First Stop - Fort Smith, Northwest Territories

Well after 11 months of job hunting, $60,000 worth of Pilots licences and an Instructor Rating. I have finally landed my first job in the aviation industry!

First Stop - Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Located in the southern Northwest Territories, on the Great Slave River and about a kilometer away from the Alberta Border.


As you can see from this not so detailed map, that is indeed a fair bit further North than I have ever lived. About an hour's flight south of Yellowknife and home to the great Aurora Borealis (I'll let you look that one up...)

I've been hired with Northwestern Air to work on the ramp, loading and unloading aircraft's until a First-Officer position becomes available. Low time pilot's typically get hired onto the ramp for the company to get to know the pilots and trust them with their million dollar machines. Being chosen to become a First-Officer is done by senority (how long you have been with the company); as spots open up, the most senior 'rampies' get moved up to the flight deck, and the others move up in line. I am number 5, meaning that the 4 guys who started before me will be promoted first. I am told it will be about a year and a half - two years before I see the flight deck. I feel its a good step in the door, and great way to experience a part of the world which few people actually get to see, not to mention live in.


Northwestern has a fleet of a 8 Jetstream 31/32's, which are pressurized turbo-prop aircraft holding 19 passengers. NWAL does a significant amount of scheduled and charter work from Fort Smith, connecting Edmonton (and Alberta) to Canada's great North

Jetstream 31 with its Nacelle covers on