Career as a Professional Pilot but not in the Airlines?
 

Firstly permit me to apologise if this should be another thread, but I felt this was probably the best place to ask.

I've just recently completed my PPL, and love every minute of flying. Even better, I'd like to actually get paid for it! First thoughts were of initially looking at the airlines, but the thought of flying a Boeing or an Airbus just seems rather boring. No doubt this attitude will eventually begin to change after ten, twenty or thirty years; but for the moment what other career options are available for a pilot in civvy street; and how do I get there?

I realise that obviously the CPL will be the next step, and I would like eventually progress onto an MEP and the IR, even if only for the thrill of the challenge. But I've got no idea who to speak to about looking for a career as a bush pilot or display pilot, or even if its a viable full-time career option.

How can I be a professional pilot without flying in the airlines? :)

Instructor
Air Taxi
Bush Pilot
Crop Sprayer
Turbo Prop
BizJet
Cargo

... Military?

I'm sure there are more alternatives to the airlines.

Heff,

The airlines are simply another job, and just one part of a very big industry. During the course of my career, I've had a chance to do a number of things in aviation, including airline work (though I do not consider myself an airline pilot by any stretch of the imagination), and I think you shouldn't have much difficulty finding something that suits you.

I've towed banners, carried skydivers, done grand canyon tours, tracked animals from the air using radio collars, performed search and rescue, flown surveillance, dropped retardant while fighting fires, performed air attack duties, flight instructed, towed banners, done aerial photography, air ambulance, organ and tissue recovery, freight and cargo internationally and domestically, flown military aircraft, crop dusted, done aerial law enforcement, performed certain duties for my government, flown "fractional" and charter operations, was a corporate pilot, performed as a "check airman," towed gliders, flown gliders, performed aircraft maintenance as a mechanic and inspector, instructed flight engineers, taught ground schools, performed atmospheric research and weather modification, and a few other things along the way.

If you don't want to be an airline pilot, there's no reason you should be. You can do quite well at any number of other jobs out there. For now, concentrate on obtaining your basic certification. Be strict with yourself, but allow yourself to have some fun, too. There's no reason you can't sample many different aspects of the industry, from military to general aviation to corporate, and perhaps even airline if you elect later to try your hand at it. Five years now you could be flying supplies in Afghanistan, or flying Bibles in the Amazon. You could be teaching for a flight training institution, or working for Netjets flying business people around the continent. You could be flying a fighter jet, navigating a transport, working as a flight engineer in a freight operation, fixing aircraft in a hangar, or even controlling them in an air traffic control center. You could be piloting unmanned aerial vehicles in war, or using them in peacetime to locate victims in an earthquake zone, or you could be piloting a Twin Otter full of relief supplies into Darfur. Rest assured that whatever course you take, there's no end of work outside the airlines and in, for you to find. Finding it may prove a challenge at times, but it's there if you really want it.

But what did you do at the weekend?

Don't forget helicopters. There's a career in itself outside of airlines.