Choosing a profession is one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever make. After all, you might work in your chosen field for up to 40 years—or more. Have you considered a career in aviation?
The aviation industry offers a wide range of careers to fit a variety of interests, from engineering to flying to hospitality. Let’s look at some of the best choices.
Pilot
What child hasn’t imagined being behind the controls of an airplane, navigating smoothly through cloudless skies? If you still imagine this, you might consider becoming a pilot. But becoming a pilot isn’t all smooth sailing; it takes a lot of work. You’ll need to earn one of the following licenses:
Recreational Pilot Permit: Gets you off the ground and in the sky on a nice day (maximum one passenger, aircraft type restricted)
Private Pilot’s Licence: Gives you the freedom fly with friends and family. With the proper ratings you can fly day or night, rain or shine
Commercial Pilot’s Licence: Allows you to fly for “Hire or Reward”
Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL): Most advanced Licence issued by Transport Canada
If you want to work as a professional pilot you must first achieve a Private Pilot Licence and then a Commercial Pilot Licence. There are different opportunities available once you have your Commerical Licence if you continue to learn and achieve the wide variety of ratings required to fly under various conditions. Many Commercial Pilots opt to get an Instructor’s Rating to build up their Pilot-in-Command time while helping others achieve their dream to fly. Once you have built up your experience you can work towards achieving your ATPL and opening new doors to your career. Each level requires specific Ground and Flight Training and you must meet Transport Canada’s Physical and Mental requirements by having a Pilot Medical Exam completed by an accredited doctor.
There are different ways of achieving your Pilot Licence. You can contact your local Flying School and find out what type of program they offer. Enroll in a Ground School program and learn the basics of flight before taking to the air. Teenagers have the option of joining the local Air Cadets and learning through their program - the adult alternative to this to join the Canadian Forces and go through the military program. An organization to check out in order to find out more about being a pilot in Canada is your local Canadian Owners and Pilot’s Association (COPA). The national website is http://www.copanational.org/.
Aircraft charter companies hire pilots with a certain amount of experience and a Commerical Licence or an ATPL. If you are interested in expanding your horizons with a career at Airco please forward your resume by mail to the attention of the Chief Pilot at the address below or send it by email to chiefpilot@aircocharters.com.
Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME)
Are you interested in hands-on work like making sure aircraft are good working condition and ready to fly? Then a career as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) could be just for you. An AME’s job is technical and challenging, but it’s not too difficult to qualify. Becoming an AME is similar to becoming a variety of other trades. You must complete a Transport Canada approved course through a Transport Canada Approved Training Organization (ATO) and you must get practical experience by completing a series of tasks at a proper organization as outlined by Transport Canada. After you have completed all requirements you can apply for your Licence. As with a Pilot Licence, a AME Licence can be accomplished through private organizations or through the Canadian Forces. Once you have completed your Licence there are different ratings you work towards to open up you career possibilities. AME training touches on a wide variety of skills giving a person excellent employment prospects.
If you are interested in pursuing an exciting and rewarding career with Airco, please forward your resume by mail to the attention of the Director Maintenance at the address below or send it by email to cary@aircocharters.com.
Flight Dispatcher
When you visit an airport, notice how many airplanes are coming and going around the same time, and you can tell how complicated it is to create flight plans. These plans are carefully calculated by flight dispatchers.
Becoming a flight dispatcher takes a few steps:
Take a course that will prepare you for the exams, then take two written exams, one on operation and another on meteorology.
Train on the job with an employer for two to six months.
Undergo an examination, or competency check.
After these steps are complete, you receive a one-year certification (you must complete more study and checks each year). Now, you’re ready to work for an airline to plan flight times, flight routes, and fuel needs. Airco offers unique employment opportunities in a fun, exciting atmosphere. Please mail your resume to the attention of the Office Manager at the address below or send it by email to ma@aircocharters.com.
Aircraft Loadmaster or Load Planner
If challenging manual labour is your thing, aircraft loadmaster might be the job for you. A loadmaster is responsible for planning the placement of passengers and cargo. The correct arrangement is crucial for a safe take-off and landing. You must be able to lift 70 pounds to consider this job.
A loadmaster is a military position. If you're working for the military, you’ll need basic training and technical training. With the Royal Canadian Air Force, it’s preferred that you have at least five years’ experience working as a traffic technician before you move on to loadmaster.
A load planner is a similar job performed for commercial airlines. This also requires a technical training program.
Flight Attendant
If you want to travel around the world every day and interact with interesting people, you might be interested in working as a flight attendant. It’s a lot of work; a typical work day is between 12 and 14 hours. Plus, you’ll most likely need to work many holidays and weekends. Flight attendant duties include:
Performing safety demonstrations
Serving snacks
Helping travellers
Preparing flight reports
To become a flight attendant, you’ll need to:
Obtain a Canadian passport and high school diploma
Pass a medical exam and security clearance through Transport Canada
Complete a training program (about seven weeks)
In Canada, many airlines prefer to hire those who speak both English and French. But more than anything, they’re looking for personable, reliable people.
Other Jobs
There are dozens of other job opportunities in aviation, such as the following:
Aerospace Engineer: Designs aircraft to maximize safety and performance; manages projects.
Aerospace Program Manager: Develops a company’s business strategy, negotiates contracts, and manages the company’s profits.
Avionics Technician: Works on computer components, like navigation, radio, and weather radar.
Air Traffic Controller: Gives directions to aircraft to help them avoid in-air collisions.
Airport Operations Specialist: Can work in positions as diverse as airport management, security, and runway operations.
If you’re interested in a job in aviation, the world (and the sky) is open to you. Contact us for more information on a rewarding career in aviation with Airco!
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