Usually OJT is done at an air base so that the "pilot in training" gets accustomed with the military life and work at an air force base. Some of the jobs are relevant, like working at OPS and seeing how the aircraft operations are being managed. However, in many cases, you end up serving coffee, making photocopies or doing some tedious admin work. I've heard of some guys not knowing what to do all day. This is quite disappointing but some guys actually prefer that type of work :(
In my case I was lucky to be accepted for work at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It's a rare opportunity, the only OJT type of work that is civilian (meaning you don't have to wear the uniform to work). CSA is located in St-Hubert, just south of Montreal. I have to say that living in Montreal and working at the CSA was quite an experience. Since I come from an engineering background my work was computer related. I was working in a team supporting the training of astronauts. My responsibilities were 3 fold: to support the ISS robotics simulators, to track their problems and new enhancements and thirdly to work in a lab on calibration and analysis of the new robotic arm which recently went up to space. Not only did I gain valuable experience but I also got a chance to work with incredibly smart people including the astronauts. Top it off with living in downtown Montreal and you can imagine my OJT experience was quite not bad ;)
Another thing that's nice in the Canadian Forces is that you're allowed a certain number of hours of your work time to be spent on exercising. Many of my colleagues and I took advantage of this and spent at least 4 hours in the gym during the week. So instead of finishing work at say 1600, I would stop at 1500 and go for an hour to the gym. Many sports and other activities are also eligible for this. For example, you could also go jogging, biking or play squash. It's basically between you and your boss to discuss these details.
Below are some pictures from my "On the Job Training" at the Canadian Space Agency:
We also got lucky and were invited to watch the space shuttle launch in Florida. This is when I first met with Chris Hadfield.
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9 comments:
Great blog! Could you answer a question about the OJT phase? I'm a DEO pilot starting BMOQ soon, and I have an engineering/physics background. How does the process for applying for OJT postings work? Is there a list of available postings that you rank or do they just assign you based on their needs? I think it would be cool to do something similar to what you did, such as working at CSA or DRDC, etc. as opposed to the standard squadron posting.
When I was applying there wasn't really any list of available postings. You can apply to any air base or special places like CSA. Recruitment Offices are also an option, not sure about DRDC but I don't see why not. Most people were applying to places that were close to home, since the wait times for flight courses can sometimes take months.
As for CSA there was a limited number of position available for OJT students. I don't think air force bases had that limit.
There is a benefit of doing OJT on an air base. You get to learn about operations, meet pilots, hear their stories, go on flights. I feel like I missed out on that.
Hi Martin, when you say you waited 6 and 9 months between these courses, where do students live? Are they sent hometown? After SLT and between phase 1 what is the timeframe ?
Have you read the complete post? The answers to your questions are already there :) As to accommodations specifically you are free to live on the base or off the base, renting privately an apartment or a house. You still pay rent in the military housing but it's obviously cheaper and way closer to work.
Sorry, I realized my question was probably unclear. I meant to ask where are the OJT training options? are there some in every province Canada?
For sure not in every province, usually it's just a handful of options because not all the military establishments take OJTs. Look up the locations of military bases, DND offices or recruitment centers and you'll have a better idea on what your options are. You want to take full advantage of this time so it's best to work at an air force base, for example in flight ops.
9 months before flying, after all the basic training? Gosh, if you just wanted to fly, you could have easily got a commercial pilot license AND a job in that time, overseas if travel was your thing. Plus, no washout risk. Then again, probably not a jet job in 9 months unless you did some kind of pay for training deal.
A person would have to really want to be a soldier first, not just a pilot, to wait so long.
Hey Martin, question about OJT, do you get any influence on where you end up while you wait? Like if I wanted to do OJT at a specific Air Force Base.
Thanks!
Yes, usually they are pretty flexible and put you where you ask to go. Out of my platoon everyone got what they asked for.
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