Reserve Pilot Recruitment for Experienced Aerospace Engineer with Master's Degre

[RocketScientist]

Hello,

I am 26 years old and in my last semester of the Master's in Aerospace Engineering program at the University of Toronto. I also currently work full-time as an Engineer at an Aerospace systems company in Toronto.

I have, from a very young age, been interested in becoming a Pilot, and have recently gained a tremendous amount of interest in joining the Primary Air Reserves in the Canadian Forces as a Pilot. However, from what I have read online, I gather that only those with previous flying experience are considered for this Reserves role. My first question, therefore, is: Is this true?

Secondly, the Canadian Forces website asks us to contact our local reserve unit for information on specific careers. The closest unit to my location that offers a reserve Pilot program is the 1 Wing Kingston HQ located in Kingston, ON. However, the Canadian Forces website does not provide contact information with whom I can speak (http://www.forces.ca/en/centres/findarecruitmentcentre-110?jobId=32). When I called the 1 Wing general number (found using Google), I was asked to contact the Kingston Recruitment center. I did as instructed and left a message, and am currently waiting for a reply. My second question is: Who may I speak with to know whether the Kingston location is currently looking for reserve pilots?

Thirdly, in case there are no vacancies for reserve pilots near Toronto, is there a way I can go through with the recruitment process and be put on standby for this position? In the mean time, I am sure I am qualified enough to fulfill several other Aerospace-related roles with the Reserves.

Thank you very much for your time. I apologize if any of these questions are redundant. I made sure to search through the forum before I posted to make sure the questions were not repeated.

 

[George Wallace]

As a Site Monitor, I will give you this, prior to the CAF Recruiter answering, as you did not read the instructions on registering a few minutes ago:

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1PRFC_enCA563CA563&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=army.ca%2c%20i%20want%20to%20be%20a%20pilot

Specifically look at:

The "So You Want To Be A Pilot" Merged Thread - Army.ca

 

[Loachman]

However, from what I have read online, I gather that only those with previous flying experience are considered for this Reserves role. My first question, therefore, is: Is this true?

Essentially, yes. The Reserve Pilot Training Programme was cancelled in the early nineties. It was a two-year fulltime process, and the courses were all Regular Force ones. HELICOP (HELicopter Industry CO-operation Programme), which replaced it, may still be in existence, but I've not heard anything about that for many years. It was never a rip-roaring success. The last minimum eligibility requirement, of which I was aware, was a commercial helicopter licence and five hundred hours. Other than that, one would have to be a former Regular Force Pilot.

The closest unit to my location that offers a reserve Pilot program is the 1 Wing Kingston HQ located in Kingston, ON.

The closest unit to your location that does not offer a Reserve Pilot programme is 400 Squadron in Borden. Unfortunately, 400 Squadron has been converted into a maintenance squadron. The remaining Pilots only hold non-tactical flying categories and mainly do maintenance test flights on helicopters undergoing major inspections and helicopter pick-ups from and deliveries to the other Tac Hel Squadrons. Unless you have enough Griffon experience, you are not going to be considered as a Maintenance Test Pilot (MTP).

1 Wing HQ is an HQ. It is not a flying unit. There are no CF helicopters in Kingston, except for the Kiowa at the HQ. It's on a stick, sadly.

The only aircrew in Kingston that maintain a flying category are the Wing Standards guys, and they get their flying time by visiting the Squadrons, where they conduct check rides, or occasionally by borrowing a machine from a Squadron. Again, unless you have enough Griffon experience...

Who may I speak with to know whether the Kingston location is currently looking for reserve pilots?

I have answered that.

Thirdly, in case there are no vacancies for reserve pilots near Toronto, is there a way I can go through with the recruitment process and be put on standby for this position?

Not really. There are generally enough former Regular Force Pilots available, although not many would be interested in a life of nothing but maintenance test flying.

In the mean time, I am sure I am qualified enough to fulfill several other Aerospace-related roles with the Reserves.

No, you're not, unless you have passed the applicable Regular Force courses.

And, again, there are not a lot of vacancies, and none at the Officer level. There may be vacancies for techs, but you'd have to qualify to the Regular Force standard at CFSATE in Borden first. And, if you're going to do that, you may as well go Regular.

400 Squadron used to have a Squadron Recruiting NCO. If I have time, I'll look into that tomorrow.

But, if you want to fly or fix, your only realistic choice is to go Regular.

Thank you very much for your time. I apologize if any of these questions are redundant. I made sure to search through the forum before I posted to make sure the questions were not repeated.

You are welcome. I don't think that you would find existing answers for your questions here. They're certainly not the most common ones on the Site.

But now we can justifiably slam the next guy that asks the same ones.