Well there are no easy answers to this one! Firstly contrary to popular belief even if you are born on US soil you DO NOT automatically get a green card.
there are basically two classes of visas that apply here immigrant and non immigrant
Non immigrant include the M1 F1 J1 etc...
these allow you to study and work in the usa within certain constraints for limited periods after which unless you employ a very good lawyer you need to leave.(and before you inundate me with posts saying you can't work on an H1 yes you can if it is essential to the course you can be paid but you need to keep INS informed!)
Immigrant visas which i guess you are more interested include H1 L1 etc I think your best bet is the H1b which is a graduate or professional visa this allows you to work in the usa for 3 yrs renewable for another 3. It is predominantly aimed at graduates and proffesionals where there is a skills shortage (that might be a bit difficult but not impossible to convince ins of!) If you have a degree that covered any aspect of aviation and you can find an employer to sponser you for the visa you should be ok. No degree then you will need a minimum of three years commercial expierience and again a sponsor. at this point you need a lawyer and about $1500 or so and you may get lucky! It will not be that easy to get a visa in aviation at the moment as the market as it is in europe is pretty soft but by no means impossible. Another thing to remeber is that INS make decisions on individual cases at local levels what works in one place may not work in others if your in the USA at the time your visa is issued it's completely different to being in the uk and applying from here! a good lawyer will set you straight on this. You can go the whole hog and apply for green card but you will need a patient and understanding employer to jump through firery hoops for you to get it!
Marry an american is a sure fire way of getting in but you then need to stay married or you risk loosing your visa! hope this helps good luck
