Avaition Roles Info Request .
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Avaition Roles Info Request .
Hi all,
I am in my early thirties and have decided to change carreers and follow my life long passion for aviation.
I would be interested to know what sort of roles are realistically available in the sector to someone in my position.
That is a position of currently holding a fairly senior technical role in the IT industry, a background of emergency healthcare, a PPL for 9 years and a vast personal knowlegde and interest in Civil Aviation.
I was thinking along the lines of airline or airfield operations.
Does anyone have any comments / advice / suggestions ?
MTIA
Alphamike
I am in my early thirties and have decided to change carreers and follow my life long passion for aviation.
I would be interested to know what sort of roles are realistically available in the sector to someone in my position.
That is a position of currently holding a fairly senior technical role in the IT industry, a background of emergency healthcare, a PPL for 9 years and a vast personal knowlegde and interest in Civil Aviation.
I was thinking along the lines of airline or airfield operations.
Does anyone have any comments / advice / suggestions ?
MTIA
Alphamike
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Alphamike
'That is a position of currently holding a fairly senior technical role in the IT industry'. You may find Airline/Airfield Ops a bit, well a lot of a drop in take home. What can you live on?
I hope you will not take this the wrong way, but to earn anything like good money in Airline Ops, you need time in and experience in a number of fields. Starting out at the bottom to get said experience, pays in my experience, well below it's worth.
I'm sure JB won't mind me plugging www.ukoma.org (UK Operations Managers Ass.) in your case. There are a number of jobs posted (some past their apply by date) that will give you a pay datum.
Some Airlines may look on your current skills and PPL coupled with what seems to be obvious enthusiasm as an asset and give you a leg up the ladder in Ops. If you have not done so, write to the airlines, what have you got to loose.
That said, why not seek employment within an airlines IT dept. You may find you start on better cash, and try the industry for size.
I can only speak for myself here, but if you go down that road, and show an interest, you would be welcome to sit in my Ops room and try it for size. I hope the other Ops boys and girls here would make the same offer to you. Deep down, we are all a nice and helpful bunch.
As for Airfield Ops, affraid I know doodlysquat, but if you check the Flight backpages or website www.flightinternational.com, GA fields have been known to advertise in the past. Again though, I believe starting at the bottom of the ladder may give your Bank Manager cause for concern.
Good luck to you, whatever you choose, and I hope I have not put you off.
Check your private mail, I have given you an idea of pay
I hope you will not take this the wrong way, but to earn anything like good money in Airline Ops, you need time in and experience in a number of fields. Starting out at the bottom to get said experience, pays in my experience, well below it's worth.
I'm sure JB won't mind me plugging www.ukoma.org (UK Operations Managers Ass.) in your case. There are a number of jobs posted (some past their apply by date) that will give you a pay datum.
Some Airlines may look on your current skills and PPL coupled with what seems to be obvious enthusiasm as an asset and give you a leg up the ladder in Ops. If you have not done so, write to the airlines, what have you got to loose.
That said, why not seek employment within an airlines IT dept. You may find you start on better cash, and try the industry for size.
I can only speak for myself here, but if you go down that road, and show an interest, you would be welcome to sit in my Ops room and try it for size. I hope the other Ops boys and girls here would make the same offer to you. Deep down, we are all a nice and helpful bunch.
As for Airfield Ops, affraid I know doodlysquat, but if you check the Flight backpages or website www.flightinternational.com, GA fields have been known to advertise in the past. Again though, I believe starting at the bottom of the ladder may give your Bank Manager cause for concern.
Good luck to you, whatever you choose, and I hope I have not put you off.
Check your private mail, I have given you an idea of pay
Join Date: Feb 2001
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Alphamike is right.
How about starting in the corporate/charter company, a lot difference than a schedule airline but you will gain lots of experience at a short period of time. Since they have no schedule fly as and when they like, lots of difference type of aircrafts and locations to work with. But it can be difficult sometime, most experience you gain is actual flight route planning, making arrangement for handling, permits etc compare to an airline which you will learn more into operations regulations, manuals etc...
But either way the money wasn't so good, but experience count.
Best of luck..
How about starting in the corporate/charter company, a lot difference than a schedule airline but you will gain lots of experience at a short period of time. Since they have no schedule fly as and when they like, lots of difference type of aircrafts and locations to work with. But it can be difficult sometime, most experience you gain is actual flight route planning, making arrangement for handling, permits etc compare to an airline which you will learn more into operations regulations, manuals etc...
But either way the money wasn't so good, but experience count.
Best of luck..
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Alphamike.
As you probably know things are very tight in the aviation industry at present. Any job in operations (airport or airline)requires about two/three years experience.
As you do not have any experience, one possible route is to get a position as a passenger services agent in a handling agent or airline, or a steward for about a year or two and then evaluate your options from there. The money is not at all great, you will be treated like **** by all and sundry, but if you can stomach it, it will be fully worth it.
From there you can get a job as a dispatcher or ops officer and then work your way up from there.
However, considering the cash earned in IT, the cash for these jobs are not great.
Hope I have been of some assistance, best of luck in your endeavours!!!!!
As you do not have any experience, one possible route is to get a position as a passenger services agent in a handling agent or airline, or a steward for about a year or two and then evaluate your options from there. The money is not at all great, you will be treated like **** by all and sundry, but if you can stomach it, it will be fully worth it.
From there you can get a job as a dispatcher or ops officer and then work your way up from there.
However, considering the cash earned in IT, the cash for these jobs are not great.
Hope I have been of some assistance, best of luck in your endeavours!!!!!
