Ame Before Pilot?

[Ace303]

At the moment I'm going to SAIT in Calgary taking for AME (M). I'm hoping to get my licence and then after that, not sure too long and depends how it works out, pursue my pilots licence. Sometimes I think I should just go for my pilots licence but would like to have something to kind of back up on with the AME licence, also learn a lot of things as well. I'm just wondering how the industry is catering, if at all, to anyone who decides to pursue things this way rather than go straight into being a pilot. I realize I'll probably end up paying my dues twice and am hoping to get some insight from anyone who has done this allready and perhaps has some advice.

 

Cheers

[407 Driver]

Word of advice, don't be walking around any hangars spouting off your future plans, as Professional Engineers and DM's don't want to waste their time and money training you if you're only going to cross over the the "dark side".

 

If and when you do change over, you'll generally find that the wrenches work a lot harder than the pilots do.

[hlcptr]

Go for it. The more you know, the more qualified you are, the better chances of working. Employers love pilot/engineers. Just make sure you're equally competent and enthusiastic at both skills.

[ndt3]

Ace 303

 

Make a list of all the key goals,activities,projects and responsibilities in your life today. Which of them are, or could be, in the top 10 % of the tasks that represent or could represent 80% of your results.

Resolve today that you are going to spend more and more of your time working in those few areas that can really make a difference in your career and less and less time on lower value activities.

 

Remember what Winston Churchill said "

The clearer you are about the consequences of your actions and more intensely you desire to enjoy the consequences that your direction leads you to the more motivated you will be."

 

" Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see it is what you would have wanted had you known."

[407 Driver]

Just to clarify my previous post. Don't be advising everyone of your future plans, but the path you are suggesting is definitely good.

I went that same route, spent 3 years of straight wrenching, then another 10 as P/E, now I'm just slumming it as another pilot type.

The P/E job has it's moments. When all the rest of the Pilots land, and head off to the closest Bar, leaving the doors swinging in the wind, the Master on, the bugs on the windshield, you'll be working a few hours on your aircraft. To maintain an aircraft, especially when you're busy, takes some planning. You have to do a bit of work every night, so Inspections and snags don't become an issue later. I used to tackle a small portion of an inspection every night, and complete the check over several days (206B) when flying big hours in the summer.

As a young P/E at OKie, I got every camp job imaginable, as the other 100 hr wonders never had my worldly experience in looking after a 206 in the winter wilderness. I spent most of my first 500 hrs somewhere within a 200 mile radius of FSJ, Ft Nelson, or Ft Simpson generally at some god-forsaken survey or line-cutting camp out in the muskeg. Because of that, I was flying way beyond my abilities back then ( 200 hr guy alone at Tumbler Ridge in Winter '79?).

Be careful, don't get shoved into a situation that you can't handle because of your Licences, I was lucky, just a blade-strike to wake me (and the company) up.

 

Pay.....don't expect 2X the wage, just 'cause you're doing 2 jobs, all you may get for your troubles of working every evening is maybe 1.25 of a similar pilot-only wage, and probably not even that.

 

Would I do the same thing again, You Bet I would !

[cap]

407 Driver -------but you wouldn't have been at Tumbler if Mr. Bergh didn't think you could do it, that's why.

[DGP]

Everything 407 driver said and more...looking back to 89, I was flying 10-12 hours a day on what turned out to be a 2 mth fire in manitoba and when I would time out due to hours I would be switched over to wrench on a 204,a 205 and a 206 so I could get my time back down...then back to flying and this time I was double crewing a 206 with black bart and doing the wrenching...thankfully I was only doing 6 hrs a day flying and this pretty much sums it up...from a really good friend who was a p/e but went the way of wrenching only...become a P/E and be the most hated person in aviation. I wouldn't have it any other way...so go for it..just keep your plans to your self...or help will be a long time coming.

[Ace303]

Well this sounds pretty sweet, get some good skills and end up doing what I love to do, which is flying and working with my hands (not as much as flying though ). May not be a lot more money but the longer hours may keep me out of the bars so much! and a little more coin available for the lowrider :up:

[SICKorSKI]

ACE 303,

 

Defintion of a Pilot/Engineer:

 

A person who meets the minimum requiremnents of both professions and excells at neither. One who carries out two jobs but is only paid for one.

 

 

 

My advise is to pick the one you want and leave the other as a intrest/hobby.

[407 Driver]

...Excels at neither ! Now, now don't be so harsh.

 

There's an old saying....Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes,

 

.....that way, if they get mad, you're a mile anway, ...AND you have their shoes !

 

One of my best P/E jobs was way up the trench from Mackenzie, I flew about 2.0 hours of Cyprus Anvil geology crew moves every AM, then a 2.0 to pick up the boys every PM, so ended up with 4.0 a day, and all day to wrench. sweet job.

 

Goldmember you probably know the spot, .. Pretzel Lake, back before the FinBow strip was built.