Interesting careers in aviation?
Thread Starter
Interesting careers in aviation?
A few other threads on Pprune and conversations with mates have got me thinking about options for enjoying a career in the aviation industry which do not necessarily involve the 'normal job' of flying a 737 to Frankfurt twice a day. It would be very helpful to those who are looking to join the industry to be exposed to the other options for earning a living within aviation. I think it would be excellent if there were a thread on this site where pilots and others involved in aviation could give wannabes a flavour of their job. It would show the breadth of options available.
So, are you flying Air Taxis out of a small airport; towing banners from a grass strip; flying sleek Citations out of Luton; a flying instructor etc etc? The more interesting the better, and please give the wannabes a vague idea of how to get a job like yours.
Alternatively, seeing as this is necessarily being posted on the wannabes thread and may not catch the eye of qualified pilots and people from other areas of the aviation industry, perhaps anyone who has any interesting suggestions might post them as well.
Thanks for any posts.
Mods - you might like to sticky this thread if it takes off, so to speak!
So, are you flying Air Taxis out of a small airport; towing banners from a grass strip; flying sleek Citations out of Luton; a flying instructor etc etc? The more interesting the better, and please give the wannabes a vague idea of how to get a job like yours.
Alternatively, seeing as this is necessarily being posted on the wannabes thread and may not catch the eye of qualified pilots and people from other areas of the aviation industry, perhaps anyone who has any interesting suggestions might post them as well.
Thanks for any posts.
Mods - you might like to sticky this thread if it takes off, so to speak!
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Excellent thread! I'm sitting the ATPL exams at the moment but am really keen to find out what else there is apart from the obvious.
To kick things off, I once knew a flying instructor who was looking into flying for the British Antarctic Survey! Now that's something I never even knew about a year ago!
Lost touch with him so never found out if he got there or not.
Look forward to hearing what else is out there.
To kick things off, I once knew a flying instructor who was looking into flying for the British Antarctic Survey! Now that's something I never even knew about a year ago!
Lost touch with him so never found out if he got there or not.
Look forward to hearing what else is out there.
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dont know if this qualifies as different enough or not, but ive been investigating the freight industry as a post-training destination. I think it gets the stereotype as a 'last resort' from FTOs, but it looks pretty good from where Im stood. Good pay, plenty of flying hours, more relaxed flying. Not having to deal with abusive drunks (or niaomi campbell).
Where do I sign-up??
JB
Editted to add:
Plus get to see many varied destinations, rather than the usual holiday hotspots, not to mention some of the crazy freight you can read about in the 'strange freight' thread in the Freight Dogs forum
Where do I sign-up??
JB
Editted to add:
Plus get to see many varied destinations, rather than the usual holiday hotspots, not to mention some of the crazy freight you can read about in the 'strange freight' thread in the Freight Dogs forum
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Originally Posted by "the_daddy
To kick things off, I once knew a flying instructor who was looking into flying for the British Antarctic Survey! Now that's something I never even knew about a year ago!
Free Parking? In Antarctica?
(the job was in Cambridge)
Educated Hillbilly
I believe that BAS require a reasonable amount of previous multi engine experience.
Interesting flying jobs:
FR Aviation: Target towing and low level threat simulation in Falcon Bizjets on subcontract for the RAF and RN. Captains are nearly all ex military, but most of the Co-pilots are civilian, 1000 hours needed to apply alot of instructors employed there in the past.
Bush flying in Africa for companies like Zimex aviation.
There are always the occasional flying job in hostile locations: ie: have seen King Air jobs in Afganistan advertised before now. However significant hours and previous King Air needed to apply for this one.
Afraid JB, night freight does not involve lots of flying, typically 300 hours per year at most night freight ops on average. Again most night freight operators require about a 1000 hours for new FOs to ensure that the ATPL can be unfrozen in a couple years.
Bush flying in Africa you can get a job on a 206 with just the bare minimum 250 hours CPL and when you gain experience it is possible to move onto the Caravan and Kingair.
Interesting flying jobs:
FR Aviation: Target towing and low level threat simulation in Falcon Bizjets on subcontract for the RAF and RN. Captains are nearly all ex military, but most of the Co-pilots are civilian, 1000 hours needed to apply alot of instructors employed there in the past.
Bush flying in Africa for companies like Zimex aviation.
There are always the occasional flying job in hostile locations: ie: have seen King Air jobs in Afganistan advertised before now. However significant hours and previous King Air needed to apply for this one.
Afraid JB, night freight does not involve lots of flying, typically 300 hours per year at most night freight ops on average. Again most night freight operators require about a 1000 hours for new FOs to ensure that the ATPL can be unfrozen in a couple years.
Bush flying in Africa you can get a job on a 206 with just the bare minimum 250 hours CPL and when you gain experience it is possible to move onto the Caravan and Kingair.
PPRuNe Handmaiden
interesting jobs?
Part time flight instructor.
Bush pilot flying scenics, freight and govt charter. Unbelievably fun but hard work.
Coastwatch pilot. Very interesting.
Regionail airlines flying to remote places as well as tropical islands. Bandits and twotters. Awesome flying.
Regionals but bigger. Good mix of non prec and ILS stuff mixed in with big and small airport fun.
Shifted to UK.
Night freight. Challenging and cold.
Now, fly for NetJets Europe, fractional bizjet flying.
By far the most interesting, challenging and entertaining job I've had.
Airlines? For now, no way. Too boring and work too many days.
Posting from Moscow....
Bush pilot flying scenics, freight and govt charter. Unbelievably fun but hard work.
Coastwatch pilot. Very interesting.
Regionail airlines flying to remote places as well as tropical islands. Bandits and twotters. Awesome flying.
Regionals but bigger. Good mix of non prec and ILS stuff mixed in with big and small airport fun.
Shifted to UK.
Night freight. Challenging and cold.
Now, fly for NetJets Europe, fractional bizjet flying.
By far the most interesting, challenging and entertaining job I've had.
Airlines? For now, no way. Too boring and work too many days.
Posting from Moscow....
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Have had a few interesting flying jobs.
Skydive flying in Alaska and Las Vegas.
Low level magnetic survey in Libya. 450ft over the desert although ferrying out to the location each day was the really low stuff.
Mid altitude photographic survey in Finland, spent the summer moving every few weeks further north in Finland, got to see and spend time in places all over the country.
Photographic flights for the FCO in Afghanistan.
Night magnetic and gravitational survey in Algeria over a lot of the Sahara. Interesting but not much fun flying till 6am over the desert as may as well have been in a cave.
Glad I did it all but am pretty happy that its over, the next plane has a bed in it, something I longed for in Algeria.
Skydive flying in Alaska and Las Vegas.
Low level magnetic survey in Libya. 450ft over the desert although ferrying out to the location each day was the really low stuff.
Mid altitude photographic survey in Finland, spent the summer moving every few weeks further north in Finland, got to see and spend time in places all over the country.
Photographic flights for the FCO in Afghanistan.
Night magnetic and gravitational survey in Algeria over a lot of the Sahara. Interesting but not much fun flying till 6am over the desert as may as well have been in a cave.
Glad I did it all but am pretty happy that its over, the next plane has a bed in it, something I longed for in Algeria.
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Saw an ad the other day for flying large float planes in the Maldives, that would be a great way to spend some time...
Now where can i get funds for a float endorsement
???
Stretch
Now where can i get funds for a float endorsement
???Stretch
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Stretch,
My mates got a float plane rating in the Kimberley. I was just starting the work up to it when I got the coast watch job.
The Antarctic gig looks very interesting, there's a PPRuNer who does that in a variety of aircraft. (Not Twotters). My sis in law's a flying doc. (She does the doc bit, other folks do the flying bit). Never did aerial survey but mates who have really enjoyed it. Got a mate who does laser oceanographic stuff in a Dash 8.
My mates got a float plane rating in the Kimberley. I was just starting the work up to it when I got the coast watch job.
The Antarctic gig looks very interesting, there's a PPRuNer who does that in a variety of aircraft. (Not Twotters). My sis in law's a flying doc. (She does the doc bit, other folks do the flying bit). Never did aerial survey but mates who have really enjoyed it. Got a mate who does laser oceanographic stuff in a Dash 8.
Thread Starter
I found an advert for being a SAR pilot in the Middle East. Salary £65 - £75k per year tax free.
As if flying around the Middle East isn't dangerous enough, being a SAR pilot out there must be a challenge!
As if flying around the Middle East isn't dangerous enough, being a SAR pilot out there must be a challenge!
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I'm VERY interested. But...
I don't get it...How much experience do these kind of jobs require?
Would they be an option to a low hours CPL pilot, or would they be more suited to an experienced BA 747 captain who wants to settle down abit?
I'm up for a bit of floatplane flying in the maldives...once I get a CPL!
Thanks,
don't_ask
I don't get it...How much experience do these kind of jobs require?
Would they be an option to a low hours CPL pilot, or would they be more suited to an experienced BA 747 captain who wants to settle down abit?
I'm up for a bit of floatplane flying in the maldives...once I get a CPL!
Thanks,
don't_ask
Educated Hillbilly
They do ask for significant float plane experience in the recent advert; so you will need more than a bare minimum hour CPL/IR and float plane rating.
Thread Starter
It would be great if the mods could somehow link this thread to one of the professional pilot threads so that those already in these interesting careers might give advice on how to start out!
PPRuNe Handmaiden
The bush flying jobs in Oz just need a bare CPL. Ideally you should have a Night VFR rating. You don't need an IR but they never hurt.
The company I worked for had some float planes. You do one season on the wheels and if you want, next season you can go onto the floats. You start on the closed water and eventually work up to open water.
Oh, there's a big shortage of pilots in Oz now for the regionals etc.
The company I worked for had some float planes. You do one season on the wheels and if you want, next season you can go onto the floats. You start on the closed water and eventually work up to open water.
Oh, there's a big shortage of pilots in Oz now for the regionals etc.
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Aerial survey, you can start with quite low hours, 500 ish. To get onto the twin turboprop stuff it would be about 2000ish as can be pretty challenging and mainly single pilot.
I liked the earlier post about an ex BA747 capt doing these sort of jobs to settle down. I think you will find it is the other way around.
I liked the earlier post about an ex BA747 capt doing these sort of jobs to settle down. I think you will find it is the other way around.
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I've always thought that doing sightseeing flights around the Great Barrier Reef and Tropical North Queensland wouldn't be a bad way of paying the bills...maybe even doing Fly-Dives off a float plane...
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Mark Beasley, instruments instructor at BCFT flies for the British Antarctic Survey, this summer he was based at Halley - I got to talk to him lots (I'm the comms manager here). He even let me fly a twin otter for an hour or so, it was amazing...
The BAS pilot job is where I'd love to end up, but you'll need 1500 hours of multi engine so it's going to take a while. I'm distance learning with CATS, so the theory should be sorted once I start flying.
Other interesting jobs I've seen while looking around is working for the red cross in Africa dropping supplies and taxing doctors around, geo-surveys over Greenland, pilot for a drug baron in Columbia etc. I'm aiming for a bush job once I get the quals, the pay wont be anything like an airliner pilot, but I'm sure it'll be more fun
The BAS pilot job is where I'd love to end up, but you'll need 1500 hours of multi engine so it's going to take a while. I'm distance learning with CATS, so the theory should be sorted once I start flying.
Other interesting jobs I've seen while looking around is working for the red cross in Africa dropping supplies and taxing doctors around, geo-surveys over Greenland, pilot for a drug baron in Columbia etc. I'm aiming for a bush job once I get the quals, the pay wont be anything like an airliner pilot, but I'm sure it'll be more fun
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Hi all,
I've recently joined this forum and was quite dismayed to find that most threads lean towards airlines and earning large amounts of money (everyone to their own). However after reading this thread its cheered me up knowing that airlines are not the only way to enjoy flying and earn something at the same time.
I'm just about to leave the British Army after 22 yrs and am really not interested in carrying on working in the IT world. I've always wanted to do my PPL but "other" things got in the way, my wife hinted maybe now would be the time to do my PPL & CPL, move to some where nice (Canada for example) and get a flying job to buffer my pension.
After spending a great deal of time researching whats required to achieve my dream, I have found myself so wrapped up "hours here" and "hours there" that I don't know whether I am coming or going
All I want is to fly one of the above mentioned jobs in this thread, I'm not interested in airlines, heavy transport etc and I now get the impression I have to be licenced up to the hilt and fork out a fortune to achieve it.
I would be greatfull if some one could let me know how I go from zero to light tsp, small pax or sight seeing trips etc, how much I'm looking to spend approx and a out lying time frame.
If this has been asked/answered in any other thread, then I appologise, I havn't found it yet.
Many thanks
I've recently joined this forum and was quite dismayed to find that most threads lean towards airlines and earning large amounts of money (everyone to their own). However after reading this thread its cheered me up knowing that airlines are not the only way to enjoy flying and earn something at the same time.
I'm just about to leave the British Army after 22 yrs and am really not interested in carrying on working in the IT world. I've always wanted to do my PPL but "other" things got in the way, my wife hinted maybe now would be the time to do my PPL & CPL, move to some where nice (Canada for example) and get a flying job to buffer my pension.
After spending a great deal of time researching whats required to achieve my dream, I have found myself so wrapped up "hours here" and "hours there" that I don't know whether I am coming or going
All I want is to fly one of the above mentioned jobs in this thread, I'm not interested in airlines, heavy transport etc and I now get the impression I have to be licenced up to the hilt and fork out a fortune to achieve it.
I would be greatfull if some one could let me know how I go from zero to light tsp, small pax or sight seeing trips etc, how much I'm looking to spend approx and a out lying time frame.
If this has been asked/answered in any other thread, then I appologise, I havn't found it yet.
Many thanks