bench.

[OKkayak]

And, here is the officer pay scale....it's not bad. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-nat ... ml#captain

Looking at the pay scale for pilots, yeah, you'd be way better off at WS or AC, if your seniority is high enough, you could be double that.

[OKkayak]

A uni degree can be less expensive than 0-300 hours of flight training...private, commercial multi engine IFR. The weird thing is that you can have a arts degree and it will count, but your commercial lic you spent 80k on doesn't....

I remember when Southern Interior teamed up with OK College back in the early 90s to offer the 2-4 year aviation degree program. Took twice as long to finish (as opposed to just doing your CPL), cost a heck of a lot more and between the students who took that program and those that just did their CPL, getting a job and paying their dues, they all ended up at the same carriers. Never understood the obsession that North America has with college degrees.

[Glacier]

What a crock. I know a guy near me who has 20 years of experience with British Airways and other international flights, and he's getting like 5 days of work a month right now because of the shutdowns. There are very experienced pilots doing jack right now.

[OKkayak]

What a crock. I know a guy near me who has 20 years of experience with British Airways and other international flights, and he's getting like 5 days of work a month right now because of the shutdowns. There are very experienced pilots doing jack right now.

But thats the thing, would he be willing to give up 20 years of seniority with BA?

[Glacier]

But thats the thing, would he be willing to give up 20 years of seniority with BA?

He would probably too old since RCAF is looking for 20 somethings and not 40 somethings. Another friend of mine is a retired RCAF pilot, and he works for a small airline in Saskatchewan as the chief pilot and now manager, and has had to lay off half their pilots. Small airline pilots make a lot less than RCAF pilots, and also don't get the same Benefits. These people would love the opportunity to work at the RCAF.