What is the spectrum of Aviation Careers?

Ace0607

Ace0607

Well-Known Member
Usually when people think 'pilot', they think just a simple airline pilot and the stereotypes that go along with it. "Oh you'd make a great living! It's very fun to do. It's a glamerous job" etc etc. Recently, I read stuff that scared me away from that branch. The probationary first years as a F/O sorta turns me off to go that route as a commerical pilot... so what would be considered a decent career in aviation that isn't Airlines?

My uncle tells me that being a corprate pilot is great, something about being a private pilot for families and such. I heard being a charter pilot was grueling and the only other one I know is crop-dusting.

What else are there? I mean, I'm a traveler who loves to travel but reading blogs and experiences as a F/O at an Airlines is daunting.

If anyone could clear up any misinformation/stereotypes, or inform me about the other branches, job outlook for that branch and what you do as well as the schedules and the like that'd be stellar.

Thanks in advance!
 
Well, I know a little bit about air taxi in Alaska which is definitely out there as one of the more unusual jobs in aviation. I have to get to work right now, but I'll type something up if ppragman doesn't beat me to it.
 
Ace0607 said:
What else are there? I mean, I'm a traveler who loves to travel but reading blogs and experiences as a F/O at an Airlines is daunting.
!
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Being a traveler who loves to travel and being a pilot are sometimes mutually exclusive because one is a vacation and the other is a job. It's good youre gathering information before making a career change, but becoming a corporate pilot, or something other than an airline pilot, isn't as easy as many people think.

There should be a few threads here addressing the variety of piloting (since this is a common question) which I don't have the time to search for right now, but will later tonight or tomorrow.

Hopefully some others will chime in
 
USMCmech said:
Freight is definitely low on the glamour scale, but can be very rewarding nonetheless.
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VERY low! I sleep in a recliner every night in OMA and the paint is in such poor shape, I bet I'm losing half my cruise performance! :D

OP, my strategy is a gamble, but I hope it pays off. I'm doing freight with the hopes that sometime in the near future I'll be type rated in a heavy(er) turbine with enough flight time to move to a major/national soon. My true desire is corporate, but that requires a lot of patience, timing, and good luck to get find what you really want. If that all works out, that's where I'm going, but you do have to admire the relative consistency from one 121 carrier to another. That being, some suck less than others? haha

It's a gamble trying for the majors this way because it seems most are looking for FMS and glass time for some reason. I too have no desire to enter that market's horrible pay, instability, and in a lot of cases, poor poor QOL. I'm hoping with some good networking, I can skip the regionals. We'll see...

Others will say they love it, and good for them. It varies from person to person depending on their goals and motivations both short and long term. I'm driven solely by very specific short term financial goals, which will help me accomplish my long term financial goals and the regionals just don't fit with that. I'd be there otherwise. You just have to weigh in what your goals are and go where you can accomplish them. If you're in a relationship and don't have a ridiculous goal to have 200k saved by age 30 like I do, then the regionals would probably fit. If you're like me, well, you're gonna have to fly boxes! :D
 
Freight, banners, crop dusters, ferry pilot, jumper dumper, sight seeing tours, instruction, wildlife surveys, glider tow, power line patrol, aerial images, government contract pilot doing super secret squirrel stuff overseas, law enforcement, air ambulance, fire bombing, part 91 flying for private companies and families...

Just to name a few non-airline - charter flying industries. Even though some of those are conducted under 135. Some of these are fixed and rotor wing jobs, others are fixed wing only.
 
CFI A&P said:
Freight, banners, crop dusters, ferry pilot, jumper dumper, sight seeing tours, instruction, wildlife surveys, glider tow, power line patrol, aerial images, government contract pilot doing super secret squirrel stuff overseas, law enforcement, air ambulance, fire bombing, part 91 flying for private companies and families...

Just to name a few non-airline - charter flying industries. Even though some of those are conducted under 135. Some of these are fixed and rotor wing jobs, others are fixed wing only.
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Air Ambulance, Law enforcement and government contract caught my eye right away. I know I'm years far to become a commerical pilot, but is it cutthroat to get these non-airline/charter jobs?
UAL747400 said:
VERY low! I sleep in a recliner every night in OMA and the paint is in such poor shape, I bet I'm losing half my cruise performance! :D

OP, my strategy is a gamble, but I hope it pays off. I'm doing freight with the hopes that sometime in the near future I'll be type rated in a heavy(er) turbine with enough flight time to move to a major/national soon. My true desire is corporate, but that requires a lot of patience, timing, and good luck to get find what you really want. If that all works out, that's where I'm going, but you do have to admire the relative consistency from one 121 carrier to another. That being, some suck less than others? haha

It's a gamble trying for the majors this way because it seems most are looking for FMS and glass time for some reason. I too have no desire to enter that market's horrible pay, instability, and in a lot of cases, poor poor QOL. I'm hoping with some good networking, I can skip the regionals. We'll see...

Others will say they love it, and good for them. It varies from person to person depending on their goals and motivations both short and long term. I'm driven solely by very specific short term financial goals, which will help me accomplish my long term financial goals and the regionals just don't fit with that. I'd be there otherwise. You just have to weigh in what your goals are and go where you can accomplish them. If you're in a relationship and don't have a ridiculous goal to have 200k saved by age 30 like I do, then the regionals would probably fit. If you're like me, well, you're gonna have to fly boxes! :D
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Wow o_o props to you! Freight sounds like something I'd never look into.

I know I'm the inexperienced one here in just bout anything and asking questions but wouldn't it be more ideal to be a flight instructor to rack up flight hours? One of mine told me that the best way to get into the airline majors and top jobs of the Aviation field was to be a flight instructor because it was a lot less of a hassle as compared to freight/regional.
 
Ace0607 said:
I know I'm the inexperienced one here in just bout anything and asking questions but wouldn't it be more ideal to be a flight instructor to rack up flight hours? One of mine told me that the best way to get into the airline majors and top jobs of the Aviation field was to be a flight instructor because it was a lot less of a hassle as compared to freight/regional.
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The typical progression is

1st, Train at a school or university and get all your ratings (Commercial Pilot Single and Multi engine, with your instrument rating).

2nd, Get your flight instructor certificate, and work as a flight instructor as you build some flight time and gain some experience. A few guys find other jobs that will hire low time pilots and build time that way.

3rd, At this point the paths diverge some

You can hold out until you can get a job at one of the regional airlines
or
You can go fly freight
or
You might get a co pilot job with a charter company or corporate flight department

4th find a segment of aviation that you really enjoy, pays decently, and most importantly gives you the best Quality Of Life (QOL). For most pilots this is a major airline job, but there many of us who will choose another sector of the industry.


One common theme you will find in everyone who is a working pilot is that as much as we all LOVE flying, it's a job not a hobby. We fly for a living, most of us do not live just to fly.

There are many parts of this job that suck much worse than siting in a cubicle filling out TPS reports. Everybody likes flying on beautiful sunny days, but as a commercial pilot it is our job to fly on the days that everybody wants to stay home. You will bury a several friends over the course of your career. Many of us have or will pass up on chances to fly bigger and fancier airplanes because of what it will cost our families. This industry is notorious for tearing apart marriages. Instead of traveling all over the world, you may not get out of West Texas.

I LOVE my job, and would do it all over again if I had the choice. However, you need to go in with your eyes open.
 
you need to go in with your eyes open.
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Well said. I still don't think my eyes are open as much as they should be. I'm just taking a break from studying my butt off to get my CFI while collecting unemployment because I can't get a job doing anything other than working at Taco Bell. Good thing my Aviation Science degree is paying off!
 
Alaska, duh. Just over 4 years up here. My full time job is flying a Navajo in western Alaska and I work part time in a Turbine Beaver. There is lots of opportunity up here you just have to be ok with things being a little different.
 
There's some great responses in this thread. One thing that I noticed nobody mentioned (unless I missed it!) is networking! If you want any job in aviation, networking is key! It's might be more common with corporate gigs, but even airlines involve networking. Just yesterday in fact I was at White Plains and 4 or 5 G5's and G550s were on the ramp. I was walking in with the Capt and I said 'man I really want to fly a G, how the hell do I do that', and his response was 'Gotta know someone'. I already knew that haha but the point is, many people in this career are where they are because of someone else, and that is NOT a bad thing at all!

Me personally, I work at a 91k fractional, and it's what I've always wanted to do. I have a set schedule (8/6), so my life isn't as tough as some of the guys who work on demand charter. Today is my day 1 of 6 off, so for the next 6 days, I have NO attachment to the company. They could call me and ask me to do over time, but I can choose to decline, or not even answer the phone. Being a corporate pilot working for a family like your Uncle mentions can be great, however you're on the family's schedule if you're only 1 of 2, or 3 pilots in the flight department, so most of the time you're attached to a cell phone. Be aware also that if anything happens to the family's needs, usually the first thing to go is the jet, along with your job. Also same goes for flying for a company. The economic crash in 07-08 is a good example. Flying for companies like GM, Ford etc may have been a dream job for someone, but as soon as the public viewed these companies private jets as an unneeded luxury, the flight departments were closed, and I know people who lost their jobs at Ford. For me personally, like I said before, I really like my job a lot, however I've always wanted to fly corporate internationally. The idea of flying a long range corporate aircraft across the world is my dream, and while I've talked to MANY guys who do exactly that, and say it's not as fun as it sounds, I'm still chasing that dream!
 
Ace0607 said:
Recently, I read stuff that scared me away from that branch. The probationary first years as a F/O sorta turns me off to go that route as a commerical pilot... so what would be considered a decent career in aviation that isn't Airlines?

My uncle tells me that being a corprate pilot is great, something about being a private pilot for families and such.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't judge a 40 year career based on one or two years of probation. Its nothing to worry about unless you plan on getting in trouble (disregard company regs or not show up to work). I enjoy my airline job and wouldn't trade it for any other type of job. I worked at a company that had a citation x (not as a pilot) and I learned their schedule. Most of the month you're on call then you fly the big wigs out on Monday, sit in a hotel all week and then fly them back on Friday. I'm not saying every corporate gig is like that but its not for me.

I'd rather get a lot of flying done in a few days then have time off. With the airlines you will have half or more of the month off once you build a little seniority.
 
I've been flying for the past 2 years and working on my CFI and even though i'm a baby pilot in terms of hours, one thing i have learned is "Its not about what you know, its all about who you know" I couldn't agree more with that.
 
Wow, some great information I'm getting here. Didn't think the Aviation field was all about who you know vs what you know @_@ Thank you all for commenting.

Romulus said:
Alaska, duh. Just over 4 years up here. My full time job is flying a Navajo in western Alaska and I work part time in a Turbine Beaver. There is lots of opportunity up here you just have to be ok with things being a little different.
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That job sounds pretty neat. Is that airbus or?

Mark815 said:
Being a corporate pilot working for a family like your Uncle mentions can be great, however you're on the family's schedule if you're only 1 of 2, or 3 pilots in the flight department, so most of the time you're attached to a cell phone. Be aware also that if anything happens to the family's needs, usually the first thing to go is the jet, along with your job. Also same goes for flying for a company. The economic crash in 07-08 is a good example. Flying for companies like GM, Ford etc may have been a dream job for someone, but as soon as the public viewed these companies private jets as an unneeded luxury, the flight departments were closed, and I know people who lost their jobs at Ford. For me personally, like I said before, I really like my job a lot, however I've always wanted to fly corporate internationally. The idea of flying a long range corporate aircraft across the world is my dream, and while I've talked to MANY guys who do exactly that, and say it's not as fun as it sounds, I'm still chasing that dream!
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Jobs like that sound very cutthroat competitive.... But I do wish you luck! I never knew there was just national corprate, I have to research more on that branch because I figured the family may want to go to say Mexico instead of flying nationally all the time.

Jet said:
I wouldn't judge a 40 year career based on one or two years of probation. Its nothing to worry about unless you plan on getting in trouble (disregard company regs or not show up to work). I enjoy my airline job and wouldn't trade it for any other type of job. I worked at a company that had a citation x (not as a pilot) and I learned their schedule. Most of the month you're on call then you fly the big wigs out on Monday, sit in a hotel all week and then fly them back on Friday. I'm not saying every corporate gig is like that but its not for me.

I'd rather get a lot of flying done in a few days then have time off. With the airlines you will have half or more of the month off once you build a little seniority.
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I suppose that makes sense. Now I don't know if it's regional airlines that I'm thinking the whole grueling thing because I know all careers are about seniority and moving up. The lowest of the low gets the lowest pay and worse hours, and the First Captains get paid brilliantly with I believe more days off too. I'm not concerned about me personally burning out with flying here to there and getting minimal sleep, I'm just concerned in general how pilots deal with fatigue. Again, when I mentioned the probationary periods I'm thinking it's only regional. My dad knows a pilot who does that and he says he's pretty miserable.

I don't know. I just hope one day I'll find a branch that I'll enjoy.
 
Mark815 said:
Me personally, I work at a 91k fractional, and it's what I've always wanted to do. I have a set schedule (8/6), so my life isn't as tough as some of the guys who work on demand charter. Today is my day 1 of 6 off, so for the next 6 days, I have NO attachment to the company. They could call me and ask me to do over time, but I can choose to decline, or not even answer the phone. Being a corporate pilot working for a family like your Uncle mentions can be great, however you're on the family's schedule if you're only 1 of 2, or 3 pilots in the flight department, so most of the time you're attached to a cell phone. Be aware also that if anything happens to the family's needs, usually the first thing to go is the jet, along with your job. Also same goes for flying for a company. The economic crash in 07-08 is a good example. Flying for companies like GM, Ford etc may have been a dream job for someone, but as soon as the public viewed these companies private jets as an unneeded luxury, the flight departments were closed, and I know people who lost their jobs at Ford. For me personally, like I said before, I really like my job a lot, however I've always wanted to fly corporate internationally. The idea of flying a long range corporate aircraft across the world is my dream, and while I've talked to MANY guys who do exactly that, and say it's not as fun as it sounds, I'm still chasing that dream!
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Those jobs where you're on call 24/7/365 seem to be quite rare from my original take on the 91/135 world. The majority seem to be on some kind of rotation that is similar to the airline world.

John Deere came under similar flak until they published some numbers that showed how ridiculously reliant the company is on their jets in saving money. The figure in savings was in the 6 million range IIRC. I'd venture to guess that most companies that aren't trying to "keep up with the Joneses" in getting the latest Gulfstream would see similar results. Maybe not. My goal is a corporate gig with a solid company someday as well. Being in STP, I stalk the 3M planes on a regular basis. :D
 
Ace0607 said:
Usually when people think 'pilot', they think just a simple airline pilot and the stereotypes that go along with it. "Oh you'd make a great living! It's very fun to do. It's a glamerous job" etc etc. Recently, I read stuff that scared me away from that branch. The probationary first years as a F/O sorta turns me off to go that route as a commerical pilot... so what would be considered a decent career in aviation that isn't Airlines?

My uncle tells me that being a corprate pilot is great, something about being a private pilot for families and such. I heard being a charter pilot was grueling and the only other one I know is crop-dusting.

What else are there? I mean, I'm a traveler who loves to travel but reading blogs and experiences as a F/O at an Airlines is daunting.

If anyone could clear up any misinformation/stereotypes, or inform me about the other branches, job outlook for that branch and what you do as well as the schedules and the like that'd be stellar.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
First, remember, don't listen to anything I say.

Second, first year pay sucks, but it's easy to make it better. Incentive programs, good contacts, getting duty rigged, exct. My best month on reserve I flew 71 hours, got paid 130, and an extra $500 for not being late. Last month I flew 55, got paid 109, and only did $300 in flying fast pay. It's not that bad. AAAAAAAAAAAnd I fly a nasty turbo prop!
 
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