Become a pilot

Pilot training

Nolinor Aviation is the first company in Quebec to launch a free pilot training program for current and future employees.

Employees with the right profile who want to become a pilot can now take our pilot training program. Program costs—which run upwards of $85,000—are fully covered by Nolinor.

Become a Pilot was developed to address the industry’s glaring lack of pilots. Our goal is to help dreams come true for aspiring pilots who don’t have the financial resources to pay for training, all while increasing the ranks of well-trained pilots at Nolinor.

The ideal candidats

Each year, the qualified candidates go through a rigorous process to identify employees who want to become pilots and who have the necessary predispositions to succeed. These employees are trained at Mirabel.

 Selected employees are mentored by the chief pilot, instructor pilots and human resources throughout the training process. A performance evaluation is conducted periodically, and a contract is signed between the employer and the employee confirming the employee's commitment to remain with Nolinor until the cost of the training is reimbursed, with a credit of approximately $1,200 per month. If the individual leaves the position early, they must pay back the balance in cash.

 Once the training is complete, the new pilots are guaranteed a job with Nolinor Aviation or with one of its affiliated companies until a position becomes available at Nolinor.
 

A small Cessna aircraft parked on a tarmac, with a blue sky in the background and ground support equipment nearby.

Our first dedicated training aircraft

Nolinor purchased a Cessna 172 for Become a Pilot program employees, then gave the aircraft an extreme makeover.

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A confident female pilot stands with arms crossed beside a sleek aircraft, wearing a navy uniform and a pilot's wings pin.

Our first graduate!

We are thrilled to announce that Isabelle Beauvais is our first official Become a Pilot graduate!

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A pilot stands confidently in front of a Nolinor Airlines aircraft, with a boarding staircase nearby and airport staff in the background.

A unique concept

Tackling projects born of the innovative spirit of employees is a sure sign of a strong “employer brand!” Every year, Nolinor employees pitch new ways to improve our operations, and some are sheer strokes of genius, like Oliver’s novel idea.

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FAQ

The goal of the Become a Pilot program is to encourage our employees who want to become pilots and who have the required aptitudes to do so. They’ll be able to take an airline pilot training program, fully paid for by the company.

This initiative was established to compensate for an acute lack of pilots in the aviation industry. The program gives those who don’t have the necessary financial resources an opportunity to live their dream, and at the same time makes more well-trained airline pilots available within the company.

Any active employee of Nolinor Aviation with at least 12 months’ continuous service may apply to the Become a Pilot program.

Employees who want to apply to the Become a Pilot program must have worked for Nolinor Aviation for at least 12 months. Once this minimum period of employment is over, employees must submit an application and pass the internal selection process.

Candidates are selected based on a number of criteria, including motivation, engagement, performance and obviously, their potential to succeed.

Candidates also have to meet the following requirements:
- Aptitude for math and physics
- Interest in cartography, meteorology and space sciences
- Excellent skills in analysis and synthesis
- Good manual dexterity in order to perform piloting manoeuvres accurately
- Sound judgment and self-confidence, because decisions have to be made quickly
- Sense of spatial orientation, because pilots sometimes have to orient themselves during flight without the help of instruments
- Good stress management
- Fluent in spoken and written English
- Desire to constantly learn new things and improve themselves
- Comfort with atypical schedules and short- and long-term travel

Two to five candidates are chosen for the Become a Pilot program each year.

Candidates are chosen by a selection committee that evaluates the files of all the applicants. Chosen candidates then undergo interviews, as well as medical, general knowledge, psychometric and aptitude testing.

The program is unique, so obviously there is a quota to a certain extent. Employees from all divisions may apply and have an equal chance to qualify.

We receive many applications each year, so candidates who are not selected can always reapply the following year.