Two Job Offers

Alchemy

Well-Known Member
I went from not being able to find any jobs a few weeks ago to getting two interviews last week. Persistence pays off I guess. Anyway, I was just curious about what you guys thought of my options between these two jobs (nothing involves actually being a pilot unfortunately). To be honest I'm leaning towards the second option.

One choice is working at the Mooney factory in some capacity involving the maintenance and production of aircraft. Specifically what I would be doing I'm not yet sure. The advantages to this job are that I could live at home (free rent), very short commute (we live less that 2-3 miles away from the mooney factory), and have mooney on my resume. The disadvantages to this job are that it would be purely temporary, I'd have to resign in 3 months and go back to school, and I couldn't work on more ratings this summer since this job is a 2 hour drive from my flight school.

My other choice is working the line at a major chain FBO at AUS. Advantages here are that I could work on my mult-engine rating at the same time since my flight school is at AUS, I get to live on my own, I may lay some good networking groundwork, and I could also continue working here once school started. Disadvantages are that I'd have to find a place to live and pay rent and I'm sure the tarmac isn't the most inviting place during the 100 degree heat.

Just curious to find out if you guys think that turning down mooney for the job as a lineman is a smart move or not.
 
IMO, you are totally correct. Take the FBO position w/out a doubt - you will meet more contacts this way, you can work part-time during school, and your in Austin, not Kerville. Also, maybe you can get a discount on your flight training through the FBO.
 
FBO would be the way to go. Take it from experience, I'm currently at a FBO meeting contacts, chief pilots, etc.
 
I worked for three years at an FBO during high school and college. I absolutely loved the environment. I had the opportunity to fuel so many aircraft of all types and sizes. I met soooooo many pilots from all parts of the industry and enjoyed the experience. The corporate guys usually loved showing me around inside the aircraft and giving career advice. I wasn't always eager to go fuel a Lear or a Citation when there was a snowstorm, downpours, or 100 degree heat...but just think of it this way - you're fueling aircraft that you someday hope to fly and you are getting extremely valuable hands on experience. I would spend so much time working at the airport, 70+ hrs a week, that I felt like I lived there. Nothing beats working at an airport, there's always excitement. Sweeping the hangar with the doors open and watching a P-51 do a low pass, or a 727 bring some cargo in, or even the student pilots practicing landings. You also have a great opportunity to get some actual IFR, when I was working on my instrument and the weather was crappy, my CFI would always offer to go up and do approaches or a quick XC. Definately a great perk of the job. Those are the things I miss the most. As you can see from my ramblings, I would go for the FBO job. They pay pretty decent, you get great experience, you can fly on your off time, and it won't be short term. Good luck with your decision.

Happy Flying!
 
haha, yeah I don't know how well putting "commercial pilot" on my resume went over with mooney.

The interviewer made it a point to say "there will be no flying for fun" whatever that means. Not like I was expecting them to send a 280 hour pilot on a 1000 mile XC delivery flight in a brand new 500,000 dollar airplane or anything.......although I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask hahaha.

Sounds like you all agree on FBO being the way to go. I'm supposed to start training there next week assuming I passed my drug and hearing tests. Time to empty the lavs and go find the keys to the courtesy car for eagle now......
 
[ QUOTE ]
and hearing tests

[/ QUOTE ]

???

Is "Simon Says" part of the job description or something?

grin.gif
 
Simon says don't lose any limbs to that moving propellor behind you. Then again you'd have to be on the verge of deafness to be unable to hear most running aircraft engines. Who knows. Seems like vision would be more important but there was no vision test.
 
>>Then again you'd have to be on the verge of deafness to be unable to hear most running aircraft engines.<<

But with so much noise from the ramp can you really determine where it is all coming from.
 
That is a good point iain, perhaps they want to make sure you can localize the direction a sound may be coming from. Plus a lot of time you're probably wearing hearing protection so maybe they still want you to be able to hear something with that stuff on.
 
Back
Top