Caravan pilot job up for grabs - but read the qualifications required.
I think the issue is that the term 'GA Pilot' is spread to broadly. In reality what you guys who want to be 'GA Pilots' are saying is that you want to be Survey Pilots/Corporate Pilots/AeroMed Pilots. I don't see any of you queuing up to spend the rest of your careers doing what I would call GA. (ie old aircraft, lots of hassles, ridiculously low money, zero resources, always on call etc etc etc).
Flying a flash biz jet isn't exactly equivalent to spending a career flying piston twins.
Funnily enough of all the people who I knew who said they want to have GA careers have either quit flying or are in an airline! Noone spends their careers in GA unless they own the aircraft then its a business for them.
And Centuras I agree with your statement about people who say they want a GA career. The other one I saw was older guys peddling that line 'oh I'm to old for airlines I want a GA career' get quick promotion thinking they would be hanging around only to be leaving faster than the young guys.
Flying a flash biz jet isn't exactly equivalent to spending a career flying piston twins.
Funnily enough of all the people who I knew who said they want to have GA careers have either quit flying or are in an airline! Noone spends their careers in GA unless they own the aircraft then its a business for them.
And Centuras I agree with your statement about people who say they want a GA career. The other one I saw was older guys peddling that line 'oh I'm to old for airlines I want a GA career' get quick promotion thinking they would be hanging around only to be leaving faster than the young guys.
Seasonally Adjusted
It's pretty simple, ask any 18 year old at a flying school who is learning to fly and planning to make a career of flying where he is pitching his charges.
At that stage of their "career" they don't generally know about anything else but airlines.
At that stage of their "career" they don't generally know about anything else but airlines.
)A few months ago I was giving a talk to a final year aviation class at a well known tertiary institution. The subject was theoretical, but I presented the subject showing how it worked "out in the real world" by using our operation.
As the question time drew to a close one chap put up his hand and said, "I reckon you have the best job in aviation. We had no idea that that sort of flying is out there. You must look down at all the airline jobs as dull and boring."
My reply was something along the lines that I certainly do not look down on anyone else's flying jobs, but I absolutely love the flying I am doing.
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Right then, agree to disagree.
I'd of thought that anyone that can show the intelligence to train for a CPL would have been just a little more mature and well informed. I suppose this has become a thread about "shelving" people though.
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I'd of thought that anyone that can show the intelligence to train for a CPL would have been just a little more mature and well informed. I suppose this has become a thread about "shelving" people though.
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Seasonally Adjusted
I'd of thought that anyone that can show the intelligence to train for a CPL would have been just a little more mature and well informed.
We had no idea that that sort of flying is out there.
I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with this, however, I don't know that it is helpful to quote this group when having the airline vs non airline discussion.
Stallie, old steeds are looking good, new steeds are looking even better.
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Fair enough. I just suppose I'm not willing to patronise the whole next generation of pilots with suggestions of them being naive to their options.
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So what options are you offering these kids for the alternative aviation career in Australia? In the USA corporate and charter and very real opportunities with a big market, freight flying in the states is huge, but in Australia there are very limited options. You could count the number of BizJets in Australia on two hands just about, and those guys usually come from an airline anyway. Lifestyle however would have to be questionable as a career.
RFDS is one good option. Maybe Fugro if you were happy to do tours. Being a senior instructor at a big school pays ok, but a tough road getting there. The Jet trainers are flown by ex airline types so that doesn't count.
So what else is there that would be considered a valid career non airline job in Australia? I am also assuming we are talking fixed wing only here too.
RFDS is one good option. Maybe Fugro if you were happy to do tours. Being a senior instructor at a big school pays ok, but a tough road getting there. The Jet trainers are flown by ex airline types so that doesn't count.
So what else is there that would be considered a valid career non airline job in Australia? I am also assuming we are talking fixed wing only here too.
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Okay lets put this simply, this all ain't rocket science to us that have been around for a while but to a newby in todays ever changing fast climate, well they are mostly blinded by the shinny aluminum. Not everyone can be a jet driver right? Somebody has to do the 'other' flying tasks. Now a few stay within the GA sector for various reasons such as age, perhaps background as in left school early etc & or simply don't have the drive to go further than GA. Most seem to transit the 'steps' thru to the Majors these days.
'Nev' you basically have summed it all up (opportunity wise) in a nut shell. In Aus we don't have the places as say countries like the states does . But then again we don't have the numbers (pilot wise & paying pax wise either) as the states do.
Options: GA charter pilot full stop.
Regional RPT.
Majors (Airline bus driver)
Career instructor.
AeroMedical/survelance
Military, although somewhat limited for life (flying wise)
To my mind that about covers all the jobs that I would consider do-able full time.
Obviously some of the above positions are more about money & some are more about life style, the latter seems to suit the more mature(well does to me anyway) ones.
Simply put, if you must fly for a living as in you love aviating, then choose one of the above
CW
'Nev' you basically have summed it all up (opportunity wise) in a nut shell. In Aus we don't have the places as say countries like the states does . But then again we don't have the numbers (pilot wise & paying pax wise either) as the states do.
Options: GA charter pilot full stop.
Regional RPT.
Majors (Airline bus driver)
Career instructor.
AeroMedical/survelance
Military, although somewhat limited for life (flying wise)
To my mind that about covers all the jobs that I would consider do-able full time.
Obviously some of the above positions are more about money & some are more about life style, the latter seems to suit the more mature(well does to me anyway) ones.
Simply put, if you must fly for a living as in you love aviating, then choose one of the above
CW
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yeah soz 'buz' but you get my drift Besides, bolied down what else would you call a pilot these days that pilots Airbuses? I didn't coin the phrase, I just happen to think it's rather apt:-)
And just as a side note here seeing as I might as well live up to my tag as bing a serial thread drifter. When ever I speak to a non aviation person if the conversation gets around to what I do for a living as it does most times during socilaising, I say I'm a commercial pilot, 99% say who for QF, Virgin or something?
So you see the general public mostly seem to think that pilots are all Airline pilots. Also I love it (NOT) when these same (public) persons say oh I thought only commercial pilots flew the "big" ones!!.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
CW
Besides, bolied down what else would you call a pilot these days that pilots Airbuses? I didn't coin the phrase, I just happen to think it's rather apt:-)And just as a side note here seeing as I might as well live up to my tag as bing a serial thread drifter
. When ever I speak to a non aviation person if the conversation gets around to what I do for a living as it does most times during socilaising, I say I'm a commercial pilot, 99% say who for QF, Virgin or something?So you see the general public mostly seem to think that pilots are all Airline pilots. Also I love it (NOT) when these same (public) persons say oh I thought only commercial pilots flew the "big" ones!!.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrCW
Last edited by Capt Wally; 3rd Nov 2008 at 09:19.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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So what else is there that would be considered a valid career non airline job in Australia? I am also assuming we are talking fixed wing only here too.
Seasonally Adjusted
Mr Buzzy, no poop slinging coming from this direction, (interesting expression).
I'm not a big fan of the 'bus driver' label either. Unfortunately I'm old enough to remember when Bob Hawke used the term to describe airline pilots during that dispute.
Other 'valid career non airline jobs' that come to mind are:
Aerorescue. Paying decent money with excellent equipment. Good flying when it's happening.
Coastwatch. Again, decent money and interesting flying if 1500ft coastal is your thing.
Or you could don your thermal undies and join Stallies team in the deep south.
I'm not a big fan of the 'bus driver' label either. Unfortunately I'm old enough to remember when Bob Hawke used the term to describe airline pilots during that dispute.
Other 'valid career non airline jobs' that come to mind are:
Aerorescue. Paying decent money with excellent equipment. Good flying when it's happening.
Coastwatch. Again, decent money and interesting flying if 1500ft coastal is your thing.
Or you could don your thermal undies and join Stallies team in the deep south.
