I count myself as having one of the best jobs in aviation. I’m a survey pilot which is easily the most interesting sort of civilian flying you can do. No passengers, no hosties, no co-pilot, no schedule - just interesting flying in remote places (usually), low enough to have a fantastic view. I rarely have to fly at night or bad weather (just for occasional ferry flights). The T&Cs are awesome - I work 4-5 months per year, the rest is paid leave at home. I do maybe 150-200 hours a year, and make about the same with bonuses, per diems etc as a loco captain in Europe. A few years ago the boss decided we needed a gyrocopter to do low ground speed lidar work, so sent me off on a gyro CPL course. That didn’t work out because of various issues, so he sent me to do CPL(H) too, as it would work out cheaper than employing a full time helicopter pilot. Just the best job ever!
Last edited by Trim Stab; 14th Apr 2021 at 11:44.