The Reality of Seeking a First GA Charter Job
Exmouth WA is another spot worth looking into. Generally looked at as one of the starting areas for WA pilots - I’ve just finished 2 seasons up there.
Usually the best time is around Nov/Dec when they start looking for pilots for the next season but still well worth a shot. Norwest (Shark Bay) Aviation, Ningaloo Aviation, Coral Bay (not sure exactly who runs it down there) and Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim are all options worth a look.
Usually the best time is around Nov/Dec when they start looking for pilots for the next season but still well worth a shot. Norwest (Shark Bay) Aviation, Ningaloo Aviation, Coral Bay (not sure exactly who runs it down there) and Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim are all options worth a look.
I still may consider the GA ready course as a "last last resort". It's another $5,000 investment and with the amount of money I've already spent, I'm just not sure I can keep throwing money into something (on top of the thousands needed to keep current/recent etc). I'll probably end up doing it because of the sunk-cost fallacy at play.
Given that you are considering one of these courses, suggests that you may not have any. If this is the case, there is your answer right there.
I have spoken to a number of GA Chief/HOO's and their number 1 biggest gripe with low hour CPLs looking for work is that they have never flown a heavy Cessna (or even a C172 in many cases). If you go up there with 10-20 recent-ish hours in at least a C182, you will stand out against all the others who have gone right through to CPL and beyond having flown nothing other than a DA40.
You may think an aeroplane is an aeroplane (which it is), but in many cases I have seen it take over 10 hours to get a DA40 CPL holder comfortable with smoothly handling and flying a tidy circuit in a C182 (and this is time/money that one of these employers doesn't need to spend if the guy next to you has something like "C206: 5 hours / C182: 15 hours / C172: 50 hours" on his or her resume.
So believe it or not, in this day and age with what the sausage factory flying schools are pumping out, C206 / C210 time (or at least C182) is actually a big selling point for a new starter. And bonus points if you actually did a chunk of your training or general flying on the humble old C172.
And please don't spend $5000 if it will only get you 5 hours. You don't need to do a "course", you just need to find somewhere that will do a few hours dual to get you comfortable in it then hire it for a few hours and for your $5K you should have over 10 hours in something relevant.
Last edited by mikewil; 10th Jan 2024 at 23:23.
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Do you mind if I ask how much heavy Cessna time you have (by 'heavy' I mean C206, C210 or even C182)?
Given that you are considering one of these courses, suggests that you may not have any. If this is the case, there is your answer right there.
I have spoken to a number of GA Chief/HOO's and their number 1 biggest gripe with low hour CPLs looking for work is that they have never flown a heavy Cessna (or even a C172 in many cases). If you go up there with 10-20 recent-ish hours in at least a C182, you will stand out against all the others who have gone right through to CPL and beyond having flown nothing other than a DA40.
You may think an aeroplane is an aeroplane (which it is), but in many cases I have seen it take over 10 hours to get a DA40 CPL holder comfortable with smoothly handling and flying a tidy circuit in a C182 (and this is time/money that one of these employers doesn't need to spend if the guy next to you has something like "C206: 5 hours / C182: 15 hours / C172: 50 hours" on his or her resume.
So believe it or not, in this day and age with what the sausage factory flying schools are pumping out, C206 / C210 time (or at least C182) is actually a big selling point for a new starter. And bonus points if you actually did a chunk of your training or general flying on the humble old C172.
And please don't spend $5000 if it will only get you 5 hours. You don't need to do a "course", you just need to find somewhere that will do a few hours dual to get you comfortable in it then hire it for a few hours and for your $5K you should have over 10 hours in something relevant.
Given that you are considering one of these courses, suggests that you may not have any. If this is the case, there is your answer right there.
I have spoken to a number of GA Chief/HOO's and their number 1 biggest gripe with low hour CPLs looking for work is that they have never flown a heavy Cessna (or even a C172 in many cases). If you go up there with 10-20 recent-ish hours in at least a C182, you will stand out against all the others who have gone right through to CPL and beyond having flown nothing other than a DA40.
You may think an aeroplane is an aeroplane (which it is), but in many cases I have seen it take over 10 hours to get a DA40 CPL holder comfortable with smoothly handling and flying a tidy circuit in a C182 (and this is time/money that one of these employers doesn't need to spend if the guy next to you has something like "C206: 5 hours / C182: 15 hours / C172: 50 hours" on his or her resume.
So believe it or not, in this day and age with what the sausage factory flying schools are pumping out, C206 / C210 time (or at least C182) is actually a big selling point for a new starter. And bonus points if you actually did a chunk of your training or general flying on the humble old C172.
And please don't spend $5000 if it will only get you 5 hours. You don't need to do a "course", you just need to find somewhere that will do a few hours dual to get you comfortable in it then hire it for a few hours and for your $5K you should have over 10 hours in something relevant.
Having said that I did my training in a Grob 🥹🥹 not sure what that will accomplish for a CPL looking for work
OP - same here mate. I went up to Darwin in 2021. Spent a week in a sharehouse then found a job cleaning rooms at Cooinda. The rest is history.
So far I've had more leads from talking to people rather than fronting up to places with a resume. No matter how remote the operator is, there will always be dozens of resumes on the desk. I got pretty depressed in 2022, I had no job for about a month and I was living in my car during the build up. I don't like to talk about it too much because I know nothing is owed to me and happiness is in my control.
When I was 19 I was a spotty teenager who didn't have many social skills, confidence, knowledge and experience aside from a CPL. After leaving home and going to the top end I learnt how to drive a forklift, mix 2 pack paint, use a whipper snipper, use Opera PMS, how to talk to people as a "customer service" person, how to work with people you don't like. Caught some big queenies, saw some big crocs, lost about 30 B52s, walked through landscapes so beautiful I started writing bloody poetry about it, bought a 4WD with all the money I had then drowned it a day later, impelled backpackers, repelled locals etc. Whether I found a flying job or not, at the end of the day my opinion is that a drive out bush is invaluable personal development for any young Australian.
That being said, I am a lot happier now that I'm not moping around the top end waiting for a call. There are opportunities east coast, even more so with the movement going on now. I'm getting close to 500 hours now, have free accomodation, get paid a little bit and fly every day (roughly 300hrs per year). My advice for any CPL holders disenchanted with the first job search is to stick it out. Hiring is not fair. It's absolutely right place at the right time, or being mates with someone in power, that dictates your success. Keep searching for opportunities. After having a range of non-flying jobs, some which I left after 2 weeks, to others I stuck out for ~5 months, I couldn't imagine doing anything other than flying as a job. For me finding a job as a pilot became do-or-die. My father always talked about the future and what where we should be as a family - none of which came to fruition. I knew it before, but after my father died it became even more apparent, that this is it - there is no time other than now to work towards a goal. Go stick your resume as an advert on the gate of a country airfield. Call up a drop zone and ask them if they need a pilot. Work at a maintenance shop, offer to work for free if you're young and have no skills (some will detest this but why should you be paid if you have nothing to immediately offer?). You can either keep doing what is not working (putting your resume on a stack of others), or have some humility and put yourself out there.
So far I've had more leads from talking to people rather than fronting up to places with a resume. No matter how remote the operator is, there will always be dozens of resumes on the desk. I got pretty depressed in 2022, I had no job for about a month and I was living in my car during the build up. I don't like to talk about it too much because I know nothing is owed to me and happiness is in my control.
When I was 19 I was a spotty teenager who didn't have many social skills, confidence, knowledge and experience aside from a CPL. After leaving home and going to the top end I learnt how to drive a forklift, mix 2 pack paint, use a whipper snipper, use Opera PMS, how to talk to people as a "customer service" person, how to work with people you don't like. Caught some big queenies, saw some big crocs, lost about 30 B52s, walked through landscapes so beautiful I started writing bloody poetry about it, bought a 4WD with all the money I had then drowned it a day later, impelled backpackers, repelled locals etc. Whether I found a flying job or not, at the end of the day my opinion is that a drive out bush is invaluable personal development for any young Australian.
That being said, I am a lot happier now that I'm not moping around the top end waiting for a call. There are opportunities east coast, even more so with the movement going on now. I'm getting close to 500 hours now, have free accomodation, get paid a little bit and fly every day (roughly 300hrs per year). My advice for any CPL holders disenchanted with the first job search is to stick it out. Hiring is not fair. It's absolutely right place at the right time, or being mates with someone in power, that dictates your success. Keep searching for opportunities. After having a range of non-flying jobs, some which I left after 2 weeks, to others I stuck out for ~5 months, I couldn't imagine doing anything other than flying as a job. For me finding a job as a pilot became do-or-die. My father always talked about the future and what where we should be as a family - none of which came to fruition. I knew it before, but after my father died it became even more apparent, that this is it - there is no time other than now to work towards a goal. Go stick your resume as an advert on the gate of a country airfield. Call up a drop zone and ask them if they need a pilot. Work at a maintenance shop, offer to work for free if you're young and have no skills (some will detest this but why should you be paid if you have nothing to immediately offer?). You can either keep doing what is not working (putting your resume on a stack of others), or have some humility and put yourself out there.
Work at a maintenance shop, offer to work for free if you're young and have no skills (some will detest this but why should you be paid if you have nothing to immediately offer?)
You are a commercial pilot. Part of being a professional is getting paid for your work. Do not under cut others or you are as bad as the back stabbers Flying Bear spoke about.
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Excellent advice, Flying Bear and Mike Wils.
My 2 cents worth:
if looking for a job, contact the company, and ask for their minimums. Then make sure you meet them.
As a rough guide, a resume that includes the following will stand out:
100 hours command
5-10 hours in a C100 series. No serious commercial GA operator does scenics in a low wing.
Current CPL (don’t go for a check ride if you haven’t flown in the last 30 days. Skills degrade much quicker than any of us like to admit. If you are brushing up, at the very least, do some cross wind, flapless and short field. Don’t just slam it onto the tarmac three times and call it job done.
Current Class 1 medical.
Current ASIC.
Current DG.
Current A&OD training (it’s a free course, offered online by CASA, so no excuse not to have it).
Really want to stand out?
Get yourself a Senior First Aid certificate.
Contact a local maintenance training organisation and ask to be trained on how to change an oil filter, the oil, a spark plug, a tyre, and a battery - as a minimum All perfectly legal, if you are trained, and will pretty much put your resume in the top 5 of the pile on the HOFO / CP desk.
Then when you contact a company, use your manners.
Introduce yourself - it’s astounding how many people don’t introduce themselves now at the beginning of a phone call.
Ask if the CP has a few minutes rather than assuming the CP is sitting around fat, dumb, and happy just waiting for your call.
Sell yourself - I am a new CPL, looking for a job. What I can offer you is….(what sets you apart from every other resume that’s crossing the desk’).
Even if there is no job happening, the phrase “thank you for your time” goes a long way.
Pro tip:
if you send in a resume, and you have accidentally addressed it to the wrong company / wrong person (or something similar), and the company points it out - don’t give up. Own it - yes, I made a mistake.
Correct it, and re-submit it.
Part of any evaluation in aviation is observing how you recover from a mistake.
So if you make a mistake, own it, and - very importantly - learn from it, you have proven to the potential employer that you can take criticism, you are willing to learn from it, and you are willing to try to improve,
Any newly qualified pilot who thinks he / she knows it all, and can learn nothing in GA, is a danger to themselves and everyone around them.
My 2 cents worth:
if looking for a job, contact the company, and ask for their minimums. Then make sure you meet them.
As a rough guide, a resume that includes the following will stand out:
100 hours command
5-10 hours in a C100 series. No serious commercial GA operator does scenics in a low wing.
Current CPL (don’t go for a check ride if you haven’t flown in the last 30 days. Skills degrade much quicker than any of us like to admit. If you are brushing up, at the very least, do some cross wind, flapless and short field. Don’t just slam it onto the tarmac three times and call it job done.
Current Class 1 medical.
Current ASIC.
Current DG.
Current A&OD training (it’s a free course, offered online by CASA, so no excuse not to have it).
Really want to stand out?
Get yourself a Senior First Aid certificate.
Contact a local maintenance training organisation and ask to be trained on how to change an oil filter, the oil, a spark plug, a tyre, and a battery - as a minimum All perfectly legal, if you are trained, and will pretty much put your resume in the top 5 of the pile on the HOFO / CP desk.
Then when you contact a company, use your manners.
Introduce yourself - it’s astounding how many people don’t introduce themselves now at the beginning of a phone call.
Ask if the CP has a few minutes rather than assuming the CP is sitting around fat, dumb, and happy just waiting for your call.
Sell yourself - I am a new CPL, looking for a job. What I can offer you is….(what sets you apart from every other resume that’s crossing the desk’).
Even if there is no job happening, the phrase “thank you for your time” goes a long way.
Pro tip:
if you send in a resume, and you have accidentally addressed it to the wrong company / wrong person (or something similar), and the company points it out - don’t give up. Own it - yes, I made a mistake.
Correct it, and re-submit it.
Part of any evaluation in aviation is observing how you recover from a mistake.
So if you make a mistake, own it, and - very importantly - learn from it, you have proven to the potential employer that you can take criticism, you are willing to learn from it, and you are willing to try to improve,
Any newly qualified pilot who thinks he / she knows it all, and can learn nothing in GA, is a danger to themselves and everyone around them.
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in all seriousness do not offer to work for free, it makes the overall conditions in GA worse for everyone, it will actually make a lot of people NOT want to hire you, and lastly if it is an operation that is happy for you to work for free chances are that’s not the only thing there that’s illegal/dangerous.
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Some people can judge me for "jumping around and not staying in the same place for a job" but, come and spend time in Alice waiting for a GA job and let me know in 3 months if someone hasn't attempted to steal your car or set your letterbox on fire
So my other piece of advice is try not to think short term and definitely don't compare yourself to those around you. Your career will progress like a manual car driven by an L plater. It will leap forward, then stall, leap forward then stall. It's hard to evaluate how it's going until you get to the end of the road!
Go find somebody who flies 208’s, and sucker yourself into the right seat. They are easier to fly than 172’s, and the guy in the left seat will likely let you fly while he naps. It is so much easier than the days when we were flying 402-404’s….
hmmm maybe the CPL you’ve spent 80-100k of your own money on that cost the operator nothing? Maybe that’s what you immediately offer??
in all seriousness do not offer to work for free, it makes the overall conditions in GA worse for everyone, it will actually make a lot of people NOT want to hire you, and lastly if it is an operation that is happy for you to work for free chances are that’s not the only thing there that’s illegal/dangerous.
in all seriousness do not offer to work for free, it makes the overall conditions in GA worse for everyone, it will actually make a lot of people NOT want to hire you, and lastly if it is an operation that is happy for you to work for free chances are that’s not the only thing there that’s illegal/dangerous.
I've been reading the posts in these forums for a few years now, but felt compelled to sign up to reply to this thread specifically. As someone who was in a similar boat only a few short years ago (2021), I thought my experience might be of use to yourself or others. For context, I'm now employed overseas on a widebody.
The advice already shared by others here is spot on, but here's my story.
I got my CPL in February of 2020 and then covid shut down interstate borders the next month. I lost my job due to the restrictions and spent the rest of the year in jobs that I had no interest in doing. I'll admit that during this time when searching for these jobs, I had a "perspective" problem. Employers obviously want to invest in an individual that they will see a return of investment on. I made the mistake of highlighting that I was a pilot (qualifications on my CV) and undoubtedly this gave the impression that I only needed the job as long as it took to find a job in the aviation industry. For every 20-30 non-aviation jobs that I applied for, I got 1-2 replies. It took several months of being unemployed before I removed my pilot qualifications off of my CV and shortly after I found myself in stable, full time employment (this story becomes relevant later).
Towards the end of 2020 I got my MEIR and began looking for jobs. I got myself up to Darwin in 2021 and got a job working as a ground handler. Like yourself I made all the effort that was required and recommended by those that came before us. I called the operator, asked to talk to the CP/SBP and if they weren't available I asked for his/her name and the email address that I could forward my CV through to. I went to Officeworks and printed off 100 copies of my CV/Cover Letter on better quality paper and put them in plastic sleeves so that it would make more of an impression. I dropped into most of the operators weekly and gave them a new CV to add to their pile. I even rented a 172 and flew down to Katherine to drop CV's off down there. I managed to meet most of the Chief Pilots/Senior Base Pilots and tried my best to get a foot in the door but I was always a day late (they just interviewed yesterday). I had 30+ hours in both the 206 and the BE55 but only 200TT. I was told by a CP that the reason I didn't get called in to interview was because he had plenty of higher time guys wanting the same job.
Being 2021 and during the middle of covid, I was probably fighting a tougher fight. I am in no way trying to discredit your struggles or efforts, but objectively, there was zero movement in the industry and LOTS of pilots out of work.
After six months of trying, I began looking outside of Darwin and at other opportunities that involved being able to fly a plane. I began searching 'Rural & Outback Jobs' Facebook groups for potential pilot listings and started contacting pastoral companies that had previously advertised for pilots. That is how I got my first job as a "mustering" pilot. I put my stuff in storage, packed the car and drove 60+ hours to a remote station in WA, 400km from the nearest supermarket. I ended up flying 1,100 hours in 14 months.
This was a tough and humbling experience but also one of the most enjoyable periods of my life. If I wasn't flying, I was climbing and fixing windmills or working with the livestock. During our busy periods, our day would start before sunrise and would often times finish after sunset. In one month, I flew 156 hours and only had three days off (being a private operation this was legal). In slower periods, I asked for time to clean out the hangar and the plane (washed the 30+ year old, crusty wool seat covers) and put together a QRH (there wasn't one in the aircraft) and cheat sheets for the pilots that would come after me. I became good friends with the station manager during this time and, in his recent history, I was the longest employed station pilot he'd had. I subsequently went on to fly in PNG and work for an Australian 121 operator.
I say all this to make this point: The single factor that is more important than, the types of aircraft you've flown or how many hours you have in your logbook, is your attitude (I fear I may have just said something controversial on PPRUNE).
Every 200 hour pilot, everywhere, trying to get their first job is more or less equally qualified. You could've done your entire CPL training in a 210, have a HR/forklift license, senior first aid certificate and when you fart it smells like Chanel, but if you have the wrong attitude, you'll undoubtedly have difficulty getting a start. Going back to my own experiences and earlier story, employers want to invest in an individual that they will see a return of investment on. They're also the ones that have to spend time with you in the office and in the aircraft training you. We're all overworked and underpaid and the last thing any of us want to do is interact with a colleague/employee that believes they are "better" or "too good" for the task/job/aircraft that is asked of them (any time spent in the industry or on these forums and you'll know the type of individuals that I refer to..). Any operator can spot this before you walk through the door.
OP, I am in no way insinuating that you fall into this camp. Personally, I sympathise with you as I've been in your shoes. I admire your dedication to get a start in the industry and I wish you the best of luck. I'll reiterate what others have said, absolutely do not spend the $5,000 on doing the GA Ready Course. If you're established in Darwin with accommodation and a job, I'd probably not relocate again. As others have said, if you don't have any 206/210 time, it might be worth getting yourself in one for a few hours to get a bit of experience. Keep in mind, there are plenty of other jobs for entry level pilots, prawn/whale/fire spotting, pastoral companies, low/high level survey, powerline inspection etc.
No matter where you get your first job, try to add value and or leave it better than you found it. By this, I don't mean work for free, but if you see or feel that something can be done better or more efficiently, write up some suggestions and put it forward. If the hangar is a mess or the oil bottles need refilling, do that little bit extra and be willing to step in to help others when and where they need it. Having this attitude/mindset and being humble and willing enough to follow through with it will show your character as an individual (this is what operators are looking for).
Genuinely try to enjoy the flying and the experiences you're going through and (most importantly) remain positive because this is just the first speedbump in what will be a long and bumpy career. You'll fly for a terrible operator or two, you'll be taken advantage of and you run the risk of being furloughed at any sign of the economy taking a down turn.
But one day you'll be cruising at FL380 and you'll look back at the struggles of finding/surviving your first GA job through rose tinted glasses and probably wish you could still be doing it.
The advice already shared by others here is spot on, but here's my story.
I got my CPL in February of 2020 and then covid shut down interstate borders the next month. I lost my job due to the restrictions and spent the rest of the year in jobs that I had no interest in doing. I'll admit that during this time when searching for these jobs, I had a "perspective" problem. Employers obviously want to invest in an individual that they will see a return of investment on. I made the mistake of highlighting that I was a pilot (qualifications on my CV) and undoubtedly this gave the impression that I only needed the job as long as it took to find a job in the aviation industry. For every 20-30 non-aviation jobs that I applied for, I got 1-2 replies. It took several months of being unemployed before I removed my pilot qualifications off of my CV and shortly after I found myself in stable, full time employment (this story becomes relevant later).
Towards the end of 2020 I got my MEIR and began looking for jobs. I got myself up to Darwin in 2021 and got a job working as a ground handler. Like yourself I made all the effort that was required and recommended by those that came before us. I called the operator, asked to talk to the CP/SBP and if they weren't available I asked for his/her name and the email address that I could forward my CV through to. I went to Officeworks and printed off 100 copies of my CV/Cover Letter on better quality paper and put them in plastic sleeves so that it would make more of an impression. I dropped into most of the operators weekly and gave them a new CV to add to their pile. I even rented a 172 and flew down to Katherine to drop CV's off down there. I managed to meet most of the Chief Pilots/Senior Base Pilots and tried my best to get a foot in the door but I was always a day late (they just interviewed yesterday). I had 30+ hours in both the 206 and the BE55 but only 200TT. I was told by a CP that the reason I didn't get called in to interview was because he had plenty of higher time guys wanting the same job.
Being 2021 and during the middle of covid, I was probably fighting a tougher fight. I am in no way trying to discredit your struggles or efforts, but objectively, there was zero movement in the industry and LOTS of pilots out of work.
After six months of trying, I began looking outside of Darwin and at other opportunities that involved being able to fly a plane. I began searching 'Rural & Outback Jobs' Facebook groups for potential pilot listings and started contacting pastoral companies that had previously advertised for pilots. That is how I got my first job as a "mustering" pilot. I put my stuff in storage, packed the car and drove 60+ hours to a remote station in WA, 400km from the nearest supermarket. I ended up flying 1,100 hours in 14 months.
This was a tough and humbling experience but also one of the most enjoyable periods of my life. If I wasn't flying, I was climbing and fixing windmills or working with the livestock. During our busy periods, our day would start before sunrise and would often times finish after sunset. In one month, I flew 156 hours and only had three days off (being a private operation this was legal). In slower periods, I asked for time to clean out the hangar and the plane (washed the 30+ year old, crusty wool seat covers) and put together a QRH (there wasn't one in the aircraft) and cheat sheets for the pilots that would come after me. I became good friends with the station manager during this time and, in his recent history, I was the longest employed station pilot he'd had. I subsequently went on to fly in PNG and work for an Australian 121 operator.
I say all this to make this point: The single factor that is more important than, the types of aircraft you've flown or how many hours you have in your logbook, is your attitude (I fear I may have just said something controversial on PPRUNE).
Every 200 hour pilot, everywhere, trying to get their first job is more or less equally qualified. You could've done your entire CPL training in a 210, have a HR/forklift license, senior first aid certificate and when you fart it smells like Chanel, but if you have the wrong attitude, you'll undoubtedly have difficulty getting a start. Going back to my own experiences and earlier story, employers want to invest in an individual that they will see a return of investment on. They're also the ones that have to spend time with you in the office and in the aircraft training you. We're all overworked and underpaid and the last thing any of us want to do is interact with a colleague/employee that believes they are "better" or "too good" for the task/job/aircraft that is asked of them (any time spent in the industry or on these forums and you'll know the type of individuals that I refer to..). Any operator can spot this before you walk through the door.
OP, I am in no way insinuating that you fall into this camp. Personally, I sympathise with you as I've been in your shoes. I admire your dedication to get a start in the industry and I wish you the best of luck. I'll reiterate what others have said, absolutely do not spend the $5,000 on doing the GA Ready Course. If you're established in Darwin with accommodation and a job, I'd probably not relocate again. As others have said, if you don't have any 206/210 time, it might be worth getting yourself in one for a few hours to get a bit of experience. Keep in mind, there are plenty of other jobs for entry level pilots, prawn/whale/fire spotting, pastoral companies, low/high level survey, powerline inspection etc.
No matter where you get your first job, try to add value and or leave it better than you found it. By this, I don't mean work for free, but if you see or feel that something can be done better or more efficiently, write up some suggestions and put it forward. If the hangar is a mess or the oil bottles need refilling, do that little bit extra and be willing to step in to help others when and where they need it. Having this attitude/mindset and being humble and willing enough to follow through with it will show your character as an individual (this is what operators are looking for).
Genuinely try to enjoy the flying and the experiences you're going through and (most importantly) remain positive because this is just the first speedbump in what will be a long and bumpy career. You'll fly for a terrible operator or two, you'll be taken advantage of and you run the risk of being furloughed at any sign of the economy taking a down turn.
But one day you'll be cruising at FL380 and you'll look back at the struggles of finding/surviving your first GA job through rose tinted glasses and probably wish you could still be doing it.
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OP, here's a perspective you won't often hear but is worth considering.
The reality is that a lot of people don't ever get that first GA job and even those that do, many (myself included) walked away from the industry after 12 months of working. Things may have changed in recent years (I doubt it), but it was a bad enough experience for me to entirely bin my emotional, financial and time investment in aviation and to then do a further 4 years of study to change my career path entirely.
As others have mentioned it's not all to do with the operators either, GA pilots were for the most part backstabbers who would climb over anybody else for progression and the small town culture was a cesspool.
If I had my time again, I would have just paid the dollars and went the cadet path from day one. Everyone I knew who did this at the time, the closest any come to GA was a stint as safety pilot on a metro and were all fast tracked to a RHS turboprop or jet job.
Sometimes I get the itch, especially when I hear 'pilot shortage', but then I come back here for a reminder that nothing has really changed...
The reality is that a lot of people don't ever get that first GA job and even those that do, many (myself included) walked away from the industry after 12 months of working. Things may have changed in recent years (I doubt it), but it was a bad enough experience for me to entirely bin my emotional, financial and time investment in aviation and to then do a further 4 years of study to change my career path entirely.
As others have mentioned it's not all to do with the operators either, GA pilots were for the most part backstabbers who would climb over anybody else for progression and the small town culture was a cesspool.
If I had my time again, I would have just paid the dollars and went the cadet path from day one. Everyone I knew who did this at the time, the closest any come to GA was a stint as safety pilot on a metro and were all fast tracked to a RHS turboprop or jet job.
Sometimes I get the itch, especially when I hear 'pilot shortage', but then I come back here for a reminder that nothing has really changed...
lol of course. I think the obtusity of internet communication is coming out here. I just meant, a few days, or a month spent in a maintenance workshop, even if you aren't paid, can set you up with invaluable skills. If you are 18 and never touched a tool before or are in the financial position to hang around a shop and be taught for a certain period of time. I have approached shops and asked for any trade assistant work but I can see why they never got back to me - if the shop is busy with brake pad changes and oil changes but you've never done one, what do you offer worth paying? put it this way, if time is your currency, then sometimes it is more valuable to trade it for knowledge and skills rather than money. again, not talking about flying for free. as we know, that is something you spent $80k to learn.
So I’m a Surgeon. Our Mantra is: “see one do one teach one”. That’s pretty much my intro into commercial aviation. I hit up a local flight instructor who had a night gig at a check flying operation to fly in the right seat of a 402 (on the qt)
As I had the appropriate ratings, after a couple of flights, I was interviewing with the chief pilot wi in a couple of weeks, did my check ride and got the job.
Have you considered looking overseas at all? I'm rapidly approaching completion of CPL myself and wondering if it's almost a better prospect considering the dire reports I'm hearing from new CPLs like yourself.
All the best and all I can suggest is keep at it and you'll eventually get your break. If you know this is what you want to do and no other career will satisfy you, it's not a matter of if but when.
All the best and all I can suggest is keep at it and you'll eventually get your break. If you know this is what you want to do and no other career will satisfy you, it's not a matter of if but when.
Thread Starter
Have you considered looking overseas at all? I'm rapidly approaching completion of CPL myself and wondering if it's almost a better prospect considering the dire reports I'm hearing from new CPLs like yourself.
All the best and all I can suggest is keep at it and you'll eventually get your break. If you know this is what you want to do and no other career will satisfy you, it's not a matter of if but when.
All the best and all I can suggest is keep at it and you'll eventually get your break. If you know this is what you want to do and no other career will satisfy you, it's not a matter of if but when.
I'm about to book a trip to head over to Papua and sit there for a bit. It will be my third country outside of Oz trying to get that lucky break.
Thread Starter
OP, here's a perspective you won't often hear but is worth considering.
The reality is that a lot of people don't ever get that first GA job and even those that do, many (myself included) walked away from the industry after 12 months of working. Things may have changed in recent years (I doubt it), but it was a bad enough experience for me to entirely bin my emotional, financial and time investment in aviation and to then do a further 4 years of study to change my career path entirely.
As others have mentioned it's not all to do with the operators either, GA pilots were for the most part backstabbers who would climb over anybody else for progression and the small town culture was a cesspool.
If I had my time again, I would have just paid the dollars and went the cadet path from day one. Everyone I knew who did this at the time, the closest any come to GA was a stint as safety pilot on a metro and were all fast tracked to a RHS turboprop or jet job.
Sometimes I get the itch, especially when I hear 'pilot shortage', but then I come back here for a reminder that nothing has really changed...
The reality is that a lot of people don't ever get that first GA job and even those that do, many (myself included) walked away from the industry after 12 months of working. Things may have changed in recent years (I doubt it), but it was a bad enough experience for me to entirely bin my emotional, financial and time investment in aviation and to then do a further 4 years of study to change my career path entirely.
As others have mentioned it's not all to do with the operators either, GA pilots were for the most part backstabbers who would climb over anybody else for progression and the small town culture was a cesspool.
If I had my time again, I would have just paid the dollars and went the cadet path from day one. Everyone I knew who did this at the time, the closest any come to GA was a stint as safety pilot on a metro and were all fast tracked to a RHS turboprop or jet job.
Sometimes I get the itch, especially when I hear 'pilot shortage', but then I come back here for a reminder that nothing has really changed...
There was a case where one dude put his resume into an Operator up here and then told his mate about the same job. The mate went into the Operator and told the HOO the original dude wasn't interested in the job anymore, then submitted his own resume over the top! Dirty tactics of trying to get that first job.
It doesn't stop at GA - the rest of your career into the airline industry is no different. Neither is it anywhere else in employment. That's life mate.
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There was a case where one dude put his resume into an Operator up here and then told his mate about the same job. The mate went into the Operator and told the HOO the original dude wasn't interested in the job anymore, then submitted his own resume over the top! Dirty tactics of trying to get that first job.
It doesn't stop at GA - the rest of your career into the airline industry is no different. Neither is it anywhere else in employment. That's life mate
