Advice thread: pilot training US/CAN/AUS
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Advice thread: pilot training US/CAN/AUS
Hello
Apologies if this post breaks any rules, but hopefully I am in the right place. Grateful for any advice from the NA pilots on this board.
I am an Australian/Canadian citizen, currently in Australia. Looking to change career from legal profession to a pilot potentially as the work life balance has been atrocious over the last few years. In the process of doing my PPL.
I understand that it will take a few years to get the relevant certifications, but the ideal end goal would be working for an airline in the US. I have saved up enough money to fund flight training (either in the US or Canada).
The options I am looking at are Harv's Air in Manitoba, or Leading Edge in Bend, Oregon (on an M1 visa and then hopefully building hours on an E-3). The Canadian path is easier from a pure logistics/work ability standpoint, as I can undertake training and have unlimited work rights.
Would it be better to a) train and build hours in Canada, with a view to eventually transferring licenses over to FAA equivalents and making a run at US airlines or b) starting in the US and remaining there outright. Understand there are probably some networking advantages to looking for work in or around the place you went to flight school, and I am also not opposed to moving around for work, or working bush pilot jobs in Northern Canada/Alaska to build hours. I also understand that we are well past the 'boom' and that I will probably be finishing flight school in a much bleaker employment environment (which makes me lean towards Canada, as I have unlimited work/stay rights).
Main fear is with the Canadian option, it may be a long long time before I make it over to the US airlines, and main fear with the US option is not being able to build enough hours due to the E-3 visa.
Thanks!
Noob
Apologies if this post breaks any rules, but hopefully I am in the right place. Grateful for any advice from the NA pilots on this board.
I am an Australian/Canadian citizen, currently in Australia. Looking to change career from legal profession to a pilot potentially as the work life balance has been atrocious over the last few years. In the process of doing my PPL.
I understand that it will take a few years to get the relevant certifications, but the ideal end goal would be working for an airline in the US. I have saved up enough money to fund flight training (either in the US or Canada).
The options I am looking at are Harv's Air in Manitoba, or Leading Edge in Bend, Oregon (on an M1 visa and then hopefully building hours on an E-3). The Canadian path is easier from a pure logistics/work ability standpoint, as I can undertake training and have unlimited work rights.
Would it be better to a) train and build hours in Canada, with a view to eventually transferring licenses over to FAA equivalents and making a run at US airlines or b) starting in the US and remaining there outright. Understand there are probably some networking advantages to looking for work in or around the place you went to flight school, and I am also not opposed to moving around for work, or working bush pilot jobs in Northern Canada/Alaska to build hours. I also understand that we are well past the 'boom' and that I will probably be finishing flight school in a much bleaker employment environment (which makes me lean towards Canada, as I have unlimited work/stay rights).
Main fear is with the Canadian option, it may be a long long time before I make it over to the US airlines, and main fear with the US option is not being able to build enough hours due to the E-3 visa.
Thanks!
Noob
nOOb,
You have asked some serious questions there. I assume you intend to complete your PPL in Australia ? If so, do you know how much of the training will be credited toward any licensing by TCCA ? That is, can you convert your CASA license to TCCA without much trouble or just have the hours flown go toward a TCCA PPL ?
You have asked some serious questions there. I assume you intend to complete your PPL in Australia ? If so, do you know how much of the training will be credited toward any licensing by TCCA ? That is, can you convert your CASA license to TCCA without much trouble or just have the hours flown go toward a TCCA PPL ?
Canada 100%
First of all you have lots of options for work on the side.
Air Transport Canada and the FAA have agreements on license conversions.
Get close to FAA ATP requirements then go the E-3 route.
Best of luck!
First of all you have lots of options for work on the side.
Air Transport Canada and the FAA have agreements on license conversions.
Get close to FAA ATP requirements then go the E-3 route.
Best of luck!
I was sort of leaning in the direction of B2N2's post. Your Canadian citizenship just irons out some annoying wrinkles and getting the FAA license by virtue of your TCCA license is a paperwork exercise:
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/...AC_61-135A.pdf
By the time you were to complete training and get 1500 hours, it's hard to say how the US airlines will view the E3 visa. But it will still be there as a path to US work if some airlines are accepting it then.
