A New Adventure

So I finally got my first pilot job! I won't tell you where it is, or what the company name is, because with all the people loosing their jobs over things posted on the internet, I don't want to take any chance, so my employer shall remain anyonomous.

Most of the people who really need to know already do anyways, and I request that those people not post it publicly on the blog, or the comments shall will be removed.

Now that we have laid the ground rules, that shouldn't really interfer with me posting my experiences. So lets start with what I will tell you: I will be a bush pilot in Northern Ontario, flying single engine wheeled airplanes, so I'm pretty pumped. I'm not entirely sure what to expect yet, other than lots of flying (good), lots of cold weather, although summer is beginning soon it shouldn't be too bad, at least not for a while, and half decent pay - nothing fantastic but surprisingly more then I was expecting. I will actually have very few expenses while living up there, and no place to spend money, so I'm counting on being able to save a good chunk of change.

I start at the beginning of April, so once I get up there I'll have lots more to write about. I'm on a pretty big high right now, because this is my first full time, professional job that has "pilot" in the job title. The last year up until this point has been pretty discouraging due to my unsuccess at finding work as a pilot, now it seems to have all paid off, so I feel pretty good. It feels like my "career" is finally beginning. I'm glad I held out for the bush pilot job, and didn't go the instructor route, which some people almost convinced me of doing. The instructor route is the easier way to go, and it works for some people, but its widely recognized that the experience gained flying in the bush is far superior to the safe, highly controlled, simulated environment of flight training. A training flight can always be cancelled if the weather isn't perfect, or any other factor isn't quite right, it can always be done later or in better conditions. Instructors also don't get much actual flying time. They get to log it because they are still PIC, but its mostly just sitting there watching someone else fly. I have heard of some companies only counting half of the time logged as instructor for that reason. Its not true flying experience. Bush flying has a little bit more of a "must be done" importance to it if supplies or people have to get somewhere. That combined with the fact that bush flying is most often over hostile terrain (trees, lakes, mountains) means the bush turns out better pilots, with better judgement then instructing does. That said instructing is a great route if you like teaching and don't want to move north, but its not for me, so I'm excited for the opportunity to go the bush route.

As for this next month, I'm just hanging out in London, enjoying time with friends before I go away, and getting ready. I bought some good hiking boots a couple days ago, and I think I may buy a sweet hunting knife, just because I can, and it would be cool. Hey, you never know when I may have to fend off a pack of vicious polar bears. Ya I know polar bears don't travel in packs. Arctic wolves then.

The town I'm going to, in my view, truly is "northern" simply by the fact that it is not connected to the road system. You either have to take a train there or fly. The plan is that I'm gonna pack the Twin Comanche full of my stuff and fly up there. My accomodations are furnished, so I don't need any big furnature.

So that's the news, and that's the plan. More to come once I get up there. I'm sure the first couple weeks will be a bit of culture shock, despite the fact that I'm still in Canada, and a bit of a learning curve, but I'm looking forward to experiencing a different way of living, getting some awesome flying in, and having a source of cool stories that I can tell later in life.