From family vacations to business trips to visiting family, there are many reasons for flights within Canada and abroad. If you or your children have ever wondered what a pilot’s training or work is like or if you have a soon-to-be high school graduate who is considering or interested in pursuing a career in aviation, then be sure to read on.
In this interview, Canadian pilot Bianca shares about how homeschooling prepared her for life after high school, training to be a pilot, and work as a pilot. Readers will learn about the skills and qualities to develop and have as a pilot, the importance of mentors, and be encouraged in God’s perfect timing.
TCS: How did homeschooling prepare you for life after high school?
Bianca: The positive impact homeschooling has had on my adult life cannot be overstated. I was homeschooled until grade 5, went to public school for the next five years, and then finished the last two grades of high school at home.
A first aspect of positive formation I attribute directly to homeschooling is learning to work independently and develop self-motivation. This was particularly helpful when I started training to become a pilot as flight training is in many ways a solitary pursuit. Flight lessons were usually one-on-one followed with self-paced book study, online ground school, or individual practice. Homeschooling prepared me to be solely responsible for managing my training and completing objectives.
Homeschooling was also an excellent training ground to becoming comfortable with being on a different schedule from others around me. I was home, doing schoolwork when other children had days off for statutory holidays, PD days in school, even summer and winter break, but my time away from my desk would be in the afternoons or when my family had other places to go for the day. I learned to be comfortable with working when it was time to do so and taking breaks where they fell.
Flight training takes place in similar circumstances. While my peers had their summers and weekends off, I was away at training camps or at flight school squeezing in as many flights as possible while the weather was favorable. At other times, when the weather turned, I would have a day off and need to change my plans unexpectedly. Homeschooling prepared me for this unusual and unpredictable schedule.
Another fundamental skill I learned while homeschooling is how to learn. My parents shared a vision of making their children aware of the world in which we lived rather than conforming us to any mold within it. They considered it to be of utmost importance that we be able to go outside and see how things work for ourselves, that we hear directly from the sources, that we think for ourselves. Travelling and meeting various people, we gained a wealth of knowledge and skills through firsthand experience.
My parents introduced me to the immensity of possible things to learn about and discover and equipped me with the basic tools (reading, grammar, spelling, arithmetic, and reasoning) I needed to search and find answers for myself. At home, my parents nurtured my sense of curiosity and encouraged me to dream. Then, in a manner of speaking, they let me fly!
Life After Homeschool
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Life After Homeschool Article Series
Bianca: I started out with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program at thirteen years old. When I was sixteen, I went to a six-week training course over the summer of 2014 and earned my glider pilot’s licence. The next year, I was accepted to the private pilot scholarship course in partnership with Harv’s Air in St. Andrews, Manitoba, and earned my Private Pilot License that summer.
I graduated high school the following year and started full time flight training in September 2016. I earned a night rating then multi and instrument flight rules ratings. I earned my commercial licence in March 2017, approximately seven months after starting full-time studies.
Flight training costs about the same as a four-year university degree, but consistent flight training requires a person to have such funds available in a very short period of time. I worked part time as a waitress prior to and throughout my training and used my earnings from that job, my savings, and a student loan from the government to pay for my training. In hindsight, while I would not recommend a student loan, I do caution anyone considering flight training to prepare financially before beginning, as consistency is critical to avoiding wasting money on repeating flights due to long gaps between flights.
Adamant that I did not want to become an instructor, I accepted a job as a dispatcher for a small company that operated scheduled passenger routes and air ambulance services. By then it was summer 2017. This first job proved to be a negative experience. After six months, it was clear I would not be seeing the inside of an airplane for at least another year (which was longer than I was originally told) and daily complaints regarding the company from the pilots who passed through my office every day made me hesitant to want to fly there at all. I quit this job in December and returned home, resigned to becoming an instructor instead.
The training towards my instructor rating lasted two months, and I finished in March 2018. As I was so apathetic to instructing in the first place, I accepted an offer from the company where I thought I could earn hours of experience quickly, return home, and start at an airline as soon as possible. This job happened to be in Fredericton, New Brunswick, so I moved across the country and became a flight instructor. My life was about to change in a great and wonderful way.
In New Brunswick, I heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus and was saved by His grace. Now a Christian, my desires and dreams were changing, and I ended up staying in New Brunswick for the next five years. In this time, I discovered that I truly loved instructing. This realization was the first of many experiences by which I learned what God continues to prove in my life – His ways are always best and His plans, perfect. It is the greatest lesson I learned through my flight training experience and a pillar that fortifies my faith.
I now fly for WestJet Encore as a first officer on the Dash 8 – Q 400.
TCS: Are there pilots you have looked up to or been mentored by?
Bianca: The greatest mentor I have had as a pilot is my father. He is a private pilot in his own right with over ten thousand hours of experience flying light aircraft, and he took me on my first flight when I was two years old.
September 2016 - With my father in front of a Piper PA-28 Warrior as I began commercial training
When I was away at summer camps at the beginning of my training, he was always available for a phone call; he would listen patiently as I explained the struggles I was having then ask questions to clarify his understanding of the situation before offering practical advice that would invariably help me overcome the difficulty I faced. This provision of sound advice continued as I built up hours towards my commercial license, only now my father could accompany me on flights and we could put his suggestions into practice together.
Even now, as I train in airplanes that are larger and heavier than what he has experience flying, his grasp on the fundamentals of aerodynamics and flying reaches a depth that is applicable to any size of aircraft and type of flying, and he is still the first person I turn to for flying advice. His instruction and helpful tips have been invaluable (and I have passed much of what he gave me to my students in the years I instructed), but it is equally his unshakeable confidence in my capability of being a pilot that has built such an important part of the foundation for my career.
TCS: How do you organize your day or schedule when working as a pilot and flying to different destinations?
Bianca: I work between twelve to eighteen days per month. When I’m working, I’m usually away from home for three or four days at a time. During this time, the airline arranges all my accommodations and transportation. I bring my own meals which I have prepared ahead of time so there is very little to do in the way of the regular household tasks.
When I’m home, I prepare for the next week of work and any other tasks I added to my to-do list while I was away. Once that is done, my calendar is fairly clear on my days off. The key to managing this type of schedule is preparation. As long as I keep track of what I need to do when I’m home and get it done before I go back to work, I am left with plenty of time for any other commitments I make or events I choose to attend.
Something I like very much about the scheduling system in the airlines is that we are allowed to bid for our schedules. I can ask for specific days off, specific destinations or layovers, or lengths of shifts; these options allow me to prioritize what is important to me, and I usually get a schedule that fulfills my requests.
TCS: What do you like most and least about being a pilot?
Bianca: What I like most about being a pilot is the actual flying. Piloting an aircraft is an extraordinary feeling. You hold the controls of an immense piece of equipment, but it feels as light as a bird’s feather. You direct the aircraft where you will – a nudge to the right and it banks in that direction, some back pressure and the speed bleeds off in exchange for an increased rate of climb.
Meanwhile, you are seated in an incomparable position to witness the magnificence of God’s creation. There is a kind of silence up there, an absence from the noise of the world, that is hard to find on the ground, and you can marvel over creation, uninterrupted by the goings-on of the world below. A favorite for me is when it is overcast on the surface, and I can enjoy the spectacular phenomena of climbing through dark clouds that slowly become brighter and brighter until the airplane bursts through the top layer into sunlight. Observing things like these, from such a position as an aircraft’s cockpit, is an incredible experience.
March 2020 - With my mother in the cockpit of a DHC8 - Q 400
The part I like least about being a pilot is the long periods of time spent waiting. We wait for various delays to be resolved, for other phases of the operation to be completed such as boarding or deplaning, even for the airplane to reach its destination while the auto-pilot effectively flies the cruise portion, or long evenings in the hotel waiting to go home in a few days. Flying is mentally and physically taxing and comes with a huge burden of responsibility towards the passengers who put their trust in the aircraft’s pilot. But these periods of work are interspersed with long periods of waiting which is my least favorite part of the job.
TCS: What are the skills and qualities needed to be a pilot?
Bianca: I do not possess all these qualities and still have much to learn in these areas, but in my own experience and through meeting other pilots, these are the skills and qualities I have determined to be particularly helpful to this profession: quick and sound decision making, confidence, calm and organized, motivation/determination, good interpersonal and communication skills, and strong hand-eye-foot coordination.
TCS: How can a homeschool high school student learn more about and prepare for education and a career as a pilot?
Bianca: A few ways a homeschool high school student can start preparing to become a pilot are to work hard at the schoolwork they have before them to develop a strong work ethic that will serve well in flight training, to take on a part time job if able to start saving money to pay for flight training, to practice determination by finishing the projects they start even when the temptation to give up is strong, to practice communicating effectively with others and building strong team-working skills, and to practice decision-making by thinking carefully about the decisions they make and assessing the results.
I also did the following two things while in high school and would recommend them to anyone considering this career path.
As I was finishing high school, I went to the Calgary International Airport one afternoon and waited in the arrival’s hall. I approached various pilots which I recognized by their uniforms and asked if they had time to answer a few questions. Most of the pilots I spoke to were very helpful and the advice they gave directly influenced decisions as I pursued training and building the experience I needed to eventually be in their position. I do not think there is no better way to find answers about the field you are hoping to enter into than by speaking to those who are there. I have found most pilots, and professionals of any kind, are excited to answer questions and eager to talk about their experience in their industry.
Another good place to begin is to find the nearest flight school to where you live and stop in for a visit. Speak to an instructor and ask them to explain their training program and if they have any agreements with companies that would hire you after you complete your training. You can purchase a familiarization flight with most flight schools which is a thirty to sixty minutes flight with an instructor in which they take you for a short tour and introduce you to some basic flying concepts. This is a great way to get a feel for flying and see if it lives up to your expectations. Becoming a pilot is hard work and requires a significant commitment of effort, time, and finances; I advise doing all you can to be certain you are willing to see it through before you begin.
TCS: What advice would you give your younger self, training to become a pilot?
Bianca: I would have advised myself to remember that where you are now is not where you will always be. When faced with massive disappointment because you have failed a test or did not get the job you interviewed for – don’t give up. When you reach the goal you worked towards for months or years, take the time to thank God for giving it to you and enjoy it before you start looking to the next thing. Remember that everything on this earth is temporal and will pass away in time. Beware of becoming so engrossed in flying that you miss out on what God calls you to, outside of that. A strong work ethic and commitment are admirable qualities, but holding these above their place in God’s order, you can build an idol of flying and make unwise decisions in pursuit of a career. Remember, that while flying is a gift that can be wonderfully enjoyed and a skill you can use to serve others, it is not your life – that is God’s alone.
About Bianca
Born in Richmond, British Columbia, Bianca was homeschooled until grade 5. She went to public school in southern Alberta until grade 10 and then completed her last two years of high school at home. She trained for her commercial pilot's license in Lethbridge, Alberta then worked as a flight instructor for three and a half years. She is now a first officer for WestJet Encore.
The road to becoming a pilot led her to the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus. She is now a Christian and exceedingly thankful for God's sovereign hand over her life. For anyone, and particularly any young people reading this interview, who may be considering, or perhaps even anxious for the future, be encouraged to look first to Christ in all things (Matthew 6:33).
This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our themes page that has a new theme topic added every month!
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).