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.
Our first dedicated training aircraft
Nolinor purchased a Cessna 172 for Become a Pilot program employees, then gave the aircraft an extreme makeover.
Learn moreOur first graduate!
We are thrilled to announce that Isabelle Beauvais is our first official Become a Pilot graduate!
Learn moreA 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.
Learn moreFAQ
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.
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
We receive many applications each year, so candidates who are not selected can always reapply the following year.