Best pilot 'role'

[Okavango]

Re-posting in this forum as a Moderator in their infinite wisdom and 12000hours airline experience thought it wasn't relevant to getting an entry level job or securing sponsorship on the few tagged schemes.

The aim is to open people's eye's to other opportunities, rather than simply airline flying which still seems to hold the gaze of most wannabees though is becoming a greater financial gamble than it's ever been and perhaps also less rewarding than it's ever been.

Not thinking about just earning a crust from flying, but what are peoples preferences and most rewarding roles in civilian flying and why (add any other roles to the initial list as you see fit):

Glider Towing
Aerial Photography
Instructing
Parachute Dropping
Aerial Survey
Scenic Flights
Crop Dusting
Air Taxi
Ferry Flying
Air Ambulance
Police Helicopter
Airline Flying

[dubbleyew eight]

what is wrong with flying your own personal private aeroplane for your own personal private enjoyment?

thats what I do.

[EK4457]

dubbleyew eight;

Answer; Cost.

Or is that some kind of trick question?

[Parson]

Okavango,

You are quite right, however many currently embarking on flying training and parting with £100k+ believe that the reward for that kind of investment should be the pointy end of a shiny jet and not poling around in a piston a/craft that is older than they are.

The problem with many of the options that you mention is that, other than instructing, they require some level of experience/hours beyond a basic f/ATPL & 200hrs.

[Jwscud]

As I said on the other thread, the job I would crawl through miles of broken glass for is flying the BAS Twotters in Antarctica.

[kip]

I guess you still me flying for living?

I would love to do all on the list, but as a have to feed my family a lot of those "jobs" is not really a choice - I did both parachuters and glider towing, and I loved it :-) guess I could also do scenic flights the rest of my life, but should have thought about that before I got kids to pay for ;-)

So I do not see its about the choice of airline or not - its a choice about what can you make a living on. I would fly anything that has 2 engines and 2 wings, and pays me ;-)

[Okavango]

Thanks all. The problem I find is that all the roles that are most fulfilling don't really pay anything (at least such that you can't support a family). As such you're forced to do them part time and then I find you don't hone your skills as much as a full timer would. That said, I've also come to the conclusion that they are the only remaining areas of true flying so I guess you have to accept this compromise and make the best of it.


Jwscud - I'm in agreement on Antarctica. I guess they mostly look for ex-military though no point in not trying.

[bankrunner]

If money wasn't an issue, I'd be an ag pilot. I grew up trying to race working Ag Cats and Turbo Thrushes along the fenceline of paddocks riding my pushbike to school, so I had dreams of flying a big yellow ag plane from a young age :ok: Never had that much of a fascination with flying a shiny jet.

Unfortunately, I joined (and left) the aviation industry during a severe and long running drought, during which an ag pilot mate of mine spent more time (and made more money) working in a servo than he did up in the AT502, and the local companies were having a hard time keeping the hangar lights on. Not a great way to feed a family or pay for a mortgage.