Ei.. What's The Deal With This?

[BigR]

I'm a commercial student and am working my *** off trying to pay for flying through 1) the army reserves 2) Personal training and 3) various other back-breaking jobs. I recently heard people talking about pilots on EI getting a good portion of their training paid for (ie free PPC's, instructor ratings etc.)?! Is there any truth to this? The thought out it just makes my blood boil. Here I am working my a$$ off to try and get my foot in the door and these people get basically a free ride?? Correct me if I'm wrong but this seems insanely unfair? Please let me know if I'm off-base here.

[Just Curious]

R,

 

First of all, it is great to see that you are working hard to get into the profession. This is an attribute that will serve you well in years to come.

 

Second, it is true that in some cases EI will fund certain aspects of flight training. The Catch is that to receive it you must live in a region where unemployment levels are over the average. You must also be a commercial pilot in most cases who is losing their job due to lay-off or lack of skills required to operate new aircraft.

 

Say your boss was running a C172 on an afternoon bag run, and the schedule shifted so that the flying was at night. You must have an instrument rating for SE night cargo. Rather than punt you, and a lot of employers might, EI may give you a grant for the completion of an instrument rating. This is cheaper than paying a pilot pogey for a year while they try and find equivalent work somewhere else.

 

Generally, an applicant must have a letter from a prospective employer, or their current one outlining the impediment to their getting promoted/retaining employment/ being hired. In some areas, and for some companies, the company may be that broke, or so remote that they actually do not get applicants meeting their requirements, and may actually do just this.

 

It is of course, irritating to those who have yet to get their dream job se someone else getting paid to be able to reach theirs. It must be worse for the parent of four who has just lost his/her job through an event they couldn't control.

[BigR]

Thanks for the great info. I can understand Ei in a case you've described, it makes sense. The case I guess I had in mind was this: Lets say I am a private pilot, working at a steel mill. I get laid off from the steel mill, and instead of finding other work(ie another steel mill) I decide I want to complete my commercial. I've been laid off so I'm now on EI and I figure I want to get my commercial licence paid for through Ei. That's more the situation I was talking about, someone totally new to the industry getting a free ticket while I, also new to the industry but employed pay for mine out of my pwn pocket. I mean the steel mill guy could jsut have easily got another job becuase he has the skills, and finished his commercial ticket with his own money part-time?

[Just Curious]

No, but if they had completed a commercial first, different story... good bye open hearth hello rich airline pilot!

 

Original uninspired response. Sorry. Inspired creative response is below.

[Just Curious]

No, but if they had completed a commercial first, different story... goodbye open hearth- hello rich airline pilot! :up:

 

By the same token, if you were an airplane driver in fill-in-the-blanks Lake in NW Ontario, and Wing Wobble Airlines got shut down, or didn't buy Saabs and you were about to become available.

 

Manpower might pay for a commercial helicopter endorsement to your ixed-wing licence to bring up the number of employed/rehabilitated people for the region, even if only by a single digit.